Two Like You!

We celebrated Virginia's birthday a little early this year while Mimi and Liz were in town. Sadly, we had to be inside since we have had a string of bad and dreary weather days all spring. But we made the most of the bad weather and got some fun indoor toys - including a repurposed swimming pool that we filled with balls to make a ball pit and an Elmo pinata. Uncle Biggie gave Virginia a bouncy ball and GayGay and PopPop gave Virginia a shiny new tricycle, so she was definitely entertained. Topping off the fun was a Wallace and Gromit birthday cake and Thomas the Tank Engine decorations - Virginia's favorite!

Girls Weekend

In late March, Aunt Lizzie and Mimi came for a quick visit to California to see Virginia. We celebrated an early 2nd birthday while they were in town and went to the steam trains in Tilden Park (Virginia's favorite).

Happy Corndog Day!

Wishing you and yours the best on National Corndog Day. Go Tar Heels!

You Talk Too Much...

Well, Virginia has certainly inherited the talking genes from both of her lawyer parents. This is definitely one developmental milestone that she has blasted right through! At almost 23 months old, she is a jabbering queen. We've just been amazed at her vocabulary and some of the concepts she strings together now. It is so fun to be able to communicate with her in full sentences! Here are some of the gems from the last month or so of her life:

"I need that yellow one!" - said while trying to swipe a can of yellow Play-Doh from mom's hands

"Help, Mama! Many crunchies fall down!" - said after spilling a bowl of Frankenberry cereal in our guest room (Thomas picked out her snack that day).

"Dada book. Save for later." - Thomas was out of town, so when she located a book that she believed belonged to him, she decided to express that we needed to set it aside and save it for him when he returned.

"Humongous meatball - push!" - This is assuredly the most random of Virginia thoughts this month. Apparently, there was an episode of Abby's Flying Fairy School on Sesame Street where the characters are trying to move a giant meatball and are pushing it. She recalled this scene while driving in the car many days later.

"I'm Ginia" - Virginia has started introducing herself to new people whenever we meet them. Because she can't always say Virginia with ease, she has shorted it to "Ginia."

"No cheese, Gromit" - Virginia's Uncle Doug gave her a set of Wallace & Gromit DVDs for Christmas, and Virginia has taken quite a liking to them. She has started quoting some of the better lines from the movies!

"Go Heels - Hurray!" - We've clearly been watching some UNC games in our house this time of year.

And last but not least....

"JUMPY TIME!" - To Virginia, everything that she likes to do has a "time" (Elmo time, nap time, "WaGomit" time - aka Wallace & Gromit time, WeePlay time, snack time). But her favorite thing to do is jump, so jumpy time is the most often uttered phrase in our house. We have to have jumpy time in her crib before her bath each night so she can blow off some energy (and often at other times too). She also loves to do jumpy time at her tumbling class on the trampolines there. And, of course, her few experiences with a bouncy house have been nothing short of magical.

The Happiest Place on Earth

In February, Thomas and I took a leap of faith and decided to take Virginia to Disneyland! Thomas had to be in LA for work, and he had a free Southwest ticket because of all the work travel he has been doing lately, so it seemed like a good time to make a trip happen on the cheap. So, Virginia and I flew down on a Friday morning to meet him for a day and a half of Magic Kingdom madness.

We wondered whether Virginia would be old enough to enjoy the trip, but she was in heaven. She has been known to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV, so she already knew all her major Disney characters. She was thrilled to spot Goofy and Pluto as we walked around the park, and was even more thrilled when she got to meet and greet Mickey.

Her favorite rides were Dumbo, the Mad Tea Party, King Arthur's Carrousel, Finding Nemo submarines, and Pirates of the Caribbean. She ran around Disney singing "yo ho, yo ho" after riding Pirates for the second time. She comes by her love of pirates honestly, I guess (dad is a big fan). Best of all, we rented a hotel room right across the street from the main Disneyland entrance, so we were able to quickly walk back for naptimes and for breaks as needed. We also hired a babysitting service one night so Thomas and I got to stay out late and ride all the thrill rides (as well as enjoy a nice dinner at our favorite Disney restaurant, the Blue Bayou).

Virginia was almost 22 months old at the time of the trip, and took her 22nd plane ride on the return. We are officially insane to fly with her so much, but this was a trip that was well worth it! We're already planning our next Disney excursion - Halloweentime, perhaps?

Big Island Baby

Virginia took her first trip to Hawaii to celebrate the new year. The whole Harvey clan got a condo at the Mauna Lani (the Harveys' usual vacation spot), where we enjoyed sun, surf, and sand.

Virginia's trip was filled with fun memories. She had a blast getting "baby coffee" with Grammy in the mornings - walking down to the hotel and getting a cup of milk in her own coffee cup. She loved the beach and pool and spent most of her time there. She was absolutely fearless in the water. She ran right in and declared that she was Nemo! She also took full advantage of the cabana waiters. Everytime one walked by, she would hold up her finger and say "Chicka nugga."

Virginia learned to speak Hawaiian while she was there... new words in her vocabulary include hukilau, "hello-ha" (aloha), hula, and . . . mai tai! I guess we may have consumed one to many mai tais in her presence. Oops!

Crimson Tide Christmas

It was back to Bama for the Harveys this Christmas. Having flown to CT at Thanksgiving, we weren't thrilled with the idea of another cross country plane flight with Virginia, but we lived to tell the tale and had a blast!

Virginia loved spending time with Mimi, Papa, Great Granny, Aunt Liz and Uncle Dave. She especially loved Liz and Dave's dogs, Cherry and Bailey! She chased them around the house, gave them hugs, and let them lick her face.

We had the chance to do all sorts of fun activities in Montgomery as well. Zoo Lights at the Montgomery Zoo, which came complete with a petting zoo attraction, was a highlight. Virginia also loved the train at Montgomery Mall and lunch at a Chinese restaurant with the Pynes and Webbs. She finally got to meet her cousin Brice! Virginia did not particularly love the candlelight service at First United Methodist Church, however. She lost it about 5 minutes in, and I had to leave the church with her for the rest of the service. I will spare Baby Harvey readers the subsequent details, but suffice it to say that leaving daddy behind in the church caused Virginia grave concern and I had to deal with the biggest tantrum she's ever had by myself in the church parking lot.

Christmas itself was a blast. Virginia definitely figured out how to open presents herself, but soon lost interest with the sheer volume of gifts. It pays to be the only grandchild on both sides - more presents than can possibly hold your attention! Her favorite gifts included a sparkly silver purse from Liz, a musical train from Mimi and Papa, and a play camera from Janet and Rick.

In the Christmas Spirit

Thomas and I weren't sure whether Virginia would be quite old enough to "get" Christmas this year. But we are happy to report that we have an honorary elf in our house - Virginia is totally in to everything Christmasy!

Virginia can identify Santas of all varieties in pictures, decorations, etc. And when you ask her what Santa says, she exclaims "ho, ho, ho!" She also loves spotting snowmen, Christmas lights (she can correctly identify most of the colors), and gingerbread men ("ging bed man"). She is also a master at singing Silent Night and Jingle Bells. She's had a lot of practice with Silent Night, as her nanny, Kim, sings that song to her before her naps. Right around Thanksgiving, Virginia started spontaneously saying "Si nigh, ho nigh, all cahm, all bight!" Perfect timing for the holiday season, Baby V.

Virginia has also seemed to enjoy our family Christmas dance parties. When Thomas and I come home from work, we fire up Christmas carols on the radio and dance with her. She laughs and laughs when I giddy up along to Johnny Mathis's Sleigh Ride. She spins around in circles until she falls over from dizziness.

She's had quite a few holiday outings already. When I was out of town for work earlier this month, Dada and Grammy took her to the Oakland Zoo to see the lights. Apparently, she was just in awe the whole time. And Dada also took her to Thompson Street in Alameda - a place where all the houses are decorated and lit up for Christmas - and she went wild.

Unfortunately, Virginia went for the gold in the Santa Tantrum award contest when it came time to see the real Santa. She seem thrilled on the car ride over, repeating again and again that we were going to see Santa. But when faced with a real bearded guy in a dimly lit house, she panicked. We are going to try again when we get to Montgomery.

Virginia's Great Gram

Some sad news to report... Virginia's great grandmother, Jane Mack ("Gram"), passed away on November 17. We feel so blessed that in Virginia's short 19 month life, she got to take three trips to Connecticut to meet and spend time with Gram. Virginia was Gram's first great grandchild, so I know she was thrilled to see another generation of her family taking the world by storm. Gram was 93 and had 7 kids and 14 grandkids! She lived an amazingly full life, and we will miss her dearly.

The memorial service was scheduled for the Friday after Thanksgiving, so Thomas and I scheduled a last minute trip for all of us to go to Connecticut. Nearly everyone in Gram's very large family was able to attend, so we really enjoyed getting to spend time with the Mack clan. It was so nice to spend the holiday together and recount our favorite Gram memories. Virginia took every opportunity she could to keep spirits high - she was entertaining the crowd with the best of them and appeared to be totally unbothered by the dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins surrounding her at all times.