After a really difficult summer when Allie offered to have us visit for Thanksgiving it was a huge relief to me. It was something I could look forward to since August, and it was awesome to be able to have that on the horizon. Allie had recently bought a house which means she would have the space for us to visit, and after she had a few rough years I was looking forward to seeing her on her turf.
We were nervous about Finn's first plane flight in a COVID era, but we had months to prepare which made it all go smoother. We got him a mask and we started practicing wearing it (he enjoyed getting to finally be like his parents), and we all got new warm clothing to be able to handle a city much colder than Austin. Allie put together a plan for our time there including their famous zoo, and she planned a great Thanksgiving dinner to make it a full adult family event. It was easily the best planned trip I have been a apart of in years.
On the flight down Finn was very upset that he waited in so many lines at the airport only to have to wait to get on the plane. Being a big travel weekend the airport was slammed, we walked all the way through to try and find a seat to eat before we got on the plane and we got what was probably the last seat there. Once we finally got on the plane Finn did great. He passed out some on the way down but mostly was awake and quiet. When the turbulence hit he got a little scared, but for the most part he was a trooper.
Upon arriving in Cincinnati Finn was greeted with his favorite part of the trip: Moo's car.
The entire trip has was enthralled by the car, which was good because we did a decent amount of traveling in it. I had bought Allie a car seat form Target for us to use while we were there and I for sure got my money's worth. We went to the nearby aquarium which was very nice. Finn loved that trip because we let him run around in the place and act a little crazy. I will never forget the look from a Amish woman when Finn blew by her like a crazy person, she very much disapproved. At the aquarium Finn was most impressed by a turtle there, so we bought him a stuffed one that made it back to Texas.
We also visited the Zoo in Cincinnati which is famous for a reason. It is very well done and lets you get very close to the animals. Finn loved the hippos the most, but we also saw elephants and giraffes that caught his attention. At this point in his life Finn was just mature enough to speak to you about what he wanted and what he saw. The moment when he first saw the lion in the cage stands out to me, he immediately jumped back a little then started shouting "roar roar"! I loved every minute of seeing him get to see the animals so often talked about on his YouTube shows for the first time.
I had some lowkey moment with Finn on the trip too. Across the street from Allie was a pretty nice park, and one day me and him just went and played on the equipment for an afternoon. Also during the trip we discovered Finn likes Adele, and I got to meet some of my sister's friends and get a look at her life and support network. Their house is nice and we had plenty of space while we were there, though I could tell by the end of the trip Allie was looking forward to her peace and quiet again. Having a little kid around can be a bit much if you aren't used to it.
On the way back to Texas Finn got to ride the airport train to get our gate, and it was another highlight of the trip for him. The squeal he let lose when it moved made everyone around us smile, and after we got to the gate after two seconds of waiting he grabbed my hand and said "ride train again dada." Overall he did good on the plane rides, and the COVID restrictions of the moment wasn't as bad as I expected.
The trip left a strong impression on Finn. That first night home he made sure to say goodnight to everyone he met on the trip: the turtle, the hippo, the train, the plane. For months after anytime we went anywhere in the car further than two exist he asked if we were getting on another plane to see aunt Moo, to go see Moo's car again. The trip is certainly something I will have good memories about for the rest of my life.
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