I did an amazing job packing. Really, I thought of everything. Extra juice & milk in the cooler, snacks for the car (even packed enough for the adults), toys to play with at my grandparents' house, a change of clothing for both boys, and activities for the car. This is, of course, in addition to all of the normal crap that's stuffed into the diaper bags: diapers, wipes, thermometers, Tylenol (you never know when someone will start running a fever!), nasal aspirators, etc.
Our car has a portable DVD player in it, which is just awesome for long trips. As far as inventions go, it's ranked right up there with the shopping cart with the attached car as well as video baby monitors. Nan's car doesn't have one of these, so I had to come prepared. How were we going to spend our time in the car after we got tired of talking & singing? I brought a Spiderman sticker book (over 700 stickers, baby), a Color Wonder book & markers, & a View Finder. Jacob was set. And he loved having an adult in the backseat with him. He kept snuggling up against my arm.
Jacob talked our ears off and for the first 10 minutes of the drive, Alex just stared at me. Like he was trying to figure out what on earth I was doing in the back. And if I was in the back seat, then who the heck was driving? All was well (busy & loud, but good) until about the last 20 minutes. I felt carsick, and way too nauseous to continue singing verse after verse of "Old MacDonald" or "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to calm Alex down, who by this point in the drive, was just plain sick of being strapped into a car seat. Who can blame him? I think we were all glad to get out of the car after 2 1/2 hours.
The night before our trip, I talked to Jacob about our plans for the following day.
"Jacob, tomorrow morning after you wake up, we're going for a ride in Nan's car!"
Jacob: "Ohhh! You drive our car?"
Me: "No, I'm going to ride with you."
Jacob: "No. I ride with Nan and you drive our car."
Me: "Jacob, Mommy needs to come with you. We're all riding together in Nan's car."
Jacob: (big sigh) "OK, you can come with me."
Me: "Do you know who we're going to see? Pop Pop's mommy & daddy!"
Jacob: "Wow! I can't wait!"
When I plan on introducing Jacob to friends or family he doesn't know well (or has never met), he does best when I prepare him for it. Normally, he takes several minutes to warm up to "strangers", but this new tactic really works. After entering their house, he walked right up to each of them, and gave them a big, spontaneous hug. It was adorable, and made me tear up a little (what a surprise) because I could tell how much that meant to them. He warmed up to them immediately.
Even though we all call them Grandma & Papa, Jacob decided on another name for Grandma. He called her "Nana". So, Nana & Papa it was. He talked to them, and over lunch, told Grandma stories about Spiderman, his toys, and the clothes he was wearing. During their conversation about eating grapes cut in half, Grandma told him, "When you're five, then you can eat them whole. Then you'll be a big boy."
Jacob's response? "I already a big boy." :)
At one point during their lunch conversation, she reached over, touched his hand, and said, "You like Grandma, don't you?"
I'm so glad she & Papa both enjoyed the attention he was giving them.
Both were amazed to see how much Alex has grown (the last time they saw him was Christmas), and loved watching him walk. He wasn't a big fan of being held- of course not, he had places to go- but did bestow some award winning toothy grins upon them, that had everyone saying, "Awwww!"
He's such a little ham. Here he is, showing off how cool & handsome he looks in Mommy's sunglasses.
I would have loved to get a picture of both the boys with Grandma & Papa, but Alex was too busy playing with a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke. Jacob cooperated for me, though. I couldn't decide which one to post since they're both good.
When it was time to leave, and Papa finally got his rolling walker back (it was a big hit with both the boys), Jacob gave one of his sweet trademark farewell hugs. "Bye Nana! Bye Papa! See you soon!"
I love my grandparents. I wish they lived nearby so we could see them every week. I would love for Jacob & Alex to have close relationships with their Nana & Papa. But I'm grateful they have these opportunities to spend time with them, and that during our visit, both were very loving & affectionate. I know Grandma & Papa loved it too.
No comments:
Post a Comment