Ray, Grayson, and I went home (to LA) for Easter. We had such a good time. I'm always one to say that visiting family isn't a vacation, but this trip was damn close to it. It was that good. I just wish it would've lasted longer.
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Everyone was so excited to see us and gave us the warmest welcome. We were treated like royalty everywhere we went. And of course, Grayson was the center of attention round the clock.
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Despite all the traveling we did (in the plane and between B.R. and N.O. several times), the different places we visited, the new faces we saw, etc, Grayson did great the entire trip. He fought sleep (naps during the day) a few times, but he does that at home. Everyone got to see the HAPPIER THAN HAPPY Grayson they always hear about. He smiled. He laughed. He talked. He squealed. He was a pleasure to be around. And he was cooperative during endless picture taking. By the way, we came home with over 800 photos!
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My Paw (Gray's great-grandpa) couldn't believe that Grayson wasn't scared of him. Most little kids are. He's a big man with a moustache. He is loud (VERY loud) and not very gentle. But it was obvious Grayson has the power to soften him up. :)
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As I said, Grayson was himself 100%. He really let his personality show. My Paw got the biggest kick out of him. He kept saying, "He's a lick!" Throughout the weekend, I said, "Someone is getting tired..." Paw looked at Gray and said, "Are you getting sleepy?" Grayson shook his head "no". My Paw thought it was so funny!
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Let's see - a curious little boy and new places to explore. What does that equal? Injuries. First, a mysterious cut on his leg. We're not sure how it happened. We think G might have cut himself on the brick aound my Grandpa's fireplace. The big accident was G falling to the floor while strapped in his booster seat. We hooked it up to a bar stool (our mistake). And because G is a monkey, he caused it to topple and crash to the floor. Result: a bad bump and later a bad bruise on the noggin and a chipped front tooth.
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Believe it or not, I stayed more calm than you might think when it happened. I did yell but no curse words came out of my mouth. Pretty impressive if I may say so myself. Oh, incase you are wondering, the chip is tiny and is in the bottom corner of his tooth (not noticeable unless you look for it).
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I cannot forget to mention the lamp Gray pulled off my Paw's end table. It sparked and fell to the ground very close to Grayson's head. It scared him but didn't hurt him. And fortunately, we just had to replace a light bulb rather than a lamp.
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While cooking, Paw got the house smoky and set the fire alarm off. It is LOUD and speaks (1/2 computerized, 1/2 human sounding voice). It is creepy. It always scared the daylights out of me when I was a kid. Well, it did Grayson too. He cried. My Paw thought it was funny that G cried when the alarm sounded but not when he had that terrible fall.
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At G's Mah-Mah and Yeah-Yeah's house (Ray's mom and stepdad), we had lots of fun! We got food rather than cooking it, which gave us a lot more visiting time. Grays enjoyed playing with their turtle, fish, and two dogs too. Since it was a gorgeous day, we spent a lot of time outside. He absolutely LOVES the outdoors.
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I must mention that Grayson took great naps (causing us to be somewhere later than expected or to alter our plans) and slept solid both nights (in a playard at my Grandpa's house) without waking up once.
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On our last in Louisiana, we went to a Chinese buffet with my grandfather. I sat with Grayson while Ray and Paw went to the bar. I noticed the restaurant was getting busy. The lunch crowd was coming in. First, a group of nurses in scrubs walked in. Next, in walks a group of construction workers. Then, an older couple walked in and sat at the table behind us. After he sat down, the man coughed. Grayson completely turned around in his high chair to face the man and let out the biggest, most obvious fake cough you've ever heard. It was a little embarrassing but SO funny! :)
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When we saw my grandfather last year, Gray was only 3 months old. My Paw was acting as if it could be the one time he would get to see Grayson. It also wondered if it would be. The possibility made me so sad. Fortunately, Grayson and Paw met again. And I'm hoping there will be another time - and another - and another! My grandmother not being there made our visit so much more enjoyable than ever before. It wasn't scheduled or uptight in the least bit. It was very relaxed and fun. Because we enjoyed it, we are already trying to plan another trip back this year. I think I have even convinced my grandfather to come visit us! And we plan to see Ray's mom and stepdad again on July 4th. We are really looking forward to seeing them again! We miss our family back home so much already.
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As George Bernard Shaw said, "A happy family is but an earlier heaven".
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