Week 8: Thanksgiving in Alabama!

Sunday, November 30th, 2014

Grant went on his first big road trip this past week.  We went to Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with Katie's Aunt Luann and all of her cousins and their families.  Katie's parents and brother also made the trip from Florida.  All in all there were 25 adults and kids there to celebrate Thanksgiving.

On Tuesday night we drove five hours to Charlotte, NC and spent the night with our friends Brittany and Tom and their kids.  It was great to see them again, and it was fun to see Grant interact with their youngest son, Damien, who is only a month older than Grant.  And their oldest, Caitrin, loved holding him.

On Wednesday morning we drove the final eight hours to Alabama.  And Aunt Luann really outdid herself.  The house was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the fellowship was amazing.  Grant was dressed for success on Thanksgiving, with three different outfits.

Grant met a lot of his extended family members for the first time this weekend.  On the Hobart side he met his Great Aunt Luann, who he will call Mamma Lu.

He met his Cousin/Aunt Haley and Cousin/Uncle James and their adorable daughter, Lula.

He met the McQuin cousins and his Cousin/Aunt Abi.

And he met his Cousin/Uncle Hobie and his family.

On the Travieso side he finally met his Uncle James and Aunt Tania and his Travieso cousins.

We were also able to take some family pics.

And finally, near the end of the weekend, we took pictures of Grant with his namesake, his Great Uncle Grant.

Week 7: Mornings with Mommy and Staring at Angels

Sunday, November 23rd, 2014

There is something I miss out on during the week that I really wish I could be a part of.  Grant is always happiest in the mornings, spending an hour or two with Mommy smiling and laughing.  Katie will send me pictures and videos of him, and I always get jealous, but I am also really thankful that my wife has the opportunity to stay home with him and build that special bond.  I am able to experience that on weekend mornings, and it really is awesome.  He just loves looking around and interacting with us.

And here is a video of Grant smiling in the morning.

Grant also does something that is kind of funny and very interesting.  Sometimes I will be holding him and he will seemingly be looking at nothing.  But it is not just looking around at nothing, it is an intense stare, and sometimes he will smile or give a small giggle at whatever he is looking at.  Katie suggested that maybe he is looking at angels that he can see and we cannot.  That would be very cool if Grant has been interacting with his Guardian Angel.  Whether it is angels or just nothing, it is very funny and cute either way.