Grandpa spent hours on the floor playing with Chase and encouraging him to crawl (and blow raspberries!). Grandma mixed up delectable meals for her little guy and put him to bed every night. They splashed in the bath and read lots of books. Grandma sang lots of songs to Chase while she gave him his bottle and rocked him to sleep. Kevin and I even enjoyed a night out for a movie. It was the end to a perfect week.
Friday morning everyone packed up and Grandma and Grandpa headed west for home while we headed wast to Kent Haven and more Grandparents waiting to play with the little man! After a quick stop at Buy Buy Baby (and almost $300 in baby-proofing equipment for 2 houses!), we were on our way. Slowly. the traffic was terrible so we knew it was beach time!
Chase was ready for the beach with is crab shirt on, but the excitement was all too much and he quickly passed out. So call me crazy, but I kinda love it when babies sleep so hard they get all warm and sweaty.
Traffic wasn't too bad and once we arrived at the shore and all was right in the world. We tossed our stuff inside and hopped on the golf cart excited to get our little guy's toes in the sand and splash in the bay!
We raced to the water and splashed those tiny toes in the water. I had been waiting for this moment for close to 8 months! Chase loved the sand and water on his feet and jumped and splashed wildly at the water's edge! We took a little walk on the shore and then headed back for a nap and to wait for G&G. Gramps and Grantudy arrived with good food and showers of gifts and toys for their Peanut Burger!
Saturday morning we went to the Galena Kitchen for a classic "shore breakfast." Chase flirted with the locals and shot his baby blues at the door to greet people as they arrived. Everyone loved him and he responded by throwing Cheerios in the air like confetti! Always makes the best first impression. I hope we are invited back... Gramps is trying to get his mug on the wall so we need to be on our best behavior! The locals are so nice and it feels like family in that little kitchen.
Saturday morning Chase stayed with G&G while Kevin and I drove to Philly to celebrate my dear friend Nam's wedding. Nam was my "older brother" in the firehouse and one of the reasons I stayed out of trouble and ended up at Penn State. Kev and I were both so excited to see him and celebrate, especially since it was also a kind of reunion for me with fire house crew! Nam and Lisa met when they were kids in the Buddhist Temple their parents attended. Kevin and I were thrilled to be a part of the ceremony. Neither of us had been to anything like it. The temple is one large room and you can smell the incense before you even walk in the door. Everyone left their shoes outside and we all sat on the floor during the ceremony (kinda hard in a dress). The only downside was that there was no A/C and it was 95 degrees out. A tad hot I would say.
Nam and Lisa wore traditional wedding clothes and head pieces. In a break from tradition, Lisa presented Nam's ring first as a sign of equality in the marriage. An old Buddhist monk presided over the ceremony. He led the chants and another monk hit a large wooden drum. We later learned that the senior monk is the 4th most prestigious monk in the country and "Uncle Foo" was there to translate Vietnamese into English for the rest of the celebrants like us. There was a lot of love and a lot of fun in that room. It was truly a celebration of marriage.
Since there was a long gap between the ceremony and reception, we stopped by the Talone's house for a quick visit. It was fun to see Katy since she is days away from having her baby. I can't wait to meet him/her! Any day now. Kevin and I took bets on when Baby T would arrive on the way to the reception. Oh, and we saw one of Dad's campaign signs... so cool!
Nam and Lisa wore a tux and white wedding dress to the reception. I got to catch up with lots of old friends and dance the night away. We drove back to Kent Haven that night, whew!
We spent the rest of the holiday weekend lovin' on the baby, eating rockfish, soaking up the sun, driving the golf cart, and most importantly putting tiny toes in the sand. It was a perfect first trip to the beach for our little guy!
Sunday we explored a little of Rock Hall. No trip to RH would be complete without a stop at Waterman's. I have been going here since I was a kid and it felt so right to take my little guy there too. The weather was perfect, the fish was fresh, and my heart full.
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