Beach Baby Boy.

As you know-last week Henry & I spent the week in Ft. Myers, Florida visiting with my Nana Rose AKA-Henry's Great Nana.  While it was fabulous to spend our days enjoying the sunshine and 80 degree weather, the true pleasure of our visit was to spend time with a woman who I love and adore with all my heart.  My Nana is just. plain. fabulous.  Anyone who knows her, knows just how lovely she is-and she makes 86 years old young look good.  I could go on forever about why I love this lady-brag about her younger days as a model-or how she now spends her days knitting beautiful blankets for a non-profit organization called Queen For A Day.

But my appreciation for her and our relationship took on a whole new meaning as I placed my sweet baby boy in her arms for the first time last week.  There have been a few defining  moments in my short time as a mother-and watching my Nana's reaction to meeting Henry was certainly one of them.  I can only speak for myself when I think about what an amazing feeling it was to welcome my own child into the world-so I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like to help welcome your child's child's child into the world.

It truly is hard for me to put into words the joy I felt in my heart watching Henry and Nana Rose together.  And make no mistake-while Nana was certainly smitten with Henry, she was not the only one who fell in love.  My little Henry sure loved his Great Nana to the moon and back again.  I could not stop laughing at what a charmer Henry was every time my Nana would hold him.  Maybe it was her sweet English accent that sang to him all week long, or the gentle touch with which she rocked him-but I'm telling you what-I heard my little one smile and giggle more in the moments he spent with her than the whole rest of the trip combined.

Here is a shot of four generations...

Henry...Mama Perks...Nana...My Mom.

My Sister, Corey...My Aunt Danie...Monkey Man...Me!

And of course, no trip to Florida would be complete without a walk on the beach at sunset.

Can't beat this view.

And you also can't beat this cuteness...

What can I say?  This boy knows how to pose for a good shot.

True love.

Here's to many many more wonderful Florida memories that we'll make with our (Great) Nana.

The Buggy Has Landed.

Well-we made it.

I somehow managed to get myself, my 8 week-old, one stroller, one carseat, one diaper bag, AND my carry-on suitcase from Columbus, Ohio to Ft. Myers, Florida.  Take that AirTran!  You won't find this mama paying $15 just to check a suitcase. 

So yes-I was that Mom heaving obnoxious amounts of baggage through the terminal when I could have checked my suitcase and made my load considerably lighter.  But why make life easier right? 

It is true what they say-travelling with a baby is quite the ordeal.  Long gone are the days when I'd have enough time before my flight to grab a drink from Starbucks and peruse the latest US Weekly before boarding the plane.  After yesterday's airport experience, I've realized that travelling with a baby is an invitation to continually re-encact that infamous airport scene from the movie Home Alone. 

And I did have a mini panic attack as we stood in line to get through security.  God forbid they let a brand new mommy off the hook.  Oh no.  I was forced to take my sleeping baby out of his carseat and stroller and put those on the conveyor belt to be scanned along with my 7 million other bags.  And  as I walked under the metal detector, Henry in my arms, the security man also asked me to hold my baby away from me so that he could wave his fancy little wand over my chest and stomach.  I assured him there were no weapons under my shirt-just my son's breakfast. 

When I looked back to start grabbing my bags off the conveyor belt, there was was Henry's little pacifyer making it's way down the line all by itself, nipple touching that nasty surface where millions of people put their hands and belongings every single day.  It was as if that germ-infested nipple was laughing in my face saying..."and you thought this would be easy."

And of course as we boarded the plane, luck would have it that our seats were in the second-to-last row.  So as I strolled down the aisle, I saw the looks of panic ensue from my fellow passengers as they looked at me, then at my baby, and thought to themselves-"well-guess we won't be sleeping on this flight."  And gosh it felt good to prove them wrong.  In true Henry fashion, my little one didn't make a peep the entire flight.  He slept soundly in my arms and I praised the airplane gods for taking pity on me.

Since we've got a computer down here, I'll be posting everyday about our vacation adventures.  Meanwhile-Henry just went down for a nap, and the sun is calling my name :)