Christian and I were able to fly into Tampa to visit my Mom and Stepdad. I had been planning this trip since Christmas, but my Mom was not aware of anything. She turned the big 5-0 on February 22. I couldn't think of a more better gift than arriving with her grandbaby boy! (My birthday is 7 days before hers, so I asked Rob to buy me a plane ticket to go see her!)
The plan was to have my Grandma and Grandpa (Who also live in Florida during the Winter months) pick Christian and I up from the airport and then head to a restaurant where my Mom and Stepdad would be thinking they were just having dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, and then we would be there! I was so excited by the time February came, I couldn't resist telling Mom. I also wanted to tell her so she could get off work while we visited. And luckily, she got to spend the entire 7 days with us!
Dave and Mom picked us up from the airport. I don't think my Mom realized I was there until after about thirty minutes! As soon as we got off the plane, she was absorbed with Christian! I had to say, "Hi, Mom. It's good to see you too!" We all got a good laugh out of that!
These pics are backwards, but I'll explain...(Still trying to figure this stuff out!)
On one of our many shopping days, my Mom found this cute little infant hat. This pic was taken the day after we got home though.
Papaw Dave loved taking Christian for strolls around the neighborhood in the evenings! Here they are playing...
Papaw Dave loved taking Christian for strolls around the neighborhood in the evenings! Here they are playing...
Unfortunately, we didn't get to go to the beach. It was only about 65 degrees the week we visited and it was windy. (I know, I went to Florida without going to the beach! Crazy huh?!) In case the sun was shining bright, Christian was prepared!
I think my Mom fed Christian everything he wasn't supposed to have! While visiting I think he had his first bite of mashed taters, Dairy Queen ice cream cake, My Mom's famous "Pink Stuff" aka "Pink Delight". (Mmmm, its so yummy! Marshmellows, cherry powdered jello, cottage cheese, and nuts if you choose. Sounds gross, but really its Delicious!) And pretty much every night he had some form of ice cream!
Mmmm Mamaw! It's so good!
Mom would alternate bites giving him one and then herself. Christian would open his mouth everytime it was her turn too! He did not want to share! It was adorable.
I think our routine wore Mamaw out! Waking up at 3am for a bottle everynight and a midnight diaper change was obviously not part of her routine! But, she was a trooper. I don't think she slept more than 3-4 hours each night we were there, because she wanted to spend every minute she could with him. He quickly became spoiled even more! When we returned home, I didn't know whose kid I had! He had to be rocked to sleep, he hated the swing, and by gosh if you even thought about eating something without him, he would throw a fit! Thanks Mom ;)
Our 7 days went by really fast. I'm not quite sure why I didn't snap more pictures than this, but for some reason I guess it slipped my mind. It was a wonderful time bonding with my Mom and I know she enjoyed every minute we were there. Papaw and Mamaw did not walk into a store without buying "something" for Christian. He came home with more books, toys, and clothes than we knew what to do with! By the way Mom, He loves his "Elmo Loves You" book! (I can't wait to see him with his Easter basket tomorrow and we get to read his new Easter Elmo book!)
I thought we were going to have to have an extra suitcase to get it all home! I kept reminding Mom we had to get on an airplane and fly back home!
We didn't do too much but we managed to go shopping about everyday. One day we went to a fantastic seafood restaurant called, "Anna Maria." I really enjoyed that! We were able to just spend time together at home and not have to be rushed anywhere. That was so nice. We just hung out most days. Mom and I watched several movies together while Christian napped. Some of them were Roscoe Jenkins, P.S. I Love You, and my favorite, Mamma Mia! <----Loved this!
Before we knew it, it was time to board the plane, Mom and I hugged and kissed, both with our eyes filled with tears not knowing when the next time we would see each other again. That was a really hard moment for myself. But, I had to quickly gain composure because I was about to embark on a two hour flight with a 6 month old! We made it to Indy and Rob was there to pick us up from the airport. He managed to get a $116.00 dollar ticket on his way there. (I guess he was so anxious to see his lady and little man, he got caught speeding ;) Sure didn't matter that we saved $90.00 to fly in/out of Indy, huh?!
Thanks Mom and Dave for a wonderful visit. Hopefully we'll all three be able to return sometime soon! We love you guys so much and wish there was a way to hang out more often!
