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photo by Auntie Sam |
Dear Maya,
Another late post due to another very busy week. You have had so many new experiences to write about, and mommy's had a few herself, too. It's been quite a whirlwind (pun intended, read on to find out why) so we're just going to have to go for bullet points as an organizational method for this one:
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Your first road trip: Clare, Sam and mommy took you to North Carolina for a week. We left last Friday morning and got home Thursday. We gave ourselves two days to get there and two to get back so you wouldn't be stuck in the car a terribly long time any one day (at least that was the plan...)
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photo by Auntie Sam |
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Your first hotel stay: We stayed in the same hotel on the way to and from North Carolina. You got to sleep with mommy in a big queen bed and now that we're home it seems you want to continue sleeping with me. Sorry, but that's not going to happen. Mommy needs sleep, too, you know.
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Your first tornadoes/thunderstorms/rainbows: On our second day we were just about to enter North Carolina when we heard from a gas station attendant that there were tornadoes in the area. We listened to the radio and heard reports of twisters southwest of us, exactly where we were going, headed northeast, in our direction! Mommy got very worried and decided to stop the car in a Wal-Mart parking lot and wait a while to see how things panned out. A huge storm passed over us, leaving the parking lot sitting in 2 inches of rain, and we could see the sun at one point when we were in its eye. After the rain stopped and the radio reported the tornadoes had moved out of the area, we got back on the road. As we traveled down I-95, we saw strange bright orange sunlight to the west and to the east were dark grey clouds with the most unbelievable lightning show mommy's ever seen. There were flashes upon flashes for hours, punctuated with two beautiful rainbows. We felt safe that the tornadoes were far from us if they had even come close to us at all. Then we hit the mother of all traffic jams and, after going about 2 miles in 3 hours, finally reached an exit we could use. Getting off I-95 didn't make matters much easier, though, as our detour took us to 2 road blocks and 3 blacked out towns with no traffic lights. We finally had to flag down a policeman to ask the best route and, perhaps because you were crying loudly by then, he escorted us partway. By the time we reached Grandpa and Theresa's house it was midnight and we'd been traveling for 14 long hours!
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photo by Auntie Sam |
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Your first visit to Grandpa and Grammy Theresa's house: You got to see Grandpa for the first time since the week you were born and finally got to meet Grammy Theresa, Aunt Nikki and cousin Landen. You enjoyed spending the day hanging out with everyone on Sunday, getting lots of love.
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Your first outlet shopping experience: On our second day, Grammy Theresa took us to the outlet village to do some shopping. Mommy's willpower of last week was destroyed by the sales at the Carter's store and by proximity to Grammy. You now have a seriously cute summer wardrobe!
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Your first (several) times at restaurants: We took you to a variety of restaurants during our trip and you were oohed and aahed at by customers and staff alike. You had a bit of a crying spell at a few places but we managed to keep you entertained by playing with ice cubes, sunglasses, silverware, etc.
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Your first beach day and dip in the ocean: On our third day, we went to the beach! It was really hot as we drove there but the strong winds on the beach cooled us down, even if they were a bit too strong. Your feet touched saltwater for the first time and you seemed confused, but not upset by it.
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photo by Auntie Clare |
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| the sand and sun REALLY tired you out--this is how you looked the entire ride home |
On Wednesday morning we left Grandpa's after some last minute snuggles. Hopefully you will get to see them again soon. The two-day drive back to New York was much less eventful and we arrived before the sun set on Thursday evening. Daddy was so happy to see you after a lonely week at home.
On Friday we spent some final quality time with Aunties Clare and Sam before seeing them off at the train station in the evening. We were all so sad to see them go, but we had a great time. Hopefully you will get to go visit them in London and Melbourne next!
Oh, yeah. You had one more 'first' to report. Last night mommy and daddy put you on the floor on the quilt Auntie Sam made for you and watched you wiggle around until...yes...you rolled over for the first time!!! You're mobile now--world, watch out!
Love you!
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photo by Auntie Clare |
