I told Graham that Grammy Taub was arriving and he spent a good half an hour looking out the window, waiting to catch the first glimpse of her:
Once my mom arrived, she jumped right in to watching-Graham-duty while I was able to finish unpacking from Mexico and re-pack for Nick's and my weekend getaway in Cambria.
After sleeping in (because my mom took over bedtime and wake-up duty right away), Nick and I headed out for two nights in Cambria (our special vacation spot where we got engaged and have shared many other special memories).
After our long plane flights, the quick two and a half hour drive up the coast felt refreshingly short.
We took an early evening stroll to visit our ‘engagement bench’ before heading to dinner at our favorite local restaurant. When we got back to our room, I kicked off my shoes and settled in by the fireplace to read my book:
The next day, after a glorious sleep-in and breakfast at the hotel (slowly sipping an entire cup of hot chocolate, with no little kiddo demanding that I finish quickly, was pure heaven), we headed into the town of Cambria to do some window shopping. We usually spend all our time by the ocean so it was a new experience to explore the town.
After lunch we headed out for a walk along the bluffs and found a new path that we had never discovered before. We stopped at one of the benches along the path and enjoyed putting our feet up while taking in the view:
By the time we decided to head back to our room, it was getting close to sundown, so we found the perfect spot to watch the last sunset of 2011:
Then off to our favorite restaurant (for the second night in a row) to ring in the New Year:
Before heading back to Santa Barbara the next day, we took a quick detour to visit the elephant seals:
Instead of staying in the usual viewing area, we followed a path and got in a nice walk before getting back in the car to head home:
After meeting up with our friends Mark and Alethea (they were also on the freeway heading home from a weekend getaway and the timing was perfect to find each other for lunch in San Luis Obispo) we made it home and were reunited with our baby!
While Mommy and Daddy were off having the most wonderful, relaxing mini-vacation, Graham was having the time of his life with Grammy (probably one of his favorite people in the whole wide world). We got updates throughout our trip about Graham and Grammy’s adventures including trips to the park, long walks, and visits to the bunny rabbits, lizards, fish, and birds at the local pet store.
Graham is still holding on to many of the fun things Grammy taught him while we were gone. The lullaby Grammy sang to him is now his favorite that he requests at every bedtime and naptime, he insists on having a blanket tucked around him (just like Grammy did it), he developed a love for yogurt (after sharing Grammy’s yogurt each morning), and he now refers to his face as his “puddum” because Grammy would clean his “puddum” after ever meal.
Right when we got back, Grammy took Graham over to the neighbor’s house, where the youngest neighbor girl gave Graham her old Cozy Coupe car:
It was love at first sight and Graham has not stopped riding the thing (inside the house, mind you) since the second it was given to him:
Grammy continued to watch Graham while I unpacked from Cambria and caught up on everything else that had fallen behind while we were in Mexico, except the blog ;)
Grammy showed me how she had taught Graham to play safely in the front yard by creating invisible lines that he could not pass (that would keep him out of the street). He had so much fun pushing his truck all over the front yard:
On Grammy’s final day in town, we took her to one of our new favorite parks:
and she took us out to lunch:
My Mom’s visit was sooooo perfect! Having help so I could have a break and catch up after coming back from Mexico (traveling with a child is always work) plus the added bonus of the getaway in Cambria was such a treat and such a great way to start the New Year. My mom and dad spent their first "New Year" apart in over thirty years so my mom could do this babysitting trip. Graham spent a week (after my mom left) calling for Grammy every time he woke up.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Mom Taub! I love you!
Your special little friend, Graham Millington, thanks you too:
Wow! Can I adopt?
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