Daddy's Home!

It starts with the opportunity to slide out of work a bit early.
The Single Windsor knot is loosened and the sleeves are rolled up.
Beep, Beep goes the Toyota's key less entry and vroom, vroom when the accelerator is depressed.
An anxious but cautious foot helps get to home base.
As I bounce up my three steps, the feeling of knowing that I am about to completely surprise my family makes my heart warm, my eyes wide and my grin unmistakable.

The lock turns, the door opens and I hear the sound of love and laughter echoing throughout the foyer, down the hall and in to the living room.
I drop to my knees and begin to crawl to the source.
My tie is dragging across the hardwood and as uncomfortable as it was, it was equally fulfilling, (Sir Isaac is so right.)
Mama somehow detects my stealth like movements and begins to ask Pierce "where's Dada?"
Pierce was standing next to the couch and knew something was up.
As I crawled down the hall, I could see his size 12 (mos) Robeez, hastily walking alongside the couch, in an effort to peak his head around the corner to see if indeed Daddy was home?

I lye on my back at the end of the couch, waiting for his three tooth grin.
The moment arrives!
His mouth stretched as far as it can go in every direction making a perfect O, accompanied by a high pitched squeal.
With one hand bracing himself against the couch, he cautiously squats down and grabs my nose (can't blame him, it's the biggest target.)

I scoop him up and squeal just as loud.
I sit him on my chest, he smiles.
I kiss him all over and he giggles (I've described his giggle before, it's one of my most favoritist sounds.)
I give him two deep raspberries on his tummy and neck at which point he leans down with an open mouth and wet lips and gives me his kiss all while his arms wrap around my head.

Daddy's Home!

My experiences are new to me, the lessons learned are probably not new to you. Most of the time, I'm just working out in my head, what the Silver and Black Lining is.

Sandy Imprints

We had everything we needed: beach umbrella check, beach chairs check, cooler filled with yummy necessities check, beach towels, block and sunglasses, check, check and check plus. With our proverbial checklist complete we put the car in gear and headed for Coligny Beach. Pierce was charged with energy provided by the sandy shorelines, the calm breeze, the warm waters and the feel good vibe of the surrounding beach goers.

After I clumsily staked our umbrella and Ashleigh unfolded the chairs, Pierce and I headed for the water. As it turns out, Pierce seems to have a natural affinity for water. He took to his swim "lessons" earlier this year well and I was excited to see his fearlessness applied to this more formidable swimming pool. The only words he says with regularity are Ma and Da but he does have an impressive grasp of the "babble." Pierce babbled as we splashed and kicked our way along the edge of the breaking water. When he got tired of walking or curious at the sand beneath our toes, he sat down and I followed suit.

Pierce sat between my legs for what seemed like an hour but was probably only 15 minutes. We played in the soupy sand, the salt water surged past us momentarily but was pulled back seconds later by the under current, sucking the sand around our legs and thighs. I would reach around and kiss him on his torso and cheeks until he giggled the way only your child can. The most challenging task I found myself dealing with was preventing him from eating the sand.

After we cleaned up and Mamma gave us a snack under a blanket of shade provided by our umbrella, it was time for Ma and P to construct their first sand castle. Pierce carried over his excitement for knocking things over (learned I'm sure from Nana and her block towers), to toppling Ash's walls. If she constructed one, she constructed ten. Two perpendicular walls and a moat (from Pierce) strategically placed inside the two walls were all that was achieved. The three of us walked and played in the serf after Pierce's apprenticeship concluded.

I hope I always remember picking up my one year old Pierce after he licked a palm full of sand and then looking down at the outline of our tookuses just before the ocean covered them up. Like many other families, we left our imprints in the sand today and the waves quickly washed them away. What cannot be washed away is the time that we spent together, the laughs that we shared and the adventures we had on our first family vacation.

My experiences are new to me, the lessons learned are probably not new to you. Most of the time, I'm just working out in my head, what the Silver and Black Lining is.

Savannah

Savannah is a 45 minute drive from Hilton Head and was an unexpected bonus for our trip. The Georgia Highways were lined with beautiful Live Oak Trees accented with Spanish Moss, they served as Savannah's red carpet.

The one "must see/do" on our short list was to experience Lady Paula Dean's restaurant. Lady and Sons offered a glimpse in to fine southern cuisine. We couldn't leave without trying fried green tomatoes which were delicious. Ashleigh ordered a chicken salad sandwich and I enjoyed Paula's crab cakes. The quote of the day had to be "yes, mac n chz is a vegetable.", Pierce loved the "vegetables."

With our bellies full and our arteries a bit more firm we decided to jaunt on over to the newly restored River Walk. You can imagine the history that rests there. Slaves bought and traded and cash crops being exported back to the King. With so many Historical squares and House Museums, it wasn't hard to immerse ourselves into Savannah's roots.

One vehicle that we chose to take advantage of was the home of Isaiah Davenport. A master builder in the 1820s, he left his fingerprint on the architecture of the city and it is still prevalent today.

The tour lasted 30 minutes, Pierce had a bottle to occupy him for the first ten and after that, Ashleigh and I did a good job of taking turns entertaining little P, while not disturbing the other four members of the tour. At one point when it was my turn, we were in the hall while the rest of the group was in one of the bedrooms. I was feeding him yogurt bites and he began to babble loud enough that it echoed which earned him a large laughter. The group went on, Ash and I stole a glimpse of each other and as they went in to the next room, I quickly scooped up what came out of his mouth when he began his babble. The tour ended, the group complimented us on his behavior and I remember thinking, I wouldn't have dreamt of attempting that ten months ago, it's all about adjustments.

We spent a couple more hours in the City Market and the Historical District before grabbing one more Georgia meal and heading back across the Savannah River. When I reminisce about our trip to Savannah, I'll think of three things: how filling the food is (because it's all fried), the 200 year old pine heart floor boards that probably still have Pierce's snacks smashed between and lastly how nice the locals were.

I don't care which restaurant or diner you go to in New York, Chicago or San Francisco, you won't get any member of their staff come up to your kid and have a sincere conversation with him about what he should try on the menu and offer (almost beg) to feed the baby. It was more than a token, generic salutation delivered in high pitch baby speak. It was Southern Hospitality!


My experiences are new to me, the lessons learned are probably not new to you. Most of the time, I'm just working out in my head, what the Silver and Black Lining is.

Helmets. Check!

Adjustment is a term any new parent should get familiar with. Ashleigh and I are good at enough but if there is one thing that we are great at, it's squeezing every last second out of a vacation day. The last time we were in SC was 10 years ago. We walked the shore line of Myrtle Beach just after Ash graduated High School. Fast forward to present day and we're walking a SC shore once again, only this time we're each holding the hand of our one year old blessing.

We knew that this vacation wasn't going to be like previous ones. But we also knew that we would make the necessary adjustments. This trip is where we begin to splice our old modus operandi with our new one. Whether it's an international city or a beach in the low country the goal is always the same. Immerse yourself in to the culture as best as you can using all five of your senses (especially taste), all while having an unforgettable time and not letting your head hit your pillow without a thought of accomplishment floating through your mind as you pass into your dream world.

Today was no different, we get a little later start than we used to but the ideal time to start our adventure is after Pierce's first nap. We checked out our bikes and strapped Pierce in to his baby seat with a five point harness and helmet. A mile later, we were pushing our pedals along the sandy shorelines, watching children play in the early tide and older couples turn the pages of number one best sellers. We soaked it all in for a couple of miles before turning on Lighthouse Rd. Pierce was grabbing at my shirt and making sounds of contentment, this continued for the remaining four miles before we locked up our cycles and grabbed a bite to eat.

The three of us walked down the pier and enjoyed the view that it offered as well as the lighthouse which was the catalyst for this particular bike path. The 2pm nap time approached, so we saddled up and Pierce zonked out. Six miles later we turned in our bikes and headed for the beach. After changing into the appropriate attire, it wasn't long before we were the ones playing in the surf.

Maximizing a day's potential should always be a high priority but as long as you can say you had a good time, "who gives a rip?"

An Hour at The Ocean

So, if we've achieved one thing on our first family vacation it is that Pierce now loathes his car seat. After a cumulative of 13 hours riding in the car we finally arrived to our home for the week in Hilton Head, SC. We considered our first day a "travel" day. Everyone has been there: seven hours of driving, packing, loading, unloading, unpacking. At the end of the day all you want to do is grab a quick bite, some rest and a good night's sleep so that you can hit the ground running the next day.

After unpacking, Daddy took a gamble. I decided that we couldn't come all this way without at least accomplishing putting our toes in the sand on the first day. The only hurdle was strapping our boy back into the car seat. It took both arms from both parents and a foot to cram him in and he wasn't quiet about it. I couldn't blame him. For all he knew, we were buckling in for another few hours.

Ten minutes later (well past Pierce's bedtime,) we were walking down the winding boardwalk. The residual winds from Hurricane Katia and Tropical storm Lee were whipping through Mamma's hair. The water fowl were squawking and gliding across the aforementioned wind, the palm trees' branches were swaying, the salt water smell started to become palatable and the sound of the oceans relentless siege upon the beaches of South Carolina were all coming to a crescendo. The view to the Atlantic was not a straight shot, rather was guarded by several of the boardwalks' bends. With Pierce on my hip and Momma close by, we cut through the anticipation with each step.

Seeing Pierce's dimples as I held him, while standing on the sand, is a moment I hope I don't soon forget. I introduced him to the ocean (it's the subject of one of his favorite pop up books "A Day in The Ocean",) and stood him on his feet. Together we walked toward the Atlantic. He didn't know what to make of the new carpet squishing between his tiny toes or of the water that surged suddenly over top of them for only a moment before receding back into the horizon.

After the initial excitement ran its course, Pierce wanted to walk. We walked along Driesson Beach and I can say that, outside of his Momma and Daddy and grandparents, the atmosphere that I described elicited the most prolonged smile that I have ever seen him wear. I'm looking forward to the rest of our trip. Hopefully we elicit a few more smiles.