On Saturday, June 7, 2008, you left for your first trip to the beach. Your Dad drove you and your Mom to Papa Jack and GiGi's house in Hickory. You pulled in our driveway around 8:30 a.m. I already had the car packed with my suitcase(s) plus towels, sheets, etc. It took us a few minutes to decide where we were going to put your things and your Mom's things! When traveling with a baby, you have to pack additional items like a pack-and-play, a bouncer, baby toys, a car seat, a diaper bag, and of course, diapers. Making it all fit is similar to assembling a puzzle. We did, finally, get all of the pieces to work, and we were ready to go. The only things left now were putting you in your car seat and exchanging our goodbyes. Unfortunately, Papa Jack and your Dad didn't get to go along. They both had to work. :-( After the last kiss and hug, we were off--next stop--your Great-Grandma Clark's house. I drove, and your Mom sat in the back seat with you.
Great-Grandma Clark lives in Chatham County in a little town called Pittsboro. It is about three hours away from Hickory. We made pretty good time--just two stops I think. We ate lunch with Great-Grandma, and then, while your Mom fed you, I tried to figure out where Great-Grandma's luggage would go!! Oh, I almost forgot--you got to meet your Great Uncle Eddie (my brother) and your 2nd cousin Kurt (my nephew). They live across the pasture from Great-Grandma. They let us borrow two beach umbrellas--and you guessed it--we had to get those beach umbrellas somewhere in the car. I didn't think it would happen, but with Great Uncle Ed's help, everything fit and the car trunk closed. We were finally ready to leave--next stop--Oak Island, NC. Ha, ha, ha, ha. . .
I drove, Great-Grandma sat up front with me, and your Mom sat beside you in the back. We headed toward Raleigh so we could take I-40 East all the way to Wilmington. Nolan, you were such a sweet little traveler. You slept much of the time, and when you were awake, your Mom had plenty of toys for the two of you to play with. You hardly fussed at all. Your Mom said that you hadn't had a bowel movement in several days, and I think she was a little worried about that. Well, guess what?? Not far out of Raleigh, you just decided to put an end to her worrying! We had to stop and change, not only your diaper, but your whole little outfit, plus clean up your car seat. You just lay there and smiled!!!! This little break made Great-Grandma Clark happy, because it gave her a chance to smoke her cigarettes. Great-Grandma gets a little grumpy sometimes when she doesn't get to smoke her cigarettes.
Okay, we were on the road again. I'm not sure what happened when we got to Wilmington. We were trying to get on US 17, and we finally did--but only after taking a wonderful tour of the university there. GiGi was so intent on looking at the road signs that she forgot to look at the road. Okay, we did have one little "close call," but not to worry. The brakes worked really well, and everyone had on seat belts. We didn't hit ANYTHING--we just had a little "whip lash," and I think your Mom may have gone into shock for a couple of minutes. She recovered quickly and let GiGi know how she felt about the whole thing. :-)
We finally started seeing signs for Southport and Oak Island. We got so excited! What should have been a three-hour jaunt (from Pittsboro to the beach) turned into a six-hour expedition!! Aunt Emily, Uncle Bradley, and Maggie (their dog) were already at the beach. They left about 6 a.m. and had been out on the beach for hours! They would call us and say, "Where ARE you?" We would reply, "We are TRYING to get there!!"
When we were about 10 minutes away, we called Aunt Emily and Uncle Bradley and asked them to meet us at Lowes Foods. Earlier in the week, I had ordered our groceries online. (That was the one smart thing I did.) We just needed to pay for them and load them in the car. We put all the groceries in Emily and Bradley's car and headed for our beach house!!
The beach house was right on the oceanfront. It belongs to one of Great-Grandma Clark's good friends--Barbara. It had four bedrooms, two baths, a living/dining room, a kitchen, and a utility room. It was just perfect for us. My favorite part was the covered porch. It had a swing and lots of rocking chairs for rocking my Nolan to sleep--which I did every single day we were there!!
Okay--let's talk about your first walk down to the ocean. Your Mom held you, and I video-taped the entire thing. Of course you LOVED being outside, but when your Mom bent down to dip those little toes in the water, you started to cry. Poor baby--the sound of the ocean, the waves crashing, the sand, the water coming at you like that--it just scared you to death! In your five months of life, the closest thing you had experienced to this was your little blue bathtub--and you weren't in love with that. This was nothing like your bathtub. Suffice it to say, that your first encounter with the ocean was not a positive one.
We were worried about exposing your sensitive skin to the sun. Your Mom would take you for early morning and late afternoon walks on the beach, but during the heat of the day, you would stay inside with GiGi and Great-Grandma Clark. My favorite part of our entire trip was spending time with you--especially rocking you to sleep out on the porch. I would hold you close and swing with you in the swing or rock with you in the rocking chairs. The sound of the waves and the constant ocean breeze just put you right off to sleep--almost like a lullabye. When you fell asleep, I just kept holding you and looking at you. I didn't want to put you down. I love you so much Nolan.
We all laughed about your hair. Every time we would go outside into that hot, humid, sticky weather, your hair would go from wavy to curly! Your head would be covered with little curls--it was precious!! Of course, your Mom had the cutest outfits ever for you to wear--especially the yellow one with the matching cap!! Priceless! People would stop to say how cute you were. :-)
We had dinner in Southport at a little restaurant right on the Cape Fear River called Fishy Fishy Cafe. It took us forever to be seated, but the atmosphere was wonderful, and the food was delicious. We will definitely go back! Southport is such a beautiful place. The streets are lined with big old homes that have been lovingly restored. There is a homemade ice cream shop and a pretty waterside park with benches. There are all kinds of little antique and gift shops. It's just the place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon or take an early evening stroll after dinner. Emily and Bradley even took a carriage ride around the town one night.Our days at the beach seemed to fly by. By the end of the week, you were used to the ocean. You didn't cry anymore when your Mom would dip your toes in the water. Actually, I think you were starting to like it. I bet one day you will be a regular "beach bum." Next summer, you will be 1 1/2 years old and walking! I can't wait to see those little legs running along the beach.
Your Dad missed you and your Mom so much. You should have seen the grin on his face when we pulled in our driveway on Thursday evening. :-) Your Mom missed your Dad too! This was the longest they had been apart from each other. They talked several times each day. Nolan, you are surrounded by people that love you and love each other. You are a lucky little boy.
I will write again soon.
Gigi :-)
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