The Ty-Man Went Down to Georgia--Part I

Georgia: where peach trees grow in abundance, cotton is a staple, pine trees stand tall, peanuts in a Coke isn't weird, and a person can easily become Gone with the Wind. Georgia is, and always will be, home.

Sharing Georgia with Tyler was so important to Danny and me. It was our way of connecting him with his roots, and it was important to do it as soon as possible. Being that Tyler will grow up as a military child, we think it is important that there be a place for him to call "home" amidst all the different places he will live over the years. While Georgia will never hold the memories for him the way it has for us, we hope that he will see our home state as a sacred place where lots of people dearly love him.

So, we set out on a journey to Georgia with a five month old baby in tow.

On Friday night, June 6th, we prepared for our trip home by washing, packing, and getting to bed early. After a bath and bottle, Tyler was is his crib at 6:30 p.m. in anticipation of the early morning to come.

On Saturday morning, June 7th, the Watson house was abuzz with life at 2:30 a.m. We had a strict schedule to follow in order to make our 5:30 a.m. flight to Atlanta. Danny and I were so nervous about traveling with an infant and it showed in our carry-on packing plan. We really did have everything but the kitchen sink.

Since airlines are only allowing you to check one bag nowadays, we had to be strategic in our packing. Danny's suitcase and my suitcase were loaded on the airplane (this was the first time I ever traveled with only one bag!), and we maximized our carry-on capacity by keeping Tyler's suitcase, our camera, and a bookbag with us. The bookbag couldn't have held one more thing, and I had been careful to keep the liquids in an accessible area for security purposes.

In addition to Tyler's medicine, we also had small, unopened bottles of nursery water that we planned to use to mix with his formula when he needed to eat on the plane. We thought that since the bottles were unopened and were labeled appropriately we wouldn't have any trouble getting through security with them. Wrong. Apparently, the FAA won't allow any kind of water to go through security. Not even the kind you need to make a baby his bottle. I was not very happy.

To solve the problem, we mixed two bottles before we went through the checkpoint and then asked the flight attendant to put one of them on ice until we needed it. All the other waters were thrown out. Ugh.

Once we jumped that hurdle, we were off to await the boarding of our plane. We took a few pictures of the occasion, and I got a snack. As we boarded, we gave the luggage man our stroller and car seat at the gate, and we were ready to go. I think my heart was beating in over-drive because I was so worried about how well Tyler would do on the airplane.

"I'm leaving on a jet plane..."

Worry not. My Tyler was a dream traveler! No sooner than that jet engine revved up, Tyler was sound asleep in my arms. He stayed asleep for the first 45 minutes of our two hour flight, which was wonderful! When he woke up, we fed him his bottle, burped him, and played with him for the rest of the flight. A man sitting behind us even got in on playtime by lifting and lowering his sunglasses to Ty's amusement. It was fun!

Tyler's first flight

Once the plane landed, I breathed a sigh of relief. We had survived Tyler's first airplane ride, and we were on Georgia soil. I was tempted to kiss the ground.

We gathered our luggage at the baggage claim and proceeded to stand in a ridiculously long Avis Rental Car line. I couldn't understand how we had to wait for such a long time when we had reserved our rental car online in advance. Instead of letting the wait get the best of me, I enjoyed watching the USO group welcome soldiers home from Iraq. I am not kidding, nor exaggerating, when I tell you that every single time one of them came down the escalator, I got teary-eyed and had to force myself not to cry. It is a humbling sight to see men and women come home from a war. I was glad I could be a part of that, even if I only clapped my hands and said a small "Thank You" as they passed me by.

Once we had the paperwork in our hands, we headed for the Avis bus and on to the Avis lot to retrieve our rental car. This was when I realized how stinking hot it was in Georgia. The thermometer had been registering 95 to 100 degrees in Texas for weeks, but that Georgia humidity felt like a blanket smothering you. I broke a sweat just getting off the bus with Tyler's stroller, and I don't think I stopped sweating for the rest of the trip.

Packed up and ready to roll, we headed for Granddaddy Herman's house. Tyler met Granddaddy back in March, but we wanted to be sure he got to see him again while we were in his neck of the woods. We played and talked and had lunch at a neat little BBQ joint, and then we played and talked some more until it was time to head to our next location: Rome.

Granddaddy Herman

Rome is such a fantastic place, and it is even better because it's where Aunt Joy, Uncle Jason, and Addie live. We couldn't wait to see their new house and watch Addie and Tyler play together. The drive to Rome was beautiful. It felt good to be in a place where the trees are not only a rich shade of green, but they also stand taller than you.

The new Peterson home is lovely, and we found Uncle Jason and Addie in the pool upon our arrival. Addie was having a good time splashing and chasing her duck. She was a little unsure of her guests at first, but she warmed up quickly; especially after she found new reading buddies!

Addie loves to read

Joy and Jason prepared a delicious Mexican dinner for us, and then it was time to get the kiddos in bed. Joy helped me bathe Tyler since we were sans baby tub, and I fed him his bottle before laying him down for the night. I was nervous about whether he would sleep well in a new environment, but he was perfect. Once the children were settled, Joy and I headed to Wal-Mart...alone. I'm not sure when the last time was that I went shopping without a baby and a stroller in tow. It's amazing how much fun Wal-Mart becomes when you get old!

Meeting Uncle Jason

Ty's first kiss!

How precious is she??

On Sunday morning, June 8th, we had breakfast (Joy remembered to have powdered donuts for old-time's sake) and got everyone ready for the day. Joy kept saying she wasn't feeling too well, so we probably were a little slower than usual. Once we were organized and ready to go, Danny and I took Jason and Joy to lunch at Outback for their anniversary. When our tummies were full, we all went on a field trip to the Berry College campus where Jason teaches. We got to see his office, and we took LOTS of pictures! We even got to ride out to "back campus" where we were greeted by ducks and geese. This was one of my favorite parts of our whole trip.

Addie started out having Uncle Danny read children's books to her...

Then, she opted to take it up a notch!

I watched Addie play for a long time while others were getting ready. She fed all of her dolls and animals one at a time like a good little mommy.

Uncle Jason needs a baby boy at his house!

Addie at Berry

In her Daddy's office

Tyler held his first stick...there are no sticks in Texas!

The Petersons

The Watsons

Since Joy was beginning to really feel bad, we went back to their house, loaded up our car, and said goodbye. I wish we could have stayed longer. You can never get enough time with old friends.

Part II coming soon...