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

Since it was so hard to say goodbye to the Petersons on Sunday afternoon, we arrived at Grandmother and Granddaddy's later than we'd planned. That's the story of our life and continued to be the story of our entire trip; a day late and a dollar short...what can I say?

I was so excited to get to Grandmother and Granddaddy's house in Snellville and introduce them to Tyler, their first great-grandchild. I knew it was going to be a very special moment for all of us, but I had no idea how happy Tyler would be about the occasion. I promise you, the child grinned from ear to ear and cooed like a champ as soon as Grandmother opened the door, and he continued to grin and coo at her all evening. I understand that because she's always been one of my favorites, too!

The last time we were home, in September, Grandmother was still going through regular chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer. While I was in town, she asked me to shave her head because she was tired of all her hair falling out. It was such a sad moment for me; I'll never forget that. But, it was thirty minutes into visiting her this time that I even noticed her hair, and she had to initiate the conversation. I didn't even notice because she looked so fantastic! It was so nice to see her doing well.

Since we were late and none of us had eaten dinner, we decided that Granddaddy and Danny would run out and pick up something. I voted for Krystal because we can never get enough of those little treats when we go home. Two chili-cheese pups and a Krystal chick later, I was a happy girl.

While dinner was yummy, it was after dinner that we all got tickled. You see, my Grandmother LOVES York Peppermint Patties and has for as long as I can remember. She keeps them stashed in her refrigerator these days, but I used to have to search for them in the cabinets above her stove (I can always find chocolate!). When I visit her, I always want a peppermint patty for old time's sake. So, I asked her if she wanted to split one with me. She said, "No, I want a whole one. Get your own." Classic and hilarious.

Tyler was sitting at the table in his Daddy's lap at this point and was looking for something to get his hands on. After I opened my peppermint patty, I let him hold the wrapper. It was crinkly and shiny and just right for little hands to hold. We all stared in amazement as he crumpeled that wrapper and shifted it from hand to hand. He was well-entertained, but he started to tear the wrapper and I didn't want him to get a small piece in his mouth and down his throat. I took it away from him. He screamed. Seriously, he screamed. Over a peppermint patty wrapper. Being the saavy mom that I am, I grabbed Grandmother's wrapper and gave it to him. Nice save. But, that wrapper, too, became obliterated. Now what?

My next solution was to give him a paper plate. Since that's about all we eat off of at our house, he's used to playing with a paper plate at the table. I know, I'm probably creating a monster, but I see it as giving him plenty of textural and sensory experiences--important to all developing children.





By this time, my Granddaddy was holding Ty. He was amazed at how Tyler was holding the plate and banging it on the table. We must have watched this paper plate interaction for 30 minutes.

We decided to reserve a hotel room to stay in that night so that we could spread out a little more and not disturb Grandmother and Granddaddy with all the commotion that can come with a five month old. We drove over to Duluth and stayed at the Gwinnett Place Marriott, ironically the same hotel I went to prom at one year.

I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of Tyler's first hotel experience, but it was because we were so tired and frustrated after the 45 minutes it took us to park, unload, and find our room in that maze of a place. Then, once we'd settled down, bathed Tyler, and were in the process of giving him his last bottle, we realized that we were right beside the swimming pool where about ten kids were splashing and screaming. You can imagine how tired we were from our travels, so I was none to happy about this terrible distraction. A quick call to the front desk from a grouchy mom fixed that issue right away.

After a good night's rest, we awoke to a yummy room service breakfast. Tyler was not impressed because he always gets room service, but I was thrilled to have whole wheat, cornflake crusted french toast and strawberries delivered to my door. I could get used to that!

We ate and then got ready for our day while Tyler played and took a short nap. Then, we headed back to Snellville to spend the rest of the afternoon with Grandmother and Granddaddy.

My Grandmother knows me so well. Every Christmas, she orders a honey baked ham. I love them. Now, whenever we are home, she buys one of the mini honey baked hams for us to eat while we visit. I always look forward to it. By the time we got to Snellville, it was getting close to lunchtime. We enjoyed ham, beans, potato salad, corn, and rolls. Delicious!





Grandmother and I played with Tyler while Danny made a run to Wal-Mart for more formula and to buy Granddaddy a new VCR/DVD player combo. When Danny returned, he started hooking up the new machine, and Granddaddy and I made a quick trip out to his garden. He planted cantelopes for the first time this year and they looked really good. I know he wishes his health would allow him to do more gardening, but I'm glad he's able to do the little bit he can. It's good for him.

Late in the afternoon, we got a special treat when my Aunt Judy, Uncle Steve, and cousin Andrew came by to visit. They loved Tyler and I loved getting to see all of them. Andrew is my youngest cousin and he just graduated from high school. I hadn't seen him is so long, and I couldn't get over what a handsome young man he's become. I may be biased, but I think he's fit for Hollywood!

Andrew and Tyler

Uncle Steve (my mom's brother) and Tyler

The whole gang!

After a packed day in Snellville, it was time to say goodbye. I always get teary-eyed when I leave Grandmother and Granddaddy's house, but it was a little more difficult this time since their great-grandson was leaving with us. I think they would have come with us if they could.

Next, we were on our way to Milledgeville, Danny's hometown and the place we met and married. As far as places in the world go, it's one of our favorites!

This visit to Milledgeville was extra-special not only because we got to introduce lots of friends and family to Tyler , but because we also got to meet our new nephew, Collin. Travis, Lou Anne, Lilli, Amelia, and Collin were visiting at the same time we were, so we had a big family reunion! I was so glad that Mama Janet and Papa Joe had recently added two new rooms onto their house. Otherwise, I don't know how all ten of us would have fit!

When we arrived in Milledgeville, we were greeted with a very warm welcome and lots of hugs and kisses. We had dinner, talked and played, and enjoyed a quick visit from Aunt Nita, and then it was time for musical beds. Danny's old room wasn't big enough for the pack-n-play and for both of us to sleep comfortably, so Tyler and I slept in there and Danny slept on an air mattress in one of the new rooms. We never slept the same way twice while we were there! Nonetheless, we were glad for some much-needed rest.

Tyler meeting his cousins

Amelia Parker Hicks, 3 years old

Lillian Irene Hicks, 5 years old

Collin Benjamin Hicks, 8 1/2 months old

Aunt Nita meets Tyler

Travis and Collin

Miss Lilli

NOTE: This post took almost two hours to complete...another reason I am doing this in spurts. I will do the rest of the Milledgeville visit tomorrow in Part III. Now, I am off to slumber. I think midnight must be my new bedtime...