east coast adventure

it's wednesday morning, august 31, and i'm in post-nighttime feed happy-baby-dream land and BAM - mommy and daddy yank my little baby bum out of the crib and it's off to g'ma and g'pa's we go.

staying clean while on holiday

as far as plane rides go, this one was pretty fun. i didn't make a peep and really can't complain about being resigned to six straight hours of cuddles from mom and dad, who were too cheap to buy me my own seat. my only real quibble was that we were seated two rows away from this crazy one-year-old named mr. jack. he bounced, screamed, and galloped down the aisle like a drunken pony all flight long. all i can say is..."one-year-old dudes", what a nuisance.

excuse me mr. lamb, it's sleepy time. hush up or i'll shear you.

fasten seat belt??...but i ain't got one.

my trip to maine was filled with all sorts of exciting firsts. these included my first beach activities; my first and only (i think i remember the pastor telling me this was a one shot deal) baptism; my first trip to a national park; my first meeting of lots of east coast relatives, including two great g'pa's; and my most exciting first of all...my first time meeting auntie sarah!

new auntie alert

going to the beach was pretty fun. auntie sarah set up a tent for me and daddy did his best pregnant-sea lion imitations in the cold maine waters, while i was content just snoozing. in fact, the combination of the cool coastal breeze and soothing ocean sounds created a perfect environment for the longest nap i've had in ages!

mommy, this is way cooler than my crib

going in for a dunk

this is as far as i'm going daddy...it's cold!

sandy boots

on sunday morning mommy, daddy, auntie sarah, and cousin jamie joined me front and center for my baptism at portland first lutheran church. it was an exciting event and my friend pastor david was really nice to me, telling me all about the baptism before splashing me with so much water that i felt like the only person in portland, maine, who did not actually miss hurricane irene. i weathered this mini-typhoon like a champ, however, and in response, i simply game the good pastor my best cowboy face.

the participants

g'ma and great g'pa

this trip was also an opportunity to meet my east coast friends and family who i don't get to see as much as i'd like to. i met my three great g'parents--gumpy (aka stan the man), mr. dick "mandatory evacuations are for the youngens" cook, and ms. joan. i also met my aunties allie and leslee, and my very suave cousin jamie.

my concert attire

i had many new friends also on the scene, including the typical goose rock beach (grb) cats, "nola the explora", the curran contingent, colby-bill, and my new playmate elsa. everyone was super nice to me - with hugs, cuddles, and way too many fabulous gifts.

great g'pa and g'ma are even crazier than the regular g'ma and g'pa

your suaveness is rubbing off on me big guy

suspicious grb cat #1

stan the man

as if i hadn't had enough traveling, mommy and daddy thought it a good idea to pack me up and drive all the way to bar harbor for a "quick" overnighter to my first national park - acadia np. highlights from this little excursion include:

• the best ice cream in the world - no joke - next time you find yourself in the 927 person town of liberty, maine, check out john's;
• a night's stay at a hitchcockian motel on the outskirts of mount desert island; 
• a trip to acadia national park with a hot lap around the loop road and stops at sand beach, cadillac mountain, and johnson pond; 
• a nice walk through belfast, maine, the crunchiest town that does not start with a 'b' and end with an 'urlington' in all of new england. daddy told me even their stop lights might be compostable up there in belfast.

daddy, if you throw me in that ocean, i'm not going to sleep for two months

 

johnson pond

mommy, this is an amazing view

cadillac mountain?...this view is more of a "buick" today

ten days of vacation is pretty exhausting. so much so that i slept on the plane home, and i slept when i got home, and i slept the next day, and then i went to my first baseball game, where, in fact...i slept some more.

getting caught up with g'pa on life's great challenges

the way life should be...ahhhh.