Morehead Moments

Two weeks ago, Grafton headed out of town for a trip down to Morehead City, NC to see his grandparents.

He really enjoyed flying on the airplanes.  On the first flight (of 4) he was very focused during the takeoff, listening to Daddy explain how the plane was racing down the runway, lifting off, and then flying up into the air.  Of course, we had some turbulence eventually, and Grafton smiled and said it was "bumpy" but "fun".  He only threw one minor fit on the two flights down to NC, which was fortunate considering that he refused to nap.  In the Baltimore airport, he had a great time riding up and down the escalators (in his Dad's arms) while waiting to board the plane.  When we arrived at the car rental agency, he had a great time climbing around the car while Dad was trying to install his car seat.  On the drive to the coast, he slept for three hours--nearly the whole way.  He woke up refreshed and alert, and after a quick stop for a snack on the road, he was ready to play with his grandparents. He wasted no time having fun, and had his Grandpa pick him up and place him in the bed of the Dodge RAM 1500 pickup.  He loved being up in that truck!  Probably because one of his favorite Hot Wheels cars is...wait for it...a Dodge RAM 1500 pickup truck.  (On the trip, Grafton also finally learned to use the term "pickup truck" properly, as he had always used "dump truck" to describe pickups.)  In the truck bed, Grafton found a nickel and found this round, shiny metal disc rather intriguing.   We explained to him that it was money and that he could use it to buy things, or sell things (such as pizza).  Grafton accumulated many more coins over the course of the vacation, thanks to Grandpa's and Dad's generosity.

On the second day there, Mom and Dad headed over to Rose's (a local department store, of sorts) and bought a few toys for Grafton, which included his first Big Wheels (well, a no name brand version of this). After 30 minutes of assembly, the rig was ready for action.  Despite buying the one with the adjustable seat position, Grafton's legs were not quite long enough to reach the pedals, but he had a great time pushing himself around, with his feet on the ground.  It had a perfectly-sized slot in the "dashboard" for his Dodge RAM 1500 Hot Wheels car, and he refused to ride the Big Wheels unless the truck was safely stowed in its special spot.  Grafton also enjoyed riding around the driveway on his fire truck, which he seemed to remember from the last time he visited Morehead.  Grafton made many pizza deliveries using both his Big Wheels and fire engine, collecting many nickels in the process, and making change for his customers.

On the third day, we brought Grafton to the aquarium.  He wasn't all that interested in the aquatic life, unfortunately, and preferred to simply run around, weaving in out and of people.  But he did take a little time to check out the fish, and also seemed interested in the manta rays that were swirling around an open tank.  But he seemed happier once we were back outside, and made friends with a turtle before heading back.

We also brought Grafton to the beach a couple of times, enjoying what must have seemed like a gigantic sandbox to him.  While we didn't have him in a bathing suit, we did venture into the water, ankle deep.  While he had some trepidation at first, he was soon enjoying splashing around in the small waves, as they rolled in, tickling his knees and soon his knees and waist.

As always, Grafton demanded to be read to throughout the trip, and he became very interested in the plot of  "Jack and Rick", though Mom and Dad were somewhat less intrigued by the storyline after the tenth or so reading.

Similar to Mazzy, Seal was generally nowhere to be seen.  But at one point Grafton went exploring and found the cat in Grandpa's office.  He went over to make friends with her, but she hissed (and probably swatted) at him, and he came back crying.  He later removed all of his toys from that room.  The next day he refused to go into the room, clearly scared of what had happened the previous day.

Grafton also found Baba and Grandpa's bedroom.  With Grandpa's help and permission, he went nuts jumping up and down on their bed (yes, this is what grandparent's beds are for!)  Mom and Dad, hearing the ruckus, went to go check on him, and saw him bounding up and down and rolling around on the pillows.  We warned Grandpa that Grafton, having just been at the beach, was full of sand!  But Grandpa and Baba didn't mind, so we let him continue having his fun.

Thanks to the grandparent's help, Mom and Dad even got a few minutes alone to enjoy themselves on vacation, catching a dinner at Amos Mosquito's and a quick bike ride to see the setting sun.