This weekend we took a trip to visit some of my extended family out of state. It had been since just before COVID-19 that I we had seen most of them, with a few exceptions when we saw them at various baby showers or weddings.
This also meant that they go to meet the newest family member!
The trip out was great, with minimal delays. We got in late, tired, but happy!
My Daughter got to meet with her oldest cousin, who echoed her cooing and babbles before deciding that she was going to try to go chase the cats.
The most emotional part of the weekend was when we visited my Grandma. She is now in an assisted living wing of the community that she lives in. She has had a few rough years in her 90's, but from what I hear, like all of us, she has good and bad days. Needless to say, dimentia is a bitch. Grandma's face lit up as soon as she saw her newest Great Granddaughter looked at her with eyes wide open with wonder and curiosity, shortly followed by a smile. I also cast my parents warnings aside about letting her hold her as her motor skills have diminished quite a bit, but she was sitting in her wheelchair and I was sitting close and spotting my daughter (ready for the worst). They were great! Grandma couldn't stop exclaiming how cute she was (I find it hard to belive my ugly mug helped to make something so cute). My Daughter continued to transition back and forth with smiles and wonder, she also kept trying to climb up higher and higher. We had such a great time. Eventually we had to head out to meet some other relatives, and we had to leave. Dimentia be damned (as well as short term memory loss) she remembered her name before we left! Also, my Grandmother usually can't recognize my Dad when he visits, even over a multi-day visit, she recognized me right when she saw me. We also found out that one of her hobbies is solving cryptograms. She definitely still has some the good gears turning in her brain!
Dinner was at a little family owned Italian restaraunt, which was absolutely delicious! My Wife spontaniously decided to let our daughter have some of the pesto sauce from her plate. I think my Daughter is going to love the variety of food and flavors that are out there, she wanted more!
The return trip wasn't the greatest. We left a bit later than intended, but then somehow the oh-so-great-and-powerful-Google decided to re-route my route to taking the George Washington Bridge. I've driven I-95 enough to know that unless you're extremely lucky, you're better avoiding the NYC and getting no closer than I-287 and taking the Tappan Zee Bridge (Now replaced as the Governor Cuomo Bridge) it will always be called the Tap. Sometimes, depending on the destination, taking the Beacon Bridge is better. NYC is just so disorganized when it comes to passing through, eh, I'm not going to rant about that. Anyhoo, what should have been 6-7 hours, was 9-10 hours. That's a lot of time in a carseat, even with stops for food and stretching. By the time we wer 2 hours out, no one was happy. Then was bathtime, bed time, and while I put my Daughter down, my Wife had to get the dogs (another 90 minute round trip, plus the unavoidable socializing).
On the whole, it was a great weekend! I'm really glad that my Daughter got to meet my Grandma. I hope she sticks around for at least a few more years!