Our first family trip!

Yesterday, we decided to take a road trip to the Coast so Grady could catch his first glimpse of the ocean. Well, I can't say the trip was a total success, but we did learn a lot!

First, leave earlier. Grady got up around 8, then Matt ran, then I ran, then Grady napped, then it was time to eat.... Then it was 11. By the time we were ready to go, it was almost 11:45. Lesson learned.

Here is Grady in his fisherman's outfit.



Here we are all packed and ready.



Of the things packed, we ended up using one diaper and one wipe. Besa did not make it to the car.

Second, do not pick for your beach destination the one town that is currently hosting a biker convention. The sad thing is, we even knew going into our trip that there was a biker convention but opted to go to Seaside anyway. Needless to say, after 30 minutes of looking for a parking spot, we continued onward. We didn't even get a picture of Grady on a motorcycle, which would have changed this second "don't" into a definite "do."

Third, when going to visit the ocean, try to actually see the ocean. We ended up going to Astoria after Seaside didn't pan out. Turns out, though, Astoria, although a lovely town, looks out not on the Pacific but on the Columbia river. And by the time we got there and got Grady fed, we really only had time for lunch before turning around and going home. Lunch was lovely. We went to this place and were given a table with a great view of the... let's call it the ocean.



So anyway, three big lessons learned. We still had a great time. The weather was beautiful and we took the scenic route back along Route 30. There was a bike race going on, so we had a fun time making fun of all the crazy people who decided it was a good idea to bike from Seattle to Portland. We also got some great views of the mountains. Here's Mt. Saint Helens in the distance.



It was also good we took the trip because it gave Grady two solid stretches of napping. He has not been quite 100% these past few days. I think he's feeling a little out of sorts with his rash. The good news is it is almost completely gone now. Hopefully by tomorrow he will be back to his happy self. It sure has made me and Matt appreciate how lucky we are to normally have a non-fussy baby.

Even when not feeling that great, Grady still really enjoys his bath. He's also been enjoying grabbing onto the towel afterwards.



Finally, here's a shot of Grady in his "newborn lounger." He's definitely not a newborn anymore - he's busting out of the thing!



Compare: