Beach vacation and a visit from the Grandparents

Last week Matt, Grady and I all took the week off from work and school and headed out to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon Coast.

Grady's reaction to the water was one of unbridled joy.  He saw the water, got down on all fours, and crawled as fast as he could until he reached the water.  He didn't stop until a wave hit him in the face.  A bit less unbridled joy at that occurrence, but he rallied. 

Here's the aftermath of his first jaunt to the beach.

The other trips were just as successful.  Grady especially liked playing in the tide pools that formed on the beach during low tide.  Although he wasn't crazy about getting sand on his hands!

But he also loved hanging out on the shoreline with Daddy. 

After completely drenching himself in freezing cold water, we warmed up in the sun a bit and made some sand castles.

Soon Grady came over to check out what Daddy was making.

 Unfortunately, I didn't catch the moment when Grady actually destroyed the castle - he did so by shoving his face into it and taking a big bite.  Yuck!

You must try this.  It is so delicious.

Our other activities included checking out neighborhood playgrounds, eating lots of unhealthy food, and checking out the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Lots of cooowwws!

Grady did remarkably well this trip - way better than our trip to Bend.  He had a rough night the first night, but did well for the next two.  It was a great family trip and has inspired us to try some more. 

The day after we left, we were so excited to welcome Grandpa and Nana (nee Grandma, nee Goomy).  The grandparents let me catch up on sleep, but we still got to take a few excursions.  The most fun one was to Sellwood Park during Sundae in the Park.  There were 50 cent sundaes (which everyone enjoyed), music, and of course the playground was still there.  

Unfortunately we did not do a good job of documenting this visit, but here are a few pictures. 

 (Even with the horrible lighting, I think this one is cute.)

Grady was quite taken with his Grandpa, and would point to him whenever we asked "Where's Grandpa" and also "Where's Grandma" - hence the name change.  (He will now raise his hands in bafflement when asked where Grandpa is.)  It was such a treat to get to see them and for them to get to see Grady.  He has changed a lot since they last saw him in April!  Although I think everyone was tired of the animal book by the time they left.

A few other Grady-related things of note.

Our pictures from our photo shoot are available here!  Go to clients, and then type in "wilkinson."

Reiko - Grady's teacher while Briana is on leave - told us a cute story about Grady and his friend Santi.  Reiko was putting Thomas down for a nap, but Santi wanted to read a book and Reiko wasn't available.  Santi then realized that Grady could "read" and so brought the book over to him.  Grady "read" the book to Santi.  It was about animals, so every so often he would get something right, and when he did, Santi would nod his head authoritatively.  When he finished, Santi asked for more and Grady read it again!  Even when Reiko came back, Santi preferred Grady.

Grady had his 15 month doctor's appointment today - we got off a month somewhere.  He had quite a growth spurt, coming in now at 33 inches (85%) and 26 pounds, 10 ounces (74%).  His head circumference is 49.5 cm.  Not sure what percentile that is, but I'm guessing high.  I thought he seemed heavy!  He is doing great, although he was not pleased at all with the appointment.

Finally, some sad news.  My friend Donna, who I went to visit in Boston earlier this year, lost her fight to cancer yesterday.   Her humor, grace, vivacity, kindness, and generousness even during such a debilitating illness were inspiring.  She will be incredibly missed not just by me, but by the many, many people whom she touched.  For those who are interested in honoring her memory with a donation, her family is accepting donations in lieu of flowers to Sterling Animal Shelter, the shelter from which she adopted her dog Lulu.