California

We did it. And by "we" I mean my mom, Paul, and I. We took our first airplane flight to California to visit my grandparents and aunts. We packed our bags and looked like we were traveling for months when in actuality our trip only lasted 3 days. We made it through security with our car seat and stroller. We made it through the weird water vapor test for our bottles. We breastfed in public. It made for a very exciting morning. Paul slept for take-off and landing so we didn't have any ear problems event though I was armed with my nursing boob and Tylenol. We arrived in beautiful Santa Barbara and Paul met his great-Grandma Elaine. She obviously loved this baby and it was amazing to see another generation join the family.

My Grandma Elaine and I have a special connection because I was the first grandchild (therefore the favorite in my opinion) and we share the same name. I love my grandma because she focuses on the positive. Even in the most dire of situations my grandma will find something good to say. Sometimes we try to invent bad scenarios just to see if she will say something encouraging. She always does. Then we laugh and laugh. She is generous without the expectation of acknowledgement. She reads 3 newspapers a day to make sure all of her news and political information is up to date. She can talk to anyone about anything and apparently back in the day could throw a hell of a party. She loves to entertain others. When I was in high school she decided to have her eyeliner permanently tattooed to her eye lid. I thought it was awesome. She let me drive her car when I was 14. And she always loved me exactly for what I was at that exact moment. A five year old who made my grandfather do the hokey-pokey in their backyard, loved it. A 10 year old who wanted to play countless games of monopoly, loved it. A teenager who thought she knew everything, loved it. Graduating high school, living in a house with 3 other girls, becoming a teacher, getting married, having a baby, loved all of it.
I am so happy Paul got to meet this lady who means so much to me. Judging by the pictures, I think he fell in love with her too.