New Jersey on my Mind

Hanging with the FBR in Maplewood Center

I haven’t inhabited the internets for the past couple days because I’ve been in complete thrall as only a two year old granddaughter can engender. I cruised down in the early morning hours of Saturday and upon arrival was greeted by a huge and very welcome hug from the FBR as her control over me was immediately and firmly established. Our first order of business was opening all the gifts her abuela had acquired for her over the past couple months and artfully placed in a huge Easter basket. There were stuffed toys, books, stickers, bubble machines, and a lot of pink Easter grass which the FBR immediately took to spreading around the living room floor while the toys awaited.

Abuela's Easter Basket

She acquired a flashlight of her very own since she steals mine every time she comes to visit. We got to work utilizing as many of the gifts as quickly as possible which meant art projects and sticker books were soon in full engagement mode. We also had to read each of the books she received, which included one of her hero – Daniel Tiger. We were soon out on the back deck where I was assigned the task of bubble blower in chief while the FBR chased down every soapy orb within range for destruction. Even though they received a lot of snow from this past week’s storm it was virtually all gone. There was one small section of snow in the very back of the yard and the FBR was soon on station there encouraging higher bubble production by hurling snow balls at me.

Welcome Back Grandpa!

Back Deck Bubble Operations

Our next destination was the restaurant that Wingman manages in downtown Maplewood. The FBR was obviously well known to the cadre of people who work for her father and we were afforded rock star treatment upon arrival because we had the FBR in tow. As with most restaurant managers facing the weekend lunch rush Wingman had scant time to hang with us but we were joined by the other Maplewood Curbside gal and her fabulous family. It made for a very long but thoroughly enjoyable lunch and the second gen curbsiders reveled in each other’s familiar company.

Wingman Managing the Situation

Fun Lunch Crowd at Wingman's Restaurant

2d Gen Curbsiders

A semi-weird evening ensued surrounding the FBR’s bath. She has always loved bath time and could be in the middle of an emotional meltdown which would cease at the mere mention of taking a bath. In the wild and wacky world of the two year old mind on Friday night she declared she wasn’t going to take a bath, just adamantly refused. My daughter rightfully figured the “grandfather effect” would cure all intransigence on Saturday night but once again – we’re dealing with a two year old. She fought like the dickens about getting into the tub even when told she was making grandpa sad.

Showing me her Creations

Reading Time

Artist in Residence

I was down in the living room after the failed bath attempt when the FBR came scurrying down the stairs and asked if I was still sad. When I said I was because she was so mean to her mother she ran into the kitchen and told her mother that she “knew what grandpa needed to not be sad – music!”. I’m not making this up. She ran to her toy stash and retrieved a play guitar and proceeded to serenade me. I defy any grandfather not to crack a smile at this point and when I did, she jumped up and down and ran to her mother proclaiming that grandpa was no longer sad. Of times like these are an old infantryman’s heart melted completely.

With her Haul

Depositing her Gains in the Piggy Bank

Sunday morning saw the big Easter egg hunt which the Easter bunny had hidden throughout the house overnight. There were a lot of them too, plastic eggs stuffed with either money or candy. I have it on good authority that it is not a good idea to try and stuff these eggs after a well spent celebration of First Friday – but I digress. The FBR immediately grasped the concept of the hunt and loudly exulted with each new egg found. It was hilarious and heartwarming and I found myself transported back to when her mother and uncle doing the same thing in a town house in Annandale, Virginia in the 1980s.

Facetiming with Abuela

I knew I had to share this with my Favorite Panamanian and we caught her just getting up at our condo. Via FaceTime she saw the FBR succeed in the hunt and open all of her treasures. Since my wife had done virtually all of the work preparing for this event (except the egg stuffing) I know it killed her to have to watch via video when all of her hard work was redeemed in a very happy granddaughter dance.

On the Pirate Ship

Mom Trying to Keep Up

Helping Where Needed

The Bow Slides

The egg hunt was followed by a trip to her now favorite playground which she calls the Pirate Playground since the centerpiece is a huge replica sailing ship composed of ladders and slides. Even though it was unseasonably cold the FBR was in her element charging from one apparatus to another usually with her grandfather trailing further behind. We had a particularly good time in the swing where she set new records for height with some healthy pushes from your author. There is something truly medicinal about a granddaughter’s squeals of delight.

Paths Are Boring Mom - Let's Strike out Through the Wilderness

Grandpa is a Good Pusher

And We both Loved it

We lunched at their favorite diner. I was exceptionally pleased when the FBR demanded to sit next to me until I figured out she was doing this because it offered her a better chance of escape then being hemmed in by her mother. She devoured some pancakes after liberally dousing the menu in maple syrup.

Diner Buds

Unfortunately the work week beckoned and when the FBR went down her nap I had to journey back to laundry duty as well as cooking for the upcoming week. The trip down and back both went well as the car could probably make the trip by itself now having worn a virtual path to Maplewood. I can’t believe that I now look forward to these trips through the traffic wastelands of Connecticut; well at least the ones going south.

The BRS with her First Band-aides

ABFA Mom

These kinds of weekend are impossible to fully capture in the written word so I’ve included a lot of pictures to make up for my lack of literary ability. The two granddaughters have termed up superbly to rob any chance of loneliness over the past couple of weekends in my wife’s absence. Next weekend could be a challenge since Great Aunt just canceled a proposed pre-Easter evening at my favorite Rhode Island Irish bar but I’m sure I’ll come up with something to amuse myself with.

Meeting New Freinds

Why Are These just out of Reach?

Going to Have to Grow

Speaking of the BRS, she continued to hold court over the weekend recovering from her first set of inoculations. She’s meeting some of her future playmates as a number of my Favorite Son’s and the ABFA’s friends have come to meet her bringing along their own children. It seems like yesterday when I would wander downstairs in our Charlton home after one of my son’s parties to find some of these same new parents strewn about the floor wherever they had fallen the night before, but that’s a story for another day.

Wife with her Las Lajas Sunset

Her Mother and Aunt Strolling the Beach - No Snow There

After suffering through the Easter egg hunt due to her distance from it my wife returned fire by sending photos of the beach and particularly the Sunday night sunset. She claimed it was spectacular even by Las Lajas standards which are lofty indeed. I shrugged it off since nothing could diminish the afterglow of time spent with even a bath recalcitrant FBR and her parents.

It Was Pretty Spectacular