We flew into Charlotte on the 22nd, just in time for a great dinner downtown with my parents, Taylor, Dorothy and Lucy. The next morning, the boys were excited to be at my parents' house with so much family. Here is Jonah waking up a sleepy Isaac. A few yoga poses always help...
Or maybe stomping on his bed, practicing his new walking skills on bumpy and kicking terrain - that might do it...
But soon Isaac was awake, running gleefully into the kitchen to greet everyone. He charged into Dorothy's arms for a big hug, and I think we were all touched.
On this trip, Isaac really seemed to get the idea of family - that he had arrived into a great loving circle of people he could call his own, all doting on him and his brother. He was perfectly comfortable, joyful, and he returned the love with that amazing strength of emotion that defines him. As our time in Charlotte passed by, Adam and I were amazed to see our little boy sitting happily in one lap after another, at the kitchen counter or reading books on the floor. He was still ours, but he also belonged to a big, happy family, and he thrived in this setting.
Jonah, early on, started asking for BaBop as soon as he woke up in the morning. My dad made him breakfast most mornings, and he took him on walks outside so he could practice his walking. The two of them would disappear outside most days for a good 45 minutes, a happy pair. Here they are getting Jonah's shoes on before heading out.
Isaac always loved these old bells on the shelves by the stairs, and now Jonah likes them too.
I'm so excited to have four pictures of Isaac's smiling face, looking directly at the camera, that I'm posting all of them. Christmas was exciting; he was a happy boy.
Sorry Mom - this is sort of a strange picture of you, but it's so rare to have both boys looking at the camera.
We didn't get out in the morning like we'd planned, but after Jonah's nap, we took the boys to Freedom Park to play. I remembered going there as a kid and climbing all over real vehicles, retired and cemented to the ground - a fire truck, a train engine, and I think a rocket (I suppose the last one wasn't real, but it was cool too). All we could find was a gutted, graffiti-covered old engine, but it was next to a playground and two creeks with bridges. We played around for a while until we were all too cold. Here's a short video of the boys on the bridge. Jonah was begging us to let him get in that cold water, and you can see those little legs moving so fast as he tried to get to the creek before I could stop him. Isaac, the protective big brother, ran to hold him back. I think we need to get our little guy in swim lessons.
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