Georgia on my mind...

Last Sunday, Orin, my mother, and I

flew to Georgia to introduce Orin to his 

great-grandparents and other crazy southern relatives. 

When we arrived at the Atlanta airport we

took the train to pick up our rental car...

but there must have been a terrible mistake 

because when we got to our car, we found that it was locked...

so we had to settle for a less exciting vehicle.

We checked into a cabin near my grandparents house

where we would be staying during our four-day trip

My grandparents live on Lake Linear,

which used to be a huge, beautiful lake...

but has recently been drained to help compensate for the 

long-standing drought in the deep south

Soon after arriving at my grandparents,

the house was flooded with aunts, uncles, and cousins

all wanting to meet the new baby.

Normally, I only get to see my extended family 

once every two or three years,

but this year was special because my brother's graduation 

from the army and Orin's birth sparked a double-visit.

Back in November (for the graduation),

 every woman in the room under 30 was pregnant...

so during this visit, it was Baby City

Orin is the youngest of my grandparents eight great-grandchildren

The second youngest is Sara,

daughter of my cousin Parker and his wife Eva.

I particularly enjoyed seeing Sara because

she gave me a sneak-peak at the next stage in development for Orin.

Here is Sara, eating a little solid food...

and standing...

(Orin can do this too, but Sara is a lot closer to being able to 

balance for herself, while Orin still needs somebody to help him)

Because neither Orin nor Sara could run around with

the older babies, they got acquainted during 

a little tummy time on the floor

Sara showed immediate interest in Orin...

she began grabbing and shaking him enthusiastically...

Maybe a little too enthusiastically, in fact.

After all, it wasn't a fair fight... 

Orin still needs to develop his upper arm strength.

Eva had to step in.

So Orin moved on to some (only slightly) less scary introductions,

like his great uncle Paul...

My cousin Loni...

and his great-grandfather Paul

At that point, Orin started to show some real interest

in the Georgian lifestyle,

so we introduced him to two southern staples:

Peaches...

And Bubba Burgers 

(burgers that are actually shaped like the state of Georgia)

After a long visit, the extended family left

and we retreated to our cabin for some R&R.

Orin felt so at home there, that night he decided to wet the bed 

(I forgot to pack the "lazy-mommy-proof" night-time liners)

So this is us, preparing for a little laundry

The next three days were spent relaxing with my grandparents

On our last day, my uncle Paul dropped by to bid us farewell.

 I jumped at the opportunity to get some pictures of

Orin on his Harley 

My grandparents couldn't resist getting in on the action.

All in all, it was a lovely trip

and was highlighted by one, major developmental milestone,

which will serve as the "baby updates" section for this blog:

One day, when we were sitting down for lunch,

Orin reached out and grabbed his toy...

He got so excited, finally realizing that he 

could control his arms.

I videotaped the whole thing so Casey wouldn't miss it.

Now, a whole new world has opened up...

Ori is like a baby on a mission, he wants to feel and shake everything.

It won't be long now before he starts shoving things in his mouth,

I can wait for that, though.

As I write this, we are safely home again

and happily reunited with Casey...

just in time for Ori's three month birthday.

Happy Birthday Orin!