Ian’s “Rockin’ Around the Citrus Tree” X-Mas Tour Part II (of IV)

First a quick update: In the last three days Ian is taking more steps, pivoting on one leg and then moving in a new direction. He’s stopping, squatting down, picking things up and (without touching a thing for support) standing back up and continuing to walk. He still falls to a diaper-deflating stop when he’s done walking, but he’s stepping for longer periods of time.

Ok, on with the trip! Having enjoyed a restful day or two with Grandma Sue in The Villages, (see Part I) it was time to get ready for the next several legs of our journey. So on December 21st we hopped in the Grandma Suemobile and headed (162 miles) for Chris and Anne Marie’s house in North Port.

Ian says “You mind if I have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down?” Grandma Sue let Ian play with her cup as we dropped in on our old pal Wendy before continuing our journey. See this image larger.

Arriving at Anne Marie and Chris’s, Ian discovers the warm, wet, squishy wonderland that is Danny’s nose. Stinky Gato disapproves from on high. See this image larger.

After staying overnight in North Port, the band of us hopped in Chris’s SUV and headed south (90-ish miles) to Naples on December 22nd. See this image larger.

Santa amazed everybody by having dropped off some cool toys to keep Ian occupied. Here Ian performs one of our personal favorites, entitled “Red Green Green Green Blue Red Yellow” as we enjoyed a big lunch. Thanks Granny! See this image larger.

Great Grandma Betty pointed out that Ian wasted no time finding the liquor cabinet! 😉 See this image larger.

I’ve seen my Grandma surprised, happy, delighted, and charmed… but not all of those things at the same time! The power of cute! He had just taken a few steps here. See this image larger.

Auntie Anne Marie gives a few lessons to Ian on his piano, Rachmaninov’s 3rd concerto on just 4 keys! See this image larger.

We had a great time at Great Grandma Betty’s, but we had a 90 mile ride ahead of us to get back to North Port, so it was time for Grandma Sue to snap this group shot and then back on the road! Thanks for the hospitality Granny, and to Uncle Chris for driving us safely back and forth! See this image larger.

Again Santa mystified us all by knowing Ian’s next destination… Back at Anne Marie and Chris’s house here and Grandma Sue shows the lil guy how to use his very own laptop! Considering that he ripped a key right off of Dada’s laptop, this was a good call by Santa! See this image larger.

New bib on, now where’s that cat? See this image larger.

There he is, preparing to perforate Chris’s hand with a mark similar to that of an angry staple-remover. See this image larger.

The makeshift feeding station worked like a charm, supervised by Stinky. Nice shot Chris, how’d you get us ALL to look at the camera and smile? (see next shot for answer…) See this image larger.

By promising us a delicious breakfast the next morning! French toast is sure to be a favorite of Ian’s after he tried a few tiny morsels. See this image larger.

Uncle Chris gets one last grin (there were many!) out of Ian before it was time to head back (162 miles) to The Villages and Grandma Sue’s on the 23rd of December. See this image larger.

Don’t miss Part III for the next part of the trip, coming soon!