Elliott and Nicholas: Charleston

Brandon, Elliott, and I had a very successful trip to Charleston, SC from beginning to end. The flights there and back were by far the best we have had with Elliott. As long as he had someone to smile at on the plane (other than his parents who he was bored to death of), he was in great spirits. Luckily, many passengers obliged us and made all the necessary silly faces for Elliott and comments on how cute and happy he was for us. On our way back, we actually had an Indian family of 10 surrounding us, ages 7 to 90, who could not get enough of little Elliott. For almost the entire flight, those sitting in front of us were turned around in their seats up on their knees leaning over into our seats in order to play, touch, and kiss on Elliott. They attempted to take him from me more than once, but I pretended I didn't know what their outstretched hands meant and held tight (maybe with my 2nd child I will feel more at ease to pass him/her along to other passengers, but I still have that protective first time parent thing now). I felt thankful I have a sister who has lived in and visited many countries with her own children. She has told me many times how much people (women and men) in other countries (especially Asia and Africa) love babies, and it is common for children to be cared for and played with by the entire community of people, whether it be in restaurants, airports, holiday getaways, etc. I was thrilled Elliott had a built in entertainment brigade, leaving me with very little to do. I am not sure the other passengers felt the same way! The flight attendant came by more than once to hush up the loud, boisterous family and to remind them there were other passengers on the plane. Poor Brandon was in the middle seat, completely surrounded by large women with their seats tilted back, virtually in his lap, ignoring him in attempts to get at the baby, so I think he was relieved when we started our initial decent and the seat belt light came on! Elliott and I were very disappointed though.

On to the actual trip...

I went to school at the College of Charleston and lived in Charleston a total of about 8 years. My parents were devastated when I left because they always loved visiting me. So between that, having a chance to see their close friends who recently happened to move to Charleston, and of course seeing their littlest grandbaby, it was easy to convince them to join us! We were there Wednesday night through Sunday and stayed at a nice place called Ansonborough Inn in downtown Charleston. We got a loft room so we could all stay together (built in babysitters!).

The focus of this trip was all about food! Mom tore out the pages of a Southern Living article which described a weekend of restaurant "hopping", and we pretty much followed it the entire time. Brandon, Dad, and Elliott were always the first to wake up, grabbing a quick breakfast at the Inn. Mom and I took our time slowly waking and starting our day and usually hung out at the Inn until Elliott woke from his first nap. Then we were all off for the day. Elliott looked so cute in his little summer outfits he will never be able to wear in SF (luckily he can wear them when we take our little adventures to the eastbay to visit the Schumperts). He was amazing! We just plopped him in his stroller - way too hot and muggy for his Ergo carrier in Charleston - and we were off. Unfortunately, the strap to his stroller broke on the plane ride, but Addy Daddy managed to tie lots of straps together, ensuring Elliott would most likely not fall out on our journies. Elliott sat quietly in his stroller, taking in all the new sites, smells, and heat until he would eventually fall asleep (always at his same nap time - he is so easy!) and nap for an hour or so.

NaNa wanted me to chronicle our food experiences like an "About Town" blog piece, but I am not meant for that, so I will simply jot down our favorite spots:
- Fig (Brandon's favorite by far)
- McCrady's (my favorite, maybe because it was our date night, so I could actually enjoy the food)
- Gaulart & Maliclet French Diner (took Mom here for midday coffee and desert for late Mother's Day)
- Carolina's (overall great experience for lunch)
- Anson's (NaNa and Addy Daddy's favorite, again maybe because it was their date night!)

I also had the chance to see some old friends from Charleston, which was really special. Two of my closest friends from Charleston have moved away, so I was sad not to be able to see them. They both thought of driving down to meet little Elliott, but it didn't work out. Shannon due to being in labor and giving birth to her 4th precious baby (Beau Chumley) at the exact moment we were in flight to Charleston (silly girl thinking she could drive to Charleston to see us while being 37 weeks pregnant!!!!) and Gayle due to having her baby girl's birthday party scheduled for the same weekend (happy birthday, Mikayla!). I was able to see my close friend Michelle though. She joined us for lunch, shopping, and girl talk one day. And I got to see the Brams family. I was a nanny for the Brams for several years, and they were like a 2nd family to me. It was extra special to see them and to see what amazing people their children have grown up to be. When I started babysitting for them, their oldest (Ben) was around 4 and their middle child (Sarah Kate) was almost 1 year. Their youngest (Sophie) hadn't even been born yet. Now Ben is 17, Sarah 12, and Sophie just turned 10 (I think I got all the ages right)! It was a surreal moment seeing them all grown up playing with my baby. Very, very special moment for me.

I am so sad I didn't remember to take any pictures of the Brams or Michelle, but here are a bunch of shots we did manage to take on the trip...