Grandparents are awesome.

There's another reason I was MIA last week.  My parents were in town to meet Linus and we were just soaking it all up.  They arrived 16 days after Linus was born and, though not being here when he was born was intentional, I think the wait to meet their first grandchild nearly killed them.  You see, my parents planned their trip based on the fact that I was due on March 7th and on the idea that it was important for Ross, Linus and I to have time to ourselves to bond as a family unit before they descended on us.  This was all well and good in theory, but then when Linus actually arrived on the 1st, I know that the 17th seemed a mighty long way away!

Since before I was even pregnant, I was so excited for my parents to become grandparents.  I was lucky enough to grow up with some amazing grandparents who made me feel loved and special all the time.  I have a very special relationship with them and look forward to Linus having a special grandparent bond too.  It will be hard, given that we live so far apart, but I know we can make it happen!  My mom is so kind and loving that everyone knows she'll be a great grandma.  My dad, unbeknownst to most people, is a total softie who goes ga-ga over babies- so I knew he'd be completely adorable.

My mom was exactly like I imagined she'd be.  She kept herself busy looking after everyone.  She did dishes and laundry for me.  She held Linus and loved on him.  My dad was not like I imagined.  I thought he'd be sweet with the baby.  I was wrong.  He was OBSESSED!  He would have held him every second of all 7 days they were here if he could have.  It was beyond adorable.  He played jumping games with Linus.  They took naps together.  He walked Linus up and down our hall when he was fussy.  At one point, I saw a very strange sight.  My mom and dad were sitting on the couch together.  Mom was holding Linus and Dad was sitting next to them with his hands over Linus' ears.  On noticing my befuddled look, Mom explained that Dad had been concerned that Linus' ears were cold.  Yep- he was acting as a human earmuff.

And now, some pictures from our week together.

Grandpa waiting (impatiently) for Linus to wake up.

Grandpa's first time holding Linus

Grandma gets her turn.

Grandpa/Grandson Double nap

Me and My Son

We went on an adventure one day.  We took the tram a few stops south to Heaton Park (the largest municipal park in Europe!) to go for a walk.  It's a huge park and made for a very pleasant walk.  You feel like you're in the middle of the country on a grand estate (which it once was) even though it's in the middle of a busy area of north Manchester.

Waiting for the tram

A close-up

 There are fields containing free-roaming livestock that help you feel like you are in the country.  The animals have plenty of room to roam, but are fenced in. The park was full of people out for a walk.  There were families, mums with strollers, teens with dogs and elderly couples.  It is such a nice thing to see people out enjoying the weather and grounds.  My mom commented on it as you don't often see that sort of thing in Texas!  People would be driving or at the mall in my home state ;)

A long-haired cow of some sort.

A family feeding the donkeys

By the boating lake, which is home to geese, ducks, & swans

 On Friday, we went into town to officially register Linus.  Here in the UK, you have 6 weeks after the baby is born to register them.  That's when you go to a council office and meet with a registrar who takes all the pertinent info and issues your child's birth certificate.  We joked that it wasn't too late to change Linus' name.

Grandpa can't stay away at a morning snack break.

After a brief meeting with the registrar, we had two versions of Linus' birth certificate- the free short one and the £3.50 long version (which you need to apply for a passport).  It just so happened that Manchester had a special visitor that day.  The Queen and Prince Phillip were visiting Manchester Town Hall so we stopped by to see what was going on.

Just after getting the Birth Certificate in front of Manchester Town Hall

There were anti-royalist protesters, a police marching band, and vendors hawking souvenirs.  It was a fun atmosphere and not too crowded.  The VIPs were in having lunch, so we didn't get to see them, but it will be a fun story to tell Linus when he's older... that the Queen came to town to celebrate his naming ;)

Checking out the festivities

Plenty of police on-hand, 

the people in the background in front of the statue were anti-royalist protestors

After deciding we weren't going to get to see the Queen and her hubby, we went and got some lunch of our own.  A waiter was cooing over the baby and asked his name.  When I said "Linus" he made a face that indicated he didn't really approve and then asked if it was a girl's name.  Um, no... no it's not.

a family portrait

the snuggly version

So those are some of our adventures with Linus' grandparents.  They were sad to leave at the end of the week, but hopefully we'll get to visit them before too long!

Did you have a special relationship with your grandparents?
Has royalty ever made a visit to mark an important occasion in your life?