Jeff's mom and David seemed happy to see us and greeted us with open arms! after resting for a bit, we felt, somewhat, rejuvenated, and ready to visit and eat some pizza from Pizza Factory, Jeff's all-time favorite pizza shop! North Andover is home to the small, privately-owned sandwich and pizza shops. They're all over that little town and we love it.... although, we really only eat at pizza factory when we're out there. I love North Andover. Love it love it love it! It's the most quintessential town, so quaint and small-town. They have a main street, which is a five minute walk from Margo and David's dutch colonial home. Main Street could have been the model for Charles Dickens's Christmas Village series. It has the old-fashioned street lights, the cobble stone sidewalks, the small post office, library with a clock tower, park with little benches, two Churches, both with beautiful architecture, several store-fronts, ranging from sandwich shops, coffee shops, pizza places to hardware stores, old-fashioned candy shops, barber shops, etc... With the snow covering the ground and the buildings, it truly felt like I could have been a character in the Christmas Village series. Jack became quite familiar with Margo and David and it was neat to see him interact with them and show them affection. They ate it up! We spent four nights in North Andover, and some of the activities we did while we were there included going to Mass, shopping at the mall (we headed up to N.H., where there is no sales tax - yeah!), trips to the children's section at the library, walks around North Andover, visiting with Jeff's best high school friend, Dave, and his girlfriend, Shannon, taking a trip to Market Basket, where Jeff worked for many years, during high school and college summers, celebrating Christmas early, visiting with David's mother, Betty, who lives below Margo and David, and many stops at the Pizza Factory (of course). When it was time for us to leave, David and Margo became quite emotional, and it was hard to say good-bye to them. We're hoping that we can see them again over the summer.
On Wednesday, we headed up to Jeff's dad's house, in Hudson, New Hampshire. Jeff's dad had
never met Jack, so we had great anticipation prior to arriving at his house. We were welcomed with loving hugs and excitement, especially from Emma, Jeff's 4-year-old half-sister. Jeff's dad has been remarried for 8 years. His wife, Lorrie, has two teen-aged children, Matt and Shayla, from her first marriage. From the moment we arrived, Jack was a blissful state. There were toys everywhere and the house was so kid-friendly. He wore a silly smile on his face as he made laps around the house, carrying a toy in each hand, at all times! He also did lots of dancing to the Christmas music, that was played on a constant basis while we were there. He has a new dance where he bounces and just shakes his little bottom. It's adorable! During our visit there, Jeff's dad made us all kinds of meals and helped us feel so welcome. We also went to the mall with everyone, and Jack and Emma both visited with Santa. Jack studied Santa, and while he didn't really look thrilled, he didn't cry, either! Jack and Emma also rode the train in the mall. We weren't sure how Jack would do, but he loved it! They rode in the caboose, and each time the train came past us, Jack flashed a huge, open-mouth smile, flapped his little hand, and said "hi hi hi!" That image of him is tattooed in my mind. It was really the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen. To to see him so exuberant and ecstatic and to wave at us just lit up my heart! We also did a special Christmas celebration with Jeff's dad's family, which was so neat. Jack does not, completely, understand what is going on and why we are celebrating. However, he does get excited about toys he sees and loves playing with the boxes and wrapping paper. Everyone, including Margo and David, was so generous to us, and we are extremely grateful. One night during our visit, Lorrie's mom and brother came by for a big, turkey dinner. They are so sweet and we enjoyed spending time with them. After Jack and Emma were asleep, we played some cards, which was super fun. Saying goodbye to Jeff's dad and his family was as equally hard as saying good-bye to Margo and David. Rick became real choked up and thanked us so much for making the trip out to visit them. It was another emotional goodbye. Why can't we all live closer??
The drive home, while safer weather conditions graced us, was more difficult for Jack. We were hoping for Jack to sleep through the night again, yet he woke up at 1 am and was not able to fully go back to sleep until 4 am. He's definitely getting better at letting us know what he needs and I think that we're pretty attuned to his needs, as well. However, there are times when we're just not sure what he needs, and since he can't really tell us, it can be frustrating, for everyone.
We made it, though, and Jack did fall asleep and was able to have a peaceful trip from 4am - 10am, when we finally arrived home. An early breakfast stop at Bob Evans helped tremendously. Jack ate so well, as he usually does, and he waved and "talked" to the other patrons and our servers. Jeff and I are completer biased, as we are his parents, but we just think he is too cute.... from his mannerisms, the way his little voice sounds, the smiles he flashes, the funny dances he does. I could go on and on - we can't get enough of him! Shortly after we got home, my parents, graciously, accepted our request to watch Jack for a couple of hours, so that Jeff and I could rest and recover from the drive! That was really wonderful.
Jeff and I had such a great time together during the week, too. It was so nice to not have any home or work worries. We could just parent and enjoy family together! There are many days when I really wish that Jeff could work from home. It would be awesome to spend our days with him. Jeff is such a fun, patient, loving, and tender-hearted dad to Jack. He totally adores Jack and Jack, in turn, loves loves loves Jeff. Jeff is so not intimidated by any parenting issues. I don't think I changed one diaper by myself over the week. WE either tag-teamed them (the poop ones) or Jeff changed them. Jeff is also very supportive of continued nursing with Jack. He sees how nice it is for Jack and how it calms and comforts him. On the drive to and from New England, nursing Jack was a saving grace for the long trip! Jeff is actually the one who said so.
During our visit, I really enjoyed learning more about Jeff, which happens each time we visit. Anyone who knows me, is probably aware that I ask a lot of questions. I'm just so curious and interested in learning about others, and, particularly, my husband as a child. I like to ask about family traditions, what holidays were like, funny/cute stories about Jeff. One story that really struck me was when his dad told about some neighbors who had lost most of their belongings in a fire and how Jeff wanted to help, so he donated just about everything he had to that family. I think that Jeff has carried that generous spirit to his adulthood!
So, now we're back and it's been a week since we left his mom's and traveled to his dad's (I started this blog on the day we arrived home). We commented on this today and became a little melancholy, musing over our week of family time and togetherness! It was quite wonderful
and, definitely, worth the drive.
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