1. J.P. accidentally turning on the radio in our room, jumping back in surprise, then smiling and saying "I played music!" He was very pleased with himself.
2. J.P. raving about the long naps he took in his "green bed," a green "Pack 'N Play" supplied (thankfully) by the hotel. Sadly, as Jude pointed out, he's really close to being too long to sleep comfortably in a Pack 'N Play. We put the Pack 'N Play in the adjoining room we reserved, which ended up being a good move.
3. We enjoyed, and I mean really enjoyed, vomit free flights to and from New Orleans. I can't overrate that fact.
4. Pinball contests with Jude on the iPad, after we put J.P. down to bed. We're addicted.
5. My "St. Charles Avenue Run" Saturday afternoon while Jude and J.P. napped at the hotel, ending at Igor's, home of the best Bloody Mary on the planet. I drank a Bloody Mary at a table on the sidewalk outside Igor's, then rode a streetcar back to our hotel. Ah, New Orleans!
6. Asking J.P., Saturday morning, if he'd like to go the Audobon Aquarium of the Americas, and having him answer with a resounding "yes." The significance here is that J.P. rarely, if ever, says "yes" to anything. On the other hand, he says "no" to many things. So many things, in fact, that he has several different versions of "no" that he uses, changing his tone of voice and pitch depending on how strongly he feels about what you're asking him.
7. Attending the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service at Immaculate Conception Parish (Jesuit Church) with Jude, J.P. and Jude's parents, Jane and Jim. What a beautiful, historical church, located just off Canal Street, in downtown New Orleans. When I attend church away from home, I always get the reassuring feeling that I'm part of something that's a lot bigger and more important than me, if that makes sense.
8. Watching my son literally take over Shula's in our hotel at breakfast Saturday and Sunday, smiling, waving and saying "hi" and "thank you" to every server and hostess in the restaurant. Jude and I remarked how amazing it is that a child (any child, not just ours) can make virtually any adult smile and forget their troubles, even if it's just for a minute. It's a little bit sad that most of us lose that ability as we get older.
9. Watching Jude and J.P. lean, at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, leaning over the stingray tank, hands in the water, trying to "pet" the stingrays as they swam in circles.
10. Jude and I took a lot of pride (too much, probably) in the fact that at Judy and Bob Quinilty's boathouse on Lake Ponchartrain, J.P. quickly picked up on everyone's names, knew who was who, and was very affectionate to them all, hugging his many relatives when it was time to leave. He talked a lot about "Uncle Bob" and "Uncle Bob's house."
11. Brunch at the Camellia Grill on South Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, arriving there straight from the airport Friday morning. The best omelette I've ever had, by far. Heavenly. J.P. devoured, and I mean devoured, the french fries there. Incidentally, the omelettes came with french fries. What's not to like about that?
12. Jude getting lost on our way back from the boathouse Friday evening. She insisted on driving, with J.P., her parents and me as passengers in our rented minivan. Not "lost," exactly, but turned around because of all the one way streets, so that it took an extraordinarily long time to get back to our hotel. She'll kick my ass if she reads this, so I'm hoping she doesn't.
13. Snowballs at Hansen's Sno-Bliz, in business in New Orleans for more than 70 years. That's a blog post, in and of itself, though.
14. Popeyes with "Jimdad" (Jude's father) Sunday afternoon, a few minutes before we left for the aiport. I've said it before (but I don't say it enough), I'm fortunate to have in laws like Jimdad and Jane, who do so much for Jude, J.P. and me. Jude feels the same way about my mother, Jane. We both hit the in law lottery, that's for sure.
It's late, time for bed. I'll post some photos tomorrow. Well, here's one, just for fun, taken Sunday afternoon at the Audubon Insectarium.
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