First Things First....

Joel left for Vanuatu when he was 2 months old. I remember cuddling him and thinking that when I saw him again he would be walking and talking, and it was true, the next time I saw him he was 18 months old in Vanuatu. He was talking and running.

This trip was his first time back to the USA. He experienced many new things. He took most of these experiences in stride. Over the week there were a few things that seemed to give him pause and he reacted strongly.

"Eehh, Eehh," he kept repeating. What is that noise, Grandma?"
It took us a minute to realize what he was so fascinated about...
" It is a car horn," said Michele.
"Does daddy have a horn?"
"He probably does, but it doesn't work."
" Do you want to hear Grandma's horn?" I asked.
"Yes, Yes," he responded wiggling in his car seat.
Over the next few days he would make his noises in the back seat , and I would respond by honking my horn much to his delight.

Taking him to the department store without a cart to restrain him was a challenge. Once in the front door, he took off and I found myself in hot pursuit just trying to keep up with him.
Suddenly he stopped abruptly in front of a sparkling red artificial tree.
"What is that?" he asked.
He had never seen a Christmas tree before.
Starting from the bottom he touched every ball and branch that he was able to reach.
While Michele shopped, he stopped at every tree throughout the store, touching each one.

We were going out the door when the mannequin in the ladies department caught his eye.
He ran up to her and peered under her dress, and then looking up to her head he gasped in horror.
"She has no head, Grandma. They cut off her head."
Funny I hadn't even noticed. Who needs a head when you are wearing a Vera Wang designer dress?

One day we were in the drive thru at McDonald's. It was taking a while when Joel asked,
" What are we doing Grandma?"
" This is a drive thru. We pay at the first window, and then at the second window we get my coffee and your chocolate milk."
He didn't say anything until later in the afternoon when he told his Grandpa all about the windows and getting his chocolate milk.

A few days later I found myself trying to explain to him why Wendy's only had one window instead of two. He accepted the difference once he realized that he would still get his french fries if they only had one window.

He liked the zoo, he talked about the big big lion for days. He seemed especially impressed by the carousel with the tiger that went up and down when he sat on him.
There were many many "American Firsts" for Joel.

I had to chuckle when I got an e-mail from Michele upon her arrival in Vanuatu.
"Joel is already American, we were doing our errands and he was hot and thirsty. He wanted me to stop and buy him a coke! He never would have asked that 2 weeks ago. He would have asked for a coconut or water."

Hmm...and I was concerned how he would respond...