Episode 2: Meet the Parkers

Travel issues aside, Finn was incredibly excited to meet those remaining family members that he had not yet had a chance to douse in bodily fluids. We had built our East Coast trip around my cousin Lee's wedding, so this was the perfect opportunity to hit everybody at once.

Upon arrival at JFK, the boy was immediately sucked out of our arms by Grandma Parker, the human baby vacuum. From that point on, I only saw him across the room and the only time I touched him was when his diaper needed cleaning. Funny how that works.

After what seemed like mere minutes relaxing at the grandparents' house, we were on the road to the wedding in Massachusetts, which means we were headed straight into the jaws of Red Sox Nation¹. We had arranged for Mema Finn and Cousin Caroline to babysit at the wedding, so we were fully prepared for a Grandma on Grandma smackdown. Unfortunately, no blood was spilled and they were able to resolve their issues with snide comments and sidelong glances.

I kid, I kid. Everyone got along just fine. The Ninja Credits that everyone was issued dictated how long they could hold the baby and we were very strict about enforcing them. Grandparents need structure and it's the parents' job to provide that.

The weekend was full of firsts. It was the first plane ride and the first trip back East, but perhaps most important, it was the first time that Great-grandma Parker laid eyes on the Ninja. This is the first great-grandchild, which means he will inherit all of the family goats & cows, or something like that. It was also the first time that Great-aunt Judy and my cousins Lee, Roy & Parker (I would put their relationship to the Ninja here, but after considerable discussion, we have no idea what it is) got to hold the boy as well. Altogether, this means that we took an obscene amount of pictures. This is good, because my parents never took any pictures of me as a baby, no matter what they say, or what photographic proof they present to try and disprove that statement.

The one my father was pushing for the most was the four generation portrait. We have a similar shot of me as a baby, with my father, his mother and her father, so we were eager to add the next generation to the mix. Please disregard Finn's evil black eyes. I don't know if you've ever seen an undoctored picture of an infant, but their eyes are huge and red. I traded those in on some huge and dark black eyes, courtesy of red-eye reduction.


All in all, it was an amazing first part to our trip. The wedding was gorgeous² and it was great to see all of the family that we hadn't seen in so long. As with all of our trips lately, it was over way too soon and before we knew it, we had to get back on the road. But not before taking a million more pictures, the cream of which can be seen here.

















Once our battery died and the memory card was full, it was off to CT for a recharge and to meet the rest of the Finns for which he was named.

To be continued...

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¹ I've got to admit, that is an extremely catchy name for a bandwagon. Nice job, ESPN.

² Aside from the Yankees effigy hung in the foyer. Relax Red Sox fans, you don't need to try so hard any more. You're winners. Now it's time to learn how to show some class. But don't look at me. We Yankees fans haven't figured that one out yet either.