Ten days after surgery we piled into the car with a lot of "stuff," and headed off to Tucson. It was a 2 day drive, so Erik and I took turns riding with Stephen so we could read or play, or watch movies. Since Stephen is so big now, taking the Pack and Play for him to sleep in just wasn't possible. I found this bed on the internet, and although it was hard to track one down, it seemed to be the perfect solution! It worked pretty well once he understood that he had to try hard to actually stay IN the bed, and not roll all over the place.

Our first full day in Tucson, we went to Green Valley to visit the relatives down there, and then went back to Mom and Dad's to swim. They were still out of town, but Stephen's other grandparents came over to swim too! This was Stephen's very first time in a pool!!!

When Grandma Janet and Grandaddy got home, Stephen was thrilled to discover they had brought him a replacement for his much-loved, but too small, safari hat! He pulled it right on!

One of our Tucson adventures was a trip to the zoo. Although it is smaller than the OKC zoo, there were several things there that were new to Stephen, including the polar bears, elephants, and the opportunity to feed the giraffes (stay tuned for a different post with a video of that experience!).

We also indulged Daddy and Grandaddy with a lunch here:

Stephen was demonstrating how someone might feel after a little too much to drink!

And we taught Stephen how to play Pat-A-Cake...

which apparently wore him out!

Although timid at first, Stephen really took to swimming after a couple of days!

He even figured out how to paddle his arms and kick his feet a little bit - we didn't actually show him how to do this, but I guess he picked it up by watching all of us swim.

Stephen enjoyed reading while we were on vacation. A LOT!

Stephen and Grandaddy ended up with matching shirts, courtesy of Cousins David and Jayne, and the Del Mar Fair. And they were purchased a year apart, and we didn't even know they matched until we got there! Funny, huh?
More "swimming..."

This was a fantastic vacation. We saw family, and some friends, and it was a nice chance to relax, for all of us. I'll try to get a post-surgery update up later this week. To say that it was a life-changing procedure for Stephen is an understatement!