The primary reason for going was to visit Clay's elderly grandparents. His grandfather (John) is 94 and his grandmother (Betty) is 90. Clay and I both feel it's really important for Pierce to have a chance to meet his great grandparents. I actually have a memory of all of my paternal great grandparents and a couple of them survived until I was in my 20s which is really amazing! Clay went and saw them a few years ago and his grandparent's health has been off and on since then so we decided we needed to make the trek. It was especially important that Pierce meet his great-grandfather because Clay's grandpa is very concerned about family name and years ago reminded Clay of his duty to carry on the Dwyer family name. To date Pierce is the only great-grandchild with the Dwyer name and this means a lot go great-grandpa.
Pierce, Great-Grandma and Clay
Pierce is the 13th great-grandchild in the family
Clay's grandparents no longer live together now that they are both in homes. Clay's grandma is in an assisted living center with her own little apartment. It suits her well because she has a lot of freedom but friends to have lunch with and a nursing staff should she fall or need assistance. Her health is pretty good and her mind is sharp!
On the other hand, great-grandpa is suffering from Alzheimers. He has good days and bad days but he needs full time nursing care. So great-grandpa is in a full nursing home that's part of a hospital. The wing he stays in primarily caters to WWII vets so it's perfect for him. And he makes weekly trips to go see great-grandma at her place so they both seem very happy and in the right place for each of them.
Pierce, Clay and Great-Grandpa
Pierce wanted to go for a walk so he lead great-grandpa on an adventure
Walking buddies!
The oldest (94yrs) and youngest (21mo) of the Dwyer men!
Clay's aunt and uncle (Barb and John) who we stayed with were very considerate and thought to host a family gathering one evening while we were visiting. This helped tremendously because we weren't traipsing all about the city to try and see the whole family. In addition, they were super thoughtful and threw me a bit of a birthday party. Also, some of Pierce's second cousins were there and they had a blast running around together.
Nolan, Sullivan, Oliver & Pierce
68 years of marriage
Clay, Pierce and the Great-Grands
Happy birthday to me!
This boy LOVES some cake!
Unfortunately the party marked the end of the carefree trip. That night Pierce woke up sick to his stomach. We couldn't tell if he had too much cake (wouldn't surprise us) or if he had a tummy bug. So he stayed home with John that day while Clay and I went and had lunch with grandma and made one last visit to grandpa.
Finally, thanks to John and Barb for letting us stay with them, putting on a great family get together, babysitting Pierce, helping us with a sick baby, and generally being awesome!
Barb, Pierce & John
When we got home we figured out Pierce had the stomach flu as both Clay and I succumbed to it's powers. It was a nasty bug and I actually went to the hospital for dehydration... but that's another story. In the end we are so glad we went. It was good to see the extended family and Clay's grandparents really cherished the opportunity to meet Pierce.
