St. Louis Baby Delights Tennessee Great-Grandparents

Early last Friday, Julie and I packed our pajama-clad son into his car seat and took a road trip to meet his Tennessee grandparents.

It proved to be a beautiful weekend for traveling. We saw sunrises and sunsets, red and orange leaves falling to the earth, winding roads.

At a McDonald's in Kentucky, patrons on two separate occasions made unsolicited attempts at casual, friendly conversation.

Southern hospitality, you know.

On our way, we stopped for lunch with my wife's cousin and her husband. They're a lovely couple, and we enjoyed learning about the latest happenings in their lives. We stopped at a Blue Coast Burrito, which fits in the / vein.

Afterward, we took a 20-minute trip south to my grandparents' 200-year-old farmhouse in Middle Tennessee.

Mamaw and Grandpa got a kick out of Micah. They took turns holding him, and they fawned over his chubby hands and legs. They hadn't previously met him or my wife, and they told us countless times how good it was to have them there.

Julie and I determined that Mamaw is a saint because she volunteered to hold our son at his fussiest. He had a case of the sniffles—his first—during our stay, but that didn't faze her. She did everything to try to soothe him, and it worked. She rocked him, turned up country music on the radio  for him to hear, took him outdoors on the wraparound porch to explore the wind chimes and the warmth of the sun in the crisp air.

She held him while we ate the elaborate meals she prepared—meatloaf, pork chops, spaghetti and meatballs, strawberry cake that Grandpa tells me has made her famous, cherry pie. Royal breakfasts with instant coffee. Sweet tea and cold-cut sandwiches for lunch.

We had a blast getting to visit my mom's childhood friend, Linda, and her husband, Ronnie. They own a farm and have miniature horses and donkeys that Micah had the opportunity to pet. What surprised us was his fondness for a mechanical dog that stood in a toy dog house in their living room. They activated its moving legs and yapping head. Micah held the dog's front legs and laughed like we've never seen while sitting in Ronnie's lap.

We'll be visiting the toy aisle of a department store soon, I'm sure.

He also took turns sitting for the first time with more wonderful members of our family—my Uncle Stephen, Aunt Angie and cousins Daniel and Kara. We caught up on one another's lives and laughed often.

In the course of conversation, Uncle Stephen suggested we send away for a SkyMall product that helps cat owners teach their feline how to use a toilet. We're planning a competition between (our cat) and Micah when the latter reaches potty-training age. Stay tuned for the Rush to Flush. (Credit for the column name goes to my uncle.)

The visit proved rejuvenating, silliness and all, and may well become an annual trip. After all: You can't help but grow the bond between a child and his great-grandparents.