New bonds were formed last week as the family vacationed together in Avalon, NJ, our “Happy Place”. Bryan doesn’t get much time together with his nephew, Finn, so this was a special time of bonding for the two of them. With Finley beginning to explore new vocabulary daily, this was a good chance to practice his emerging verbal skills.

One of the first new words Finn learned last week was “Bryan”. He practiced that over and over whilst looking at his uncle and smiling. Bryan would wave at him and nephew waved back.

There were many games of “peek-a-boo” and “chase” played between the two of them. They shared adventures at the Cape May Zoo, playgrounds and on the beach.

Uncle Bryan was quite upset, however, when Finn went out onto the deck of our rental home and proceeded to try to climb the fencing on the second story deck. I got an earful about how Finley should not be allowed near the deck railings as it was quite dangerous. Finn could fall. And that made Bryan very nervous and scared. He said we needed to be responsible for taking care of Finn when we were watching him. Oops! Sorry, Bry!

Later in the week, Bryan came up with many ideas on what type of activities Finn might like at future shore vacations. He suggested getting him paints and an easel to work on his art skills. Building sand castles, flying kites and riding in a boat were other ideas he thought Finn would enjoy.

I found it interesting that instead of ignoring him or staying away from him, Finley was drawn to Uncle Bryan. With most people whom Finn hasn’t seen in a while, he plays “strange” and initially cries when in their presence. It’s as if he knows that his uncle is really tuned in to him and his needs.

When it came time to say goodbye at the end of the week, Bryan went over to his sister’s car, gave Finn a kiss and touched him on the head with a very solemn “Goodbye, Finley”. They shared some special times this vacation. I look forward to many more in the near future.