Vacay

Andy and I are in Dallas at the moment. We came for a quick trip for a long weekend to visit leaving Bjorn and Meggie Meg at home. It's been fun and weird just having one kid. Andy has loved the attention. Well, when he's noticed me. He's be loving playing with his cousin Megan and occasionally Emma. It's been nice to not have to be so rigid about bedtimes and naps as a four year old is more flexible than a 16-month-old, but I have missed her. Emma is 22-months though and I love watching her closely to get a feel for what's coming my way. She is almost talking and is generally more into running and playing than Meg is at the moment.  I know Meg is going to really love playing with her the next time we're together. 

The trip has been too short to be able to really look anyone up unfortunately. Next time...

Just a few

We took 177 photos while we were gone. Here are some of the highlights. Andy proudly showing his name on his stocking.
Darling Baby Emma who is now 18 months and walking everywhere, especially wherever the Big Kids go.

Darling Baby Meg, pooped from the trip and giving me a much-needed break on the way plane ride back.

Bitsie, Cousin PJ and me at the Christmas Party.

Pop with his oldest grandchildren.

Most likely Mom's Christmas card.

I love that neither of them seems to sure here.

Drake, Andy and Ben at the flight museum.

Susan stuck in the control tower.

Me with Meg with her bow and darling Christmas dress and matching red tights.

All four grandbabies in matching pajamas. I have about 20 variations of this photo. It was like herding cats to get them all together and in the end, not on picture was great of everyone.

Merry Christmas

Once the stomach bug left the building and I got some rest and stopped acting like a baby, we had a really nice visit. Here are the highlights:

1) Megan and Andy had a blast together. They are at that great age where they just got together, giggled and ran off to play toys. They didn't need help although they were able to cause mischief. He had the best time of anyone and wants to come to Texas all the time. Hard to blame him since he got to stay up late, watch movies, eat crap and play all the time.
2) Playing Fact or Crap on Christmas day with Mom, Elizabeth, Uncle Bobby and Bjorn.
3) Watching Andy and Megan delight in picking presents out from under the tree and getting Great Uncle Bobby to tell them whose name was on it so they could distribute it.
4) The pedicure/lunch present from Mary.
5) The deep tissue massage at the DCC, compliments of Dad.
6) Dad calling Andy "Byron" all week and Andy totally getting that they're both Byron.
7) Megan saying ,"Grandmother loves malt liquor," on command.
8) Watching Wall-E and Enchanted with Mom and Dad.
9) Seeing family, including cousins Susie and PG from Austin, and friends.
10) Watching Susan have to climb to the top of the tower at the Frontiers of Flight Museum.
11) Trying to get group pictures of lots of little kids. Talk about herding cats.
12) Meg saying, "Hi" and waving to everyone.
13) Emma and Meg sort of eyeing each other up. I love thinking that they'll be buddies some day like Megan and Andy.
14) Watching Mom take her "Christmas thong" out of her stocking.
15) Watching the Big Kids run around the track on Christmas Day with Pop.
16) Coming home to a clean house and getting everyone into their own beds.

It was a good trip, but I am glad I won't have to fly with two little kids for a little while. That was exhausting!

We're here

We're in Dallas now where the weather is 70 and the grandparents, aunts and nieces are nearby for playing. Andy is having a blast with his cousin Megan. Meg hasn't noticed so much, but she did sleep for 5 1/2 hours at a stretch last night. Fingers crossed that she keeps that up. Both kids did fine on the plane. Andy's portable DVD ran out of juice about 2 1/2 hours in so the last half hour was pretty busy keeping him from knocking the seat in front of him and generally being a royal pain in the neck to the other passengers (and his parents). Meg did great though. I actually find it easier to console her than Andy in those kinds of situations.

On the way back, my sister Elizabeth is coming with Megan (leaving baby Emma at home) so we'll have three kids and two adults. Andy and Megan usually play pretty nicely together so the hope is they can entertain each other. Let's just hope they don't entertain each other by acting more obnoxious than usual.

The good and the bad

We have returned from our trip. It was relaxing, fun and great to reconnect, even with some folks from high school that generally always intimidated me.

The Good
Seeing my family, celebrating my birthday with them for a change, seeing my older sister 38 days from giving birth to baby number two, seeing my younger sister who serendipitously was in Dallas after all, taking a trip to Pecos with my mother, seeing family in Pecos and checking that everyone was doing well, the excitement that life in the small oil towns now that life is finally perking up, visiting the sand hills of Monahans with Mom even if we couldn't go sledding on the sand, seeing the meteor site in Odessa, getting my picture taken in front of a pump jack, eating lunch at the double-wide Pecos Valley Country Club, renting a PT Cruiser in Odessa since my mom has always wanted to drive one, watching Andy catch his first fish with his uncle Mark, giving a baby scrapbook to my sister, going to the Dallas World Aquarium and seeing the sea otters eat, visiting the Dallas County Club and watching that Andy is loving the water after years of being afraid, watching Andy swim with my dad, visiting my grandparents graves in Pecos with my mother and Oak Hill in Dallas with my dad, watching Andy play with his cousin Megan, seeing my pediatrician who gave good advice on the ear tubes question, leaving Andy with my sister overnight so Bjorn and I could go out without a deadline other than our own fatigue, seeing high school classmates, all the awesome thunderstorms that I love to track and watch, the great birthday presents including clothes, a GPS, books and Dots candy.

The Bad
Arriving in Dallas with poison ivy and then developing heat rash (I am oh-so-sexy), mosquito bites, lack of sleep due to Andy waking up scared in a new location, the crowds at the aquarium, my mom having her wallet stolen at Northpark, losing a bag coming back, the Texas heat, running into high school classmates, wasting $18 and 2 1/2 hours of my life on Spider Man 3.

All in all, a great trip. It is going to be hard to go back to work on Monday.

Counting in the Bath

Megan and Andy "counting" together in the bathtub. I think Megan's got the hang of it while Andy mostly thinks the words are fun to say.

Back to work

We've returned from our trip and I, for one, am exhausted. I think I need a vacation from my vacation. Andy was a champ on the flight home due in part to the portable DVD player (for those keeping score at home, this was the third of three that I tried to buy in Dallas. Polaroid turned out to be the winner). In contrast to our flight before Thanksgiving, lines were non-existent and there wasn't much traffic anywhere except the international baggage claim area next to ours at Dulles. I'm always amazed that people travel with huge cardboard boxes with their names on them, but I digress.

The trip to Dallas was great, lots of fun catching up with old friends and family. Andy picked up about a hundred new things, including calling his Aunt Mary "Tia" which both seem to enjoy. He also can say Pop, Meh-han (his version of Megan), and Lexie. Saying Grandmother thus eludes him, but it's funny to hear my mother try. By the end, he could almost say Cowboys, which is a must in Dallas.

The last few nights have been long ones with Andy waking up every 30 minutes for some reason or another. The night before we were in Dallas so I attributed it to the stress of the Christmas party and us sleeping in the room with him, but last night in his own bed in his own room, he did the same thing, much to the chagrin of his exhausted parents. I have a feeling it might be gas due to all the weird stuff he's been eating and drinking the past couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed that tonight goes better as I'm quite tired.