Brookside Gardens
Today we went to Brookside Gardens to take our family photographs. It's been quite a while since we've taken family pictures and with Gavin's recent arrival, the weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity. And, with Mikaela being gone for the summer, it would be a few months until we'd all be together again. Besides that, Gavin would be a few pounds heavier and look very different. Here are the pictures, enjoy!
June 20th, smiley faces
It's been a busy couple of weeks since Gavin came home with us. He's gained some weight and definitely filled out some. This evening he was making smiley in his sleep and I was lucky enough to capture them with the camera.
June 1st, a trip to MFAH
Today we took a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. They had some really nice exhibits and we enjoyed seeing the artifacts from Pompeii but I was bummed because I couldn't use my camera in many exhibits -- even exhibits that weren't art. The pictures of the tribal masks are technically "illegal," so viewer discretion is advised.
June 5th, The Longest Day
This morning at 10am the phone rang. It was the front desk, asking if we were checking out. Misty and I looked at each other with blank faces. We wanted to check out but we hadn't heard back from the Texas ICPC -- the people who would tell us when it was ok to leave the state. This was the morning of our tenth day in Texas. We took a gamble, packed up our things and headed to Starbucks.
Gavin slept while we waited for a phone call. Starbucks has some nice spots for hanging out so I opened up the laptop and Misty made some phone calls. It's 12:15. At 3:00pm Houston time, Misty got the call telling us we could go home. I checked Continental's website, looking for flights home. I found us a flight leaving Texas at 5:50 CST. We booked our flights, paid our flight-change-penalties and drove over to the rental-car return facility. There was some packing to do. We had brought two duffel bags with us to Houston and we had purchased a third the night before, to make packing for easier. Most of what we had purchased fit into the third duffel; the rest we asked the rental agency to donate to a local womens' shelter. After settling our bill, Gavin, Misty and I toted our three duffel bags, one computer backpack, one shoulder bag full of photography gear, a diaper bag and an infant's carseat towards the airport shuttle.
People aren't as polite as they once were. No one offered to lend a hand as we struggled with our things. We had to hustle to get aboard the shuttle like everyone else and it was tough finding a spot to stow the luggage. I wasn't impressed and muttered my irritations under my breath. After a short ride it time to jump off the shuttle, drag our heap of luggage to the ticketing desk and get our boarding passes. Security wasn't too bad -- except for having to pour out our baby bottles. I'd stashed my laptop in my checked bags to eliminate that hassle. We killed an hour or so near the gate and boarded our plane. Gavin slept through take-off and landing. Actually, he was really good for the entire trip back to Maryland. We did have to change a diaper mid-flight but that was uneventful. : )
At 9:50 we touched down in Maryland and headed off to grab the luggage. Jump on the shuttle, ride over to long-term parking and it was time to try and find the Fit. Even though we couldn't remember where we parked, the car wasn't hard to spot as Lot A had been closed and was almost empty. Next leg of the journey: stow the luggage, get Gavin situated and head for Colora. An hour and a half later and I got to wake up the girls -- a major surprise for them. They thought that I was arriving in the morning -- not all three of us arriving this evening. We spent an hour hanging out w/ Aunt Erin and pointed the little Fit back towards Germantown, MD. After wading through a surprising amount of early morning traffic (three construction zones that had us in stop&go traffic) we arrived home at 1:45am EST. At about 3am I fell into bed for a long nap.
At 10am Misty woke me up, frantically telling me that Abby was vomiting and had a 103 degree fever. Time for our next adventure to begin . . . . .
June 3rd, Johnson Space Center
Today we went to see the Johnson Space Center -- one of the early homes of NASA. It was very fun and educational. We took a ton of pictures. There's not much to describe that you can't see in the pictures. Enjoy!
June 2nd, Kemah (therapy)
Today we took a little roadtrip down to Kemah. More specifically, to the Kemah Boardwalk. This is a cool little area that Misty and her folks used to frequent when they lived in Baytown, Tx.
The Boardwalk is a little collection of shops and attractions that has grown over the years. Misty has some pictures of Mikaela in the fountains at Kemah when Mik was two years old. We'll post those in a future blog.
Even though it was in the mid-90's today, we all had a really good time. A few times, I caught Gavin checking out the palm trees and trinkets in the gift-shops. Enjoy the pictures!
June 1st, what the girls are up to
While Misty, Gavin and I are hanging out in Houston, don't think the girls are missing out on anything. Aunt Erin sent us some pictures so I'm sure the girls are enjoying their 'vacation' while we're away. ;-)
June 1st, a post from a mommy's point of view
What a trip this has been so far. Our son is wonderful. He is a laid back little man whom we have only heard cry once in the last week. It isn't so much that we jump to his every whim as he is just extremely patient. As wonderful and fulfilling having Gavin is I still feel incomplete without the girls here. My heart grows increasingly homesick by the day. Houston isn't the city I left 7 years ago to move to Maryland. Much has changed and places that were doing well are now out of business and fallen into the bad part of town. : ( The extended stay hotel we were recommended by a friend isn't what is once was. While the rates are unbelievable, the location is less than desirable. It seems that if you go too far from the airports, or too far from the Galleria you are in sketchy territory these days. : ( Not at all the way it was when I lived out here. Late night calls...Last night someone called our room looking for a good time. This morning at the office we learned that most of the extended stay hotels in Houston are frequented by prostitutes who rent the rooms. I am not sure what bothered me most, the fact someone called our room looking for a good time or that the office staff is so cavalier about having guests who put themselves on the market. Here we are with a new baby and in need of a kitchen for sterilizing bottles and keeping formula cool and shacking up next door to...well shall we say ladies of the evening?! Further in our adventures...This afternoon Marc and I stopped to get a few things at a local market. It was the sort of place that sales .42 cent stamps out of a machine for .65 cents which isn't legal, but there you have it. Most of our fellow shoppers were down right scary, and Marc was picking at me because I wanted to leave...quickly. Where are those freaking ruby slippers when a girl needs them anyway?!Proud New Mommy of 4 who is more than ready to return to Maryland. Misty
