Happenings and Changes!

On our morning walk by the river

Earlier this week, Ken, who has never met a stranger, helped a lady at Loewe's who was fixing her lawnmower. She happened to work for the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort right here in Bastrop, and invited us to visit, so we decided to treat ourselves as a celebration. Though it's only about 10 minutes away, it felt like we were miles away from home. We naively believed that we'd be one of a couple of families sharing the pool, so we were super surprised by the number of people and kids everywhere!!

My great guys

However, we had a great time. We got an upgraded room (with a balcony), and after we ran into Cynthia the next morning, she bought me a coffee and comped our breakfast, which was a delicious buffet! I hope that Travis is as outgoing as Ken--he always meets the nicest people!

We traded off getting massages and playing with Travis in the pool. He was one tired baby, there was so much going on that he would not fall asleep for anything! After 2 hours of trying, he finally fell asleep about 10pm, but woke multiple times to throw up...of course, waking us up in the process. Poor baby got so overheated that it made him sick. He's fine now, and has slept most of the day to catch up on his sleep, and now we know that 3 hours by the pool in this heat is a bad idea. For some reason, we forgot to get photos of us in the pool, but we did get some others.

Sleepy, sleepy baby

Ready for a nap!

We had to visit the horses:  Julius and Cesear

Travis seems to really enjoy the water, though the Hyatt was not his first swimming experience. Last Saturday, we were invited to a pool party, and had a great time with some of Ken's co-workers from ASI.

In the pool!

Sylin' with hats

Bob and Travis meeting

Tuesday, May 24 was my good friend Bob's 60th birthday, and we were invited to a surprise party at the Oasis. Boy, was he ever surprised! I can't help but feel that we were the highlight of his day. As soon as Bob saw that we were there, he made a beeline straight towards us, and Travis went right to him! Later that night, I heard Bob introduce me as his daughter, which, I have to say, made my day! I used to work for Bob, and when he and his wife Candy decided to move to Austin, TX, they brought me along as part of the family, which I've been ever since. Candy passed away several years ago, but I think of her every time I use my sewing machine because it was once hers. I feel that everything I make on it is a tribute to her.

Me, Bob and Trav

Finally some of you may have already heard that Ken has accepted a position with a company called RackSpace. It is here in Austin, and promises to be a new challenge, which Ken is looking forward to. I know that he'll miss his friends at ASI, but we're excited about this new change in our lives.

Picture Day!

I have been so tired the last several days, and I'm not sure why. I'm wondering if it has to do with Travis being extra cranky lately. He has 4 upper teeth starting to cut in, and he's obviously in pain. I think we'll start spending time outdoors more, that usually calms him down. For now, I'll just take the easy way out and post a bunch of pictures.

This is the sight that greeted me when I went to get him out of bed this morning.

Here's a picture from yesterday where Travis was standing up!

Today, we went outside, and had our own little photo shoot. What do you think?

Mmmm...

Hey, what are my sunglasses doing on the ground?

Right, let me just sprinkle a little fairy dust...

Pondering the meaning of life

Pensive

Chillin'

Artsy Fartsy

Check out that action shot!

OK, that's all for now. But, before you go...which is YOUR favorite, and why?

Splish splash I was takin' a bath...and then we went to the park

Splish Splash

T-man hasn't been too excited about bathtime, so I was prepared for another quick, upsetting bath this morning. I filled his little tub to overflowing, sat him in it, and prepared to quickly scrub. All of a sudden, I heard a loud squeal before Travis smacked the water with both hands, drenching us both! He squealed again and reached out for his bath toys..."YAY" I said ("finally," I thought). And we had fun in the bathtub; he didn't mind my scrubbing, and only got slightly annoyed when I wet and washed his hair. But as long as I didn't get between him and his toys, he was happy!

Photo by Ashley Terry (2011)

Afterwards, I was feeling pretty brave, so I suggested a walk in the park.We loaded up and headed out. Trav enjoyed the swings, and the long walk. Ken got attacked by an aggressive goose backed up by his geesey gang, but we finally made it past them safely. Walking along Bastrop Main Street, we stopped in a bakery and ice cream shop where we all shared a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. Travis kept yelling for more, and the lady running the shop asked if he was always that happy. To which we replied, yes, so long as he's not hungry or tired. Later on, in the library, Travis squealed loudly before I told him libraries were for being quiet. So, he spit up his ice cream instead. Yuk. I think I preferred him being loud.

Our Sweet Family (Photo by Ashley Terry-2011)

Finally, we headed back to the truck, and turned towards home, where we fed Trav and put him down for a nap (which he's taking as I'm typing). It's been a lovely family day watching squirrels climb trees, birds chase each other, and turtles sit by the side of the river. Now, as I look out the window, watching the trees blow in the breeze, and the promise of spring hovering in the air, I am filled with contentment on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, happy to be part of my sweet family.

What brings you contentment today?

A little of this, a little of that, and a dash of love

Well, I fell behind a little bit on blogging -- sorry about that -- anyone miss us? I have no excuse, we've just been so busy playing and visiting, I haven't taken time to stop. Truthfully, my spare time has been spent sleeping. Travis' first tooth has poked through and a second is on the way, which has disrupted his (our) sleep, so we've been up a lot even at night. However, it seems to be getting better, and his sleeping patterns are improving.  He is also starting to talk up a storm, and it won't be long before we're hearing mama and papa.

We had our 6-month check-up this week. Travis is still in the 90th percentile on height - he's 27-3/4 inches now. However, he's dropped a little on weight - he's 17lbs, 6oz - not quite double his birth weight. He's gained 1-1/2 lbs. The doctor says that's normal since he's been getting more active, learning to roll over, sit up, etc. I notice that he's not as chunky as other babies his age, so what this tells us is that he's likely to be a lot like Ken - tall and skinny!!!

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we're spending more time outdoors. We recently got a swing for Travis, and he loves it! He hasn't learned to swing himself yet, but it's only a matter of time. I really miss having a safe place and a good friend with whom to walk. In my younger days, my friend, Laura, and I would walk several miles every morning, chatting and observing the architecture of Tucson houses. Here, I simply walk up and down the street, which gets really boring after a while, and sure, I can always go to a park or something, but it's such a production getting ready and loading everything that it just never seems worth it just for me and Travis. He's talking more, but he's not a brilliant conversationalist yet. I really miss having friends close by who keep me accountable for getting out of the house to walk on a regular basis. I'll be glad when Travis is a little older and takes 2 regular naps so we can plan our day a little better. We recently joined the Bastrop MOMS Club, so maybe I'll find someone there interested in a regular walk...

I am still enjoying staying home with Travis; I love being able to spend my day with him and watch him grow and learn. He's been trying to crawl, but so far, he can only kick his legs really hard before looking around to wonder why he hasn't moved! We miss Ken throughout the day, and I wish we were independently wealthy so that we could both stay home and play with Travis!

Well, I hear someone wanting to get up from his nap, so I'll close this post with our love and a short video.