More Catching Up

Here's a little more catching up from August!

When I was 32 weeks preggo Gordon had to leave town, for several days, for work.  This obviously made me really anxious since this is the week I had William.  It didn't help that the week before, when I'd seen Dr. Zepeta, he seemed worried about how low Anna Grace was.  If he said it once, he said it a hundred times.....take it easy, stay off your feet, gravity is not you or baby girl's friend.  So, to help ease my mind, my mom flew into Houston the day that Gordon left town.  Later in the week my dad drove into town to join in on the fun!  William continued with swim class four days a week, he was started on antibiotics for a sinus infection, I helped host a baby shower for a girlfriend and we had some fun dinners out with the family.  Big thanks to Nana for helping out this week.  :)  The Texas heat + big belly + the busy swim schedule (not to mention working 4 days a week) = one tired mama.  Having an extra set of mom hands is always awesome!

Fun carousel ride  |  There's nothing better than a sleeping baby  |  Taking a selfie with Papa  |  He loves a chocolate donut 

We spend a lot of time in the car this week due to lots of trips to the med center.  We took advantage of being in town on Monday afternoon and had a yummy dinner at Punk's.  William got to run around the open court yard area that daddy's company designed.  It may have been 100 degrees outside but that wasn't stopping William.  This was also a snocone kinda week.  I would have gone every day if you'd let me (and William wouldn't have complained either).  We both love a coconut snocone.   

 Dinner in town  |  Playing outside  |  Kisses for Anna Grace  |  Making silly faces  |  Playing a little baseball after our snocone run  |  Pool party for Finley and Kirby  

Nothing too exciting happened this week.  Just our normal life!  Swim classes went down to only twice a week (yippeeee).  We went to another birthday party that weekend and got our weekly pool time in....followed by a snocone of course.  

Yummy coconut snocone  |  Lunch at Zoe's  |  Playing with daddy

This big boy moved up rooms  |  Such a happy little guy |  Laying with the belly (yes, it's lopsided!)

A Look Back At July

If you keep up with my blog you've probably noticed it got taken over by pregnancy stuff.  So, I thought I'd back track a little and post some pictures from this summer!  We definitely stayed hot and busy!

"Week 28" William was in Texarkana with his mimi and grandad.  Gordon and I had a nice date night at Up one night, ate at El Tiempo (my favorite Mexican food place in town!), and I hosted bunco at our house one evening.  Although it was nice to have some time to ourselves I was super happy to have our little guy back home!  I really wanted to spend all the quality time, with just him, that I could before baby girl arrived.  :)

{Look mom, a worm!}  {Checking out the deer at Uncle Grant and Aunt Em's house}

{Fishing with the family - 29 weeks preggo}  {Minion movie}

"Week 29" was super busy because we started swim class 4 days a week!  That Friday afternoon William and I went to a super fun birthday party for Eli at The Houstonian.  William showed off his new swims skills and had a blast on the big slide.  I'm sure it was a funny site seeing me and the big belly going down the slide!  That weekend we made a trip to the Woodlands to see LZ's baby boy and to the outlet mall for a little shopping.  My feet hurt so bad by the end of the day.....so, when we got home I headed straight to the nail place for a pedicure.      

Taking a selfie with mama  |  Birthday Party Fun  |  Love catching up with these guys

Taking a drive in the firetruck  |  Running in the sprinklers after a day at the pool  |  My honey

"Week 30" William continued with his swim classes and had a dentist appointment.  Trying to get a toddler to open their mouth for that long is challenging!  The dentist told us what I'd expected, William is missing some teeth.  At this point, there is nothing we can do about it. They think it's most likely due to his prematurity since there's no family history of missing teeth.  Next year we will have x-rays done to see if he has his adult teeth.  That weekend William and I had the house to ourselves while Gordon was out of town.  We had the best time at the Circus and just hanging out together.  I will say, if we decide to do the circus again I'll spend the money for front row tickets.  Since this was our first time, I didn't know what to expect but I now know that being able to see everything up close would be much cooler.  Regardless, we had fun!  I ate all the cotton candy and William got a cool new truck.       

{Playing at the dentist}  {Kissing the big belly}  {Pizza in our PJs}

{Circus Fun}  {Obsessed with Trucks!}  {Love this sweet little boy of mine}

Summer Days

We've had some fun summer days filled with sun, sno-cones and lots of time with friends and family!  Here's what we've been up to over the last few weeks.

Week 23- Swimming with Daddy!
Week 25- This was the last week that I was only working 4 days a week.  Having fun at the pool!
Week 28 - More pool time with his favorite little lady.
Week 29- Date night at Perry's with my honey.
Week 30- Summer BBQ with our best friends!
Week 31- Looking at the ducks after lunch with Nana and Papa.

As much as I love summer and having tan skin, I am super ready for the fall and football season!

Mini Vacation

The last weekend in June we had a mini vaca in San Antonio at the JW Marriott.  The last time Gordon and I were there I was 6 weeks pregnant with William.  We were so excited to take the little buddy to this fabulous resort....and we got to meet up with Nana and Papa! 
Getting to the JW is a breeze from Houston.  It's a short 3 hour drive with a Bucee's in between!  The first day we were there we rented a cabana.  It's definitely the way to go if you have a large group of people.  All the chairs get taken up super early in the morning so having the cabana with lots of seating all together is awesome.  You also get a mini fridge stocked with drinks, a shaded area (a plus if you have little ones so they can nap), and you get four lounge chairs in the water (again, perfect for little ones).  During the day we soaked up lots of sun, lounged on the lazy river, did the water slide 100 times, had one or two pina~coladas,  and just chilled.  In the evenings we got to listen to live music and play outside.  William loves music and watching people play the guitar so he was in heaven!  If he could talk I know he'd tell us this was one of the best weekends ever.  There was even a food truck outside that served food and adult beverages!  It was in a big, open, grassy area where kids could run around, throw ball and be as loud as they wanted.  A parents dream.  :)  

Last summer we stayed at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio.  It's on the other side of San Antonio (closer to Sea World) and super nice as well.  The two hotels aren't much different in price, both have lazy rivers and both are kid friendly.  Here are a few things about each that we liked.

JW Marriott San Antonio:  Not only kid friendly but fun for adults too.  They have a huge bar with TVs everywhere.  Perfect for football season!  The kids pool was just right for William's age (slides, splash pad kinda stuff).  The BIG slide will be fun years down the road as well as the arcade room they have.  

Hyatt Regency San Antonio Hill Country- The Hyatt had a more outdoorsy feel to it.  It was surrounded by lots of trees and even had a nature trail that we walked through.  I don't remember there being much of a splash pad but they were in the process of building some big slides.  They did have several sandy "beach" areas off of the lazy river.  William really loved it last year!  I think you could even bring your own cooler with food etc into the pool area.  That may have changed by now?!?!?

Both places are fantastic!  They both offer child care/day camp for children 3 and up (that are potty trained).  It would be a great way to have some adult time and for your kiddos to meet friends and get some energy out for several hours.

Cabana Time  |  Squirt toys are the best  |  "Front roll, Mama!"  |  

Can you tell W wants to get down and run?  |  Relaxing  |  SO much fun!

My parents kept William one extra night in San Antonio before driving him back to Midland with them.  Leaving our sweet little buddy was so hard but I knew he was in good hands and would have a blast with his Nana and Papa!  They danced the night away after Gordon and I left.  Thanks goodness for pools, guitars and live music.  :)  

Father's Day Weekend

As you can see, the ol' blog got a face-lift!!  There's still a couple of things left to do but otherwise I'm loving the change.  We've been traveling a lot lately....hopefully things will be a little calmer the next few weeks so I can catch up in the blog world.  Here's a little peak into our Father's Day weekend.

We had a weekend full of fun for Gordon's 3rd Father's Day!  On Saturday we tried out the local brewery with some friends and family (Grant and Emily).  We had the BEST time.  I can't believe we hadn't tried No Label Brewery out sooner!  I'll do a post on it soon....hopefully!

That evening Gordon and I had date night.  We decided to go to the movies but didn't end up seeing what we had planned.  The movie theater's system messed up and sent us to The Fault In Our Stars.  If you read my blog you probably already know I'm a pediatric oncology nurse.  Of course I wanted to see this movie.  BUT, it needed to be when I was ready, when I was emotionally prepared, with the right person (the ladies I work with) and with a glass of wine!  I'd planned on reading the book and then going to see the movie with Stacy and Anna.  Well, that didn't happen.  Maybe God thought Gordon and I needed to see it together.  Regardless, it was a great movie.  I cried The. Entire. Movie. No joke.  Ask Gordon.  #nurseproblems

Sunday went pretty much as usual.  Church, swim, nap, playing outside, and movie night.  I did cook breakfast for our special daddy and we let him pick our lunch spot.  Wing Stop.  YUM!  WE had a great day hanging out at home.  How precious are these pics of baby boy eating watermelon with his daddy?!?! These are the days that make me happiest.  :)

Water Safety and Swim Essentials

I'm sure most of you out there have read articles about Secondary Drowning that are floating around Facebook.  IT. IS. SCARY.  I knew about this Secondary Drowning before this particular article went viral.  I've been terrified ever since.  I would already consider myself an over protective mom....this just makes me one notch crazier when it comes to water safety (which in my opinion is great)!!!

So, as a nurse and an extra cautious mommy I decided I had to do a post on Water Safety!  Here are a few interested facts!

MAY was National Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Month

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-14 .  Yep, it beats cancer big time.  46% of children die from trauma and 11% of cancer. 

In 2013 there were 82 deaths in Texas from drowning, 23 were in the Greater Houston Area.

Children are at risk in ANY body of water (pools, oceans, bathtubs, splash pads with puddles of standing water).  

Promote water safety by creating layers of protection around water.  1) Have a 5 ft fence that separates the pool from house  2) Have gates that close and latch automatically  3) Wear life jackets whenever near open water 5) Use door locks to keep children out of the bathroom (I always close bathroom doors and make sure lid is down on toilet)  5) install alarms on all windows and doors that lead to the pool

Have a Water Watcher- this is an adult that is on duty for 20-30 minutes.  They should not text, talk on phone, drink alcohol or socialize with others while on watch. 

+ Enroll children in swim lessons at an early age 
+ Always have phone near by in case of emergency  
+ All parents /caregivers should learn CPR  
+ Keep a first aid kit near the water  
+ Throw rescue equipment to the victim before jumping in the water to save the child

RESOURCES:
TCH Injury Prevention Department 832-824-3485
Safe Kids Greater Houston at www.safekidsgreaterhouston.org
Bi-lingual Material at Pool Safety Campaign www.cpsc.gov
Water Safety Tip Sheets at Texas Drowning Prevention Alliance www.txdpa.com

I've heard over and over that drowning is silent.  It's not like the movies.  Just the other day, while swimming with friends, William gave me a scare.  Thank God I was watching him EVERY minute.  He had his floaty on and was playing in 6 inches of water.  He toppled over and went face down.  I watched for him to push himself up....and he didn't.  I don't know if he was in shock or if he just couldn't because the floaty on his chest was in the way.  Regardless, he didn't get up.  I ran over and scooped him up immediately.  He didn't cough or cry so I knew he hadn't sucked in much water, if any.  You can't be too careful.  It can happen to anyone.  Teach your babies to swim and don't take your eye off them for even a minute.

SWIM ESSENTIALS

As scary as swimming with little ones can be....it can be SO much fun.  Our little guy is quickly becoming a little fish.  He is loving this summer pool time and we can't wait for swim lessons to start in a week.

Here are a few of our summer swim essentials!

1- This Speedo floaty is what we originally bought.  We quickly learned that William is too young for this type of float.  It may make him float but if he falls forward in the water he is face down and hasn't figured out how to flip himself over.  He's like a top heavy turtle.  I do love how comfortable he is while he's wearing it (he never complains).  It will be perfect in a year or two when he's stronger and more coordinated.
2- The Puddle Jumper is just right for a two year old.  It helps keep them upright!  Just what a toddler needs. 3- Swim Diapers.  You gotta have them.  This one from The Honest Company is not only adorable but so cute and ego friendly since it's re-usable!  We love ours.  The are made for kids 11-49 lbs and are only $14.
4- We use our kickboard to help William with swimming 101.  We put his belly down in the water and have him hold onto the kickboard and then tell him, "Kick, kick kick!"  It's also a great way to get them comfortable with floating on their back.  It'll be great for the lake and beach too.  Lots of fun for only $5.
5- Arbonne is the sunscreen that we use for baby boy.  It has worked great for us so far....no sun burns and no skin reaction.

 Speedo Swim Coach |  Puddle Jumper  |  Arbonne Sun Screen | Kickboard |

Honest Company Swim Diaper

Happy swimming everyone!!

Summer Fun

We've had an extremely busy summer (more on that later) so I've been bad about doing my weekly Wonderful Wednesday post.  So, I thought I'd post a few pictures that we've taken over the past few months.  Between summer vacations, our Sunday music class, and just everyday life we have managed to squeeze in some fun activities between all the "house stuff" we've been dealing with.

 

Made a stop by the snowcone stand in our neighborhood!  They get crazy busy on the weekends so going on a random Wednesday is the way to go.  I may or may not have asked G to stand in that outrageous line when I was pregnant.  :)

 We've had a million lunches and dinners at Memorial Park.

 

A couple unforgettable play dates at the Houstonian with some of W's best buds. 

 



Who says life ends when you have a baby?  Having fun watching Daddy play at TopGolf.  We can hardly wait to sign William up for golf lessons. 

We've even had a few date nights.  The picture above was taken at the new wine bar in Midtown, 3rd Floor. 

We've tried out a few new yogurt places.  The terry cloth outfits William has on in the picture above and below are from BabyGap.  They are on sale now so check it out!  They have been perfect for post swimming.  They dry easy and are super comfy. 

We've gone swimming with the Wilsons (great way to make the kiddos tired!).

Gone on some bike rides while we were in Florida.  Are his flip flops not the cutest things ever?!?!  Here's a similar pair that are on sale now!  They have a strap on the back so they don't fall off....perfect for babies.

 

And, last but not least, we had some yummy banana cupcakes at Sprinkles in Highland Village during one of our many play dates!

 

Hope everyone is having a great summer too!  What do y'all do to keep your little ones entertained?  I know I'll need some ideas for next summer. 

 

Fun In The Sun

 

This picture pretty much sums up our weekend in Midland!  William loved the pool!  My parents had turned on the heater but it was still a little chilly....baby boy was the only one it didn't phase.  I'm so happy that he enjoyed swimming since we're starting swim class this Sunday.

 

We had so much fun swimming, lounging around, getting some sun, watching William in the sandbox, and drinking some homemade strawberry margaritas courtesy of my parents new fancy margarita machine.  That night we had tickets to go see the Duck Dynasty crew for their Dynasty of Faith talk.  Since it was past W's bedtime my sweet grandparents came over to watch William for us!  I can not tell you how much I enjoyed the Dynasty of Faith talk.  If you have the opportunity, GO.  I love how honest they are about their life and the mistakes they've made.  They don't try to pretend that they're perfect.  Marriage is hard and it takes work but having an intact, happy, healthy family is so worth it.  I believe, as do they, that it takes faith and God to keep a relationship together.  Whenever we visit Midland all I can do is think about moving back.  The talk really helped me to remember that God has a plan for my family.  He will do what's best for us.  I just have to trust!!

After church on Sunday we had lunch at Outback and then we were back to the pool.  William is such a boys boy.  He loves being outside, dirt and sticks.  He just played and played....and refused to take a nap.  One of Gordon's buddies (and my childhood friend) came over to join in on the fun too. 

I am so thankful for the time we get with my family!  Thankfully William does great on the flight so getting to Midland is easy.  :)  

 

Look at those adorable polo flip flops!  Doesn't get any cuter than that. 
William loves all the puppies.  He even got brave enough to start petting them.