Trip to Austin

Andy traveled to Austin for a work function so the plan was to meet him there on Friday night. But the flights were full due to UT graduation weekend so Matthew and I decided to fly Saturday morning. It probably worked out for the best because Matthew was in a great mood and he traveled so well on the plane. On Friday night, I took Matthew to Nordstrom's cafe for dinner and we enjoyed our dinner with a 3-piece band. I was also able to shop for some new shoes so I didn't mind staying in Dallas.

As soon as Matthew woke up on Sat morning, I put his clothes on and put him in the car - which was already packed with our luggage and stroller. We ate breakfast at the McDonalds in the airport and Matthew enjoyed the pancakes. We flew standby on Southwest since they fly out of Love field - a mile from our house. One of the perks of working in the airline industry is that we can fly standby on other airlines as well but the pitfall is that we pay more in fees and we are below airline employees on the list. But it all worked out nicely on the 8:30am flight and we will definitely consider it next time because the DFW airport is 25 minutes away and much larger so we prefer the smaller airport nearby.

Nanna and Papa picked us up at the austin airport and then we headed to the outlet malls in San Marcos. We ate lunch at the outback restaurant and then headed to the hotel. By that point, Matthew was ready to jump in the pool. He took a nap while we shopped and he was done riding in the car. When he saw Andy, he was giggling and just so happy to be out of the car and see daddy. After he put his swimsuit on, he was running to the pool. Andy thought it was hilarious. Matthew had a blast in the pool and went down the water slide with Andy. He was giggling at the end because he was having so much fun.

We went to the County Line for dinner and enjoyed BBQ and peach cobbler with blue bell ice cream. There was a live band outside on the river and Matthew liked watching the turtles and fish in the river. It was a beautiful view and the weather cooled down with a breeze. We love Austin!

We ate breakfast on Sunday at the hotel and then enjoyed the pool until time for checkout. We ate lunch at Flores where they had a playground attached to the restarant that was shaded by a big tree. I was telling Andy that it wouldn't be a trip to Austin without BBQ and Tex-mex. So many times while we were living in Chicago, we would visit Lori and my parents and enjoy the Austin cuisine. Of course, we would have to eat tums later to calm our stomachs...LOL

We had a long drive back to Dallas. We left around 1:30pm and arrived at our house around 7pm. The hotel was actually in Lakeway, Texas, so it was a little longer than our normal Austin drive. We also had to stop multiple times to keep Matthew content. We stopped for ice cream in Salado and he was in a great mood after that. And we ate dinner at a Denny's in Waxahachie. Matthew traveled well in the car and I was in the back seat trying to keep him occupied. I gave him my makeup bag at one point and he had a few spots of makeup on his forehead. He even put the eye lash curler up to his eye. He was having fun imitating mama.

The trip to Austin was fun but it was a whirlwind trip. I don't recommend to travel Sat and then turn around and travel Sunday. Next time we will make sure to spend more time there. Memorial weekend is coming up and we are heading to Vermont for a wedding. Andy and I are looking forward to a trip by ourselves in the beautiful Vermont area. Nanna, Papa, and Mike will be watching Matthew at our house and bringing Mike's dog, Roxy. They plan to go to the zoo and hang out in the pool. It should be a fun weekend for them.

Pool Time

Matthew was in a good mood this weekend. We ate at Fernandos Friday evening and Matthew did really well at the restaurant. As the week progressed, he was waking up in a better mood with more energy. He was singing songs all weekend. He likes to sing "Ba Ba black sheep", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "There were 5 in the bed - roll over, roll over".

Andy took Matthew to the YMCA indoor pool on Saturday while I was able to go shopping. Matthew squealed when he would jump into the pool to Andy. He was loving it. They enjoyed some male bonding time and then went to McDonalds for a happy meal. After I came home, I took Matthew for a walk in the stroller and then we ate frozen yogurt. Matthew was having a fine day. Ana Paula came over to babysit Sat night while we went out to dinner. Matthew cried for 10 minutes and protested "Mama no" but after that, he was giggling with AP and having a fun time.

On Sunday, we went to church and then on to Lucky's diner for breakfast. Matthew did pretty good waiting for the table and food to arrive. He took a good nap and then he was ready to play. We took a walk in the stroller and it was so hot that we decided to go for a swim in our pool. The water is still very cold. Matthew enjoys playing on the first step and getting in and out of the pool. He didn't swim all that much. We ate popsicles and Matthew enjoyed playing in the backyard.

At one point, Rusty was sitting upright and Matthew noticed Rusty's privates. He looked at it and then said "what's that?". I said "That's Rusty's wee-wee. That's how he goes pee-pee" Matthew was repeating it "wee-wee, pee-pee". I said "just like you have a wee-wee". I was cracking up.

Trip to Arkansas

Janet and Nanna
Riding the razorback
Yum! Matthew likes the cake
Jamie, Austin, and the Snider family
Congratulations JP!
Matthew with great grandpa Guido
Matthew was enjoying touching the razorback
Matthew and Papa riding the razorback
He was scared of the pig
Playing at the airport while waiting for the luggage

We had a good trip to Arkansas to visit my mom's side of the family. We left on Friday and arrived just in time for dinner. The flight was only 1 hour and Matthew did well. We made sure to go after his nap schedule. We visited with Uncle Joe, Lauren, Janet, Papa, Nanna, and Mike on Friday night at dinner. Then we headed to our hotel with the indoor pool. Matthew got into the pool with Papa and Nanna and even stayed in their bedroom at night! He didn't sleep too well and the next day he started developing a fever.

We went to JP's graduation at U of Arkansas and Matthew did so well for the entire 2.5 hours! Papa was giving him popcorn and getting up with him to change the scenary. He even fell asleep for 30 minutes on me. We all took naps at the hotel and then we headed to the party at Joe and Janet's clubhouse. Matthew visited with great grandpa Guido. Matthew developed a slight fever while we were there and so he wasn't his usually smiley self. But he enjoyed the food and cake!

We went back to the hotel in the evening and Matthew swam in the pool. Andy bought McDonalds and Matthew loved eating the fries. He didn't sleep well at night and his temperature was getting hotter. We gave him some motrin and that helped bring his temperature down. On Sunday, we decided to get back home early because Matthew was sick. He cried for 10 minutes on the flight (which seemed like forever) and then he stopped. We tried to keep him busy but he did not want to be on the plane. We made it back home and relaxed the rest of the evening.

He was on antibiotics and I kept him home from school on Monday and Tuesday. Matthew and I went to the mall and ate pizza, I took him on wagon rides, and we even got into the pool. He started feeling better Tuesday evening with more energy.

Mr Personality

Matthew on a motorcycle just outside the nursing home last Sunday

Matthew noticed the motorcycle and this man offered for Matthew to sit on it. Matthew had a huge smile!

Matthew's personality is coming out as he is able to talk more. He definitely takes after his daddy with his friendliness and impatience. Matthew is observant and a little shy around strangers. The teachers at school tell us that he is so serious. They find it hilarious that he likes to tell the other kids what to do. One day Andy saw him tell a kid to not go down the slide head first. While we were playing the park over the weekend, he told some older kids "be careful." Matthew enjoyed playing outside most of the weekend. He pushes his mower around the yard.

He was riding his tricycle and skuffed his knee on the cement (since he was wearing shorts) so he has a bobo now. He had to tell the sticks in the driveway "not nice" and pointed his finger at them.

On Friday, we ate dinner at our usual - Fernandos. Matthew was amusing us by putting his crayons into his milk cup where the straw usually goes. We ordered sopapillas and Matthew loved them, especially the honey.

When we were done eating, I was walking with him in the parking lot and he didn't want to hold my hand. Since there are cars around, I told him that was unacceptable so I picked him up. He screamed because he wanted to walk on his own. I put him in the car seat and he screamed all the more - trying to arch his back so I couldn't buckle him in. The entire 5 minute drive home he was screaming at the top of his lungs. You would have thought he was in pain or something. After a minute, I couldn't take it and I found myself trying to yell louder than him to get him to stop crying. I had the windows rolled down and anyone that could hear us would probably think I was a crazy woman. Andy had a similar experience the other day. Of course, then you feel guilty for yelling at them the second after you do it. It sounds ridiculous but there are some times that the screaming just gets under your skin.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway, Matthew was a in a good mood and he was playing like nothing happened. He is definitely in a phase where he is exercising his freedom. Andy and I are constantly having to correct him or set him straight. It's exhausting! One day Matthew took off his shoe in the backseat and threw it at Andy. Andy reached back and gently slapped his leg and said "No" after repeatedly telling him to quit throwing his shoes. When I change his diaper, he likes to kick me and after trying to logically convince him to quit, I finally had to slap his legs and tell him to stop.

His new words are "stop it." This is something that he hears at school. Anytime I try to wipe his nose or wash his hair in the bath, he yells "stop it, mama." I'm like, I'm mama and I can do these things! Don't tell me to stop it.

Matthew was walking up the step on our front porch and scuffed his foot. He spent 10 minutes to tell the step "that's not nice" as he pointed his finger at it. He even mentioned a time-out for the step.

I took him to the YMCA indoor pool on Saturday and Matthew enjoyed it. He is getting better with kicking but he doesn't kick and move his hands at the same time. I was proud that he floated on his back (as I was holding him). We ate lunch where Matthew enjoyed sweet potatoe fries and ketchup. Andy was busy buying sod and trying to repair our dead grass in the front yard. Then Matthew and I went to Barnes and Noble where Matthew played with the toys and books. They had a kid section and he loved it. We made a stop at the frozen yogurt place and Matthew ate nearly all of it! He was having fun with Mama.

Andy and Matthew went for a bike ride on Sunday. Andy thought that Matthew was falling asleep at one point because his head was hitting Andy's back every now and then. Matthew loves the bike rides. And then they jumped into our pool. But the water was too cold so Matthew said "all done" after a minute in the water. We went over to Taylor & Kristy's house for dinner and Matthew enjoyed playing with Arden. He gave her a hug goodbye and she got close but then pushed him away. Matthew repeated "Arden, no push" for the next 5 minutes on our walk home. He was really hurt by this!

After having a runny nose and a little cough for over a week now, I took him to the doctor this morning to check out his ears. We are traveling to Arkansas for my cousin's graduation and visit Papa Guido (over 90 yrs old) so I thought I would get him checked out before the plane ride. Matthew's ears were fine for now and the doctor gave him a decongestant to dry up the sinuses. The allergies are really bad in Dallas this time of year because of the pollen. Matthew was in good spirits at the doctor's office. Matthew had a couple of splinters on the bottom of his foot and the doctor got them out. I wasn't brave enough to try myself. Matthew did really well and didn't flinch too much from the needle poking at his skin. The doctor gave him 2 bandaids (more for show) so Matthew was happy to have a "sticker". Matthew weighed 27 pounds.