Jacob @ 1 month

Hard to believe it's already been a month since this little (big) guy came into our lives! We've been gone on vacation or out of a routine for more than half his little life and he's not even sure what "normal" is like. He's growing ridiculously fast-- already up to 11 lbs., 3 oz. (which is really close to what Andrew was at his age, actually) and 22.5 inches long. He nurses like a champion-- still every 2 or 3 hours during the day, but only 10 minutes or so each time.

He sleeps very well, too. Though he has started the same grunting and squirming that is typical of all my children, he doesn't do it much at night. He will usually sleep from about 9 until 12 or 1 in the morning, and then another 3 or 4 hour stretch after that. He eats and goes right back to sleep within 20 minutes of waking up. I don't have to sit up with him on the couch, or put him in his swing-- I can put him in his bassinet (on his tummy-- also the preferred position of all my other kids!) and he goes back to sleep. He may grunt and grumble a little around 6 or 7 in the morning but he rarely cries to wake me up.

He is adored by his brother and sisters, who constantly want to hold him or kiss his face. They love to be near him and can't stand to hear him cry. They will immediately run to his side. They have really started to adjust to life with him in it and things are getting back to usual, with school and daily activities. It's still a challenge to get out and about with 4 kids (and will be even harder once the snow comes, I'm sure!), but it's a necessary evil, and I wouldn't change it.

I just love his little smile. It's not frequent, but it's always when Mommy or Daddy are talking to him. He's generally an easygoing little guy and, although he likes to be held, especially when I'm trying to cook dinner or eat, he rarely gets upset. His favorite playtime by far is on his tummy. He only tolerates his swing a few minutes-- it too closely resembles his car seat, of which is never a fan unless it is actually in the moving car. 

The doctor told us at his recent appointment that he may have a condition called tracheomalecia. He has always had issues with noisy breathing, gasping for air when he eats. It doesn't seem to bother him, but it is a little disturbing to hear. He isn't quite as noisy when he's on his tummy, but it's a little louder when he's on his back. So the doctor said it may be a softened trachea. It is something that really doesn't affect him much and will eventually correct itself as he gets older. Right now, it's not an official diagnosis and there isn't much we can do except monitor his breathing, but it's still good to know that his noisy breathing may have a specific name.

I think everyone should have more than 2 children, because by the third and fourth, you understand how quickly this newborn phase passes and you appreciate it more. With Leah and even Andrew, I just wanted them to hurry up and grow up already! But now, I know he will and I will greatly miss these late night snuggles and sweet little baby sounds and smells.

Texas Adventure, Part 2

After our four days at the Great Wolf Lodge, it was time to visit family! We headed to Brett's sister Karen's house, about 2 hours away. She has a great backyard and huge playroom. The kids were in heaven! As if that wasn't enough, the second day she took them to Chuck E. Cheese. As much as they all loved the arcade at the Great Wolf Lodge, we knew they'd love it even more there! Since it was lunchtime on a school day, we had the place pretty much to ourselves and they played tons of games!

(Jacob's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese)

Saturday we had the chance to go to Brett's alma mater, Baylor, to see the brand new huge stadium they just recently opened. Karen outfitted all of us with Baylor attire. As a season ticket holder and alumnus who regularly donates money, she and Johnny had the chance to go to the stadium to watch the away game on the big screen, plus have free lunch. There were even bounce houses for the kids on the field. Brett was so amazed by the size of the stadium and all the changes that had been made, and he was so excited to be able to actually go ON THE FIELD.

Before we left we attempted to get a shot of the kids with their cousins, Seth & Luke. They look so big next to them! Abi wasn't having much to do with photos that day.

We stopped by the Baylor bear pit to visit the two live bears they keep as mascots.

We had to at least try this:

We even got to see the players' locker room. (They were of course at the away game, so it was spotlessly clean!) Though the kids really could care less about football or Baylor, they definitely caught Brett and Karen's excitement and thought it was so cool that we got to do all we did!

After two days at Karen's, we left for Brett's parents' house in South Texas. It was a six-hour drive. I was worried about how the kids would do on the long car ride, but there was a DVD player in our rental van that kept the big ones occupied. Jacob only cried when we weren't moving, so we kept going as long as possible and stopped only twice to feed him and get out to stretch. 

It was a lot more relaxed once we arrived. One day we went to visit the neighboring town where Brett grew up. They just recently demolished the house he grew up in, which was sad, but we saw the empty lot.

We played at the playground. Brett used to play here as a kid. And we sat down by the Gulf of Mexico and watched the water and enjoyed the sun.

We enjoyed lots of time with Nana and Papa. They hadn't even met Abigail, so they were thrilled to be able to get to know their grandchildren. Of course, Jacob was held often.

Nana showed them all her makeup tricks.

And cut the girls' hair at her shop. Abi didn't want to show off her new haircut so all her pictures were blurry.

We even got to take some family pictures by their fireplace. What precious memories the kids will always have of visiting their grandparents far away. They loved the attention and all the excitement of being in a "new land." They came back and told everyone all about their adventures. I am so glad we had the chance to go and do this trip together!

Texas Adventure, Part 1 (Great Wolf Lodge)

We were so blessed to be able to take two weeks away to enjoy some vacation time together as a family in Texas. We have been planning this trip for a long time, since even before Jacob was thought of-- which is why we left when he was barely two weeks old. Brett has not been able to see his family in almost four years! We have an incredibly supportive church family that encourages vacation time and was so excited we got to get away and filled in where needed.

The kids were so excited about getting on a plane. Andrew was just a baby the last time we flew, so the younger ones have never flown & the older two don't remember it. Both going and coming we had two flights, and every time we made it easily through security. The kids did really well on the plane-- only Leah had some issues with earache. Thankfully, they offer free wifi now and they were able to watch their favorite TV shows on my IPad or movies on our portable DVD player. Jacob hardly made a peep and slept or ate most of the flights.

Our only issue with the flights was when we arrived in Dallas-- at about 11:00 at night-- and they told us they'd lost all our car seats. All four. We had five other suitcases to keep up with and Brett had to go pick up our rental car by 11:30 before they closed. We had no way of leaving the airport without car seats. After a little bit of a run-around, they did find the seats and we got the rental van on time. It was nearly midnight before the kids finally got in bed at our hotel the first night.

The first and second day we were in Texas, we attended a conference at Gateway Church. Though we got a few things out of it, we weren't all that impressed, and mainly just used the conference as an excuse to get to Texas. Still, they had child care, so Andrew & Abi were taken care of while we were there. We only stayed until lunch and then left to go enjoy our hotel-- the Great Wolf Lodge!

The Great Wolf Lodge is known for its giant indoor water park that is included with your stay. There are also so many more activities to do while you're there-- all geared toward kids. Our kids will be talking about this place for months to come! Here we are on the top floor in front of the giant window that overlooks the water park.

It was the first thing we did when we got back from the conference Monday. The kids' favorite area was the little kids' splash pool. It was all only knee deep (up to Abi's chest or so), with a couple small slides and lots of places to spray water or splash. We spent most of our time there.

 

They eventually ventured out into the giant water playground where you can squirt, dump, or spray all sorts of things. There was a giant bucket on the top that dumped a huge amount of water every five minutes or so-- we tried to avoid that! By the last day of our stay, Leah was totally comfortable in this area on her own. The kids were all very timid about riding any water slides. Daddy was able to talk both Leah and Andrew into conquering their fears and going on several different ones. And Leah really seemed to enjoy them the first day, as long as Daddy was with her. Then the second day, she went on one on her own and fell into the water at the end. So she was scarred and didn't want to go on them at all anymore.

Jacob did his best sleeping in the water park, lulled by the warm temperatures and the "white noise" sounds of the water and kids playing. He did wear his little bathing suit each day, but only got his feet wet once. It was a challenge for us to keep up with all four kids at the park. Even though it was enclosed and completely safe, it was a big place, and all the kids had different interests. And one of us had to stay with Jacob in his stroller at all times. So we parked him by the kids area and took turns going into the other slides and play areas.

Abi was torn between wanting to be brave but also being scared to do many things. When we finally talked her into going on this small slide in the kids area, she only wanted to go with Mommy or Daddy. When she found out she loved it, she wanted to go over and over again. By the last day, she was going on her own. And she was perfectly content going again and again.

We spent at least 3 hours each day in the water park. Brett and I even dared to leave Leah with the baby for a few minutes one day to go ride one of the slides none of the kids wanted to ride with us. We all had a blast! 

Another activity we enjoyed was the MagicQuest game. We bought each of the kids a magic "wand" that you take around the hotel to complete various tasks, like a scavenger hunt. Computer screens and a little booklet give you hints about where to find the different things you need to complete quests, and you use your magic wand to "collect" them. It required a lot of walking up & down stairs, which made everyone good & tired for bedtime! They enjoyed the quests the first few days but got bored of it by the fourth day we were there.

Our first night in Texas, we had a late dinner/ dessert with Brett's sister, Brenda. It was short, but she was excited to see the kids and we were glad to be able to get together with them. Nathan is now 15 and Stephen is 9. We met at the Rainforest Cafe, which was a fun experience in itself. The kids loved all the animals & greenery, and since we were some of the last few people in the restaurant, they were able to run around and play a little. They got along with Stephen & Nathan as if they'd always been friends.

Another fun activity at the hotel is nightly Story Time. All the kids in the hotel come in their pj's to the main lobby to see a little show and hear a short story. They also get to meet the mascots of the hotel. All three of them loved this! They watched in awe.

Even Jacob enjoyed Story Time. We got this as proof that we may have a thumb-sucker on our hands! (He has since started taking his paci instead!)

We had lots of late nights, but the kids crashed each night when they got into bed. There was a little divided wall between their bed and ours', so it felt as if they had their own little room. We tried to maintain a little consistency by reading our story each night when they got to bed.

Wednesday morning was the first full day we didn't have to go to the conference. So we went on the Wolf Walk. Basically a guide just walked with them around the main lobby and they talked about different animals along the way, pretending to be each one as they walked. It was a little interesting, but we didn't really want to do it more than once.

The month of October, the hotel is celebrating Halloween. So Wednesday morning we went and colored some masks and that night we went "trick-or-treating" around the hotel. The kids got a bag full of candy!

We tried to save money (and time) as much as we could and got bread & lunch meat for our lunches. To make it more exciting, one day we had a picnic in this tree house, high above the lobby of the hotel. (Everything was decorated for Halloween-- hence the giant balloon ghost.)

 Just a few more fun shots as proof we really did enjoy the Great Wolf Lodge:

Wednesday night we met my Aunt Jackie and my cousins Alicia & Aimee and their kids at a pizza place for dinner. I haven't seen them since our wedding and have never met any of their kids. It was good to be with family and the kids again acted as if they'd known each other forever! They had a good time running around like crazy while us adults chatted. 

The last day of our stay, thanks to Brett's sister Karen, the girls and I enjoyed time at the "spa." It is especially designed for kids and we had a mother/ daughter pedicure. Leah was so excited! She loved that she got to go to a spa. Abi kept asking why we had to get our toes painted. She didn't really get it, and was a little scared, but I know she was glad she got to do what Mommy got to do. We sat on a giant banana split. The girls got bathrobes & tiaras. Leah picked strawberry scented water and a bright pink polish. We even got a sugar scrub and lotion and the whole nine yards.

And when it was over, we got to enjoy ice cream. It was such a fun time to enjoy just being girly!

Andrew's favorite place by far was the arcade. We must have spent at least $75 in this place! He especially loved the simulation games, where you have to drive a car or turn a steering wheel or shoot a gun. Especially when Daddy played with him. He didn't even realize you could earn tickets to trade for prizes until Leah got a bunch!

  

Four days was just the right amount of time to spend here, and we all had a blast. We were exhausted and this was only the first half of our trip!