Happy Father's Day!!

He puts up with a lot - getting his fingers bitten, dirty diapers, a sassy attitude at dinner, and an even further unpleasant attitude at 3:00 a.m. - and that is just from Claire! He rarely complains about our less than rational requests, meltdowns, and insane lifestyle. We wouldn't have it any other way. If it weren't for us, his life would be VERY boring. Besides, he would look pretty funny walking through Target with Ralphie in the Baby Bjorn.

Vacation: Lessons Learned

Top 10 Things Learned on Family Vacation

10. I am, perhaps, the world's best packer. No...seriously. Four people, six days, work meetings, and the fickle Colorado climate, and one suitcase. This is a feat that not many people can claim.

9. In other news, overweight baggage fees are Out.Of.Control. As in - to the tune of $100 for a talented packer such as myself. Never fear, just look pathetic with a double stroller, a disgruntled husband who does not appreciate my stellar skills, and the nice airline ladies scrounged up a box to save the day. Fees cut from $100 to a mere $25/bag/box.

8. Vacation of 2014 does not equal vacation of 2008. Rewind: In 2008 we grabbed two backpacks, jumped on an East-bound plane, and spent two weeks traipsing through Europe. Our diets consisted of wine, cheese, and gelato - in that particular order.  Fast forward to the past week:  A two-year-old and four-year-old and a husband on a work trip didn't equate to exactly the same spontaneity. I mean, the schedule did center on food - chicken nuggets, non-dairy snacks, and lots of water. We did splurge and buy some wine one night, but then Patrick was convinced the leftover (WHAT?!?) wouldn't make it between destinations. Probably right, but a failure all the same.

7. Vacation DOES NOT equal rest.

6. When booking future vacation rooms, ONLY book a room with two queen beds or one king and a pull-out couch, etc. Case in point: 

C: "Hehehehehehehehe....."

L: "Mama...owwwwww....mama....owwwwww"

M: "Claire, stop kicking your brother in the face."

C: "Hehehehehehehehehe....."

L: "Mickey??"

This exchange might have been funny except that it was 12:23 a.m., and I had to be up for work at 6:45 a.m. See lesson learned #7.

5. Follow-up:  While taking the entire family on a work trip might seem like a good idea, it probably isn't. Work trips were designed many moons ago by some very smart parents looking for a valid excuse to escape the responsibility of parenthood without having to explain the rationale for family desertion. It is a wonderful escape from the incidents such as those listed in lesson #6. If lesson #5 is applied, lesson #6 is a moot point.

4. Never underestimate the power of a fully loaded diaper bag. Hungry child....snacks. Spilled drink...wipes. Closed wine bottle....opener. Only in our bag.

3. The fully loaded bag mentioned in lesson #4 only poses a challenge when  attempting to make it through airport security. Refer back to Lesson #9 - the same pathetic looks, double stroller, and two adorable kids will melt even the toughest security checkpoint's hearts. Suddenly, we found ourselves breezing through TSA pre-check. Shoes on, computers in bag, two happy kiddoes, and even happier parents and security guards. Crisis averted. How did I ever do that myself on the way to Hawaii?!?!?!

2. Home is great after a vacation. Home is even better after a 2.5 hour delay due to maintenance issues. The luck of making it through TSA pre-check quickly wore off.

1. While my parents were out visiting, they observed that we rarely sit down. While vacation is great and we LOVED seeing our friends and family, being home is our favorite place. We happen to operate at hypersonic rates, but that's just us. We've been home for five hours, and the laundry is done, floors are washed, dogs are home from the kennel, and grocery shopping done. We can't wait for a quiet weekend to recover from our adventures, but first stop in the morning - Aquatica.

Gain a Little, Lose a Little

So goes the story of our lives:  Claire FINALLY hit 20 pounds, but after a brief plateau, she started losing. Now, most of us will fluctuate a little on our weight, but when you only weigh 20 pounds, this is a BIG DEAL. Here we are - back at square one - talk of a feeding tube once again. Slowly but surely she has continued to gain strength, so we are pounding calories until our next appointment. So, until then....

But let's be honest:  this family doesn't have time for a hospital stay! (We just need to deliver this memo to Claire's metabolism). The kiddos have been busy staying fun with Tori and Katherine. Tuesday was originally going to be an afternoon at the park/splash pad for the big kids, but Claire wasn't about to be left behind. She yelled and yelled and yelled from her crib during nap, so Tori decided just to take all three kiddos (brave soul), and INSTANTLY, Claire stopped crying/howling/yelling.

Luckily, my big project for work is simmering down, so that should leave LOTS more time to enjoy the excellent spring weather. Last weekend was the zoo and Brackenridge Park, a beautiful area with trails, playgrounds, and a train. And lets be honest, it has been at least two weeks since Sea World, so that's probably in our near future. Patrick keeps talking about some projects around the house, but all we hear is blah blah blah......

Here are a few pictures from recently:

20 Pounds!!!!!!!!!

We have been waiting for 1 year, 11 months and 23 days, but we made it!!!!!!!

Doctors threatened a feeding tube, but she said, "No way, Jose!!!" In fact, if you remember correctly, she actually got pneumonia when we were supposed to go to Little Rock last March to discuss surgery. It might have only taken prescription formula, eating a diet of solely oil/fat, and choking down medicine with every meal, but she is there! This dang bottle of champagne has been sitting on the counter taunting us for the last 6 months, but we FINALLY get to enjoy our "20 pound champagne".

When we aren't busy making Claire fat, we stay busy with all of our visitors! First, the Mott crew came for a quick weekend visit from Shreveport. The weather was PERFECT, so we had a BBQ and enjoyed visiting while Luke had so much fun playing with the big kids. Then, a few weeks later the Scott crew came! All the kiddos played nicely together, and we had so much fun at Sea World, Rodeo, BBQ at Kelli's, and the Riverwalk. By the end of the weekend, we were EXHAUSTED, but we can't wait for the next visit.

Our next visitors were Larry and Mary. They were down in South Padre visiting friends, so they swung on by to hang out for the weekend. We finally had the chance to try out Tejas Rodeo, a local restaurant that literally has a rodeo out back. In other news, if you need to find Patrick and I on a random Saturday this summer, we'll be at Tejas Rodeo. Then, the weather turned awful on Sunday, so we couldn't enjoy all of the outdoor activities. Luckily, Tori suggested we try out a local museum, and it was a great find! In fact, we had so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures :( Booooooo.....I hate when I do that!!!

If you want to make a reservation at Casa de Godinez you need to hurry!!! We are booking up fast!

New School, New Skills

 The only thing that Luke loves more than school is Mickey Mouse. Normally, we have time for one episode before school, but there were a few days that getting ready quickly wasn't his cup of tea. After flying out the door to catch the bus while drying up his tears, I told Luke he just needed to get up earlier. He listened.

Monday @ 5:45 am; I'm resting peacefully in bed and suddenly a little forehead is pressed against mine. "Hi momma. Mickey??" Sure...it's only a little early.

Tuesday @ 5:12 am; I'm unconscious to the world when I get smacked in the face with a remote. "Help! Mickey!!!" Um, no. This crossed the line. Nice job waking up earlier like I said, but no.

Rewind to Luke's first IEP meeting last week.....

Luke's teacher:  "Luke is such a sweetheart and he is doing great in class. He plays well with his friends, he participates in circle time, and he is showing improvement on some of his skills. But, he does need to work on listening. Sometimes he tends to only focus on what interests him."

Pause for my reaction. None provided.

"Are you concerned that he prefers to focus on his interests?"

"He is three. Isn't that what he should be doing???"

The rest of the meeting proceeded  as anticipated. No, he can't count to twenty, doesn't understand prepositions, and can't draw a cross or x without help. I have days like that, too. What he is doing is we're at 95% potty trained (woot woot!!!), he's listening to directions, and he's starting to identify letters on his own!

Grandma Malone sent him a little Valentine's card with money for a treat so we talked about buying something and just he and I went to the store. You'll never guess what he picked out......a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and a bag of tortilla chips!!!  See, preferences really are a good thing! He was so cute paying for his purchases. Everyone in line behind him cheered when he paid, and he cheered even louder when the lady took his paper money and gave him back a nickel and a penny. BONUS!!!

Today @ 4:02 am: AAAHHHHH!!!! My warm nest of blankets suddenly flung off the bed and a little midget tugged my arm. "Mickey. Yes. Help!"

Ok, so he focuses a little too well on what he likes. Maybe his teacher was right.....

So, do you like Texas??

Each day it seems like someone is always asking, "So, do you like Texas?" We attempt to keep a straight face and reply, "Nope...absolutely not!" Now, don't get me wrong - we miss our friends and co-workers, but life is radically different here.....in the best possible way.

All of you know that in our lives, the kids' therapists are pretty much extended family. Luke had his OT, Anita, since he was 12-weeks-old, and I wasn't going to let Claire have anyone else! Patricia joined the team as Claire's PT after we came back from Hawaii, and we loved her just as much. When we announced the move, the big joke was, "How many therapists will Melissa fire before she fills their shoes." Well, no firing needed.

Whereas in Louisiana Claire could receive 4 hours of OT/month through the Early Intervention Program, here she gets FIVE...yes.... 5 hours PER WEEK.....AT OUR HOUSE!!!!! The entire team of OT, PT, Speech, and Developmental Specialist work together toward common goals. In addition, her developmental specialist is our case manager, and she processes all of our insurance paperwork/referrals! Since I work from home (best invention ever), I just slip out of my office for as many of her appointments as I can. 

Ignore this sudden surge in free time and listen to what's new for Claire:

- Picking up food in an attempt to feed herself

- Assisting in standing up from seated position

- Vocalizations

- Bearing more weight on arms and legs

- SHE GAINED 2 POUNDS SINCE WE MOVED!!!!!!!

Who are the lady and little girl in the picture?!? Nope we didn't find a new family in San Antonio - just an amazing nanny and her cute little girl. We decided to take the kiddos out of daycare because the one here just didn't compare to Goldman. You'd be shocked at how difficult it is to find a daycare in a city this large that will accept and work extra hard with special needs kiddos! So, with Luke at the new school, Claire's therapists coming to the house, and me working from home - it only made sense to hire a babysitter here at the house. So, when the kiddos aren't at school or in therapy they go to the park, the bouncy castle, and other fun things that little kiddos do. Plus, Luke and Katherine have become best friends!

So, what do we do with our spare time? Well, we hang out and go out to eat...

And decorate the new house....(Luke and Claire's playroom...not Patrick's!)

 And go to Sea World...Luke's personal favorite....

Most importantly, we just get to hang out and not drive to so many out-of-state appointments!

Crossing State Lines

Remember that feeling when you moved off to college,
had no idea where you were or what you were doing,
and loved every minute?

That's the story of our lives
As we journeyed across state lines
From Shreveport to Texas to start a new chapter.

Notice that we've been absent from the blog
Since I turned the big 3-0
Though our excuse is legit.

Rewind back to September
When the news came
That to San Antonio we were headed

One week later we were there in person
Buying a house
and starting things right!

Then the shutdown happened
And put the move in limbo.
Football season started....

And October came and went.
Before we knew it
Halloween was here and over.....

We tried to kill time
by hanging out at our favorite places.
Starbucks was our favorite where they knew our faces....

We stayed living out of boxes
And couldn't find a thing
for longer than we anticipated....

Our only sense of routine were our appointments.
Claire continued to get stronger,
And brother never missed a workout.

We finally got word that our time had come.
We packed up the boxes, and said goodbye to our friends;
We loaded the cars and moved ourselves (yes, insanity acknowledged).

Our family came to help unpack boxes.
We set up the tree,
And settled in for the new adventure!