Summer fades to fall

Shoot!!! I knew I was slacking on the blog posts, but a whole season has come and gone. Goodbye Summer and hello Fall!!! It is funny to look back at this time of year over the past four years and recall how chaotic the fall always turns out to be. Let's rewind so you can see what I mean.

2010:  Luke had just started at the Goldman School, and we were nicely settling into a routine....until Patrick started Weapons School, I attempted to finish grad school and simultaneously conquered a ginormous audit at work. That is all I recall of Fall 2010. We both graduated, the audit was a success, and Luke isn't too scarred from it.

2011: Early pregnancy = high stress. After two miscarriages and Luke's surprise diagnosis, doctors went on high alert when it was time for pregnancy #4. After the endless high risk appointments, Claire received the clean bill of health, and doctors calmed down by Christmas. That sure didn't last long.....

2012: It hurts my head to even look back on fall of 2012. Patrick was gone, Claire screamed incessantly and couldn't stop throwing up, I lost a few marbles, and Luke was the only one who escaped unscathed. Thankfully, Hawaii saved us from our misery.

2013:  The million dollar question: Are they moving or not? I'm sure a lot of you made bets if the Air Force was ever going to take pity on our constant trips out of state for Claire's doctors. The never-ending game of "You're moving..not today....just kidding...move tomorrow....just kidding the government shut down...no one goes anywhere...you have three weeks to move to San Antonio" was a wee bit exhausting, but we survived. And here we are today.....

2014:  Blogging hasn't been high on the to-do list because there is just too much fun stuff going on!! After four years of stress, emotional meltdowns, uncertainty, and just plain chaos, it is unbelievably amazing to just calmly enjoy life.

Our Texas summer evenings include walks through the neighborhood. It is a new development, so it's fun to see the changes each day. In honor of the construction workers, Luke likes to wear his sombrero.

The zoo is our #2 favorite destination, only behind Sea World. The carousel is finally a favorite attraction. 

It is nice to travel to see friends instead of doctors. We made it back to KC for Erin and Adam's wedding. I think this selfie is almost as good as Ellen's from the Oscars.

And we celebrated Cesar's retirement in true Godinez fashion. A party busy, sombreros, mustaches, and Mexican food. Would you expect anything less from this family???

Claire got wheels!!!! Our therapists are great about obtaining adaptive equipment for Claire. This summer she received a wheelchair and adaptive seat for playing with her friends. There are a few new dents in the cabinets and walls, but Luke will eventually learn to navigate better.

For a special treat, the beach is only two hours away!!! Both kids love the sand and wind, so we definitely need to make the trip more often.

Favorite destination #1: Sea World!!!! It is an unhealthy obsession. We can't help it. We know we won't live here forever, so we have to take advantage of having Shamu 30 minutes from the house. Seriously, we are obsessed.

When we're not at favorite destinations #1 or #2, we love to just hang out at the house. Claire has been making amazing progress this summer with therapy, so it is fun to see her interact with her toys, Luke, and Kathryn (nanny's daughter).  We'll blog more details on her progress later....

And finally....have we mentioned a time or two the amazing resources that San Antonio has to offer? We participated in the San Antonio Buddy Walk to raise money and awareness for Down Syndrome. The event raised $194,000 and had over 6000 participants. It is sensational to live in a place with such an acceptance for special needs. My favorite sign from the day said, "Real friends don't count chromosomes." So true.

THAT my friends is why we have been a little absent from the blog. Don't worry - we will try to do better....until we get distracted by the next fun thing....Just know this - we are savoring the calmness of 2014.

Celebrations!

Paaaarrrrtttaaaayyyyyy!

It has been a fun-filled week of celebrations. Thanks to the Spurs NOT choking in the finals, Claire and Luke got to party in style waaaayyyy past bedtime. Why go to sleep when you can drive downtown with 5.5 kazillion other people, honk the horn, and yell out the window like a crazy person? Judging by her hair, Claire clearly had a wild time. Luke, on the other hand, was not a fan of the chaos, so he passed out while Claire practiced for her future partying days.

 The Spurs got the week off on the right foot. The celebration continued it was finally time to pick up Claire's new "legs"! Now, the average person might just call them "braces", but the truth of the matter is that she can not use her legs for weight-bearing without them - hence - "legs". As soon as we put them on she was instantly able to bear weight effectively for the first time. Don't get too excited over that - it was probably just the sheer weight that holds her legs down, but whatever, it is a step in the right direction.

Speaking of the right direction:  Guess who has a VERY happy nutritionist?!?! It's not about the number on the scale, but rather, it is about improvement. And improve she did! We are going to just keep chugging along with shoving food in her face. Luckily, we have new special juice boxes and some 'roids to make her grow. The doctor says it is just an "elemental supplement", but we know the truth. Watch for upcoming pics of her flexing her guns.

Let the celebration continue - tomorrow is Friday!

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.....