Home sweet Home

We made it to Houston! Saturday morning, we left around 2:45am, yes it was very early, and drove to LA to make my 6:30am flight. It's only a little over an hour and a half to LAX, but when you are traveling with a toddler it can take a little bit longer to get through security, eat breakfast, change diapers and take a potty break before the flight.



We were seated in the very last row, which I actually didn't mind this time. I knew we would be the first to board and when I looked up the seating originally, I had the window seat and the middle seat was open. However, once we sat down, a lady sat next to us and I realized it must be a full flight. No worries, Mason was too busy looking out the window to notice anyone else. But the lady noticed Mason and switched seats, once the plane took off. Before she switched, she made sure to tell the flight attendant, she wanted to sit somewhere she could sleep without any noises around her. I laughed inside, when the flight attendant told her she had no guarantees.



It has been so nice seeing family. I haven't had a chance to see any friends yet, but soon enough. We have been so busy, that I noticed my ankles had started to swell just a little yesterday. I guess going, going, going will do that to you. The funny thing is, my ankles never swelled until I was 35 weeks with Mason and that was only because I was going non-stop and it was extremely humid outside that weekend. I decided to stay home today and take it easy. The swelling is gone and I was able to get a short nap. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I will be sure to do so starting tomorrow. Adam arrives on Friday!

Days before we left for Houston

Mason reading with his Daddy

About to get into the DVD's (which he knows better, obviously he didn't know I was watching him)

Sitting on one of his old toys watching Elmo's World

Look, no hands!

Trying to take off his socks

Several things to look forward to

There are several things that I'm looking forward to during my trip home:



~ Celebrating my mom's 50th birthday!

~ Seeing all of my family over the next 6 weeks.

~ Admiring how much my two nephews and niece have grown.
~ Shopping: I can't wait to shop on Black Friday. It's a tradition that I have been doing with my mom since I was a littler girl. My cousin Taylor has joined us on and off throughout the years and I'm hoping she will be able to make it this year. Not to mention, that there are so many more options and places to go in Houston.

~ Getting my trimmed and styled by my sister. She is the only one I trust with my hair and my favorite part is the shampoo.

~ Bagel Cafe! It's so yummy and I can't wait to have my everything bagel toasted with butter and my decaf coffee.

~ Thanksgiving & Christmas with our families. These two tie for my second favorite holidays. The first being the 4th of July of course.

~ Visiting some of my favorite eating spots (not that I will be able to make it to all of them): Chuy's, Hasta La Pasta, El Jarrito, Atami's, Whataburger, Freebirds and Kolache Factory (they don't have kolaches in California).

~ Hopefully getting to see as many friends as possible. There are some friends that I haven't seen since High School and it's been way too long.

~ Marissa's trip to Houston. My friend Marissa, is flying in to visit us over her birthday weekend. It will be her first trip to Houston and I can't wait to show her all of my favorite spots, especially with everything decorated for Christmas.

~ Cuddling with my puppies Holly & Cassie that live with my parents. Holly is old and not doing so well, so this could be my last visit with her.

~ Watching Mason's face every time he is around Christmas decor. We have been to some of the stores in Bakersfield that have the decorations already up and the boy goes crazy with excitement. I love it!

packing

As I mentioned last week, Adam had a nasty cold. I was afraid of catching it and sure enough, by Friday I was sick with a sinus infection. I called my doctor and he was so thoughtful to call me in a prescription, so I wouldn't spend the rest of the weekend sick in bed. Besides, I had a busy weekend in store.

Our friend Katie, celebrated her birthday on Friday night and we went over to her house for games and snacks. Funny thing, we never played games, instead just chatted the evening away. Saturday, we went to the Country Rose Tea Room for our friend Rachel's baby shower. She is expecting Hunter Dec. 31st and this will be her third, she has 18 month old twins. That evening, the girls decided to go to dinner and do a little shopping at the mall. We ate at Red Robin in the mall and as soon as we finished, we started to walk around, only to find that the mall was closing at 8pm. Can you believe that a mall would close at 8pm on a Saturday? I was so shocked. I guess I'm used to the malls in Houston.

Sunday was spent home doing a lot of nothing. Mason still had a bit of a runny nose and I didn't want to get any of the other kids in the church nursery sick, and since Adam & I both were still recovering, we decided to stay home. It was cold and rainy outside, so it made for a perfect day to watch football and take a nap.

This week, I have been busy organizing and getting all of our stuff together for our trip. Our flight leaves LA at 6:30am and I was planning on just shipping home a couple of boxes of our things, but I learned that it would just be cheaper to pay to check the luggage instead. Since I purchased our tickets before the policy changed in September, our first checked bag will be free. I'm hoping that Adam will be able to get an escort pass to help me get through security with Mason and help us onto the plane. I can't wait to see everyone. We will be home in 3 days!

16 months

Mason had his 15 month checkup on his 16 month birthday. October was way too busy to go to the doctor, but I wanted to make sure we were able to see Dr. Shah before we left for our trip. The appointment started off great, because the nurse gave him a lollypop right away. Of course that meant that his entire body was sticky, since they strip them down to their diaper for the checkup. He finished his sucker before Dr. Shah came in and that meant I had to take away the stick, so that he wouldn't poke himself or me with it. Unfortunately, that started the first crying session. Luckily, it only lasted for a few seconds and he lit up when Dr. Shah came in the room.


The second crying session began when Dr. Shah had to hold his head still to check his ears. Mason has never liked getting his ears looked at and he makes sure to let you know. Even Dr. Shah commented on Mason's strength. After he was done, I held Mason and calmed him down, while we chatted for a bit. I had a few questions, especially since we will be traveling for a long period of time. I was concerned mostly with Mason's ears. He has had a cold this past week and it is finally clearing up, but I was worried that getting on the plane would cause him to get another ear infection. Luckily, Mason hasn't had an ear infection since May, but it seemed like he was getting a double ear infection everytime we flew home, except for our trip in July. Dr. Shah suggested seeing my pediatrician back in Katy, if he were to get sick again. I'm so fortunate that Dr. Lentsch takes good care of Mason every time we see her on our trips home. I'm hoping that we won't have to visit her office at all this trip.

The third crying session began during his shots. He had his chicken pox vaccine and his DP. Did I mention that his appointment was during his afternoon nap? So I loaded him up to come home and the minute I took him out of his carseat, he was asleep on my shoulder. He slept great and his shots didn't seem to bother him the rest of the day.

Head: 47.5 centimeters putting him in the 75 percentile.
Height: 33.75 inches putting him in the 95 percentile.
Weight: 27 lbs. 4 oz. putting him in the 95 percentile.
(Mason has never been in below the 95 percentile for his height or weight)

A few things Mason is doing at this stage:
~ He loves to dance when I sing songs to him.
~ He walks around the house acting like he is talking on the phone.
~ Like his mom, he loves when anyone rubs their fingers through his hair.
~ When he dances, he puts his whole body into it.
~ When I tell him lets go bye-bye, he walks/runs to the garage door.
~ He loves Oreos!
~ He knows how to open the car door, therefore I have the child locks on his side of the car.
~ He wants you to read books to him over and over and over and over again.

Appointments, Elections, and Colds

Yesterday, Adam & I had my 20 week ultrasound. Technically, I'm not 20 weeks until this Saturday, but Dr. Helliwell said that I would be far enough along to see everything that they would look for. Taylor was asleep at the beginning of the ultrasound and even put her hand over her face, because she didn't want her picture taken. Doesn't she realize that she will be born into a family, where mom almost always has her camera around at all times?

The appointment went well and I won't be back until I'm 28 weeks, only because I will be in Houston starting next Saturday. Taylor is kicking A LOT! Like Mason, she really likes to kick when I lay down for the night. Not that I mind, because I love feeling her move inside. I do remember how uncomfortable it can be towards the end, especially when there is no more room to grow and your ribs and lungs become punching bags.

I'm starting to show and I will try to take a belly picture soon, because I have had several requests. In the beginning, I felt like I was showing after 6 weeks, but now I realize that was just the gas and bloating that comes along with pregnancy. It wasn't until I was 20 weeks along with Mason, that I started to really show. It's the same thing with Taylor. I will be purchasing fall/winter maternity clothes soon, because all of my maternity clothes are spring/summer.

I haven't commented too much regarding the elections. I have my beliefs and don't deny that I voted for John McCain. The polls closed in California at 8pm last night and they declared Obama the future President before the polls closed in California. In all honesty, I believe that we should get rid of Electoral Votes. I believe that every vote should actually count. Who cares if we have to wait a few days for the results, wouldn't you rather know that every vote actually mattered? I know it will never change, at least not this term.

I'm not excited about the outcome of Election Day, but I trust that God has something in store for our nation and we need to put our trust in Him and continue to pray, rather than putting our trust in our President. Whether or not you agree with Obama, we still need to pray for our future leader of the country and ask God to direct his steps to make the best decision for our nation. Really, there has never been a President that everyone loved. That is why we get the right to vote every four years.

Adam is sick right now with a terrible cold. Poor guy has been up the past two nights coughing and sneezing. Last night, he slept in the guest bedroom to try to keep me healthy. He is sleeping in there again tonight, because he still doesn't feel great. My allergies have been bothering me, but nothing I can't live with. Mason has had a runny nose, but nothing too bad and I believe it is the product of his bottom molars breaking through his gums.

This was a very random post, but we want to be able to look back and read about our lives in years to come.

Spreading the Wealth

My cousin's friend, Ashley, posted a note on her facebook the other day that is just too perfect for words:

"In a local restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application!"