I'm a Slacker

Yes, I'm sure many of you noticed my absence from the blogging world yesterday. We spent most of the day on the road to Big Spring, TX, for my brother-in-law's wedding, which will take place tomorrow afternoon. After getting to the great metropolis of Big Spring, Matt and I had to run some errands with the bride and groom, and we didn't get home until about 11. It took some time after that figuring out how to get logged in to the Internet here, and by the time Matt figured it out, I was out. The long day wore out more than just Patrick.

I'm going to just give an abbreviated summary of the past few days because they've been busy and I'm still too tired to go on and on (as usual). I have to start by mentioning how much I love Texas. I couldn't help but marvel at that on the drive yesterday. I forget how beautiful west Texas can be when I'm in the forests of east Texas all the time. There's just something oddly romantic about the ruggedness of west Texas that I love, although I realize I'm one of the few.

The drive itself was uneventful, but long. Patrick rode in the car with his Papa and Gigi and was apparently quite well-behaved. He's adjusted to the non-routine here pretty well too. My favorite part is watching him with the dogs. Papa and Gigi have two dogs and are watching our dog Leda, and Matt's brother is staying here with his two dogs until the wedding. That makes a total of five dogs. I expected that to be a bit much for Patrick who rarely sees dogs. Instead, he has somehow charmed these furry friends to the point that they vie for his attention. I never expected to watch three Dobermans and a pit bull be so attentive to one person, especially a baby. What's funny is that I completely trust these big dogs around Patrick; they wouldn't hurt a fly. I'm a little more worried about the schnauzer than the rest, simply because she hasn't lost all her puppy-ness yet. Matt and I are thrilled how Leda has taken to Patrick. She sits outside our door while he's sleeping, waiting for him to make the slightest sound. She's better than a baby monitor. It's heart-warming to see how well big sister and little brother are getting along in their first meeting.

It's also fun being in a new place because there is a whole new group of people who haven't met Patrick yet. Papa and Gigi in particular are having a blast parading him around town, showing off the real thing instead of just pictures. Patrick loves it too; he thrives on that much attention. As expected, though, he crashes when he gets a chance to sleep. All this activity really wears him out.

My favorite moment of the last few days happened just a few hours ago at the wedding rehearsal. Patrick was starting to get fussy, so I was walking him around the church while everyone else rehearsed. I thought he would probably be getting sleepy soon, and I was a little worried that we didn't have anywhere he likes to sleep, like his bed or his carseat (when it's moving of course). So I just held him close and continued to walk him and talk to him. Sure enough, eventually I started to feel the weight of his head against my shoulder. He had fallen asleep in my arms. He fights that so much anymore. If he's sleepy, he just wants to be put down in his bed or carseat and left alone. He hasn't fallen asleep on me like that in months. I love that in a room full of people I can still have a special moment with my baby.

Ok, ok, no pictures either. I may not have any for a few days. I am out of my picture-taking, picture-downloading, and blogging routine. That means that for now, be satisfied with a blog at all. In a few days, though, you'll probably get another installment of many (probably too many) vacation pictures. Stay tuned for that!