Yeah, I know. I've actually slacked off on blogging the last few days, which means I have mucho to catch everyone up on. The problem is that I just got home from a looooong afternoon and evening of traveling, and I'm exhausted. I'm not nearly ready to download pictures, so the few I have will have to wait until tomorrow.
Here's the short version of Thursday and Friday. Patrick and I woke up early on Thursday and packed up all of our stuff and then left shortly after lunch to ride with my parents to Abilene. We checked into the hotel, rested for a few minutes--too few--and then got ready for a banquet with my brother's classmates.
The banquet was nice, and miraculously (or due to Nana's touch) Patrick behaved quite well the whole time, even falling asleep on Nana's shoulder for about an hour. Anyone who knows Patrick knows that is a rare occurrence. He was quite entertaining during the time he was awake too, especially while he was eating. I appreciated Nana taking over so much of his care for the evening so I could devote more of my attention to my brother. I've always felt bad that I had to miss so much of his wedding because of a fussy baby, so it meant a lot to me that I could be there for him this weekend.
We got back to the hotel late, with one very tired baby and one almost as tired mommy. My "comfortable" dress shoes I'd been wearing had rubbed huge sores on my baby toes, and the time we spent at my brother's house after the banquet caused my allergies to act up (ok, technically it was his dog, whom I can't help but love even when I can't breathe around him). It made for a frustrating night, but we were still all up bright and early to go help Dave and Jen pack up and move*.
I'll be honest. Patrick and I didn't do much--any--moving. My parents were kind enough to let us both go get a nap after breakfast and then join them for the packing extravaganza around lunch. Naturally, that time coincided with Matt's arrival in Abilene, so the reunion took precedence over helping them move. I could probably write pages and pages about what it was like to see Matt again after a week apart, but I think the smile that couldn't be wiped off my face the rest of the day says it all. Patrick was just as elated to see his daddy. He may not have screamed, "Daddy!" for the first time or taken his first few steps to run to him, but he wouldn't let go of Daddy's neck for the longest time. I could barely sneak in to give him a hug. I think it's safe to say Patrick remembered Daddy.
We were moving me from the fold-out bed in my parents' hotel room to a room at a nearby hotel that I would be sharing with Matt the next night, so we skipped out on the afternoon packing session to make that move. Matt's parents showed up around the same time and checked into the adjoining room. They were going to watch Patrick during the evening so that Matt and I could attend my brother's graduation without having to rush out to comfort a fussy baby. Again, I had the opportunity to be there for my brother, uninterrupted by Patrick. It means a lot to me that my new parents were so willing to travel several hours to spend the evening, night, and next morning with us and Patrick. From what they told us, it sounds like Patrick thoroughly enjoyed his time with his grandparents. They were even kind enough to let Patrick sleep in their room for the night so that we wouldn't disturb him when we returned late at night. Even when he got to see us the next morning, he still clung to his grandparents too. It's like he couldn't decide who he wanted to hold him the most. I'm thrilled that he now instantly recognizes all his grandparents and is eager for their attention, even going out of his way sometimes to get that attention.
This morning we packed up and got ready to leave Abilene, had a quick lunch with Matt's parents, and then got on the road to drive back to Houston. We took it slow, making plenty of stops so that none of us would get too tired of driving/riding. Still, we made it back at a decent time. Patrick, unfortunately, hadn't had enough sleep in probably three days, so we were hoping the drive would lull him to sleep for most of the trip. He did nap more than he did on either of the other longer trips of the week, but it wasn't enough. I have a feeling he will sleep most of the day tomorrow. He was so happy to see that crib when I left him there tonight. I think I'll be just as eager to crawl into my own bed too. As I always say at the end of a trip, as much as I love visiting everyone and changing the routine, there's always something extremely comforting about home.
Ok, enough pointless rambling for tonight. I'll try to tell some of the cute Patrick anecdotes from the last few days tomorrow, now that I've reported the basic events. Yeah, I think tomorrow's post will be much more interesting.
*Dave accepted a job at Pepperdine University in California--Malibu to be exact (I know, what an awful location). And he left today, just a day after getting his master's degree. Talk about a busy weekend! It was quite a task to fit everything they needed into two cars and a U-Haul trailer. Perhaps I'll give some thoughts on this move tomorrow. Not tonight. I'm too tired tonight.
Here's the short version of Thursday and Friday. Patrick and I woke up early on Thursday and packed up all of our stuff and then left shortly after lunch to ride with my parents to Abilene. We checked into the hotel, rested for a few minutes--too few--and then got ready for a banquet with my brother's classmates.
The banquet was nice, and miraculously (or due to Nana's touch) Patrick behaved quite well the whole time, even falling asleep on Nana's shoulder for about an hour. Anyone who knows Patrick knows that is a rare occurrence. He was quite entertaining during the time he was awake too, especially while he was eating. I appreciated Nana taking over so much of his care for the evening so I could devote more of my attention to my brother. I've always felt bad that I had to miss so much of his wedding because of a fussy baby, so it meant a lot to me that I could be there for him this weekend.
We got back to the hotel late, with one very tired baby and one almost as tired mommy. My "comfortable" dress shoes I'd been wearing had rubbed huge sores on my baby toes, and the time we spent at my brother's house after the banquet caused my allergies to act up (ok, technically it was his dog, whom I can't help but love even when I can't breathe around him). It made for a frustrating night, but we were still all up bright and early to go help Dave and Jen pack up and move*.
I'll be honest. Patrick and I didn't do much--any--moving. My parents were kind enough to let us both go get a nap after breakfast and then join them for the packing extravaganza around lunch. Naturally, that time coincided with Matt's arrival in Abilene, so the reunion took precedence over helping them move. I could probably write pages and pages about what it was like to see Matt again after a week apart, but I think the smile that couldn't be wiped off my face the rest of the day says it all. Patrick was just as elated to see his daddy. He may not have screamed, "Daddy!" for the first time or taken his first few steps to run to him, but he wouldn't let go of Daddy's neck for the longest time. I could barely sneak in to give him a hug. I think it's safe to say Patrick remembered Daddy.
We were moving me from the fold-out bed in my parents' hotel room to a room at a nearby hotel that I would be sharing with Matt the next night, so we skipped out on the afternoon packing session to make that move. Matt's parents showed up around the same time and checked into the adjoining room. They were going to watch Patrick during the evening so that Matt and I could attend my brother's graduation without having to rush out to comfort a fussy baby. Again, I had the opportunity to be there for my brother, uninterrupted by Patrick. It means a lot to me that my new parents were so willing to travel several hours to spend the evening, night, and next morning with us and Patrick. From what they told us, it sounds like Patrick thoroughly enjoyed his time with his grandparents. They were even kind enough to let Patrick sleep in their room for the night so that we wouldn't disturb him when we returned late at night. Even when he got to see us the next morning, he still clung to his grandparents too. It's like he couldn't decide who he wanted to hold him the most. I'm thrilled that he now instantly recognizes all his grandparents and is eager for their attention, even going out of his way sometimes to get that attention.
This morning we packed up and got ready to leave Abilene, had a quick lunch with Matt's parents, and then got on the road to drive back to Houston. We took it slow, making plenty of stops so that none of us would get too tired of driving/riding. Still, we made it back at a decent time. Patrick, unfortunately, hadn't had enough sleep in probably three days, so we were hoping the drive would lull him to sleep for most of the trip. He did nap more than he did on either of the other longer trips of the week, but it wasn't enough. I have a feeling he will sleep most of the day tomorrow. He was so happy to see that crib when I left him there tonight. I think I'll be just as eager to crawl into my own bed too. As I always say at the end of a trip, as much as I love visiting everyone and changing the routine, there's always something extremely comforting about home.
Ok, enough pointless rambling for tonight. I'll try to tell some of the cute Patrick anecdotes from the last few days tomorrow, now that I've reported the basic events. Yeah, I think tomorrow's post will be much more interesting.
*Dave accepted a job at Pepperdine University in California--Malibu to be exact (I know, what an awful location). And he left today, just a day after getting his master's degree. Talk about a busy weekend! It was quite a task to fit everything they needed into two cars and a U-Haul trailer. Perhaps I'll give some thoughts on this move tomorrow. Not tonight. I'm too tired tonight.
Labels: Daddy, Feelings, Special Events/Outings
1 Comments:
Patrick was an angel the way he handled all the changes in his schedule. I can't imagine a baby adapting any better!
Saturday's goodbye to your brother was tough, but I'm so proud of his new job (and Jen's). They arrived in California very early Monday morning (the middle of the night). I'm glad you all were able to be a part of the weekend -- and thanks to Gigi and Papa for helping to make it possible.
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