Fountains

Playing in the fountains (also at the village pool)

Swimming

The pool is open!

Spin Jump

Having fun with Echograph.

Pizza

Sevy asked for pizza for dinner last night. I was hoping she'd repeat it, but she wasn't to keen on talking when there was so much eating to be done.

Scooting

Sevy's starting to walk now, so here's her scooting for those of you who haven't seen it yet.

I've you're happy and you know it

I was trying to capture Apes tickling Sevy's feet, but as soon as I turned on the camera, B started singing.

Houston Amtrak Station

I had intended to go to check out the station and pick up my tickets last week. Unfortunately, I got really sick and didn't make it out there. I was even tempted to go yesterday (day of departure) afternoon, just so I knew where it was. At this point, I wish I had.

To call it a station is an exaggeration except maybe in the purest form of the word: it isn't going anywhere. The station consists of a solitary building in the middle of what appears to be an abandoned parking lot under the freeway. There is no platform and no fencing, the train just stops behind the building.

The second I pulled into the parking lot I knew that my truck wouldn't be there when I got back. The ticketing agent confirmed that no vehicles would be safe after closing at 11pm. I was lucky enough to have some friends come and pick up my truck so that it wasn't left overnight. The ticketing staff were kind and helpful, holding my key for me until my friend arrived. The HPD officer on site was not helpful or courteous in the least (they rarely are, in my experience). He basically told me that if I didn't get the car moved before the train left, it was my problem.

In all, these issues at the Houston "station" wouldn't be so much of a problem in the daylight. However, the train never stops in Houston during the day.

Putting my money where my mouth is

As I've said before, I think the TSA is a gross misuse of powers never granted. But, I need to go to Arizona this week. My train has just departed.

Replacement

B: You were asleep so we replaced you with a board game.

Seven's Blessing

My letter to Southwest Airines

Here’s an email I sent to Southwest Airlines tonight. I urge anyone else who is concerned about the TSA to write their congressional representatives, airports, and airlines.

I am a fairly-frequent flyer. I go between between Houston Hobby and Love field sometimes 3 – 4 times a month. My family frequently flies to Dallas because it’s more convient than driving. However, as the TSA continues to infringe upon travelers, there is no longer a convience factor.

It is my understanding that airports may choose to provide their own security rather than submit to the underpaid, undereducated, unscreeened TSA agents.

The two airports I travel through the most, Hobby and Love Field, have significant space used by Southwest, the main airline I travel with. I would like to let you know that my family and I have decided we will no longer fly as long as the TSA has a presence at our airports.

Chatting with B

Chatting with B

Here's a little bit of B's time in the hospital room with Seven. I added subtitles because through much of it you can't really here what B's saying.

Chillin'

Seven Chillin'

More Hospital Photos

Big Brother

B (in his best sing-song voice): Calm down, your big brother's here!

First Photos

Click for the album.

Nesting, Stage 2-- IKEA adventure

I mentioned before that Dave and I went to IKEA for $35 worth of organization materials and left with a whole living room worth of desperately long needed couches and accessories. What I didn't mention was the consequences of that decision. You see, the problem with buying furniture is that you have to get it home somehow. Yes, IKEA does have delivery options, but why have something delivered when it fits so nicely in the bed of your truck.

When you buy something big from IKEA, you go downstairs, give your receipt to an attendent who pulls the boxes for you. Then someone helps you get them in your vehicle. I, of course, kept my hands out of this whole process. Not going to get to close to gigantic boxes being flung around when I'm so pregnant. Dave and the Ikea guy loaded it all up in the truck. Nice and tight. I thought about mentioning the need to use a tie down, just incase, but it really was in there pretty tight. And IKEA does a good job with those boxes. They are meant to be taken home by "normal people". (Haha, yea right!)

Keep in mind, this whole story is 9 days before we are having this baby. Dave and I both are feeling incredibly protective and not willing to place myself and our little girl in any danger.

So they load it up, nice and tight, and we head out across Houston at 4pm. Just enough time to get across town before rush hour hits in it's fullness. If you don't know anything about the HOV system in Houston, it is the worst in the country. Even people who have lived here for 10-15 years struggle to use the system. It's tough to get in, and practically impossible to get out of. But it was rush hour, so we decided locating the HOV lane was our best bet. We get just past down town (4:30, traffic is pretty heavy) and one of those ginormous boxes in the back starts to shred! Of course, where are we? In the HOV lane... No exits! No way to get out of this thing, so we just keep going... 10 min later, this thing was in shambles an we were still where? Stuck in the HOV lane.

Pieces of our brand new couch start FLYING out of the bed of the truck! Yep, It's now 4:45, traffic is rushing past us on all sides. Fortunately, we were Where? The HOV lane. It only allows one lane of traffic, so Dave commands, "Stay in the truck!" and stops the traffic to retrieve this thing. 9 days before delivery, you pretty much follow any command that insures your safety. So, Dave gets the item, puts it in the back seat and we head onward. This happened THREE times!!! That's right, You know those idiots with crap falling out of their truck in rush hour traffic... THAT was us! Blocking half of the HOV lane, everyone having to slow down to 30 to pass. OH, and did I mention it had been raining??? That's right, so everything that fell out was now covered in mud! (Sighs.)

Eventually the back seat was full. No more room for our mud soaked couch pieces. Dave worked on it for like 25 min, trying desperately to get it all stable. No such luck. I kept waving the tie down ropes at him, but it really was a two person job. I knew he needed assistance, but.... remember... I was due in 9 days and had been firmly commanded not to place myself and the baby in danger. So I sat there... watching my husband struggle alone, with 5:00 traffic zooming by.

Finally, It becomes obvious that this two-person job just wasn't going to get done alone. So... I need you to picture this... Dave and I, both in our nicest professional clothes. (We had gone in for our last ultrasound and a date before the baby, we really looked pretty good.) Blocking half of the HOV lane in full rage 5:00 traffic. Me- I could not POSSIBLY have looked more pregnant! Holding up these huge boxes, so Dave can climb on top to get these tie downs around everything. I couldn't help but laugh. (I was really surprised no one stopped to help... seriously... this is not the Texas I grew up in.)

So, we get it all tied down. On the way home, Dave shakes his head, "I should have just taken the delivery." I had to ask, "Why? How much was it?" "50 bucks!" HAHAHAHAHA!!! So, the moral of the story is... TAKE THE DELIVERY.

Our new living room

So Dave has now emerged into frantic nesting too. My version includes organizing everything in our house . Dave's includes trips to Sams and Costco, stocking up on anything we could need.

On Thursday, our nesting worlds collided. We had our last ultrasound.... Officially 1 week and 4 days before our Zoë is born. We went out to eat alone while we still had a chance. Then we went to Ikea... I needed some closet organizers (making room for our little girl). Dave was looking for a glider rocking chair.

We left the store with closet organizers, a couch & love seat (I love them!), and accessories. Our living room now looks quite lovely. All right, it wasn't THAT much of an impulse buy... We have both HATed those couches ever since I was dumb enough to accept them as a hand-me-down 6 years ago (they were already 7 years old at the time.) The couch had a Giant hole in it 12 inches and the springs were sticking straight up. Fortunately, it was hidden. None-the-less, not a safe place to lay an infant. It was time!

Not good timing with the mass quantities of funding disappearing from our coffers, but in spite of my typically too-cheap-to-spend-$-self, it just needed to happen. We actually looked for one in June, but I was too busy puking or comatose for us to be successful. And, somehow, it was the right thing to do in spite of the timing.

We got an inexpensive rug and a couple of matching throw pillows. And I Love It!!!! My living room now resembles me and what I like rather than whatever someone else gave me. Hallaleujah! I feel like I've been let out of unable-to-decorate-my-own-house prison.

Languages

B: "Do developers learn a new language when they make the games for the iPod?"

Pounding Dave

Well, with the help of Tylenol and Benadryl each night before bed, I'm now sleeping at least to 4am and feeling much better. Bless Dave's heart.... I turn over like 10-15 times a night. My belly's so big it almost takes a forklift to turn myself over. I have to build up some serious force.... Poor Dave keeps getting beat up... 4-5 times a night, I find myself pounding the guy in one way or another. It's a good thing he loves me so much.