the 30th birthday trip (#2)

I am a traveller. It's something I really love to do and if I could ever get Samantha Brown's job, I would snatch it up in a second (especially since she gets to stay at the really nice hotels and not the low budge ones).

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to go to Greece. More recently I've wanted to go to Greece for my 30th birthday, which is a little over seven months away.   Ew.

Well, pack your bags because we are going to Greece. Daniel and I are actually going but I'll post day by day blogs so it will be like we are all going. 

We are leaving the end of April and will be there for about 10 days. We have Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens on the agenda so if you've ever been to any of these places and have recommendations, don't be shy. 

I am so excited to cross Greece of my 30 before 30 bucket list!

Here's a couple pictures of what to expect.

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I'm back!

Or at least I'm going to attempt to be back. Blogging has definitely taken a backseat to life this year. I'm going to make a real effort to get back to blogging in 2014.

Wish me luck.

LASIK

Lots of people are aware of what a push present is.  It's basically a gift given by a husband to a wife when she has a baby.  I am a lover of gifts, so I was obviously all over getting a push present.

The problem was I had no idea what I wanted.  I love handbags but part of me wanted something more practical.  I seriously couldn't come up with anything until Beckett was born.

I was blind as a bat.  I had horrible nearsightedness and if I didn't have my glasses or contacts in, I couldn't see anything.  This was particularly challenging with Beckett sleeping in a basinet on my side of the bed.  I had to search for glasses and if I happened to knock them off the side table, it was game over.

I knew I needed LASIK and thought it would be the perfect push present.

I finally had my consultation Wednesday and they put me on the schedule for the next day, which means I am two days post-surgery.

I am so happy I did it!  If you had asked me one to two hours afterwards, I would have been singing a different tune but two days later and I feel great.  Plus, I can see!  Like really see.

My vision was 20/25 the day after but my doctor said my vision will continue to improve.  It is amazing waking up and being able to see and not having to do my nightly contact-ritual.  I also no longer have to worry about ripped contacts when we travel.  Hallelujah!

I would definitely recommend doing it just know that you will hate life for about two hours but after that, it's all good.  Oh, and ask for the Valium before surgery.  Always ask for the Valium.

My post-surgery goggles.  Adorbs.

Houston road trip

My family lives twelve hours away. We knew eventually we would have to make the drive but no one said we had to be excited about it.  We decided to break the trip and half and this proved to be a wise decision.  Beckett lost it towards the end of the drive each day.  I don't think any of us were quite ready to make the drive in one trip.

Beckett just learned how far away Houston is

No one rides for free

We decided to stop in Fredericksburg on our way to Houston.  Neither of us had ever been but everyone talks about how pretty it is.  It is also close to Austin, which meant my sister got to come and meet us.

The Hill Country in Texas is beautiful.  If you've never been you should plan a trip.  I will say that we saw more wildflowers on Highway 6 than we did on 290.  

Hill Country

First hotel stay

We met Shannon and some of her friends at the Sunset Grill.  It was delicious.  I had eggs Benedict on crab cakes.  What?!  It was amazing and everything was fresh.

The breakfast menu at Sunset Grill

My breakfast

Shannon and Beckett

And again

After breakfast, we walked around main street.  There are lots of cute stores. I found the cutest kids clothing store called Beulah's.  The girl clothes looked precious, but I couldn't look too long because it makes me sad.  The good news was that they also had fab boys clothes.  Beckett got a few outfits.

We had to head to Houston after shopping but I wanted to get Beckett's picture with the state flower, bluebonnets, before leaving.  Had I known how many there would be on Highway 6, I may have waited but I don't think it is so safe to stop on the side of the road with a baby.  We went to a wildflower farm to take his picture.

Shannon and Beckett goofing around

Enjoying nature

We will definitely be going back to Fredericksburg sans baby.  It looks like a lot of fun plus there were lots of wineries and I love a good wine tour.

Beckett's first official wildflower picture.  He is smizing, people.

The road trip was definitely long but it was worth it to see my family.  I think next time we'll be flying.  Beckett screamed every time he saw a car seat for about two days.

A little more Beckett

I just wanted to share a couple more pictures from Beckett's six month photo session.  It was the most fun he has had taking pictures and the most stressful for his parents because he wanted to grab everything.  And let's be honest, the kid is cute.

He loves his feet 

And really wanted those blocks 

Busted

The biggest ham

Such a happy boy

Beckett underestimated his dad's speed

Six Month Check-Up

Six months meant another visit to the doctor.  We are interested to see what our pediatrician thought about our tiny boy.  I had told Daniel that I knew he was getting longer but it seemed like he wasn't getting any bigger in the weight department.  The boy can still wear three month clothes and some six month separates fall off of him.

Beckett's official stats were: 26 3/4 inches long, 13 pounds and 5.5 ounces, and 16 1/4" for head size.  He is in the 50th percentile for height, not on the charts of weight, and 5th percentile for head size.  The middle stat is what is concerning.  He is gaining weight but not as fast as the doctor would like.  He has always been on the small side, but he fell of the charts at this visit.

His low weight means we have to make some changes.  Dr. Scott thinks that it may be do to how active he is which means he needs more calories.  We were planning on switching to formula in the near future, but now he have no choice.  He has to take at least two formula bottles a day and needs to be eating three solid meals a day with lots of healthy fats like avocados.  The formula is definitely going to be the biggest change for everyone.  The good news is Daniel can now help with his feedings!

Other than that small hiccup, Beckett is advanced (the doctor's words totally not mine) in other areas.  She was super impressed that he is sitting up (a new development as of this week) and can push of on his knees and elbows and scoot.  He can roll from his stomach to his back but gets to his side rolling the opposite way and decides he has had enough.  Apparently he also has a large occipital bone which is the area of the brain that controls vision.  Dr. Scott thinks that means he may be a pilot but I would prefer something a little safer, unless he is piloting his private PJ in which case his mom has a few vacation ideas.

Our visit ended with shots, which are never fun.  He cried harder but not for as long as last time.  We should get a break from shots at our nine month check-up and that will be a welcome break.

We go back in a month to see if our changes to his diet have made any changes.  Keep your fingers crossed that Beckett gets a little fatter.

He is starting to figure this doctor thing out

six months

Where has half a year gone?  It seriously feels like I was just pregnant but we officially have a tiny six-month-old living in our home.  He has brought us so much joy (and some frustration) over the past six months.

We have been blessed with a sweet boy with the sweetest personality.  He loves to snuggle and thinks people clapping is about the best thing ever.  He is the busiest baby I have ever known.  He is always moving which has made it hard for him to gain weight.  I want his metabolism and energy!

The biggest milestone in the past month has been the introduction of baby food.  We started a little late due to all the conflicting reports I read about allergies.  I am praying that he doesn't have food allergies. We have witnessed first hand how difficult they can be to manage.  Thankfully, we are pretty far into vegetables and no reactions yet.  We've tried butternut squash, peas, green beans, avocado, carrots, and sweet potatoes.  He has really liked everything except for green beans.  I am thinking it was a texture issue.  We are starting fruit this week and can't wait to see how he reacts to sweet foods.

One thing is for sure, this baby is getting big too fast!

We're still here

I fell of the blog wagon for a minute.  Things have been so busy at the Brown house.  Here is a quick run-down of what's been going on.

Beckett

Our bambino is growing and changing every day.  He is starting to sit up for short periods of time, he loves to laugh, and is putting everything in his mouth.  In less than a week he'll be six months old.  Time does go so fast!  We love seeing how he changes and he is constantly surprising us.

On the food front he loves butternut squash and carrots.  He tolerated peas and wasn't crazy about green beans. I've been making all this baby food and so far it is easy and I love knowing exactly what he is eating.

The biggest news is that Beckett was baptized.  He is officially a member of the Catholic church.  We had family come and my cousin and sister were the godparents.  I'll definitely be posting all the details in another post.

Belles and Whistles

My little side job has turned into something a little bigger and I am totally not complaining.  I am loving shopping for new items to add to my store and filling orders.  It is so much fun.  If you haven't checked out my store it's address is www.shopbellesandwhistles.com.  I am so proud of it and love seeing people around town showing off their Belles and Whistles.

Daniel and Me

Most of my news is Belles and Whistles related.  Daniel has been super busy with work and finding more work for himself.  The man is an entrepreneur is every sense of the word.  He now runs three businesses and is working on a fourth.  We are also farmers now.  I would have never thought that I would be married to someone that farms, but here we are.  I am constantly in awe of his work ethic and think his entrepreneurial spirit has rubbed off on me.

We are also looking forward to a busy summer.  We have lots of trips planned.  We're going to Italy in September sans baby, Taos for a concert, Miami for THE concert (JT and Jay-Z), and Houston for another concert.  I am also making a trip to market and to the river for a friend's bachelorette party.  Add in a baby and jobs and we have a full schedule.

We're also working on house plans.  Building is the most intimidating process ever and we are trying to get everything perfect because I've been told I get one shot at building and there will be no changes.  Our hope is to get started early next year.

Marley and Jack are doing well.  Marley is still sassy and does what she wants.  Jack had a health scare and was at the vet for almost a week.  He's doing better but we are trying to be vigilant about what he is eating.  The dog is a walking trashcan.


So that is where we've been.  I'll be postdating some posts to get everyone caught up and will try to do a better job keeping up.

April insta-update

Life via Instagram.

Before Good Friday mass.  Could the kid be any cuter?

We started baby food.  First up was butternut squash.

Peas were very messy

Who needs toys when you have feet?

The nosiest baby around

Beckett's baptism

He thinks his dad is a lot of fun

And pretty funny

Happy Easter!

March insta-update

Here is a look at our life via Instagram.

The silliest baby

He's a sophisticated thumb sucker

I just love his face in this picture

He was not happy when I started working PRN again

Dad and lad

Babies in baskets = cutest thing ever

Ready for summer in his shorts