Adventures in Texas Part I

We must have brought the rain with us to Houston! Since we got here it's been overcast, rainy and according to the locals, it's cold. But we don't mind it! For us it's spring-like weather! The sun is supposed to break through this weekend, so hopefully we can go to the zoo then! Ken will be home and it will be nice to visit the zoo together.



So far we have had a couple of exploring adventures. On Tuesday my mom the kids and I decided to venture out to Whole Foods and get some groceries. Google maps gave us exact directions on how to get there, but we still managed to get lost! It didn't help that no one knew where Whole Foods was and what bus would take us there. After riding on a shuttle, a bus and finally a taxi, we ended up seeing a Kroeger's on the way and just decided to stop there. After 1.5 hours we were well-stocked up and called a cab. After about 10 min we saw a taxi van pull in to the parking lot, but as soon as he saw us, instead of slowing down he sped up and left! After another 15 min of waiting we clued in and realized he had refused to pick us up. How rude!!! Well, I went back in and called another cab, this time he was there in 3 min and begrudgingly helped us load the groceries into the trunk. I had given Maddie a piece of bread, as she was starving after walking around all morning. Well as soon as Mr. Taxi driver saw her eating, he had a fit. He started huffing and puffing about how she couldn't eat in his cab. I calmly said, "OK. And don't worry there are no crumbs." Well he must have thought I was saying she could continue to eat, and again went on and on yelling about not eating in the cab. At that point I'd had it. I firmly told him, "Don't be rude to me, she is no longer eating and I was just telling you not to worry because she had not made a mess!" Geez. After that he was silent, luckily it only took about 7 min to get back. When he dropped us off he again hesitantly helped us unload the bags. I shouldn't have tipped him at all, but I did give him about $2. It's all about Karma. Needless to say we were exhausted after all that walking and carrying (which included me carrying Isaac in the Mei Tai for the entire outing). But at least we had yummy food!

Yesterday we had a different kind of adventure. This time it was pleasant. We walked to the Children's Museum and spent a couple hours there, watching Maddie have a blast! Even Isaac enjoyed himself and behaved very well. We will need to go back though, there is so much to see and do we didn't get a chance to finish it all. There is even a little library there, so we signed up for a card and will be able to go there and get books for Miss Maddie Bookworm!

When it comes to how the kids are doing, well lets just say it's been an adjustment. Maddie is having a hard time falling asleep at night. She hears us still awake and doing things and it keeps her awake. But each night has been getting better. Once she's asleep though she sleeps all night. Fortunately the 2 hour time difference hasn't been too bad. Ken was convinced she would be up at 5am every day, but she has adjusted nicely and is waking up between 7-8am. Isaac on the other hand has been sleeping terribly. It has spiralled out of control and on Tuesday night we were at our wits end! He wouldn't sleep in our bed or in his crib, he just cried and cried, even when we held him. He wouldn't even nurse. He was just so tired but couldn't relax. Ken knelt down beside his crib and shushed and rubbed his belly, back and head and after about 30 min he finally was able to relax and fell asleep. I was so moved by his gentle fathering, it made me cry. He refused to leave him alone and was so patient and kept saying, "It's OK little Isaac, just go to sleep...relax...we love you..."

We have been trying to get him to sleep in his crib more and more and I think he's showing signs he's ready. He sleeps so deeply and for longer when he's in there. When he's in bed with us he wakes up every hour and when he is asleep, he's restless and squirmy. So we will see how this transition to the crib goes. We had started a bit at home, but were hesitant because we knew when we got here he would still be in our room and any progress we made would go out the window. But thankfully, true to the stereotype of everything being huge in Texas, the walk-in closet in our bedroom is like a small bedroom. So we have turned it into a nursery! Don't worry, it's not a horribly dark, scary closet. It's nice and spacious and has lots of light coming in from the bedroom. So it's perfect, we can start the transition and hopefully make some progress. I do not do well on little sleep. I have been starting to feel very cranky and impatient and well, not like myself...so hopefully, everyone will start getting some sleep now.

Well today it's rainy again, so we decided to stay in. Next, we need to go buy an umbrella stroller (we forgot ours in the foyer at home!), so I see a trip to Target in the near future.

Details of our next adventure coming soon!

P.S. Just wanted to add that even though we did not travel to an extremely far and foreign place, life here is very different from home. My few experiences and conversations with local people have made me realize some things and have me thinking a lot...more on this later too...