Mother's Day Out

So, I signed Robert Alan up for Mother's Day Out on Monday. It was a crazy day. First, I had completely forgotten that I should pay attention to when open enrollments were for MDO's. I knew I wanted RA to be in one starting in the fall so that he can be around other kids, but I guess I just thought that I'd snap my fingers and he'd be in the best one in town, whichever one that is. Well, of course, anything worth being in for kids requires a lot of research and waiting on lists. I realized I had missed a good one when one of my friends posted that she was waiting in line for registration on Facebook. I was in San Marcos working that day. Goodbye, good MDO. Then, during a night out with David, we ran into that same friend and a couple of her friends who told me that they had heard that said really good MDO (Kids' Kastle) had some openings. Glimmer of hope! Woo-hoo! I called the next day. Nope. They did have some openings, but not for his age. The lady I spoke to was avery nice, though, and put us on a waiting list. Smaller glimmer of hope! She also said we could go on the list of "drop-ins" where they would call us anytime a child doesn't come and we can come. "Hi, my name is Traci, and my son is a drop-in."

I called some other places and found out that one I wanted was having open enrollment the following Monday. I thought I wanted this one because I thought one of my friend's little girls goes there. I was excited. Bigger glimmer of hope! On my way to registration Monday morning, I called my friend just to make sure I was thinking correctly, and, BOMBSHELL, I was WAY off! Her daughter goes to Harris Creek. Where in the WORLD had I gotten First Woodway? So I had a mild freak out. I had a delimma on my hands. Do I go ahead and go sign my son up for this unknown MDO at First Woodway Baptist, or do I wait and cross my fingers that he gets pulled up from the bench at Kids' Kastle? I knew of nobody whose kids went to FWB, and, to make matters worse, I couldn't figure out how to even get to the place. I called David, who I always call when something goes wrong. He didn't answer. So I called Brittney, who was keeping RA for me for the day (by the way, I had a presentation in Temple that I was trying to get to while all of this was going on). She texted two of her friends who we thought might have some friends who might know about FWB. David called back. After explaining to him what was going on, he told me that his boss's kid goes to FWB and "a lot of people do and he says it's good." "Okay," I think to myself. "Everything is going to be okay." I mean, it's mother's day out! It's one or two days a week, and only for a couple hours. How bad can one be, right?! So, I went into the church and filled out the paperwork. The lady took my paperwork, asked for a check for supply fees, and that was it. "That's it?" I said. "He's in?" I can't imagine what I looked like at this point.....confused, shell shocked, competitive.....I guess I had in mind I was going to have to wait for hours, maybe get a tour of the facilities, be given the third degree, maybe give a little of my blood, and then challenge a fellow mom to a mother's duel for a spot in mother's day out. Talk about a letdown. :-)

So Robert Alan will be attending First Woodway Baptist's Mother's Day Out program on Tuesday's and Thursday's in the fall! I'm excited about it now, but as I was driving away from the church, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. My little baby boy will be 10 months when he starts MDO. He'll almost be 1! He's growing up way too fast for me, and if I'm this sad now, I can't imagine what I'll be like when I drop him off the first day of kindergarten. I overheard some moms at the registration talking about how sad dropping their kids off the first day of kindergarten was and how they went to a Boo-Hoo Breakfast afterwards for all the moms who just dropped their kids off for their first days of kindergarten. I think that is a GREAT idea. Put me on the waiting list now, please, so that I can get my spot at the Boo-Hoo Breakfast! Or can I be a drop-in?....

Easter Weekend

We recently took a trip to Abilene for Easter weekend. We hadn't been there since January when we went for RA's sip & see, so I was excited for my grandmas to see him. It was a great trip. I'll start with the trip down there (WARNING! If you are easily queezy, then just skip down to the picture below. This is going to get graphic.)

David was able to take off work on Friday, so Thursday night we went out with some friends who were in town from Houston. It was so much fun, and I really hope they move down here---I would love to have them to go out with every now and then. Anyways, because we went out, we slept in Friday morning and got a late start on the trip. We ended up leaving around 12:00, hoping that RA would sleep the whole way. Well, that didn't happen. I think he slept for about half of it, which was fine, but when he woke up, he was a little fussy. David tried to reach back and hold his hand to pacify him, but his whining kept getting louder and louder. Finally, David looked back there and said, "OH MY GOSH! Traci, you have to pull over!" Well, what would run through your head if someone yelled that after looking at your baby? I couldn't decide if he was bleeding, had somehow pulled something over his head, or what. Either way, it scared me to pieces (note to self: tell David to elaborate when something goes wrong). After asking David what was going on, I found out RA had pooped. It didn't seem so urgent, and I couldn't pull over right away because we were on a two-lane rural road without a shoulder, so we had to wait until we got to a town with a gas station. So, when I got out of the car and opened the door, I realized what the big deal was. He had pooped alright. And it had come out of his diaper!!! Disgusting! I had to carry him into the gas station holding him away from me so that I didn't get any on me. Talk about a blow out. Man! It took all the wipes I had to get him cleaned up, and I ended up just throwing the onesie he had on away. It was a cute onesie, too, dang it. Anyways, David was left to clean up the carseat, which he did very well, and then we had a wardrobe change in the car before getting back on the road.

RA snuggling with his Uncle Robert.

When we got to Abilene, David went to hit some golf balls at the Country Club, and mom, Jamie, and I decided to take Robert Alan for his first swim. Fairway has an indoor swimming pool, so it was perfect. He LOVED it, just like he loves his baths. His favorite part was when Aunt J bobbed him up and down in the water. We didn't take his head under water, though. He's had a cold lately, and I just wasn't ready to take that step.

About to start bopping up and down (you will soon notice that

when RA smiles, he really just opens his mouth really wide.)

Finished bopping up and down across the pool. "Do it again, Aunt J!"

Trying to lick the water off his face after he splashed himself while kicking.

And now, we all knew it would come, trying to stuff all his fingers in his mouth to get all the water off them.

Needless to say, Robert Alan slept very well Friday night. Saturday was a big day as well. Robert Alan met his new girlfriend, Hallie. She is my best friend's daughter, who is 6 weeks older than Robert Alan. By the way, all of Robert Alan's girlfriends are older women. He's a fan of baby cougars, I guess. It was funny having both of our kids together. Daron and I couldn't get over how different our lives are now. We just sort of sat there and watched each other's kids play and stared at them, talking about how Hallie could already sit up so well and how much Robert Alan tried to move. He pivots, by the way. That is all he can do. He rolls over to his stomach, and then he pivots on it to turn in a complete circle. He doesn't go anywhere, but he tries really hard to move. I guess facing a different direction by pivoting causes him to think he's going somewhere. Anyways, I was amazed by Hallie's hand-eye coordination, too. She liked one of Robert Alan's new toys that my mom gave him, and she knew exactly what to do with it and how to make it work. I was impressed. I told Robert Alan he should hook up with her (not in that way!) and take some lessons. Keep in mind, this was Robert Alan's first time to meet anyone under the age of 21 and know they were there.

Hallie is very interested in RA. RA isn't so sure he wants any.

RA decides that she's worth his time and gets super excited. Hallie, meanwhile, wonders why he keeps rolling away from the toys. Little does she know he's a one-way roller.

"What the heck is he doing?!"

Get used to it, son. Women rarely understand why boys do what they do. For good reason, too.

After a wardrobe change into a diva-licious outfit, RA decided he wanted to taste Hallie.

RA: "Give me your arm, Hallie!"

Hallie: "Say what?!"

RA: Mom, she won't let me eat her arm!

Love Hallie's face here.

Hallie decides that RA's ear looks tempting.

After Daron tells her she can't pull RA's ear, the meltdown begins and the couple's photo shoot is over.

Sunday was Easter. We debated forever which service to go to in order to fit it into Robert Alan's schedule. He ended up staying with his Aunt B, playing and praying in his exersaucer while the rest of us went to church. When we got back, he had to endure yet another photo shoot. He was a good sport, though.

So proud of this pic. It's the first we have of all 3 of us smiling.

Chillin' with Jefe and Honey.

Reflecting on the recent shoot. He thinks it went well and is happy to be sitting up on his own.

I have to say, I think Robert Alan was at his cutest on Sunday. We went to lunch at Fairway, and some random strangers thought he was so cute that they took a picture of him with their iPhones. Aunt B, the resident fashion diva, couldn't have been prouder. I was happy he kept his hat on.....that said, I'm not so sure he knows where his head is or that he would be able to coordinate his hands to take it off, but oh well. It stayed on for the most part, until David took it off.

At lunch he was super tired, and he fell asleep on me right before dessert. It was really sweet, andI was happy that he was relatively good. It helped that there were 9 people ready and willing to hold him or walk him around if he started getting fussy.

Overall, it was a really good weekend (minus the trip up there---I could've done without that episode). I can't wait to go back. I think our next planned trip will be in May for the Memorial Day golf tournament. By then, the pool should be warm enough for us to get to swim outside. It'll be a fun weekend. The golf tournaments always are.....