Sweet Boy

Good Friends & Good Wine - Take 2

Last September when I started this blog one of my first posts was titled "Good Friends & Good Wine" and it was about visiting the vineyards outside of Fredericksberg with some of our good friends from Dallas. At the time, all I could do was take a few sips because I was pregnant with our little boy.

(Below is a picture from that trip)

Well, it's that time of year again ... only this time I could drink to my heart's content! (Does that make me sound like a wino?) Our good friends from Dallas, the Jodrys, visited us once again and we made the rounds to some of our favorite wineries ... Becker, Torre di Pietra, Sister Creek ... as well as our favorite beer garden, the Auslander.

Although he is still a little young for beer and wine, Trip did enjoy himself quite a bit. Actually, he slept through almost the entire experience! After a day of wine tasting, we took a late afternoon nap and then headed out to Luckenbach where we enjoyed some amazing people watching, a cold beer and some country music.

For all who don't know, Whitney and I have been great friends since meeting through our jobs at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital in 2005. Whitney, and all of my dear friends from Harris, are part of what made leaving Fort Worth so hard. I can't imagine a better friend to have spent so many hours with and to have shared so many memories! Thank you Whitney and Max for making the long journey down to see us once again. We love you!

Trip and his Aunty Whitney. Please notice his eyes looking off to the side ... he is looking at the television in this picture! Despite my best efforts, he is obsessed.

Trip sleeping at Becker.

The Jodrys and The Kupers, together again!

Whitney and me enjoying a beer in Luckenbach.

(Please notice my hair in this picture. This is probably the first time in a month that I had actually blown my hair dry and worn it down. In fact, just a few seconds before this picture was snapped, it was in a ponytail because it was so humid outside. I made J wait to take the picture so that I could take my hair down and prove to myself and everyone else that I did in fact look decent for one night! A few seconds later, my hair was right back up in a ponytail. Oh, the joys of motherhood!)

Keeping Austin Weird

This past weekend J, Trip and I met the Underwoods in Austin. Their little boy Owen was born one week after Trip, so it was a lot of fun to see them together. They are about the same length, but Trip is quite a bit chubbier than sweet Owen. We all hypothesized that the weight difference was due to Trip being so laid back and Owen being so active.

Over the course of two days, we all ate ourselves through Austin ... and it was awesome! Mozart's, the South Congress Cafe, Trudy's, Swirl, the Magnolia Cafe and the Hula Hut ... all places I highly recommend. Below are some pictures at Swirl, a frozen yogurt place where you can build your own sundae and choose from lots of yummy flavors and toppings. I have to admit, my eyes were a lot bigger than my stomach. I barely made it through the toppings!

Two of my favorite quotes from the weekend were said at Swirl ...

As we were getting ready to leave, I handed Trip to J to put in his carrier and he said, "Can you hold him a minute while I go pee pee?"

As a mom, I didn't think twice about the question until a few minutes later when Chad, who had not heard J's previous comment, responded similarly to Sara saying, "I'm going to go potty really quick before we leave."

Sara and I laughed for several minutes before catching our breaths to reflect on how you know life has changed when your husband uses the terms pee pee and potty!

Below are some pictures of "the bats" at Congress bridge. Every night at around 8 o'clock people gather to watch this swarm of bats fly out from under the bridge. It seriously was an impressive thing to see, although it was a little bit stinky (can anyone say guano?). At this point, Trip and Owen were out a little bit past their bed time, and Trip was so hungry that he was drooling uncontrollably. I was very proud of what troopers these two were the entire weekend.

Last but not least we visited the Austin Stone on Sunday morning. From the worship to the sermon, the experience was amazing. As good as both boys were all weekend, they waited for the quietest time in church to let loose. Owen peed all over Sara and Trip had a couple of loud #2's to keep things interesting.

I don't have any pictures of this, but we also went to Barton Springs. It is a natural spring pool and the water is very cold. The babies definitely did not appreciate the cold water! It was some of the most interesting people watching I have ever done. The one thing I like most about Austin is that you never feel out of place. There is always someone weirder than you!

4-Month Update

(I think this is my favorite "monthly update" photo so far. This is the face Trip makes when he is fake crying. The cry only lasts a few seconds and then he looks up at me to see if I am paying attention.)

Weight: 16.5 lbs. (75th percentile)

Height: 26 inches (75th percentile)

Looks like: Unfortunately, most people say that Trip doesn't look like either parent :(

Development: Right on track. He is learning how to roll from his back to his front - sometimes he sleeps on his side. He puts his two hands together, holding them in front of his face. He is still sleeping through the night 10 - 12 hours, but we are going through some 4-month snags with nap and bedtime. He also found his feet! This is such a fun development because when we go to get him out of his crib in the mornings, he is smiling, chatting and holding tight to his two feet. Trip has also been approved by our pediatrician to start eating solids ... I think I'll wait another month though.

Loves: Eating his own hands and my fingers. His new rainforest jumperoo. Grabbing anything within reach. Playing "Superman" with his dad.

Hates: The picture above is pretty characteristic of the 4th month for Trip ... FUSSY! He has started teething, and has not been napping very well which makes him an unhappy camper in the evenings. He also hates it that we are no longer letting him watch TV. He was becomming way too attached to the television, and now when he is in the same room as the TV, and not facing it, he tries to turn his head to see it!

Fun Memories: Meeting little Owen B. Underwood for the first time! Swimming at the Country Club with his aunts. Going to Missouri with for his Gigi's birthday.

Surprise Visit to Missouri!

Last week, Trip and I flew to Missouri to surprise my mom for her birthday! He was a wonderful traveler, but it was definitely a lot of work doing it all on my own ... especially with a now 15 lb. baby! My good childhood friend, Courtney, and her husband and little girl Emma picked us up from the airport in Kansas City and drove us to Columbia. It was so much fun catching up with her, it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Then, my little brother Timmy took Trip and me to my mom's office where we had conspired with her boss to surprise her. The look on her face was priceless when we walked in!

Below are some other fun pictures from the visit. Thanks to all of the family and friends who made it possible to pull this off ... my mom is NOT an easy person to surprise!

The cutest grandma ever!

Trip with his Cappy eating at Booches! The first time Kent took J to this local burger joint and bar he ate 7 burgers ... We ordered 8 for Trip! (No, we didn't really give him a cheeseburger, although he looks like he ate a few!)

Trip swimming with his Cappy ... Naked!

Trip and his Uncle Matt.

Trip and his Uncle Timmy.

3 Month Update

(this picture is a little darker, but you can still tell compared to the two month photo how much bigger he is!)

Trip at 3 months:
Height: not sure???
Weight: about 15 lbs.
Everyone says he looks like: Rachael, but has some funny facial expressions like J
Development: Smiles, laughs and does a lot of baby talk. Neck strength is much better, he has even rolled over! Grabs at my face and hair all of the time now, especially when he is eating. Takes at least one long nap a day - usually two. Still sleeping through the night (about 10 hours), but has started talking a LOT in his sleep (taking after his dad) which keeps me up at night!

Loves: Mostly the same as last month ... forgot to mention how much he loves being on the changing table. Also, he loves doing baby "pull ups" with dad. Loves to sit in his bouncer and grab the hanging toys. Looking in the mirror in his crib. His Aunt Anna flirting with him in the mirror (I have a fun video of this one I'll post soon). Swimming with Grandpa.

Hates: We have noticed that his only fussy times are when he is tired and yet he really resists falling asleep. We practically have to hold him down sometimes to get him to be still enough to doze off. The area around his eyes gets bright red when he is really tired, so it is becoming easier to tell when he needs a nap.

Fun memories: Most of the fun memories I have posted about on the blog, so this might be repetative. We have great memories of going to the river, swimming at the country club and all of the wonderful visitors we have enjoyed over the past month ... Nicole Emery, the Jains, Brad Congdon, Park Carter, Grandma Cupcake (Kay Lynn) and Aunt Anna.

Trip Rolls Over!

During tummy time last week, just one day before Trip turned 3 months old, he rolled over for the first time! I was the only one to see it, but to my surprise when I called J into the room Trip was able to repeat the roll for him, and again a third time for the camera! I am so happy to have gotten this on video. You will also see from the beginning of the video that Trip is talking more and more all of the time. Please ignore my obnoxious voice on the other side of the camera!