Trip to Dallas and Walking (13 months / 13 weeks)

We were nervous about taking Austin on a 3-hour flight. We knew we would have to entertain him the entire time. That is something we are not use to. Luckily Austin is a great baby. Brian boarded the plane first and got everything ready for us when we arrived. I did not want Austin on that plane any longer than necessary. Once we took off, Austin had his morning bottle and he fell asleep for about 45 minutes. I was sitting on the aisle seat and Austin head was hanging out a little bit and people kept coming though the aisle bumping me so that caused Austin to wake up.

After he was awake, Austin would move between us and want to play. One of the best things we had was teething biscuits in a box. Austin really enjoyed taking out the teething biscuits and putting them back in the box. We never thought that would be so entertaining for him.

Once we arrived to Dallas we went and got our rental car. Brian installed the car seat. He is getting really good at that these days. We drove to Dean and Karen’s house. When we got there, Austin did not move off of my lap. He did not know what to think of Dean’s house and dogs. It was amusing because on the plane we would of loved for him to sit still but of course that did not happen. After he warmed up, he was back to his busy baby self.

We had a really good time in Dallas seeing everyone. Austin would take a little bit to get use to everyone but he warmed up very well. We went to Lego Land one day. It was a lot of fun. Even all of us adults really enjoyed it. Austin played with some mega blocks and took everything in.

Austin’s schedule was all messed up but he was fine with it. Our pediatrician told us not to worry so much about the schedule when on vacation, so we don’t. We like to keep things within reason for everyone's sake, but if he doesn’t get a nap or goes to bed a little late its okay.

We went to a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you. We were not sure how Austin would react but he really enjoyed watching it. It was something we would not have thought to consider, but as usual Austin surprised us with his versatility. We went out to eat a lot and Austin did great. Luckily I always brought lots of snacks and that usually keeps him happy.

On Sunday it was Super Bowl. We went out to Donnie and Cheri’s house. Cheri cooked a delicious meal. With Austin we did not watch much of the game but it was nice to have everyone together. Austin was a little sick while we were there. Sunday night was the worst. Austin was vomiting because he was coughing so much. I felt so bad for him. I wanted to take him to the ER but of course Brian talked me out of it. We thought we were going to be up all night with him but fortunately he did fall asleep and slept all night.

Austin seemed to get a little better which was good. We definitely did not want to travel with him if he was vomiting.

On our last day there we hung out with everyone. We went to a buffet for lunch and that was a great idea too. We got Austin several different foods and let him try it. It was fun. He liked playing in the mashed potatoes. Austin even got some carrot cake.

 

On the way back home, Austin saw everyone taking off their shoes and thought he should too.  On our way through security, Austin was sitting in his stroller trying to take off his shoes.  The TSA official commented, "Look, he's been here before.  He knows how this works."  Kids under 2 don't have to take off their shoes, but still it was funny.  On flight home, Brian and I were tired. We really did not feel like entertaining Austin. Luckily Austin fell asleep and slept for about an hour and half. That was an added bonus. My dad picked us up and we went home and unpacked. It was a great trip.

About a week before Austin turned 13 months, he started walking everywhere. He is now a walking baby and prefers walking instead of crawling. He is fun to watch him walk. He even likes his shoes now.

Austin is growing up so fast. I love watching him develop. I never thought mommy hood would be so wonderful. He likes to take our socks out of our clothes basket and go hide them somewhere, like his crib. He has developed a personality and sense of humor. Just watching him makes us smile.



Austin has started eating more and more. He use to cry though dinner and now he will eat his rice cereal and baby food. We always give him some of what we are eating too like noodles or chicken. He loves macaroni noodles. He does not like macaroni and cheese yet though. I can’t believe it since it is one of my favorite foods. He also likes plums, grapes, strawberries, cheese cracker sandwiches, gold fish, and graham crackers.

Our next big adventure is a cruise to the Caribbean for a week!