Memorial Day in Austin

We had a lovely trip to Austin this past holiday and it was essentially our first trip with the boys and Bruce and I were really excited about it.  However, with recent developments among Ethanol - including, but not limited to their dislike of their car seats and the beginning stages of teething - we were worried about the drive down.  My solution was to let Bruce drive and for me to take a Tylenol PM while Weezie took care of the boys.  Bruce's solution involved me at peak alertness and "contributing to the creation of our first family vacation memories" or something like that.

Well no-one was more surprised as me when we made it past Waco, then past Belton, Temple and into Round Rock before the boys needed to stop.  All credit goes to Weezie and her magical fingers in the fine arts of pacifiers.  We were joined by Avo, the Waid Family, David, Shawna, cousin Paula and cousin Anna and her husband Andy.

The boys loved the water, despite it being colder than what they are used to.  After a long day at the pool they needed a bit of a nap.  Overall, a great trip surrounded by friends and family:

After a long day at the pool and a quick nap, the boys cleaned up and looked quite dapper in matching seersucker shorts, courtesy of Avo.

The drive back was even better as we made it all the way back to Dallas without stopping.  Quite a lovely experience and we can't wait for the next trip with the boys!

Noel Month 5

And we can't believe how Noelly continues to grow and grow.  Two pics of Noel...the second one one is just cute as it looks like he's saying something like, "But WHY can't I eat again until lunchtime?!?!?"

Month 5

Month 4

Month 3

Month 2

Month 1

Ethan Month 5

We just got back from our first trip in Austin where the boys hit the 5 month mark.  More to come on the trip soon, in the meantime, here's the latest monthly pic of Ethan:

Month 5

Month 4

Month 3

Month 2

Month 1

A Day of Firsts: First Swim!

Sunday had another first for the boys . . . first swim!  It's actually been a fairly cold and rainy spring season in Dallas in which we've had very little sun on the weekends.  Sunday was really beautiful and the first hot day we've had, so we didn't want to miss the opportunity to see how the boys liked the water before another big first next weekend:  First Family Vacation! 

The results of the first swim experience is perfectly captured in the pictures below . . . Ethan seemed very focused on the cool temperature of the water and didn't really ever relax to the point of enjoyment.  Noel, however, seems to take after his Pai and loves the water . . . Adam pulled him around the full perimeter of the pool while Noel kicked and giggled non-stop.  Definitely a fun day for the Brudam Brigade!

A Day of Firsts: First Solid Foods

It was definitely a big weekend at our household . . . first up, solid foods!  After weeks of "should we/shouldn't we" discussions, we decided to press ahead and start the boys on formal feedings of rice cereal. 

First up was Noel, who surprisingly resisted all muscular effort to digest food . . . we'd think that we hit a successful spoonful or two, only to discover that our youngest son has pockets for cheeks . . . when all was said and done, I'd say we maybe got a 1/4 teaspoon down.

Round 1:  Noel!
Brudam Grade:  D

Next up was Mr. Ethan, who is known for normally having the fourth largest appetite in the household.  Much to our enjoyment, Ethan seemed to take much more naturally to the spoon and the new muscular effort required to take in food and ultimately swallow it.  While we can't say that we made our target of 3 teaspoons, we definitely had a good series of spoon-to-mouth-to-swallow efforts and we're optimistic that Ethan will take to it in more and more in the coming days.

Round 1:  Split Decision slanting towards Brudam

Brudam Grade:  B+!

Noel Month 4

Cutie Noel...he gets stronger every day.  And louder.  In this picture, he's giving his sassy, "My next feeding is when?" pose.

Month 4

Month 3

Month 2

Month 1

Ethan Month 4

Month 5 is next week, so we thought we'd post these before then.  Lots of growth since Month 3!!!!

Month 4

Month 3

Month 2

Month 1