Holly's Baby Shower

Holly's Baby Shower 64
Originally uploaded by ByrnesFamily
One of the many things Holly and I have shared over the course of our 36, almost 37, years together. This may be one of the most special things we have shared:our pregnancies. Holly being 4 weeks ahead of me, and both of us expecting baby boys.

We held her baby shower today at Ashland House Tea and Restaurant. I can't think of a more special way to welcome this new precious baby into our family.

First Day of School for Charlotte 2011 - 2012

Charlotte started her first year at St. Paul's School in the 2's class (aka the Butterfly class). She will be attending on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

She was ready with her lunchbox, or backpack, as she calls it.

Beatrix was trying to help Charlotte pose, but I like the looks on both of their faces here. They really do enjoy each other, and this captures it.

Once we got to school, she was starting to get a little more leery of the situation.

I tried getting her to stand by her butterfly, but she just said, "No, mama! No!".

Look at their pretty wall outside their classroom.

She clung to me briefly as I handed her over. There were a few tears, but I'm told only a very few, and she went right to work cooking in the kitchen. I needed to get Bea upstairs to her classroom, so I didn't linger. When I came back down, I peered in the window, and she was working on a puzzle, and moved on to the books. She seemed to be adjusting quite well.

I got to school early so I could spy on her before it was time for them to unleash them to us. Another parent was standing at the door, and she immediately told me that my child was as happy as could be. I looked through the window, and Charlotte was dancing and smiling, and playing with toys. Her teacher told me she had the best day, and really enjoyed the big playground. I knew she would! So glad she had such a great day.

First Day of School for Beatrix 2011 - 2012

Today, Beatrix started Pre-K, what will be her last first day of school at our treasured St. Paul's School. I know the end of the year seems really far off right now, but I can't help but think how quickly that school year goes by.

Beatrix decided she wanted to wear a red skirt with her Hello Kitty t-shirt today. I had other plans, but I guess I should let her make decisions for herself. She also told me she wanted her hair long today. See, I would have put it in a ponytail!

We took a few photos at the house before leaving.

You've got to see Hello Kitty on the front.

And, of course, you've got to see Hello Kitty on the backpack.

And, the sassy pose.

I told her that I have to get a picture at the St. Paul's School sign. She agreed that would be good.

The obligatory photo at the St. Paul's School sign.

I wanted to get a photo of her at the door to her classroom, but she emphatically declined. I thought I would just sneak in at the door and get a quick photo of her in the classroom.

Before Beatrix noticed me at the door

Once she noticed me, it was all over. I was told to leave and not to take any more photos. Where oh where has my baby gone?

Not happy about me lingering

I decided to oblige her, and left her to her first day. I am glad she was confident enough to tell me to leave, and I just hope she has a fabulous first day!

Class Visits at St. Paul's School

I can't resist posting some photos from the girls' class visits this morning. Our building was added on to, and the old part completely gutted and renovated. When I first saw the inside, I was shocked. It is so pretty, so new, so clean, so everything perfect. I wish I had some photos of the entry at the school. Completely unrecognizable. You can get a brief look at what the hall looks like now in the St. Paul's Chimes Newsletter. We are so happy to have the opportunity to utilize this nice, new facility.

Beatrix's classroom is upstairs in the new addition. She is starting Pre K - 4 in the Monkey Class on August 29th, and will attend 5 days a week.

Beatrix building blocks with Ms. Alexander

Beatrix's tower is almost complete.

They are the Monkey Class.

One of the play areas.

Beatrix got right to work with one of her drawings. Another building in NYC.

Beatrix is having a conversation with Ms. Moody.

Beatrix having a cookie with a classmate from last year.

Charlotte's room is downstairs in what would have been the original building, but you can't recognize any of the old building. She will be in the Butterfly Class, which is younger 2's, and will start on August 30th, attending 2 days a week.

Charlotte working on a puzzle.

Charlotte may be lost for a little bit, but I know she will love it.

The Butterfly Classroom

Charlotte working in the kitchen. She wanted me to sit in one of the chairs.

OH BOY!

Today was the day for our BIG ultrasound. My appointment was at 1:40 in the afternoon, and it seemed like forever waiting. Steven and I went alone, leaving the girls at home with our nanny. We didn't want them getting antsy if there was a delay, and as it turned out, there was a delay, so good decision on our part.

I bought two t-shirts online from Cafe Press while in NYC. One of the shirts said OH BOY and the other said TICKLED PINK. I think deep down I thought I would be wearing the TICKLED PINK at the end of the day. I had planned on telling our family by surprising them with the t-shirt. I could not wait to tell them the news, despite what they may think. Mom thought it was pretty mean of me to make her wait.

The tech looked around at the baby for a few minutes. Everything looked good, and after asking us if we already have children, and us telling her we have 2 girls, she said, "Well, looks like you got something different this time!".  I know Beatrix will be very happy at this news, as she told me when I first told her I was pregnant that she thought it was a baby brother.

I  hated making my family wait, but I really wanted to surprise them in a fun way. Steven was flying back to NYC tonight with his mom, so I dropped him off at her house first. I immediately went inside saying I needed to use the restroom, which I did, but I also changed into my OH BOY t-shirt. I wondered how long it would take her to notice, but as soon as I walked out of the bathroom, and maybe a 5 second delay, she screamed and laughed. I think Omi is happy about having a grandson!

So, I left Steven there, and next up was my sister. I was going to pick her up so we could go back to my house to pick up the girls. I walked in Holly's house, and she was checking her email, and didn't want to look up at me because she didn't want my face to give it away to her. She had no idea about the t-shirt, so when she finally looked up, within a second, she screamed with joy. She is very excited to have a boy cousin for her baby boy due 3 weeks prior.

We went to my house and got the girls. Of course, we took the opportunity to take some photos.

I asked Bea what letter she saw on my shirt, and it didn't take her long to figure out BOY. We took a few pictures to Charlotte's dismay. The tot does not like sitting still!

Next up was Goosey and Popsey. We decided to meet them at Skeeters out in Katy for dinner. They walked in, and I walked up to Popsey first, and he got it right away. Goosey was busy greeting Bea, but she eventually saw the news too.

Ultrasound at 23 weeks 1 day on 8/1/2011

It's a BOY!

Flying Home

I woke up early, a half hour or so before 6. I made my last Starbuck's run down to Columbus Ave. The girls woke early with my stirring in the apartment, which was good since the hired car would be picking us up at 8.

Photos of girls prior to leaving to come.

The car arrived 15 minutes early. Luckily, we were ready. We scurried down, and began packing our things in the car. While Steven went back up for one more run, I got a few photos outside with the apartment building in the background.

Photos of apartment building to come.

The ride to the airport was uneventful. At one point though, while looking at Manhattan in the distance, Bea started crying, saying how much she was going to miss New York. I couldn't help but tear up myself. We had made some wonderful memories in New York, memories that I will always cherish having with my girls. I was still looking forward to getting home though. We have lots waiting for us there, and many more memory making opportunities to come.

Photo of girls on ride to airport to come.

We had a bit of a long wait trying to check in our bags. I gave Charlotte my iPhone to help distract her since she was getting antsy. She started playing the Shape Builder game, which is a puzzle game. We started her on it several days ago, and now she is a pro at it. Really good for those eye, hand coordination skills. Bea pulled my old iPhone (which is now hers) out of her backpack, and began playing games too. They managed to entertain themselves long enough to get through the baggage check line.

Probably the most consuming task is going through security. We have to take apart the stroller (2 pieces), and put it through, along with the carseat and our other belongings. Shoes come off everyone, and then it's a mad dash to get all of our things back together on the other side. We made it through with flying colors.

We had plenty of time to get a bite to eat while we waited for our flight. Bea managed to confiscate our old digital point and shoot from Steven, which he has been promising would be hers. She quickly went to work taking photos in the airport.

Photos taken by Bea at airport to come.

Before long, it was time to board our flight back to Houston. We settled in, and like the flight up, Charlotte fell asleep before takeoff. She slept for 2 hours and 15 minutes of the 3 hour flight. When she woke up, she wanted to play on the iPad, and I got a photo of my 3 techies each on some device. Charlotte on the iPad, Steven on his laptop, and Bea on my iPhone.

Photo of techies on flight to come.

We had a bumpy descent, which all the kids on the flight loved, one calling out, "It's like a roller coaster!". Really, not what an adult wants to hear on a flight, but it was cute and funny.

Upon landing, the flight attendant announced over the intercom, "Well...we're here!", to which the cabin responded with laughter.

Times Square, Ellen's Stardust Diner, and the Sanrio Store

Our last day in New York, and last minute, I decided we would go down to Times Square, have lunch at Ellen's Stardust Diner, and pick up some gifts for my nieces and nephew at the Sanrio (Hello Kitty) store.

We took the express subway to Times Square, and meandered our way through all the tourists (I guess I don't consider myself one.). Bea pointed out where we would need to go for the Hello Kitty store. I'm ashamed that my 4.5 year old knows more about Times Square than me.

We continued through Times Square to 50th and Broadway where we stopped at Ellen's Stardust Diner. The girls were in awe, and Charlotte, especially, seemed to get into the spirit of the atmosphere. The waiters and waitresses sing as they wait on you. Our waitress's name was Blondie, and we weren't there long before it was her turn to sing.

The girls enjoyed the singing and clapped at the end of the songs. I thought it was really neat, and these kids were really talented as well. I wish all the best for their success.

Photos from Ellen's Stardust Diner to come.

After lunch, we made that treacherous walk back through Times Square to go to the Sanrio store. I stopped in the middle of Times Square to take the obligatory Times Square photo.

Photo in Times Square to come.

Bea, again, told me where I needed to go to get to Hello Kitty, and I cross checked it with the map on my phone. She was right. We went inside the store, and Bea started looking for gifts for her cousins.

Photo of Sanrio store to come.

I picked out some cute Hello Kitty NY hats for the girls, and I was informed that the girls wouldn't like what I picked out, but would love what Bea picked out. I gave Bea the benefit of the doubt, and she picked out an Hello Kitty dolls wearing bikinis. She told me they are tan because people come in all different colors and sizes from all over the world, and they speak many different languages. The sales clerk told us they are Hawaiian Hello Kitties. I picked out Hello Kitty rings with each of the girls birthstones.

We didn't find anything for Nathan there, but I had seen some NY matchbox cars at a store near the apartment, so I planned on stopping there on the way home.

Charlotte was asleep at this point. We got back on the subway towards 72nd Street, and the store I wanted to go into was right across from the station. We popped in there, and I found little subway replicas of the different lines in NYC. I picked the 7 local line that is right by the apartment, since it is the one we take if we take the subway.

We made one last trip to Duane Reade, and then went back to the apartment for the rest of the evening. Steven picked up Chipotle on the way home from work since thunderstorms were expected to roll in. And, we ended our time here the same way it began, with a nice, cozy thunderstorm.

Photo from storm to come.

After dinner, Bea started Night at the Museum, to see it one last time while in NYC. We made a pallet on the floor, and I popped some popcorn for our impromptu movie night.

Photo from impromptu movie night to come.

Adventure Playground, Sheep Meadow, and Dinner with John

I have been putting off going to the Adventure Playground because I really just thought it would be too much for me to deal with trying to keep up with two kids, including one who insists on trying to hurt herself. Now, I'm kicking myself because we tried it out, and it was perfect for the girls. Absolutely perfect!

What was so great about this playground? Well, just about everything. It had a water sprinkler on one end, which drained into a little river. It had a sandpit at the other end. In the sandpit were climbing structures, but appropriate for all ages. A child would have to have certain skills to make it to the top of the structures. In the middle of the playground was a pyramid shaped structure with stairs going up and 2 slides coming down. There was actually no way for Charlotte to get into trouble. I still had to follow her around, but I was much more relaxed.

Photos of Adventure Playground to come.

The girls enjoyed playing in the sand. Bea enjoyed using her shoes to transport water to the sand pit. I like that she is thinking outside the box!

We walked to a Subway on 72nd street to pick up lunch, and then we walked it back to 67th street to find a spot under the big tree at Sheep Meadow in Central Park. We ate our lunch. This time Charlotte did as she was asked to do and sat on the blanket to eat. When we were all done, the girls pulled out the balls and played for a bit.

Photos from Sheep Meadow to come.

We stayed until 2, and then went back to the apartment to rest a little before dinner. We had dinner plans with Steven's former co-worker, John. We ended up meeting him at Patsy's Pizzeria, same place where I met Mara a few weeks ago. John showed up with cookies from Levain Bakery. What a nice guy to bring us cookies, and funny enough, if we had gone to his side of town, I was planning on picking up cookies from Levain to take to him.

We had a nice dinner. John was so personable and really took an interest in the girls. Bea colored him a picture, which he hung on his refrigerator.

Photo from John to come.

Charlotte's 2nd Birthday and Victorian Gardens Amusement Park

Seriously, we have been dealing with terrible two's for at least 6 months. Today is Charlotte's 2nd birthday, and it has been a less than stellar day thus far. When she woke up, I tried singing "Happy Birthday" to her, only for her to put her little finger to her lips and say, "Shhhh!".

Honestly, I should have known based on the diva attitude I received first thing in the morning.







Telling me, "No, mama. No.".

We tried going to the park for a nice lunch. I picked up sandwiches at Subway on our way to Sheep Meadow. I took her out of the stroller and told her she needed to stay on the blanket. We've been working on this while we've been here, and she had been getting better about staying near us. As soon as she got out, she took off running. I had to chase her down, and back in the stroller she went. I'm sure people are judging me, but I can't leave my 4 year old and our belongings unattended to chase Charlotte down every 30 seconds.

So, she is back in the stroller, and I give her her chocolate milk.



She's drinking it and people watching. I look down for a second, look back up, and she has dumped it all in her lap, all over the stroller. Yes, this can be cleaned, but I find it unacceptable. This will happen, I know, because of her age, but it wasn't something I could just shrug off and laugh at. I want her to know it's unacceptable. I told her so in a stern voice. She cried, and wanted a wipe, which I couldn't give her because I forgot them (totally my fault). She was just going to have to sit in her sticky mess until we were done eating. I swear I was getting dirty looks, but maybe I was just being self conscious.



Because of the sticky, wet mess, I scratched our plans to go to the playground after lunch. Instead, we went to a bakery to pick up some cupcakes for Charlotte's birthday.





We get back to the apartment. I get Charlotte's clothes off, get the stroller seat off, and we took them down to the basement to wash.

I got extra cupcakes, so I let the girls each have one. I open the box, and the icing has all but slid off the cupcakes. Still, I think they will be delicious. There is a juice box left over from this morning that Charlotte starts drinking. I should have anticipated it, but I didn't. I come back in, and she is squirting it all over the seat, making another huge mess. I scolded her again. She cried again. But, I don't think she is getting it that it is not acceptable.

She is into everything today. I heard clinking and clanking, and I turned around, and she had managed to open a cabinet that has china in it. I have been on edge the whole time we've been here since this isn't our place, but today has been worse.

This is one of the few times Charlotte was actually staying out of trouble.



I decided it was time to start getting the girls ready to go to Victorian Gardens Amusement Park. This amusement park is run during the late spring and summer months. During the winter, the location is an ice skating rink, known as Wolman Rink.

While I'm getting things together, I felt the need to check on Charlotte and found her wearing our digital SLR around her neck and trying to take pictures. Like I said, into everything!

I finally get us all ready and we head out the door. Charlotte hadn't slept all day, so I suspected she would fall asleep during the 20 minute walk to the amusement park, which is located in Central Park. Like clockwork, she fell asleep, and I hoped she would wake up in time to enjoy the amusement park, as it was her birthday after all. We arrived at 4, and the park was open until 7, so 3 hours is all we had.



Bea sizes up the park, trying to decide what to do first.



Since Charlotte was sleeping, Bea rode the rides by herself for a while. She was having so much fun.







I'm glad we didn't get there earlier, as there was a lack of shade, and that sun on that concrete was stifling, despite the occasional mister they had going. I decided I needed a drink, and that's when Charlotte woke up. She didn't have the nap she needed, but I was glad she woke up so she could enjoy the fun.

The first ride we rode was the water boat ride. Charlotte was not happy that she had to ride with me. She wanted to sit with Bea, and kept her eye on her most of the time.

Here she is turning around to look at Bea.





Bea really was having fun.



We then rode the airplane ride. Again, Charlotte was upset that she wasn't sitting with Bea, and then she was upset that I was trying to keep her from jumping off the ride.



This ride just about did me in. Too many turns on too tight of a radius. I was feeling quite ill afterwards.

Next up was the roller coaster. I thought it might be better for me since it didn't just turn in small circles. It wasn't too bad, but again, Charlotte wanted to sit with Bea and/or jump off the ride.

I didn't get any photos of our first time on the roller coaster, but I got some when Steven rode with the girls later.

This is when I needed Steven to get there quick, so I texted him saying so. I couldn't stomach another ride. The girls played a game. Unfortunately, they require 2 people to play so they can have a winner. So dumb. My child just wanted to hit the dang moles with a pallet. So, I held Charlotte and helped her bang away at the moles while Bea did the same. Problem is, I was too good, and I beat Bea. The game lasted maybe 15 seconds, and I was announced the winner and given a stuffed animal. Bea was so upset, and I felt terrible, though she needs to learn it is just a game and not everyone can win.

Beatrix then went down the giant slide. I was so busy taking photos that I missed seeing her slide.



Finally, Steven showed up to rescue me, and he took the girls on several rides. But, first, he got a photo of me and the girls.



Bea gets on the big swing.







Steven takes Charlotte on the train.



Steven and Charlotte get a quick photo at the amusement park.



Steven takes Charlotte on the frog ride.



Steven and the girls ride the roller coaster, and this time I get photos.





Steven and the girls ride the frog ride again.



Steven actually made himself dizzy on the balloon basket ride. Took him a while to recuperate.



Before we knew it, it was 7, and time for the amusement park to close, and time for us to get dinner and go back to the apartment. We stopped at Traviata Pizza and took it back to the apartment. After dinner, we lit 2 candles on Charlotte's cupcake and tried to sing "Happy Birthday". It was a comedy of errors though, and we had to start and stop a couple of times. Charlotte, not surprising, put her finger in the flame. You will have to watch the video to see this one. Hopefully, I will have it up soon. Luckily, no damage was done. She also scolded me throughout the birthday song.

Charlotte enjoyed playing with her cupcake mostly. Still full from pizza.



It was a long day that didn't go exactly as planned, but I think we ended it well with some fun at the amusement park, and some yummy cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery to top it off.

Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet, loving, enthusiastic, dare devil, Charlotte! We love you!