Weekend in San Antonio

On Saturday morning, I drove up to San Antonio where Josh / Ben were staying with my in-laws. Ben seemed very happy - and we finally have a formula he can take if I am unable to nurse (e.g. unexpected business trip) - Nutrimigen.

That night, we went to the Riverwalk and Alamo. We first ate at Caaa Rio, where I had some fantastic crispy chicken tacos. While I was eating, Ben was having fun with his Oma Glenda.





It had been a very long time since Josh and I had eaten there.



We then walked over to the Alamo.







Josh and I then tried to get Ben to sleep after getting back. He was being a little grumpy - but a couple hours later was asleep in the crib!



Ben was back to his alert self this morning!



He even danced to Guitar Hero!

What happens in Vegas... isn't always so exciting.

This past week, I took a trip to Las Vegas to conduct training. It was my first business trip following Ben's birth, and the fact that I am still nursing definitely complicated it.

The plane ride, however, was scenic. We flew right over the Grand Canyon.



I stayed in Vegas one night - at the Bellagio again. It was just as beautiful as I remembered, but this time it was decorated for the holidays.





We had a dinner at the Bellagio restaurant Picasso. Unfortunately, I was not feeling well, so I left early. A good amount of sleep seemed to help. The next afternoon I flew back to Houston, where I slept before driving to San Antonio to meet up with Josh and Ben.

Snow in Houston?

In Houston, it rarely snows. Cold, wet days happen sometimes - but snow (that actually sticks on the ground)? Not so much.

So I was very surprised that when I walked outside of my meeting last Wednesday, I saw snow flurries. One hour and forty-five minutes later, I was home. I quickly got Ben wrapped up, and his Aunt Bethany (in town to help Josh with Ben as I was about to go on a business trip) took a family photo of Ben's first snow.



Ben was taken quickly inside, where he relaxed in his boppy.





Snow continued to fall.





The dogs enjoyed being outside and chasing each other.

Moon, Venus and Jupiter

Josh took this picture last week of the moon, Jupiter and Venus.

Ten Weeks Already?

I can't believe it is already December - so much has happened this year!

Josh and I met Ben, who is growing like crazy! Josh took him to the doctor last Monday (December 1) - at almost 10 weeks old, he weighed 14 pounds 10 ounces.

Ben is now smiling regularly.

He enjoys watching colors and shapes, especially while lounging in his Boppy.

This past weekend, we took him on his first hike to East End Park.

He fell asleep very quickly, but the dogs really enjoyed it.

Later on, Ben got dressed up in his holiday best for a photo op. How cute!

Always a night owl, later in the night he was even grabbing the colored rings on one of his toys!

He's going to be quite a handful...

Lately Ben has really liked walking while I support him - and he's only 10 weeks old! These are some snapshots from him at 9 weeks... we're in trouble when he learns to walk on his own!

Chocolate-Almond Bars

Last night, I made the Chocolate-Almond Bars from the December 2008 Food & Wine issue.

They were easy to make - and it was my first experience with almond butter. The recipe didn't call for any flour, and was (not surprisingly) somewhat similar to a peanut butter cookie texture. It was a little chewier, especially right after the bars were cut.