Update on Kyle

Well, since this blog was supposed to be about Kyle, I should probably talk about him at least every now and then, right?

He is doing wonderfully!  He'll be 8 months on Monday the 29th.  He is unofficially crawling.  It's more like scootching or army crawling.  He still rolls everywhere and is most definitely mobile.  There goes sitting him on the floor for a few minutes to run to the restroom!

He is babbling (a lot).  DaDa is the phrase of the month.  I love how he looks at ME and says "Dadadada".  He has said "MaMa", though.   I DO realize that he doesn't associate these sounds with Greg or me yet.  

He's also drooling like crazy and I'm hoping he pops a tooth soon.  He's been waking more at night and needing comfort to fall back asleep.  

He reaches out his arms to be picked up and wants to stand on my lap.  He also loves standing up and holding onto the coffee table.

He's a beautiful, healthy, growing little boy and we feel so blessed!  

Going "Home"

Greg and I are leaving tomorrow (Sunday 9/28) to drive to College Station to stay with some friends.  On Monday we are getting up early and driving to Galveston to check on the house. Neither one of us is looking forward to what we will find.  We heard from a friend that the water line on the exterior of our house was between 2 1/2 and 3 feet.  Not good.

I"m sure there will come a sense of relief once I know what is salvageable and what we have to throw away.  There is something so sad about having to sort through your own "life" and decide what you can keep.  No one should ever have to do that.  We're not sure that any of our furniture made it.  We're hoping to get our wedding pictures, other photo albums, Greg's (very expensive) medical reference books and equipment.  

I'm dreading going into Kyle's nursery.  That is (was) my favorite room in the house.  It was only about a year ago that Greg and I so lovingly painted those walls and set up his gorgeous baby furniture.  It can all be replaced, but it still breaks my heart.

We will be coming back to D'ville on Monday afternoon.  Our house isn't livable and won't be for some time.  We're not sure if we'll ever be able to live in our little house on Tuna St. ever again.  

We're really not sure where we'll live.  It's all so uncertain right now.  That is what is so hard about the situation.

We're strong and we will get through this together.  We have to for Kyle.  I'll try to post pics when we get back.  Wish us luck!

Update

Well, we're still in Duncanville.

They're officially letting people back on the island today.  I've heard that there is a long line and that it is not moving.  Greg and I will be waiting to go back until this weekend sometime.  Kyle and Sophie will stay here with my parents.  It's just not safe/sanitary down there right now.  

We are really not sure what we will find.  We know that our house is standing and that it has a roof, but we aren't sure of the flood damage.  I'm trying to prepare myself emotionally for what I might see.

We will be taking pictures for insurance and bringing what we can back to D'ville with us.  

Greg is tentatively scheduled to start school again on October 6th, but that seems very optimistic in our opinions.  Greg said that the administration is trying to sound very upbeat, but we all know that it could be months before anyone will have a livable home or apartment.  

We are just so thankful to have a place to stay.  We are also appreciative of all the thoughts and prayers.  We are hanging in there and are staying strong for Kyle.  He is our #1 priority.

WOW!

What can I say other than, "Wow!"?  It has been a fast-paced, fun, scary, emotional past two weeks.

Greg and I were on our cruise (to Cozumel and Progreso) from Saturday, the 6th through Thursday the 11th.  We had a blast and got really sunburned!  We now have peeling skin to prove it!

My mom and grandmother picked us up at the cruise terminal at 9:45 a.m. and we went immediately home and packed a bag for Kyle and loaded the car.  We left our house at 10:45 a.m.  We took a detour around Houston to go through College Station because traffic was already at a slow crawl on I-45.  Greg noticed that the car was overheating (in NW Houston on Hwy 290) and we stopped at a Wendy's for lunch.  There was an auto repair place right next door.  

It turns out that the radiator in our car was cracked and it took about 3 hours to have it replaced.  So we (Greg, Kyle, my mom, my grandmother and our dog, Sophie) sat in the waiting room of the car repair place for 3 hours.  Thank goodness it was air-conditioned and the restrooms were clean!  

We got on the road again a little before 4 and headed home.  We drove through College Station and Waco and made it home to Duncanville at 9:30 p.m.  Eleven hours of driving with a 7-month-old, a dog, your mother-in-law, your grandmother-in-law and your hysterical wife may have been too much for the average man to take.  Greg handled it very well.  He is my rock and I love him for that.

We have been here at my parent's house in Duncanville for the past week.  We are doing well and are very comfortable.  Kyle has his own little room with a crib and Greg and I are next door in my old room.

We have gotten to spend time with our friends and family which has been wonderful.  My 28th birthday was this past Monday and it turned out to be really special thanks to Greg's family and my family.

I'll update with any news that we have soon!

Pictures!

Here are the promised pictures of Kyle. He is so wiggly that it is hard to take pictures of him. He is SO active. When he is awake he wants to be doing something, whether it is climbing up his Mama, grabbing Sophie, or eating the remote. It is exhausting, but I'm trying to enjoy it before he starts crawling. I know I'll be in for it then.

Here he is getting an open-mouth kiss from Emeri:


Being sweet and smiley for the camera:


Giving Sophie a little nibble:


Hanging out in his swing:


Sitting in his crib:


Controlling (eating) the remote:


Playing on the floor (he rolled from his playmat in the top of the picture):


With Mama (please excuse the "big" hair):


With Daddy:

Hurricane Kyle??

Well, I've been looking online at everything having to do with Gustav (who is currently a category 4 hurricane, boo). There was a link to see the names picked out for potential Atlantic hurricanes for the 2008 season. Guess what name is on the list....KYLE! He is next after Ike and Josephine. Of course I hope that if he does become a storm that he will be "nice" and will not do any damage.

As far as our plans go, we are staying put for right now. There are no plans for Galveston to be evacuated (as of today). The weather is beautiful and sunny and we are taking advantage of it and cooking out.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. (I promise to get pictures up soon!!!)

Hurricane Gustav

He looks like he may be headed right toward Galveston. No matter where he hits, we'll probably get some nasty weather.

Greg really wants me to pack up later this weekend and head to Dallas with Kyle and Sophie. I'd be fine with that as long as he was with me, but he has finals. The last one (Edouard, which was really just a light rain and some wind) came right when Greg had mid-terms. Now Gustav may show up during finals. Lovely.

It's just so hard travelling with a baby. He is great in the car, but that drive is not a short one. I know that it will be fine, but I'm a planner and I need more notice (especially having to pack for a 7-month-old). I usually fill my SUV to the roof with miscellaneous baby gear.

We'll see what happens in the next few days, but I think it's pretty much a given that at least 3/4 of this family will take a road trip. I know Greg will be fine, but I guess it's just my mama-bear instincts that want to keep us all together.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Oh, and Happy 7 month Birthday to Kyle (I'll post some pics later today) and Happy 25th Birthday to Clayton!