Weekend Recap!

Weekend Recap!

Friday was Gates’s 2 year check up and we were so happy to hear from the doc how well he is doing! In December, Gates was only in the 15th percentile for his weight and at this checkup he measured in the 57th percentile! He is a growing boy, no doubt. And as you know, because I have been concerned and have vocalized it to everybody, Gates has been a little behind in the talking department. But Dr P said not to worry! He is progressing now and that is all that matters. I think I tend to be a little hard on my little guy. I don’t give him enough credit. The doctor said that in about two months we will have a hard time shutting him up. I welcome it!

After the appointment we took advantage of being out & about on a weekday, as a family. we made a visit to Cam’s grandparents at their new digs (they recently moved to an assisted living place that is just gorgeous). Gates was so well behaved and sweet, you can tell he is really growing out of the shy phase and into a more “I know Im adorable” phase. In all of his adorableness, he managed to dial 911 from their phone. I was scared that an ambulance would be dispatch immediately considering where the call was placed from, but 911 called back and I politely explained to them that my adorable 2 year old was playing with the phone and had accidentally dialed them. I am not sure they found it as amusing. I promised to keep the phone away from him.



After that visit we still weren’t ready to go home but we didn’t know where to go. Gates really had been So sweet all day so we wanted to do something fun for him but it is SO hot outside. So we decided to go somewhere that we will likely never go again; Chuck E Cheese. There are really no words. We felt like we needed a shower as soon as we entered into that place. It was germy and gross and smelly and the food I ordered (even if I am a chronically bad orderer) was hardly edible. But we didn’t let that spoil Gates’ good time – he rode all the little rides at least twice and he tried to play some of the games, even if he was too small. And once the tokens ran out, we promptly left.

Whew! What a Friday!

Saturday was just as exciting, y’all. I have been in real nesting mode for weeks now. This is annoying to everyone around, including myself. I don’t like feeling this way. I have lists EVERYWHERE of things I want to do, areas I want to organize, etc. So my most recent project was to turn this empty space in our house into an official playroom. Previously, this space, which is supposed to be a formal living room, was filled with toys anyway. So Saturday, we woke up and headed to IKEA. Man, that place is frightening. there are no windows, you never know where you are, everything looks alike. At one point, I thought I lost Cameron and I really would have had a panic attack. But we managed to get in and out in two hours with everything we needed to turn this space in our house into an official playroom. And I LOVE It. I will post pics later. The thing about IKEA is that everything comes in a box, needing to be assembled. Even the couch we bought – how is that even possible? But it’s true.
Needless to say, Cameron was a busy man the rest of the day. I am one lucky lady to be married to him!

Sunday we visited Cam’s mom (his dad wasn’t home) for a little while and then took Gates swimming at Cam’s granny’s house. I think everyone loved that – she loved getting to see Gates, Gates loved getting in the water, and Cam and I loved that this would make for a solid afternoon nap. Which it did. And then Grandad (Cam’s dad) wanted to take Gates swimming in the afternoon – so he came and picked him up and they had a fun afternoon at the club. Gates ate icecream, popcicles, chicken tenders, fruit, etc. I know there are few things Gates (and Grandad) enjoy as much as their afternoons together. Sweet. Sweet.




And while Gates was away – Cam and I continued to be so productive. I am proud of how much we accomplished all weekend. We cleaned up the backyard some (it was beginning to look like an abandoned house from the back), I cut Cam’s hair (which has become a regular thing), and we got some things organized in the house.

It was a great weekend! We are finding ways to stay busy during this brutal heat. I just hope I can handle another full 3 months of this. Not to mention, I get bigger every single day. Ah, the joys of pregnancy. ;)

What a mess!

When I picked up Gates yesterday from school, i wanted to take him for a little treat so we headed to Mam's House of Ice, a snow cone shack in the heights that was recommended to me by a friend.

it was the most delicious snow cone i have ever had. The ice is so fine that it doesn't even feel like you are eating a snow cone. And the flavors to choose from are too many to list (and quite overwhelming); for example, you could try the creole cheesecake. I went with Tigersblood (by recommendation from said friend) and got Gates the sugar free strawberry (he doesn't know the difference).
This was the end result! Needless to say, we had a good time!

Random - Meant to post last week, but never did. Written on June 15.

I had my anatomy scan yesterday morning and was so relieved to hear that everything looked great with Baby Boy Franz. The ultrasound tech was really generous with her time (and with the pictures) and is clearly passionate about her job because I was in there for quite some time. She kept telling me “looks beautiful!” or “oh, that’s just beautiful”. Most of the time I couldn’t even tell what we were looking at…I just agreed. Cam made it in time for the end of the ultrasound (which felt like just the beginning because she was so DETAILED) – and we both enjoyed seeing our little boy moving all around and hearing his healthy heartbeat. And I know Cameron was happy to hear that he was, still indeed, a BOY!

Yesterday afternoon I had two girlfriends (Tracy & Sarah) over for a play date, of sorts. I never get to see Sarah and had never met her son – so it was so much fun to have time to catch up and chat. And Sarah is glowing and looking adorable as she enters her third trimester. They chose to not find out the sex but I am convinced she is having a girl. She is such a good mommy and I love hearing all her advice from raising Keegan (who is now 4). And, of course Tracy & Emmie are always a joy to be around. Emmie is adorable. I think I saw a love connection between Emmie & Gates – so we shall see what the coming years bring us. ;) Sarah and I were trying to get Tracy on the pregnant train but I think it will take a little more than just a persuasive talk from us to prepare her for another one.

Speaking of preggers – I have SO many friends that are pregnant right now. It makes it that much more of an enjoyable experience for me. I can call up any number of girls and ask for advice on certain things. And we can talk about our fears of adding another one to the mix, etc. and it is fun to know that all of our little nuggets will get to grow up together! I have so much to look forward to.

Times are Changing...

Happy (belated) Fathers Day to all the Fathers out there and especially to my dad, my father-in-law, and my hubs! We invited everyone over to our house for a Father’s Day lunch Sunday, and it was so nice to have a low key gathering with our families. I loved having my father there, with Cam’s parents, and even Colby’s (Lisa’s husband) parents – who are definitely family, as well! Gates always loves having visitors because he loves to show off all of his toys and get extra attention from the guests – and he is almost always on his best behavior. But let me tell you about the morning leading up to our lunch. ….
Holy Terrible Twos – you are not welcome in the Franz household!!
Gates woke up cranky (and this rarely happens). Let me start by saying that Cameron and I often brag about what an EASY baby Gates was and what an easy toddler he has been. All transitions have been so EASY with him. He slept in his crib from 4 weeks on, slept through the night early, transitioned from bottle to cup without a problem, from baby food to real food, etc. I mean the kid has been EASY! Well Sunday morning, all that went out the window. He was a nightmare. Nothing we did was right. nothing made him happy. I would have sworn he was sick (or possessed) but Cameron just kept saying “nope, this is a tantrum and these are the terrible twos.” I shuttered to think about it. You mean to tell me there is no real cure for this? This is just how it is going to be for a while? Can we ship him off somewhere until he is over it? Y’all, I don’t know if I can handle this! I will be sure to keep you posted as things progress at home. We will be introducing Time Out – which should be real fun. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to share.

Anywho – as the guests arrived, he seemed to pull himself together and act like the sweet boy he is was. And how sweet that Granddad (Cam’s dad) took Gates swimming on Father’s Day, after everyone had lunch and took naps. This was the second day in a row that Granddad came to pick up Gates and take him to the club. They swim, play with the other kids, go down the water slide, eat popsicles and have so much fun!!! It really does melt my heart to see the two of them bonding the way they do. When Joe dropped Gates off yesterday evening, Gates wanted nothing to do with me, Cam, or our house. He took off running down the street - I’m not kidding. you would think I beat him.

Man, this blog is all over the place but there are a couple more things I want to include:

I wish I took a picture of this but, to be honest, I am not sure I like the way I am looking in pictures these days. I mean, I know the camera adds 10 pounds but still. ;) Saturday night Cam and I headed to the Woodlands for our 4th Widespread Panic concert together (probably Cam’s 50th – no exaggeration). I wasn’t dreading the evening but I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it – but we ended up having a really great time. It was fun to have a night out with my husband and I really do enjoy WSP, especially live. And I think baby boy Franz had a good time, too because he was really active all night.

And finally – along with the terrible twos, Gates has finally started TALKING. Can you believe it?! we can’t. he has been saying momma, dada, ball, NO, etc for a while now and he has a full understanding of what everything is but just WOULDN’T talk. But yesterday morning, before I saw the terrible twos rear its ugly head, he said juice! He was sitting in my lap, after he first woke up, and was pointing to the kitchen and I had no idea what he was pointing at (he has always been a big pointer and I am sure that is part of the reason he hasn’t felt the need to talk yet - he points to something and we get it for him). I kept trying to guess but he kept shaking his head. Well, I guess when he realized that pointing wasn’t going to cut it, he decided to TELL ME (novel idea) what he wanted. JUICE! My heart was swollen with pride. It sounded so funny to hear him articulate what he wanted. I LOVED it! but we will talk more about that when the terrible twos mix with his new found voice.

Have a great week everyone!

June 13 - A Very Special Day!

Where does the time go? No, really – where does it go? First of all, can you believe we are mid-way through June? I feel like we JUST put away our Christmas decorations. And this time last year I was already starting to think about Gates’ Halloween costume (ok, that might have been a little premature, but the costume was CUTE so you can’t argue a well thought out plan).

Anyway – What I really can’t believe it that TWO YEARS AGO today I was given the MOST incredible blessing I will ever know, Gates Patrick.

Growing up, birthdays were a big deal in my family and so I will carry that tradition on to ensure my children always feel special on their birthdays. Without fail (sister, correct me if I am wrong), my mother was always the first phone call I received on my birthday. And EVERY year she would replay the day I was born – and as crazy as it sounds, I don’t think it ever got old (Tracy, thank you for continuing this since my mother’s passing).  She would say “this time, 30 years ago, we were at the hospital, blah blah blah”. This is something I will do with my boys, for as long as they let me. However, with boys, I think they will think it is annoying and dorky pretty quickly. I also like to relive it with my husband, who contributes some to the conversation but generally just laughs and nods his head here and there when I say “remember?”. It’s fun.

So I will do it with you guys here, too.
This time two years ago – It was a Saturday morning and we were at the hospital, knowing Gates would come that day. The Friday before (June 12, 2009) I had a check up at the doc (at 36.5 weeks), Cam was with me, and the doc said “well, the baby is coming. You will check in to the hospital tonight and we will induce tomorrow.” Cam and I both were nervous, to say the least. We weren’t ready. We didn’t even have a mattress for his crib yet. The room was not organized, my bag was not packed, and we still didn’t know what to do with a baby. Seriously. But, I was having some minor complications and the doc said IT WAS TIME. He instructed that we have a nice dinner (our last without a baby around) and then head to the hospital. So we did just that. We went to Macaroni Grill, by the house, and they gave us our meal free because we chose their restaurant as our ‘last supper’, if you will.

Labor was easy (I know, I shouldn’t brag because I am about to have another baby and it won’t be the same) and I really don’t remember ever being in pain. There were a few moments I needed some serenity and thanks to my husband, family, and friends – I was able to be calmed and reassured all would be fine. After Gates entered the world (at 5lbs, 10 oz and 21 inches long), Cam and I both were at a loss. Really. We had not a clue what to do. Thank goodness for my sweet friend who is an excellent mommy to two beautiful kiddos, because she rarely left my side (except to do a monumental task I will touch on next) and she handled feedings and diaper changes (with the help of Cam’s aunts). We really enjoy looking back on that now – we were chuckling last night about how clueless we really were. Frightening, I tell you.

And all while we were trying to figure this out at the hospital, my sweet sister-in-law, my mother-in-law, and my friend (mentioned above) were at our house getting it put together for our homecoming. And, I tell you, this was no easy task. I will NEVER forget how touched I was when we got home (and I love that I am documenting it here, too). I felt like Oprah had done a makeover at our place. We were in a tiny townhouse, that was Cam’s cute bachelor pad for years before it became the home for our family, and needed to make use of every inch. Before the baby came, I couldn’t figure out how to do it – it was such an overwhelming task. But they tackled it. Gates’ room was ADORABLE. Everything was hung on the walls, his bed totally put together (they went out and got the mattress, etc.), all his clothes organized, diapers put away. and everything was done in the most logical way. His bath stuff was all organized – the living room was beautiful. They didn’t just focus on the baby – they went into storage and got out my personal belongings from my house (which we had just recently sold) and found places for it in our house to make it more homey for me, too. It was all just amazing. It took my breath away when we came home. I felt so loved and so special at that moment – it really was incredible.

Ah! What great memories. And here we are, two years later with this thriving 2-year old that made us a family. At dinner a couple of weeks ago, Cam looked at Gates and told him “you make me so happy” – and tears filled my eyes. Gates, you made me a mom. You are the absolute best part of my every day. You make me stronger than I ever thought I could be. You have taught me patience (!!!) and unconditional love. You have reminded me of my parents and the sacrifices they made. I love to try to see the world through your big, brown eyes. You are the best thing to ever happen to your daddy and me and we love you so very much! Happy 2nd birthday, Gates Patrick.



**and thank you to all my sweet friends who have already contacted me to wish Gates a happy birthday. Thank you for remembering what a special day this is for us.

Bad Mood Katy

Following up to my last post, this post is so fitting – I am in a bad mood. And what better place to complain about it than here? Not any one particular event caused the birth of this bad mood – but perhaps a variety of things, that when put all together, created Bad Mood Katy (BMK). I used to really know this version of myself because she was around a lot more often but I haven’t seen her in a while. “nice to see you again, BMK.”

What is it with the people I work with? I mean NO ONE SMILES around here (says BMK, who is also not smiling right now). Are people that unhappy? Busy? Arrogant? I really can’t put my finger on it, but it drives me crazy. And if I can get someone to hold the door for me (big ole pregnant me, hands full with food most of the time) it’s a freaking miracle. I feel like I really need to thank that person with a hug or something. It just never happens. And being on the elevator with these grumpy (unhappy, busy, arrogant) people is enough to just set me off. I mean, for the love of life, find something to SMILE about.

But BMK didn’t appear as I walked in the door (that I opened for myself) at work this morning, she was already with me from the moment I woke up (on the wrong side of the bed). Actually, she was with me when I went to sleep last night. She showed up yesterday afternoon as Gates and I were at the neighbors house for a play date. Gates clearly was in a bad mood as well (I blame this to a lack of nap at school) and so he was really struggling with sharing Wade’s toys with him. it is hotter than Houston in June (no, really – it is much hotter this June than past Junes so this is a perfect analogy) right now so my patience was very little. When I tried to explain the concept of sharing with Gates he just lost it. And I don’t mean the normal fit that involves crying and such. This was a “im going to show you how upset I am by throwing myself on the ground and hitting my head on the concrete”. How do you ignore a tantrum like that? You don’t. So I picked him up and carried him out the front door to head on home. Clearly that play date didn’t end like we would have liked it to. It was then, on the walk home, I felt BMK join us. The rest of the night wasn't terrible. Gates pulled himself together (which is easy when he isn’t having to share his toys with anyone) and I managed to get the house picked up and feed him a decent dinner without any meltdowns (by me or him). But by the time my sweet husband got home, I was out of commission. At that point I had this pounding headache that wouldn’t let up. I was sprawled out on the couch, on the heating pad, just waiting until an acceptable time to go to bed. I do bath time every night with Gates – it is our special time to play and sing – but last night, I needed Cam as back-up. I couldn’t do it alone. My singing voice (BMK’s singing voice) wasn’t very chipper. Once we said good night to our little nugget – I knew I was only minutes away from hitting the sack as well.

I said good night to Cam and at 7:45 pm, I retreated to the bedroom. Who does that?? I mean, seriously – aren’t most people just getting home from work at that time? Or starting to cook dinner? I was fast asleep by 8:30 and slept straight through the night (only with the normal 3 bathroom trips in the middle of the night). I woke this morning and the STUPID headache was still with me. What gives? How can a headache stick around for THAT long? I mean, go away already.

But once I sat down at my desk this morning, I felt BMK packing her bags and preparing for her departure. Nothing special happened for her to realize she had outworn her welcome. The headache is still lingering but BMK is not. I think this blog helps me with venting, so if anyone is still reading thank you. and also, when I log into the blog, I see the sweet pics of my family and am reminded of all my blessings (yes, there is that word again).

And I must say – although the bad mood stuck around for a full 12 hours, the strength of it was nothing like bad moods past. I really believe that cameron has made me a more sane person. I used to be totally nuts but now I am just kinda nuts – enough to keep things exciting.

Birthday Bash

Although it isn’t official until June 13 – we celebrated Gates’s 2nd birthday on Saturday with a small (yeah, right) party at the house, complete with bounce house, snow cone machine, hot dogs, cupcakes, presents, balloons, toys, family, friends, and so much fun.

Gates was an angel ALL. DAY. LONG. From when he woke up until bedtime, he never once threw a ‘terrible two’ fit. We have been talking about his birthday party for a couple of weeks leading up the event, trying to get him excited. And as the guests started arriving, I could tell he was in for a good time. His grandpa, sissy, aunt Lisa & Uncle Colby bought him his first tricycle (with all kinds of bells & whistles) and once it was assembled, you couldn’t pull him off of it. But the sweet boy did get off long enough to share it with some friends. I was proud.


Typically Gates is real cautious when it comes to those bounce house contraptions. We have been to many a party where I have to get in the bounce house with him and almost literally make him JUMP (this is a sight too. there was one party that had a bounce house obstacle course and I really got stuck in it. I thought I was going to have to send for help). But this go around – he was ALL about it. I have never seen him work up such a sweat and have so much fun with other kids. He was giggling nonstop.



What made the day most special for both me & Cameron was the amount of love surrounding our little boy that day. My sister drove in from Austin, we had aunts & uncles and friends that all came to celebrate Gates. And we are well aware that kids birthday parties are not top on the list of things people LOVE to do on their Saturday, but we still had a house full of people that wanted to celebrate Gates with us.

As I was driving to work today, I started chuckling thinking to myself that I MUST drive some people crazy with my constant positive attitude and extreme happiness and love for my family. Right? I mean, can someone please tell me to tone it down every once in a while? I even drive myself crazy when I spend time trying to find synonyms for the word blessed. But I always come back to blessed. Because to me, it is that simple.

But for those of you who just want to know that I have a bad day from time to time – it is true, I do. But even on those days, I try to remember that in the grand scheme of things – nothing is that bad to cause me to forget all the blessings in my life.