Welcome to Cat Spring!

Yes, we all made it to Houston. Sasha was pretty good and only had a couple of little melt downs. He had his morning benadryl and eventually ate his weight in bread (yes, bread crumbs all over first class - the kid is a carbohydrate fanatic!), fruit bars and cheese and fell asleep on my lap for the last hour of the flight. We were seated next to a very kind man who put my tray on his table and helped as much as he could. I didn't have to apologize to him or any of the other business class passengers and the Continental attendents are some of the nicest people in the business.

Granddaddy met us in the IAH baggage area which was a complete relief. I had only packed one checked bag but with my carry on, a stroller and a squirmy toddler, I was lamenting how I would make it out to passenger pick up in tact. It was nice to see the smiling face of my father (and he hugged me first despite his more pressing desire to greet Sasha).

Our week in Cat Spring thus far has been a mixture of business and pleasure. First, it is always a pleasure to spend time with my mom. I am so lucky to have her as one of my best friends (I say 'one of' because you know that Snickers Platt and Blake Christensen are right up there .. and of course, Nathan too :) . The business part was just trying to make sure that I could help with the day-to-day responsibilities as much as possible and brighten up the mood a bit.

On Wednesday, we went into Hempstead and bought Sasha a full shopping cart full of clothes. We used the excuse that he's growing so much and we don't have many items in 18 months. The other reality is that EVERYTHING looks cute in his size!

Our times at the house are spent guarding our shoes as Sasha seems to have a shoe fedish. Mom and I have been 'shoeless' most of the week due to our little shoe thief. The picture of the right is of Sasha after he's stolen Mom's garden clogs. Pinks a good color for him, don't you think?

We found some 'must have' toys to clutter Baba's living room. Sasha had a great time collecting rocks and playing with Legos (or was that Dad that enjoyed the Legos??). Sasha also got his first motor cycle which he's practiced riding around the living room.

Sasha LOVES music and he bobs his head and dances whenever his favorite songs play. I showed him my IPOD and let him listen via my earphones. He was so funny. He started stomping his feet and bobbing his head. He got quite cross when he couldn't hear the music once he stepped away from the earphones. Eventually we made a stop at Radio Shack and picked up the necessary cables to plug my IPOD into my parent's Bose.

Thursday, Grandmother re-visited her cardiologist and got her bandage removed. She had healed nicely and the doctor scheduled her in for some additional blood tests. She is managing better and her foot seems to be hurting less.

Friday was salon day. Salon day for Mom and I always includes a bottle of bubbly. It's our way of celebrating being together again. You might imagine my father's look when he saw me place the bottle in my bag. "You're going to drink champagne at 9 a.m.??", he asked increduously. "Yes", I replied and headed out the door (now besides bloody marys, what other drink is appropriate as a morning cocktail choice?). It takes a long time to do color on hair and we lunched within walking distance of the salon so there was no problem. (And, I can assure you that the Platt part of our family have had many an a.m. cocktail). Now, I know you'll find it odd that I would rather get my hair highlighted and cut in Bellville, Texas than in my home town. Shawn has been cutting my hair on and off for 12 years. She is a really cool, funny girl (and yes, she's gorgeous too ... but her personality is so awesome I try to look past that :) I had gotten my hair cut right after I returned from Russia and into a style I call "Matronly". (Yes, I know I'm a mom but I don't need to LOOK like someone's mom, right??). I told Shawn to do what she thought would be trendy and look good. My hair is now very short ... shorter in the back and longer in the front. When it's styled, it looks pretty cool. My biggest fear is that I will never be able to style it this way again.

On Sunday, Mom and I went into Katy (western Houston). We had to get a couple of passport photos taken for the Russian consulate. Note: Sasha does not like to sit on a stool, by himself, and have his photo taken. And, he certainly was not going to smile, laugh or do anything but look completely unhappy.

We went to Katy Mills Mall where many outfits, shoes and the like made their way into our grasp. Sasha's new fall wardrobe is pretty impressive. Sasha picked out a lion that we built at a little shop and we ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. He loved it. Even when the thunder and lightening started up, he just sat and looked all around. He dined on Jurassic Chicken Nuggets and fries. He thought it was all very yummy.

Today was cookie day. Sasha hasn't eaten cookies and certainly has never baked them. He really enjoyed eating the batter. We tried to teach him how to lick the beater but it's a skill he'll enjoy practicing (he would put it in his mouth and chew on it). He loved the ginger snaps and the chocolate chip cookies. I believe he actually liked the chocolate chip cookie dough better than the acutal cookies (doesn't everybody?). He then spent the rest of the afternoon searching for rocks and hanging out with his granddaddy.

He's been a bit crabby the last two days. We suspect that his teeth are really hurting from teething.

Tomorrow, Grandmother will have some blood tests done and we're hoping to take her for a spa day. I'm also hoping that we get the chance to see some of my favorite ladies in the whole world - the Gardenias and Garden Divas. They are a spectacular group of women (gorgeous, intelligent, funny, green thumbed) and have renewed my faith that women can actually have really good women friends. We always have a hoot when we get together so hopefully we can catch up with them on one of my remaining days.