Got Moves?
Remember Kelly & Joel from Tulsa? They invited us to be Godparents for their little Katie Lyn – Henry’s future wife. After the baptism we went to lunch with Father Jim and talked to him about the arranged Catholic wedding we’re planning. He’s on board to officiate in 20 years.

Joel, Kelly, Jen, Matt
Noah, Katie, Henry and Nick

That night we hired a sitter and hit the town. Free from kiddies, we gorged on Italian then Joel’s friend Troy called and asked us to meet him at Maverick – the hottest gay bar in town. Who cares if we’re breeders? We didn’t wanna miss out on country ‘n western night.

I really like this gay bar atmosphere. Matt didn’t feel out of place holding Kelly’s and my purse while we cut it up on the dance floor. You probably didn’t know this, but I was a TA for Country/Ballroom dance class at the University of Texas, so I’ve got moves. My moves are only as good as my partner though. And Matt can be a good partner when he’s got liquid courage but he was our DD, so I danced with the queens. Really, they two-step better than any hetro I know. Except maybe Matt’s brother Richard. You know, the one in the Army. He’s in Germany right now but really, he and I should be a pair on “So you think you can dance”.

We blew that joint shortly before closing to relieve the babysitter. Henry was an absolute angel. I’d never left him with anyone other than family, so I checked my phone for missed calls about 20 times that evening. It was fun – but really we always have a blast with Kelly and Joel. They rock!

Here’s a quick Henry update:

• He’s eating more “grown-up food” -- loves kiwi, goldfish, yogurt, guacamole, and all finger-foods. He likes feeding himself. Shack enjoys it too. It’s a treat to sit patiently under the highchair.
• He still has 8 teeth, which is really a bunch but I keep thinking more are on the way because Henry is such a slobber monster! You can tell by the huge wet neckline on his shirt.

• Henry is still very social. He doesn’t mind new people holding him or even strangers getting in his face. Really he loves the attention. He's a flirt.
• Henry has moves like his mama. I sing “Shake, shake, shake. Shake your bootie” to him and he wiggles his butt. He can also give high-fives and shows us how he’s “SO BIG” by raising his hands into the air.
• Taylor's been coming over more. You can't tell by this pic -- really they usually have fun together.
  

• We still do his breathing treatments every day or so. He likes watching “Baby Signing Time” on DVD while the breathing mask is on. He hasn’t picked up any signs himself but hopefully soon he’ll start waving bye-bye, squeezing his fist for milk, or saying “more” by putting his pointer fingers together. We’ll see.

Cruise Control
Henry has been on cruise control sent birth traveling somewhere just about every other month. We just returned from a 7-day cruise. Our little sailor had a great time getting to know his cousins – Sam, Austin and Antonia from Minneapolis and Megan from Florida.

We flew into Miami last Friday and boarded the ship on Saturday. Every morning Henry and I would race up to floor 14 on the ship for Aqua Babies. It wasn’t a swim class; it was just playtime with other babies his age.

The first night, we left Henry with Gram Mellie and headed for the craps table. Matt and I won over $300. We’d go back each night and gamble away $100 of our winnings. By the end of the trip we were down $37.

Food was great -- shrimp, lobster, steaks, wonderful wine. I think we all gained about 10 lbs this trip. So 10 x 13 people is 130 lbs! We’d usually meet in the main dining room for breakfast and dinner and lunch in the buffet area or in Port.

Our first stop was San Juan Puerto Rico. We toured an old pirate fort, shopped a bit, ate local cuisine and stopped in for a cold one at the brew pub.

Then we landed in the Virgin Islands. We took a sky tram up this mountain for a great view of St. Thomas. We also took a shuttle over to Megan’s Bay which is supposed to be a top 10 beach. We had a great time swimming, eating and relaxing in the sun.

Tropical Storm Chris kept us from going to St. Martin next. Instead we had a day at sea, and then docked at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Matt and I had been there before and really love the Atlantis hotel. So after shopping in the straw market, we water taxied over to the Atlantis so the cousins could see the Aquarium. Huge sting rays swam by with the other colorful fish. Super cool, even for the second time.

Our last day on board we stopped at Coco Cay, which is a Royal Caribbean owned island. It’s like a resort – palm trees, food, lounge chairs, hammocks, shopping, and water sports – just no hotel. The water was very clear and shallow so we were able to see fish, sand sharks, and a sting ray.

Henry was a little angel the entire trip, except maybe the last couple of nights. He figured out that since his bed was right next to ours, all he had to do was scream really loud and then he’d get to sleep with us. We let him stay in bed with us for 30 or 45 min, then gingerly move him back to his crib. An hour or so later, he’d scream again and end up right back in between us. Now that we’re back home, he sleeps through the night in his bed with no problems. Thank God because we were exhausted when we finally made it home.

Thank you Grandpa Bob and Gram Mellie for such a wonderful family vacation.

We enjoyed it so much!

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE CRUISE PHOTOS.