Hello, Fall. Family Updates Too!

  That Texas summer was something! Growing up in SOCal, I'm used to the heat. The difference is, this is heat plus humidity- and it doesn't get as cool and breezy in the evening as the dry heat in California. So, thankfully our temperatures are dropping and summer is officially leaving! Time for our first fall in Texas.

The rains have come back and will be here through next week. Though humidity usually rises a bit with the rain, the overall weather is cooler, and there's always a nice wind. Plus, these thunderstorms are neat. Didn't get big storms in California (regularly, that is). So, we're enjoying it all. I'd say the only downside to so much rain is all the bugs and critters it brings. We don't have the cute little brown crickets here. We have the large black crickets, beetles, bright spiders, and other friends who love to visit. Thankfully I've been able to (for the most part) keep them out of our home. Every now and then I'll see a cricket, and toss it outside (yes, I'm nice. Beetles die though. Every time). The problem with beetles is they infest. They lay their eggs in furniture, carpet, and other fabrics. However, by keeping the floors clean, the issue can be prevented. I've only found a few inside over the summer and I've been crazy-lady cleaning the floors since. Apparently Texas has a major cricket issue, and it's been very obvious! After rainfalls, the streets, shopping centers, and other areas are just flooded with those things.

Onto human matters. A couple of days ago I woke up for the first time in weeks without nausea! I didn't want to get too excited and get my hopes up, but around my normal "crash" hours (2-3pm), when I feel I can't go on, I had tons of energy. I made Gary take us out when we got home just because I could breathe! Then, the next morning, same deal. So, though I still get tired, it seems the worst of it has finally come to an end. Onto the second trimester! I was sick with Alex until about 14 weeks, but this one seemed to end around 12. However, though it was shorter, it was definitely worse. Now I can actually feel excited about growing another child, LOL.

Gary's job is going well. He really likes Golfsmith and gets along really well with his team. It's a huge IT department, and they all work together really well. He also loves how he can wear jeans everyday (last job was a suit), and he can hit the driving range during his lunch break. It's therapeutic for him to hit tons of golf balls during breaks. He's becoming a pretty good golfer!

Alex is being crazy, goofy Alex. I just love him. He's SO toddler and it's fun, even if he has his moments. That boy can SCREAM! Seriously. Neighbors probably wonder what the heck goes on in here. Diaper change? Ear-shattering scream! Time to come inside? SCREAM! Want something he can't have? Super scream! Bored and why the heck not? Scream! His screaming isn't always related to tantrums. Kid just likes his voice. I'm surprised my ears are still working. Apparently I liked my voice too when I was his age. Besides that, he can:

Count to three (loves stacking his blocks while counting)
Identify most of his toys when I ask him to grab something
Understands "play, outside, time to eat, fruit snacks, milk, juice", etc. He hears all!
Holds our finger everywhere we go. If we're walking down the street, walking through the mall, walking through the store, he walks with either me or Gary and just holds our finger the whole time without running off. Gary taught him that one!
        He says so many words! Besides the typical mama and dada, he says: hi, bye, kiss (shish), shoes (shoosh), Elmo (eh-mo), ducky, touch (ta-ch), nice touch (ni ta-ch), kitty, doggie (gaw-gee), boobie (yep, and grabs or smacks my boob), baby, play (pay), so much more, and mimics our yawns by sighing.
        Alex also can identify and say out loud objects in his books (moon, bee, nest, squirrel (skl), etc.). I can't believe how much this boy can talk! It's amazing to see him grow and develop like this. I'm pretty sure babies and toddlers learn much more quickly than adults. He also is a total bookworm and LOVES reading, even to himself.

Anyway, that's the long update for now! Pictures will come later!