At home in Austin

We got to stay at a friend's place on Lake Travis since SXSW was in town and the hipsters had taken up all the available lodging in town. The condo has been newly renovated and it looks fantastic. It was great that it was available last minute and that we were able to enjoy the gorgeous lake. Other than enjoying the views, we crammed in as many visits as time would allow and really made the rounds. I think we almost stayed in Austin too long though since it started to feel like home again. I will miss Dublin when we are back for good, but Austin will always be home.



 

First campus visit

at DKR-Memorial Stadium

Game watching, too bad the Horns lost

Location:Austin, texas

I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could

"I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could." - that quote has a whole new meaning for us as we arrived in Houston with a barely 6-week-old Harris. I think that qualifies as "as fast as I could."

After our last minute dash to the US embassy in Dublin to obtain Harris's first passport, we purchased our flights to the US. We got the go ahead from the pediatrician to fly, so there was only one question left. How would little 6 week-old Harris fly?

We are relieved to report, he did great. His eyes opened really wide when our ears popped, but other than that, we didn't hear a peep on the long 7 and half hour flight. He was a little sick of flying by the time our Newark layover was over, but settled down in time for take-off after getting a full tummy. I have to say this really is great age to fly. I know it will only be getting more difficult as he becomes more and more aware of the world around him. I will update everyone on his "perfect traveller" status after our summer trips to Europe. Right now, we're just crossing our fingers that the flight back to Dublin is as uneventful as the flight to Texas.

Perfect Traveller

I can't recommend this Kidco Peapod travel "crib" enough!

We had a really busy first weekend. There was a rehearsal dinner, wedding and Harris's baptism. I'm so glad we got to attend Amanda and Bradley's beautiful wedding. The weather was great for their pretty outdoor ceremony and the reception at the Houston Museum of Natural Science was outstanding. It is such a great venue. We even got to tour the butterfly center. And the best part was Harris got to hang out with his Lola and Lolo, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Dylan and his cousins, Thalia and Carys while we attended the wedding.

The baptism was a nice ceremony given by Rev. Stuart Bates at the church I grew up in, St. Francis Episcopal. And we were extremely blessed to have everyone there.

Next up, Austin!

Cocktail hour under the dinosaur

Chelsea designed most of the graphics and paper goods

Reception in the main lobby

Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Gunter

Lots of bikes in this wedding

Everyone but Charlie

WindaChen

WindaBerg

So happy for Bradley and Amanda!

The Embassy

Waiting in line for security

Harris getting officially recognized as a US citizen

Outside the embassy, finally!

Monday we had our first adventure at the US Embassy. We've never needed to go during our two years here. But we all had to go in person to report Harris's birth as a US citizen born abroad and apply for his social security number and passport. Our appointment was at 1pm, and it took just under 2 hours even though we were first in line. The hardest part was probably getting an acceptable passport photo of Harris. It is extremely trying to get a photo of a newborn with his eyes open, looking into the camera with both ears visible and a neutral expression. Extremely trying! The woman who helped us at the embassy told us his photo was great and she seemed genuinely impressed. I just heard back from the embassy that the passport is in the mail which is great news since we're flying to Texas for a wedding next Thursday!