Today is the Day!

True to everything else with this pregnancy things have not gone to plan in Houston over the last 24 hours.   At Misty's OB appointment yesterday her blood pressure was high.   We were admitted to the hospital overnight to monitor BP and have some lab tests done. 

Her BP is better but the doctors have decided it is time for Jude to be delivered.

Jude will arrive sometime this evening......baring other unexpected surprises!

Stay tuned to the blog for updates.

Lunch at Cyclone Anaya's & Hermann Park

Another day spent here in Houston as we await Baby Jude's arrival.  For lunch, we went to Cyclone Anaya's Mexican Kitchen.

You can check out their website here:  https://cycloneanaya.com/

Cyclone Anaya was a wrestler, originally from Mexico, who made his home in the United States.  He and his wife Carolina later opened a restaurant in 1966 using her homemade recipes.  It's very family-friendly and very delicious food.  They do have a lunch menu, but I have a favorite dish already just from our couple of times here.

Sculpture outside the restaurant

Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Nachos (Half Order)

After lunch, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and took a walk around Hermann Park.  Parking and entrance are free, so this makes a great activity for anyone on a budget and for people of all ages.

We thought of our boys and how much they would have loved
the pigeons flying around

Japanese Garden

Inside the Japanese Garden

Turtles sunbathing

Train that goes around the park

To finish off our day, we had to make a stop at Target to get a few necessities, then back to the apartment to unload and relax for the remainder of the day.  

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, we watched the movie Schindler's List.  I've never seen it before, but what a moving story.  The horrors and tragedies that happened during that time period are unspeakable.  

 Looks like we will be staying in tonight and cooking chili for dinner.

Lunch at The Pit Room BBQ and Updates on the Boys

On Sunday, Jesse and I went to church, then decided to grab BBQ at a local restaurant nearby.  The Pit Room's website can be found here:  https://thepitroombbq.com/

The Pit Room was featured in Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.

Seating is limited, but it was such a beautiful day outside, that we chose to sit on the patio.

Chopped Brisket Sandwich with Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

The bbq was delicious and we did note they have a To Go Window, so if we need something to eat quickly in the future.

Boys in Louisiana:

Meanwhile, the boys had a fun weekend in Louisiana.  They spent the weekend at their aunt's house and got to have all sorts of fun:

Headed to dinner

Buzz Lightyear - To infinity & beyond!

Josiah's alligator with airplanes and helicopters :)
Love the paint on his head

Alex's version of the Mardi Gras Alligator

Hanging out with KK

We love getting to talk to them every day and they enjoyed telling us all about their paintings from this weekend.  I do love the fact that they are making memories with family and feeling all sorts of love in Louisiana while we can't be there.  Thank you to our village there taking care of them!

Dinner at Prego & Opera at the University of Houston

Yesterday, Jesse and I found inexpensive tickets to see an opera at the University of Houston, so we chose to make a date night out of it.  For dinner, we chose an Italian Restaurant called Prego.  

You can find the website here: https://www.prego-houston.com/

It was so good and we will definitely be putting it on our repeat list.  The service was excellent and the food was delicious.  It reminded us of being in Italy again.  I tried to take photos of all of our food, but completely forgot about dessert - sorry!  It was chocolate souffle - yummy!

Complimentary Bread Service with Olive Oil

Averna Manhattan Knob Creek BourbonAverna Amaro/Angostura Bitters/Citrus Twist 

Calamari Fritto - Fried calamari with roasted tomato sauce

Zucca Risotto - Carmelized butternut squash, jumbo gulf shrimp, housemade pancetta, scallions

After dinner, it was time for the opera.  We saw The Marriage of Figaro and had great seats on the 2nd row.  All of the performers were college students and they did an excellent job with the performance.  If you are ever in Houston and looking for low-cost entertainment, I would highly recommend checking to see if there are any shows playing.  Photos weren't allowed during the show, but I was able to get a few photos before it started.

Here is the website for Moores Opera Center:  https://uh.edu/kgmca/music/opera/seasons/2019-2020/index

Mural in the lobby

Another angle of the mural

Updates on Boys & Houston Car Show

Alex started at his new school in Louisiana on Tuesday.  He was nervous, but seems to be doing okay from our conversations with him.  We've been talking via FaceTime nightly to the boys. It's so good to hear their voices and see their faces.  We are missing them for sure!

Alex ready for his 1st day

Playing dodgeball at PE

Eating lunch - he's so excited to have his photo taken :)

Alex's with his teachers at his new school

Also on Tuesday, Jesse and I met with the neonatologist to learn more about what to expect on the day of Jude's birth.  We also took a tour of the CVICU to see what his room will look like.  It made it all seem so much more real.


Yesterday, Jesse took a day trip to Dallas to accept an award as Physician of the Year of his entire ER group!  We are so proud of him!

When I picked him up at Hobby Airport yesterday afternoon, they had a display set up to advertise for the upcoming Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo that I thought looked pretty neat.

Today, Jesse and I went to the Houston Auto Show just to look at all the new cars.  They had over 800 cars there!  Here were a few of our faves:

Ford GT

Ford Expedition

Yukon

Jaguar - so cute and comfy, but not gonna hold our family of 5 :)

Buick Enclave Avenir

Lincoln Navigator

Chrysler Pacifica

Lamborghini with a custom paint job

Lamborghini

We thought of Alex and how much he would have loved the sports cars.

Tomorrow we have another doctor appointment.  Hoping for good reports to make it one more week toward seeing Jude!