Weekend in Austin

This weekend we took our first trip with Natalie. I was really nervous about the journey, and had actually was debating not going right up until the night before. A few weeks ago, Natalie and I (and Mike and SYL) had had, like, the roughest car trip EVER. It ended with both Natalie and I crying hysterically (also driving through the countryside - lost - in the pitch black night. And do you how dark it is once you leave the city limits? Dark, I tell you, dark).

So that earlier trip hung heavy in my mind as we set off on Friday morning. When Natalie fell asleep shortly after her morning feeding, we seized the opportunity, skipped breakfast, and jumped in the car (we did a Starbucks drive-thru, though - first pumpkin spice latte of the season - yum!). Natalie slept for about an hour and we got a good start on the drive. When she woke up unhappy, we stopped at a rest stop and changed her. We drove a little more, she was unhappy again, so we stopped at another Starbucks (Mike's turn to get coffee this time) and fed her in their parking lot. I had brought along my special breastfeeding pillow and my little cover-cape-thingy, so feeding in the car was no problem at all. We then drove on, and when she fussed again, we gave her a break by stopping at a restaurant to have lunch ourselves. After that, we were able to drive the remaining hour or so without stopping. When Natalie was unhappy in the car, we tried singing to her, wiggling her seat, and showing her her toys. But you know what really saved us? The white noise iphone app! Nerdy as it sounds, getting our phone to broadcast the loud sound of falling rain was a total lifesaver. Overall, the 3 hour trip took us closer to 5 hours, but the gain in sanity was well worth it!

And Austin was amazing. We had a great time! The hotel was super-nice, and the beds were very comfy:(this last picture was taken early in the morning ["four-four-four," according to Mike] when Natalie woke us up. We did succeed in putting her back to bed, though])

We arrived early enough on Friday afternoon to take a little walk near campus.Saturday morning we had delicious crepes from a Airstream trailer (what is it with Austin and yummy food from trailers?)Saturday lunch and afternoon Mike had to go do his conference thing, so Natalie and I set out to conquer the town. We didn't get very far before we needed a break, though. Luckily, the grounds of the statehouse were nearby, with plenty of benches and shady trees.
(First, the view of the state house from our hotel room, taken through the window):And here's Natalie at the state house.Her interest in seeing the building and surrounding statues? Not great.

After a small rest at the state house, Natalie and I soldiered on in search of our ultimate goal which was.......(wait for it).......(extra points if you know how this will end).........a cupcake! Unfortunately, no pictures, but you'll just have to imagine. I got an oreo one, and I brought Mike back a red velvet one. They were yummy!

While buying my cupcakes, I asked the clerk if she knew of somewhere where I could get lunch with Natalie. She mentioned a cafe around the corner, but then said it might be crowded since that street had been all blocked off since they were doing an event there. "What kind of event?" I asked. "Barkitecture - a contest where architects build dog houses and then display them to the public."

I was sold. Of course we were going! And I loved it!(this is a dog house made from cigar boxes, in case you couldn't tell)

Saturday evening, post-conference, we all headed out again. First, we had some yummy pizza (we've discovered that pizza restaurants generally have a baby-friendly level of ambient noise, plus the food is still good if we have to take turns with the baby, and, thus, eat the food once it has cooled). After pizza, we stopped in at the second-best bookstore I've been to in a long time (It was no Portland gem, but still....).

On Sunday, alas, we had to leave. And face the drive again. Before doing that, I was determined to seek out one more Austin spot: a yummy bakery. This was, like, the most perfect spot ever: dog-friendly patio, super-hot coffee, and delicious treats. Natalie slept while we ate, which made for an even nicer breakfast.

Then we set off for home. Again, we didn't get far before needing to stop. Luckily (for me, not so for Mike), there is an outlet mall located not far from Austin. When we popped Natalie out of her carseat to attend to her diaper and gustatory needs, she actually seemed happy. So we strolled around the mall for a bit, then fed her and changed her. And then we started driving. And then she slept. And slept. And slept. The. Whole. Way. Home.

Here's the whole album of recent photos (also available here):