Apologies to our followers for our lack of diligence in keeping our Blogg updated. So, much has happened since we last wrote.
New additions arrived and many miles traversed. Our last few weeks in Texas were comparable to a Texas Tornado. Quite honestly it's tough to remember much outside of the arrival of Jan Braxton. We definitely visited Fredericksburg during Valentine's Weekend and stayed at one of the more charming B&Bs in the area. And John broke his finger in two places on 25 Feb. Everything else is a bit blurry. Here is some of what we're able to recall.
On 12 March John was in the heart of a training exercise which required him to arrive to work very early. This particular Fri Joy was awake just before John. While John got ready for work Joy expressed discomfort. As we were convinced the delivery would be an induction on 17 March we initially thought it was just another phase of the pregnancy. John left for work at @ 5:30 am promising to call Joy to see how she was feeling when he went to have his hand X-Rayed again at 7:00 am. That's not quite how it went. 5-10 minutes into John's commute Joy called him telling him to turn around and come come home. Joy felt pretty sure it was "Go Time!". John dropped off his commuting partner and great friend Laura (also the mother of the two children Joy watched) and tied up some loose ends related to his training; returning home @ 8:00 am. We packed up and arrived to the hospital by 8:30 am and stood by as Joy writhed in pain; contractions hitting her often. All went well, with a little of help from the epidural, Joy made it all look pretty easy. Around 3:45 pm the serious labor commenced and after some intense pushing and a threat of forceps Jan Braxton Garren-O'Brien entered the world.
On 12 March John was in the heart of a training exercise which required him to arrive to work very early. This particular Fri Joy was awake just before John. While John got ready for work Joy expressed discomfort. As we were convinced the delivery would be an induction on 17 March we initially thought it was just another phase of the pregnancy. John left for work at @ 5:30 am promising to call Joy to see how she was feeling when he went to have his hand X-Rayed again at 7:00 am. That's not quite how it went. 5-10 minutes into John's commute Joy called him telling him to turn around and come come home. Joy felt pretty sure it was "Go Time!". John dropped off his commuting partner and great friend Laura (also the mother of the two children Joy watched) and tied up some loose ends related to his training; returning home @ 8:00 am. We packed up and arrived to the hospital by 8:30 am and stood by as Joy writhed in pain; contractions hitting her often. All went well, with a little of help from the epidural, Joy made it all look pretty easy. Around 3:45 pm the serious labor commenced and after some intense pushing and a threat of forceps Jan Braxton Garren-O'Brien entered the world.
It was a spectacular moment! He weighed 8 pounds, 12.8 ounces and measured 21.25 inches long. He's proven himself quite the social butterfly; by the time he was 3 hours old he had been held by @ 15 different sets of hands. We all spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital taking full advantage of the resort like treatment.
We returned home on Sunday evening and had a few days together before John returned to work on Wed. Only one week remained before John finished school so our first week with Jan Braxton was largely spent preparing for our pending move. John graduated on 25 March and the following Mon the movers packed up our little apartment. Jan Braxton was sad to go.
On 31 March we started our first road trip as a three-person family. We drove East through Texas hill country amidst the spectacular sight of blooming Texas Wildflowers.
The Blue Bonnets were brilliant. When mixed with the oranges, yellows, and pinks of the other wildflowers they provided a visual smorgasbord. We spent the first night of our road trip in Washington, TX at a great B&B in the country. 
The highlight of this stop was the next morning's visit to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. The factory wasn't operating that day as it was Good Friday so we watched the short movie about the production process and conducted a self guided tour culminating our visit with a tasting. Jan Braxton got his first taste and got a bit carried away.
We departed the factory and headed for Louisiana. As the blue bonnets faded in the rear view mirror we entered the bayou. The rich and lush landscape juxtaposed with extreme poverty had a sobering effect. 
The highlight of this leg was witnessing the young man bobbing up and down atop his horse. Based on his lack of balance and intoxicated laden movements we surmised that he might have lost his license for DUI and was shooting for a HRUI (Horse Riding Under the Influence) although we couldn't be certain if that was a criminal offense in Louisiana. We arrived in downtown New Orleans late that evening and after checking in to our hotel we decided to grab a sandwich and adult beverage in the lounge. Jan Braxton got to enjoy his first Jazz show and being seated directly behind the drummer got to feel every beat. He really seemed to enjoy the music as he dozed through the set waking only when the music stopped; maybe expressing his displeasure for the silence.
The highlight of this leg was witnessing the young man bobbing up and down atop his horse. Based on his lack of balance and intoxicated laden movements we surmised that he might have lost his license for DUI and was shooting for a HRUI (Horse Riding Under the Influence) although we couldn't be certain if that was a criminal offense in Louisiana. We arrived in downtown New Orleans late that evening and after checking in to our hotel we decided to grab a sandwich and adult beverage in the lounge. Jan Braxton got to enjoy his first Jazz show and being seated directly behind the drummer got to feel every beat. He really seemed to enjoy the music as he dozed through the set waking only when the music stopped; maybe expressing his displeasure for the silence. The next morning we departed New Orleans and arrived shortly thereafter to Navarre, FL to visit with Joy's sister Yvonne, her children (Shelby & Garren), Joy's Dad and all his family (Lisa, Adeline, and Chloe & boyfriend Payton). We spent a wonderful weekend with all of them, sharing many laughs, flashing countless smiles, and enduring a blinding amount of flash bulb.
We departed Tuesday morning and headed for Tampa, FL where we finished our road trip upon arriving to Joy's Mom's house @ 7:00 pm on 6 April. Big Jan had successfully traveled @ 1500 miles and visited 5 of the United States along the way. Our short stay in Tampa was chock full of adventures which we'll cover shortly...
