Austin Cruise Day 3 (7 months)

On our last day of our cruise we were in Nassau, Bahamas. We woke up and went to breakfast in the formal dining room. We loved eating there with Austin. It worked out nicely. The staff loved him too. After breakfast, we went to the Under 2 Zoo so Austin could play. Where they usually have it set up, there was a wedding so we had to go the the kid zone. At the kid zone, we were the only ones there. It was still nice to have a large area for Austin to play.



After play time, we got off the ship to explore Nassau. Brian and I have been there several times. We knew we were not going to do much with Austin. It was hot and humid. There were no beaches near the cruise port so going swimming was not an option. We decided to walk around the city. We went to into many stores. I wanted to get Austin an outfit but I did not find any that were cute enough.

After we walked around the city for a while. We took some family pictures documenting our travels to the Bahamas. Before Austin, Brian and I would always get a picture together everywhere we went. We have four large poster size collage pictures of all the places we have been. We have well over 100 pictures. Now we are starting a new collection with Austin.


We got back on the ship and enjoyed our afternoon. When we sailed away from the Bahamas it was sad because we knew we were on our way home. This trip was too short. We did a short trip purposely because we did not know how Austin would do. He did really well. So well, that I wanted it to be a week.

We had dinner for the last time in the formal dining room. We went for our nightly walk. Then went back to our stateroom. I packed our suitcases. Brian and I enjoyed cocoa on our balcony. It was really nice to have a balcony with Austin. Since he goes to bed early, Brian and I could spend time together on our balcony every night. We had a wonderful vacation!

Austin's Cruise Day 2 (7 months)

Today we were in Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. It is NCL’s private island. Once Austin woke up we went to breakfast in the dining room since last night went so well. Again all the staff there was all over Austin. It is so cute. After breakfast we went to the under 2 zoo. It is a play area for children under two. It was nice to get out of our stateroom and let him play. The staterooms are small as it is let alone put a crib and stroller it in, they are really small. Austin does not have any room to play.



At the under two zoo, we met two babies with their parents. It was nice talking with them. We learned about rearranging our cabin to make more space. They kids played and had fun. Austin enjoyed crawling all around. They could not believe Austin was only about 7 months. He is big for his age. Also that he crawls so much and his able to stand with little assistance. The other babies were 12 and 20 months.


After playtime, Austin took a little nap. After his nap, we got ready to go ashore for a while. We have to tender but luckily it worked out find. He packed up the stroller and diaper bag and got on the tender boat. It was like 10-minute tender ride to shore. Once we got to shore, we went swimming.



Austin loves water. Austin was splashing like crazy. He had to get salt water in his eyes but he did not care. He kept on playing. He sat on the beach and the water would come up and splash him. He loved it. We got our picture taken in the water as a family. It was fun!



After about 15 minutes playing in the water, we got out and found some shade. We knew Austin could not be in the sun very long. We got Austin all cleaned up and sat him in his stroller in the shade. Brian and I had some lunch. Then we went back to the ship for naptime.


After naptime, we got ready for dinner. Before dinner we got some pictures taken of all of us. The wait staff in the dining room is fantastic. One waitress was even feeding Austin. We cannot believe how much attention little Austin gets. It is fun to watch. Austin seems to like it too. It seems like everyone in the dining room knows Austin.

After dinner we went for our normal evening walk. We walked around the track until Austin let us know it was bedtime. We went back and put Austin to bed. Then Brian and I sat on our balcony and ate cookies and cocoa. It was a wonderful night.

Austin’s First Cruise Day 1 (7 months)

We woke up at 3:30am to get ready for the airport. We did not get much sleep. Austin barely woke up. We got him in the car and off to my parents house we went so Dad could take us to the airport. When we got to the airport, Austin was cheerful. Oh thank goodness. We checked in and waited to board the plane. We gave him Tylenol and the eardrops so hopefully he did not scream the entire flight.

Austin did well. On the flight to Atlanta he slept for about 40 minutes. He was playing and happy the other time. Then from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale he slept most of the flight. It was perfect! Once we arrived to Fort Lauderdale, I had arranged cruise transportation to the port of Miami. It was cheaper to fly to Fort Lauderdale. It was about a 45-minute bus ride to Miami. That went well too.

When we arrived to the ship the crew loved Austin. Women were tickling his feet and talking to him. It was really cute. Austin seemed to love it. Brian and I were exhausted though. We tried to take a nap but then the muster drill woke us up after 30 minutes of sleeping.



We figured we would be eating at the buffet every night. However we noticed the main dining room was not crowded so we decided to try it. The staff there loved Austin too. Our waitresses try to give him lobster and ice cream for dinner. Obviously we did not give it to him but it was really cute. Everyone loved Austin and Austin loved all the attention. It was a lot of fun.

After dinner we went back to our small stateroom and went to bed. We were all exhausted. Unfortunately Austin woke up about an hour after going to bed screaming. We thought it was 2am but it was only 10:30pm. He must have had a bad dream. He went back to sleep after being held for a few minutes. Then he slept the rest of the night.

Keeping Austin Safe at Sea (7 months)

Sometimes mommy worries about Austin. On the cruise, we had to be very careful with him. Even though we knew he would be fine, we didn't want anything to happen. Brian kept telling me that I was going to make Austin wear his life jacket for the entire cruise just to be safe. It did sound tempting, but let the record show that I did not do it. None-the-less, Brian put Austin in his life jacket and took a series of photos to show everyone so it looked like he did live in his life jacket. Like all photos of Austin, they are cute and worth sharing.

Getting Ready for Austin’s First Cruise (7 months)

Let me start by saying that none of the pictures shown here were taken today. They were taken in the last week or so and show how big Austin has gotten. Make no mistake though, this day didn't have too many photo moments (fortunately most days do with Austin)!

Thursday was a disaster! Austin woke up and we knew something was not right with him. He was crying a lot and that is not Austin at all. He is usually always happy. His teeth are starting to come in so we wondered if it was just teething. However he has had a cold for over a month now. When we went to the doctors last week, she said he had fluid behind his ear but it was not infected yet. Now we were worried that it was infected. This was terrible timing because we leave Friday for a cruise. I called the doctor and got an appointment in the late afternoon.

Also on Thursday we had plumbers out to fix our main sanitary sewer line. We had problems for a while and they recommended we get it hydro jetted out. We decided to spend the money on it to have it fixed. They came out and after 2 hours it was decided they couldn’t fix it. They will need to dig it up and replace the entire line. That did not make us too happy. By the way, this is extremely expensive (their initial quote was more than $8k)! Well we have to focus on getting Austin better and our cruise for now, so that will have to wait until we get back.


Luckily my mom was off on Thursday so she was with me all day. She helped me with Austin which was much appreciated since he was crying all day long! Plus I needed to pack and clean for our trip in the morning. I did not get much cleaning done so when we come home to a somewhat dirty house. I always like to clean before trips so when I come home the house is perfectly clean. That did not happen this time. I was able to pack and get some chores done though while my mom took care of Austin. Listening to him cry most of the day was terrible. Oh I could not wait until the doctor’s appointment.

My mom and I took Austin to the doctors. Sure enough Austin had an ear infection. I asked the doctor if it was safe to travel and she said yes. So we were still going on vacation in about 12 hours. We got an antibiotic and some eardrops for him. The eardrops were for the plane ride to make it more comfortable for him. I ran to the pharmacy and got home to start giving him the medication.

I still needed to do a lot before we left in the morning. When Brian came home, he was on Austin duty. I needed a break and had to finish packing. Brian was trying to get Austin to bed early since we had to wake him up early in the morning. Brian was doing great. Austin was all ready for bed by 8:15pm. Then we thought we should give him some Motrin to help with the pain. Immediately after giving him the Motrin, Austin began vomiting. Vomiting like he has never done before. Over the next 20 seconds there was a continuous stream of all 8 ounces of milk that he was just fed. It was everywhere! Brian and I looked at each other and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. This could be a disaster! So much for going to bed early.

Austin seemed fine after vomiting but we were really nervous about this. Finally Austin went to bed. We stayed up late getting everything else done.

Austin's First Hair Cut (29 Weeks)

The picture below summarizes why we had to take Austin to a haircut even though he's only about 6.5 months old. We weren't in a hurry to get him a haircut, but we really had no choice as you can see:

BEFORE HAIRCUT
AFTER HAIRCUT

I wanted to take Austin to a special hair cut salon because it was his first hair cut. I needed to make it special for him. At first Brian thought I was crazy but finally he decided that it was fine. We went to Cut N Curls. It was cute because Austin got to sit in a race car while getting his hair cut. Austin did really well except when she was clipping around his ear. A hair must of got caught and it pinched him. He was not happy for a little bit but he was fine after a few minutes. We loved his new haircut. Austin is so cute!

Here are some videos of his haircut:

Bye Bye Gramps

Once we arrived back into Ohio, we went straight to Grandmas. We wanted to see her as soon as possible. Once we got there it was really weird that Gramps was not there. He would always be there. This was going difficult for everyone, especially Grandma.

We set Austin on the floor and he crawled straight to Gramp’s chair. This time was different though, Gramps was not there. Usually Gramps would hold Austin and play with him. Brian and I just looked at each other knowing how sad this is. We visited with everyone for a while then went back home.

Sunday was the funeral. I ran to the store to find something for Austin to wear. I did not want to buy him a suit but needed something dressy. He has out grown all of his other dressy clothes. He is now wearing mostly 18-month clothes.

Brian and I arrived to the funeral home first. We thought Grandma would be there first but she was not moving too fast. I can’t imagine going to my husband’s funeral. Once Grandma got there, she had some alone time with Gramps. Then the rest of the family went in. It was sad to see Gramps. At least it was not suffering any longer.


There were calling hours two hours before the funeral. There were a lot of people that came. Gramps was such a special person so it’s not surprising. I am not sure Gramps realized how special he was. I hope now he knows.


Austin was good at the funeral. Many people liked him. My parents watched him for us at times so we did not have to the entire day. We wanted to be there for everyone. Plus we needed to grieve ourselves. At the end of the funeral, everyone walked up towards Gramps and the immediate family was near the front. People had some very kind words to say. But it was terrible sitting there watching this. That is when I fell apart.

I was really sad saying bye to Gramps. I was sad for Grandma. How is she going to do this? They have been together for over 60 years! I was sad for Carol. Loosing your dad is difficult. Brian and Melissa know that first hand. I was sad for Brian and Melissa. They had lost their grandparents. Grandma and Gramps were not just any grandparents for them. They were extremely special. They were always around when they were growing up. They both have so many memories with them. They helped shape their lives in so many ways. Brian learned so much from Gramps. I did not have grandparents like this growing up. They were like my grandparents since Brian and I have been together for almost 14 years. I am lucky to have met them. I was sad for Austin. Austin will never get to know his amazing great grandpa.


We love Gramps and miss him! Now our focus is on Grandma. All Gramps wanted was to ensure Grandma is taken care of so we all need to figure out how best to do that.

First Airplane Ride (28 Weeks)

On Thursday, we left for Milwaukee. This was our first airplane ride with Austin. I worked the beginning of the week so I did not have much time to prepare. Since Brian and I have traveled extensively, I am very good at packing. Most of the time I no longer need a list. However since this was the first time with Austin, I made a list to ensure I had everything I needed on the plane. Anything else I figured we could go to the store up there.

Luckily my mom was off on Thursday so she watched Austin for me in the morning so I could get us all packed. My mom ironed our clothes for the trip too (I am not a fan of ironing). It was so helpful. Brian got home around 2pm and we left for the airport.


Because we were renting a car, we needed to bring a car seat with us. Brian did some research online to find the best way to attached the car seat to our luggage so we did not have to carry it. It was really cute how Austin could be wheeled though the airport with the car seat buckled to a standard piece of checked luggage on wheels. Going though security now is a real pain. We always travel with a laptop so that needs to come out of its case. I now have bottles so they have to be specially screened. We have a car seat and stroller that needs to be put on the beat. Plus one of us needs to hold Austin. It is a good idea to arrive a little early because it is a little more challenging with a baby. Luckily we flew out of Akron Canton airport. It is a small but wonderful airport.

We made sure Austin was hungry when the plane took off. We were concerned about his ears. We wanted him to be sucking when we took off and landed. He did really well on the plane. He ate when we wanted him to and he played on our laps well. It was nice that it was only an hour and 20 minute flight though. We were extremely happy on how he did on the plane.

When we landed in Milwaukee we got terrible news. Gramps had passed away. Our flight was at 4:11pm and he died at 4:30pm. We felt awful. It was so sad. We were worried about Grandma and wished we were home. Unfortunately we were not. Grandma had her nieces there. Plus my mom stopped by to comfort her too. Carol was already on her way up. Melissa was leaving in the morning. There was not much we could do now. Since we already had a return flight scheduled in less than 48 hours, we decided to stay in Milwaukee for Brian’s conference. The only other option would have been to stay at the airport all day waiting for a standby flight, but that could be miserable with a baby. After a brief discussion, we decided to continue as planned with the trip.


We rented a car from Budget. It took them forever (45 minutes) to get us a car. It was unbelievable! Finally we got our car: a Dodge Adventurer. Brian had to install the car seat. Luckily it did not take too long. The car was really nice. It took us about 20 minutes to get to our downtown hotel. We checked in. Then we went to dinner with the person Brian was presenting with in the morning. They needed to talk to make sure they were ready for the presentation. Austin was good again. He really is an amazing baby. We are so lucky.

Once we got back to the hotel, we all passed out. We were tired. I forgot his nighttime diapers. Since he usually sleeps most of the night, we have special nighttime diapers that do not leak. Unfortunately I forgot them and his diaper leaked at 4am. It was an important lesson to learn.

In the morning, we got breakfast then headed to the University of Marquette. I sat in the presentation room until the presentation started. I was going to stay longer but Austin got a little fussy so we went and walked around the campus. It is like most University campuses. It was a nice day to go for a walk. Brian said that his presentation went well. He was happy.



After the presentation, we got lunch and took it back to the hotel. Austin needed a nap. While Austin was napping, Brian heard loud planes outside. He found out that the air show was the next day. They must be practicing. Brian went outside to see them.



After Austin’s nap, we went for a walk to the lake. It was 1.3 miles to the lake from our hotel. Austin loves walks so we packed up the diaper bag and went for an evening walk. We got to the lake in time to see the art museum close. The wings on the art museum open and close at 5pm. We got to see it. It was cool.

Then we walked around by the lake for a while. They were setting up for a movie at dark. We knew we could not stay for the movie but we sat there and played with Austin for a while. They were also having a fish fry. We decided to eat that for dinner. Overall it was a nice night.

We walked back to our hotel. Before we left the lake, Brian and Austin played in the fountain. Once we got back to our hotel, we took our car to go get ice cream. It was a nice night.

On Saturday, we got up and basically went to the airport to come home. Again Austin did wonderfully. We walked around the Milwaukee airport for a while since we got there in plenty of time. Austin enjoyed his ride in his car seat at the airport. During the plane ride, Austin took a nap. He was exhausted from his two busy days. Our schedule with him basically went out the window. But he still did great.


Once we got home, we went to see Grandma.