Happy First Birthday Austin (1 year)

Today is Austin's first birthday. We cannot believe it! Today we were reading through this blog from a year ago. Wow! So many things have changed. Brian has a picture of when we first brought Austin home from the hospital in his crib. He was so small in his crib. Then Brian took a picture of him napping in his crib today. He takes up the whole thing. He has grown and changed so much!

I have been really excited about Austin's birthday. I have been working on his birthday party for about 3 months. The first birthday is so special. I have three pages in his baby book to fill out about his first birthday. Brian took some really great pictures of Austin at his party.

Yesterday was Austin's big birthday party. It was from 11:30am - 1:30pm at Galt Park. I chose that time because it was right after his morning nap. He is usually happiest after his morning nap. However this week Austin has decided that he does not need morning naps anymore. This is not the week for him to be changing his schedule. But Austin does whatever he wants to do.


I tried putting Austin to nap around 9am before I had to leave for my parent's house. He was not happy. I had to leave Brian with an unhappy Austin to go set up for his party. Brian is really good at getting Austin back to sleep. Today though he had to rock his very heavy crib and rub his back for 15 minutes. We knew it was important for Austin to nap, so it was time well spent.

My mom and I set everything up for the party while my dad went every where to pick up things and make soup and chili. Luckily my mom and I got everything set up pretty quickly. Then Brian and Austin got there around 11am. We wanted Austin to get warmed up to the place before his party. It was a good thing we did because he was not too sure about it at first.

Then guests started to arrive. Austin was shy at first however he did give a few smiles even early on. We fed Austin lunch and even let him have some pizza crust. He really liked his pizza crust. After everyone ate, Austin opened his presents. It was great because there were two other kids there (Nathan and Hailey) that helped Austin open his gifts. Austin really enjoyed opening his gifts. Hailey even read Austin his cards. It was perfect. Austin got a lot of really nice things.



After he opened his gifts it was time for cake. Brian's cousin Lauren made Austin's cake. We had an adult cake and a smash cake for Austin. It worked out perfectly. Austin had his own little cake that he could do whatever he wanted with. He did not know what to think of the cake at first. But after I tried the cake in front of him he knew he should eat it. Austin was so cute with his cake. Everyone at the party just sat and watched him play in it for over 15 minutes. We were laughing so much (check out the video at the end of this post)! Watching a baby play in his first birthday cake is priceless! Austin has never had any sweets so this was a real treat and he loved it. Plus his cake was banana favored. Bananas are Austin's favorite food.

Usually I don't like messes and don't like Austin to get dirty but for his birthday I did not care. I wanted him to have fun and enjoy it. His hands were stained green from the frosting from playing in it. But it was cute. He was laughing and having so much fun. He got his clothes all dirty too but again that was all part of the fun.

Many people even came up to have their pictures taken with Austin while he was so messy. The best was when great grandma came up and Austin started feeding her his messy hands. It was so cute. They had fun together.

After the party we cleaned up and went home. We were all exhausted but so happy. Brian and I went to a Cavs game Friday night so we were out late the night before his party. It wasn't the best timing but coworkers of Brian wanted to go that night so we went. After the party Austin went to bed a little after 7pm and we both went to bed around 8pm because we were so tired.



Austin really enjoyed his birthday party. Watching him be so happy and playful made all the work for it so worth it. I am considering making a scrapbook of his first birthday. I love to make scrapbooks but it seems like I don't have enough time. I want to spend all my time with Austin. Once he goes to bed though, I am wore out too. It is all about priorities.

Austin now takes about 3-4 steps alone without holding on to anything. He does really well when he thinks he is holding on to something but isn't. If he knows he is by himself then he freaks and sits down right away. He still loves to crawl because it is so fast at it. He can also climb stairs quickly. He can be upstairs in a matter of seconds. We have the lower level gated off but he can go up and down to the upper level whenever he wants. He will often follow one of us up there or sometimes go up there for no reason at all when no one is up there. He's heads straight for the bathroom to go play with the drawers or toilet paper (it's funny because sometimes he'll close the door behind him on his way in to buy himself more time).

Austin's favorite foods are bananas, pancakes, and applesauce. He also eats yogurt and waffles and pureed baby food (green beans, sweet potatoes, and lots of fruits). We are trying different foods but he has not been big fans of sliced pineapple or string cheese.

Our next adventure is we are going to Dallas, Texas to visit my family. We are excited about our trip. We will see how well Austin does on the three hour plane ride. Our last flights went well, but back then Austin was small enough to sleep in our hands. Now he wants to be out and about and on the move. That will be hard on a plane. It will be interesting!



Birthday Videos:

Austin eats and plays with his cake at his first birthday. These are the first 5 minutes. We let him play with it for 15-20 minutes total. There was nothing left by the time he was done.

After 15 minutes, there was nothing left of Austin's birthday cake. He really enjoyed it.

Everyone having fun watching Austin open presents

New Baby on the Way! (preganancy at 6 weeks)

A week before Christmas we took a pregnancy test. We brought a large quality of pregnancy tests when we were trying to get pregnant with Austin online and we still had several left. The pregnancy tests are very simple. When we took the test, the result was unclear. It was not clearly positive, but not clearly negative either. I knew I was pregnant because all the other times I took the test it was negative when I was not pregnant. Plus I was already always nauseous. Brian and I did not know what to think. Obviously we are very excited however we know the first three months with a new baby are a blur where nights and days all become one in a 90 day never ending day.

We always said we wanted two children. Ideally a boy and girl, but two healthy children is the only thing we really want. If we end up with 2 boys, at least there is some overlap with what we've learned from Austin. Now that baby number two is on his/her way though, we are nervous again. Can we handle two babies? What is Austin going to think? This is going to be an adventure. Knowing that I am carrying baby number two makes me feel that our family is now complete.

Melissa named Austin when I was pregnant with "Mattie". She was convinced we were having a girl. Brian and I named this baby Sibby because it's Austin's sibling. I really like the name Sibby. If this is a girl we already have the name picked out but if it's a boy we are going to have to think about it.

We considered telling our family on Christmas about Sibby but decided it was best to wait to make sure everything is okay. Our first doctor's appointment was not until the second week of January.

Brian, Austin, and I went to the first doctor's appointment. They took a bunch of blood and confirmed that I was pregnant. It is something about the doctor telling you the due date that makes it all the more real. We knew that Sibby was due in August but Dr Grossman told us that my due date was August 20. We had an ultrasound that same week to confirm how far along I was. That had me one week earlier in pregnancy so per the ultrasound tech my new due date would be moved back to August 26.  Since the date didn't move by more than 7 days, they don't bother changing it so it will officially remain as August 20.  We are hoping Sibby's birth date will be 8-22-12. That would make Sibby and Austin exactly 19 months apart.

We were hoping to have them a little closer in age, but this is how things worked out. I am exhausted all the time. Plus I have morning sickness which I really can't stand anymore! Between taking care of Austin and working part time, I am completely wore out. I basically go to bed when Austin does now around 8pm. Then I am usually up for an hour or so in the middle of the night. Most days I am up around 5-5:30am to start my day.

Our next doctor's appointment is not until mid February. Let's hope everything continues to look okay then.

First photo of Austin and Sydney together (January 11, 2012).

Merry Christmas (11 months)

Austin had a very Merry Christmas. On Christmas morning the grandparents and great grandma came over. I had breakfast ready at 10am. After breakfast, we opened gifts. Austin did not know what to think of everything. He would start to open a gift then get distracted and move on to something else. Austin got a lot of presents. He got big blocks, Leapfrog Scout Turtle, Vetch teaching Turtle, stacking cone, abacus, Chicken Elmo doll, Turtle for the bathtub for his toys, and many books. It was a lot of fun to watch Austin play with everything.

For Christmas, I made a calendar of Austin for everyone. Each month will be exactly one year ago. It is really cool to look back at how much he has changed already. Then for everyone’s birthday I have a picture of him or her with Austin. Everyone seemed to really like his or her calendar.


December was a busy month with getting ready for Christmas. Austin went to two Christmas parties. He was fun to watch him with Santa Claus. We did not just throw him on Santa’s lap though. We knew that would not go well. Austin does have some stranger anxiety. It is not bad but he still noticeable. Brian had some time off this month too. It was really nice spending time as a family.

Last night, Brian and I went to the home opener of the Cavs. We had season tickets for four and a half years and last year we did not renew because we knew we could not go to many games. But we still like the Cavs and enjoy going. My mother in law watched Austin for us while we went. Brian and I had fun. I’m sure Austin had fun with grandma and grandpa too.


Brian and I have been really good at still doing things as a couple. Luckily my parent’s are able to watch Austin almost anytime. Most of the time we do things as a family but probably about once or twice a month Brian and I do something alone. I think that is really important. Because our every day lives are crazy with Austin. Even though things are so much easier now (than 8 months ago), Austin requires a lot and that can be challenging at times.

We have been so spoiled by Austin though. Most of the time he is an easygoing baby. He usually only cries when he’s hungry or tried. But like everyone he has his moments that he is not happy and that can be miserable. I don’t like a crying baby. I let Austin cry as needed but I definitely don’t let him cry uncontrollably for long periods of time. Because usually if Austin is crying there is something wrong.

Like last night he woke up at 3am. Austin has been sleeping all night now for a while but occasionally he will wake up because he is hungry. I was not too happy that he was up because I was tired. Plus supposedly Austin is supposed to be off the bottle in a month (I really don’t think that is going to happen by a month but we will see what the Dr says at his 1 year check up). So I don’t want to keep feeding him a bottle in the middle of the night. When I went to check on him I found out that he peed and pooped through his diaper so that was what was wrong. He did not like having to be changed in the middle of the night so he was screaming a lot. I had to give him a bottle to calm him down and he went right back to sleep.

Next weekend we will probably take down the Christmas lights and probably our Christmas tree. Austin did not really bother the Christmas tree much. He liked to stand next to it. He would stand unassisted near the tree. It is neat to watch him stand-alone. Austin really liked his new tree and we did too. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful son!

Happy Ba-Ba Birthday Amy! (10 ½ months)

Austin favorite words right now are ba ba. We are not sure what they mean but he loves to say it! Austin is also good at saying da da. He does not realize that Brian is dada yet but he is getting close. He kind of says mama but not often and has no idea that I am mama.

Austin also learned to clap his hands this week. I have been working with him for a while now to clap his hands and he has finally done it. Brian and I were very excited. He sometimes recognizes the word "clap" and will do it. Austin loves to walk around with his push walker. It is really cute. He also loves chewing on everything so many times he will have a teething toy in his mouth as he walks around. Austin is so cute!



For my birthday we went out to dinner at Parason’s. I love Italian food. It was nice. Then we went back to my parent’s house for cake and ice cream. Austin and I blew out the candles together. The next time we sing happy birthday it will be to Austin. I am very excited about his birthday. I can’t believe he is going to be a year old. Time really does go by too fast!


Last week, I mailed out our Christmas cards. We went to Hobby Lobby to get some props for Austin’s picture. I love that we have a photo studio in our house. When Austin is happy we can set it up and we get great pictures. As you can see Austin’s Christmas picture is very cute!


We are starting our Christmas shopping. I can’t wait for Christmas. Christmas is going to be so fun with Austin! We are so lucky because he is a happy baby. He loves to play and have attention. On Christmas he will have all the attention. We will be able to watch him eat the wrapping paper (of course I won’t let him but he will certainly try).

Austin now has 8 teeth. He loves to eat puffs and Cheerios. He still eats stage 2 baby food although he is starting to have chopped up fruits more and more. He usually has three servings of fruits a day and one serving of vegetables. He also has baby cereal for breakfast and dinner. He always loves yogurt. He must have gotten that from me because Brian is not a fan of yogurt. I eat yogurt everyday.

Austin has been taking his naps easily these days. I love it. The only issue is sometimes the evening nap does not go well. When he gets home from daycare he is tired. Usually he is asleep in the car seat. I try to bring him in the house and directly to his crib to finish his nap but he usually does not sleep long. Then he is cranky in the evening because he is tired.

Also Austin has another ear infection. He has had 4 of them now. He will not take his medicine in milk any longer. He does not like the taste and he will not drink it. So we have to give it to him in the syringe. At first it was terrible. Austin would scream and cry and it was very difficult to get it in him. He is getting better everyday with it. Most recently, he has come to accept the inevitability of it all and will sit there and reluctantly cooperate and take his medicine without being forced. Thank goodness. I hold him and Brian gives him the medicine. It has been working out better. Hopefully he will not have any more ear infections for a while.

Happy Thanksgiving (10 months)

For Thanksgiving we went to my parent's house. We ate at 4pm which worked out nicely with Austin's nap schedule. I have always liked routine but with Austin it is a must. We stick to his schedule every day. Thanksgiving morning while Austin was napping Brian and I looked though the ads. Every year Brian and I would go out shopping on Black Friday. This year there was nothing we really wanted so we decided not to go out. Well kind of. Brian went out at midnight to Target for some pans for me but he was unsuccessful at getting them. I decided I would rather sleep (hey, one of us had to stay home with Austin anyway!). After Austin's nap we went to Old Navy since they were open on Thanksgiving. They had some good deals so we got some clothes. After shopping we came home and Austin took his afternoon nap. Once Austin got up we went to my parent's for dinner.

At dinner we let Austin try turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Austin does not like food much yet. He prefers his milk. Some mashed potatoes got stuck on his tongue and he gagged. After that we stuck to his turkey and sweet potato baby food. We even tried to give Austin a tiny piece of pumpkin pie and he was not interested. Generally he's not a fan of most foods. He is starting to like things he can chew on though. Brian gave him a piece of pizza crust that was all bread and he liked playing with that. He also will eat bananas whole that Brian will give him. He just peels it and hands it to him and Austin will gum it. He only gets little bits off. Sometimes he'll take a big bite, but he spits it out right away because he doesn't know what to do with it.


Austin got to play with Gizmo. Gizmo is a dog but he is really sized like a pony. He is 150 pounds. Austin loves playing with him. Gizmo just lets Austin do whatever he wants. It is really cute to see.

Austin is now 25 pounds. He is cruising around the furniture. He also loves to walk with his toy walker. He crawls so fast. Anywhere he wants to go, he goes. He is now able to climb up and down stairs. He learned how to go down the stairs the correct way. He now does it for our living room step too.

This weekend we went out and bought a new Christmas tree. Our previous tree was huge and has fake snow on it. Austin is going to just eat the snow so we decided to get a smaller more basic tree. Our previous tree only had glass icicle ornaments on it. Again that is not going to work with Austin. We decided we will use our new Christmas tree for a few years while Austin is young then go back to our nice tree once he is older and will appreciate it.

I am excited to put up our tree but need to wait closer until Christmas because I don't want to worry about Austin knocking it down for a month. Austin loves to get into everything! We did set up our deluxe Christmas light display outside already. Austin likes to watch it out the front window.

The weather has been great so we have been going for our walks. I know it's going to change soon. I'm going to miss walking with Austin. However the snow is going to be fun for him especially once he gets older.

The other week I went to the store while Brian stayed home and watched Austin. In my absence, he hooked up our camera to the back of Austin's car so you could watch Austin get pushed around the house from his perspective. He made a couple of entertaining videos of it. You can check them out below.




We even went to see decorated Christmas trees with Austin at the Knight Center in Akron on black Friday. He got his picture taken with Alvin and the chipmucks. It is officially time to start getting ready for Christmas. It is going to be fun (like Austin playing with a bowl full of spaghetti fun - see video clip down below).


Austin taking care of leftovers:

Happy Halloween (9 months 1 week)

It is hard to believe that Austin is already 9 months old. Where has all the time gone? He is getting bigger and into more and more every day. At his 9 month check up, he weighed 24 pounds 3 ounces and was 30 inches long. He is still in the 90th percentile in both height and weight.

Austin is able to furniture walk extremely well. It will not be too much longer and he will be walking alone. He loves to climb stairs and he is an expert now. He is able to come down too. He just learned how to turn around to come down the steps. Previously he would go head first down the 1 step between our living room and dining room. We had a blanket there for him to land on. That doesn't work so well for a flight of stairs, so we taught him to turn around.

Austin is mommy's little helper. Anything I do Austin helps me. He loves to empty the dishwasher with me. He takes the silverware and throws it on the floor. When I am putting clothes away, he loves to take the clothes out of drawers and throw them on the floor. He has discovered the toilet paper roll and knows how to unroll the toilet paper.
When I make dinner, he is in the kitchen going though the cupboards finding something to play with. He loves our thermos from when we packed our dinners for Cavs games. He rolls them on the floor and plays. Austin is so much fun right now!



For Halloween, Austin was a monkey. Brian got his costume the day after Halloween last year. It was a great costume for him. It was nice because it kept him warm. Plus he looked so cute! We went trick or treating in Grandma and Grandpa D's neighborhood. We went around the block and were only out and about for about a half an hour. Then we went to visit Great Grandma. We knocked on her door with Austin to surprise her. Trick or Treat! Then on Halloween we went around our block with our neighbors. We probably walked around for 45 minutes to a few houses. It was a lot of fun. As usual, Austin likes being out and seeing people and things. He seemed to really enjoy it.