Crib Notes - Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  In honor of the holiday, I said "thank you" to Mommy about everything today.  I thanked her for my spoon.  I thanked her for putting on my shoes.  I thanked her for taking something from me.  It was one of my favorite words today.

Mommy and I really missed Daddy today, but we tried to make the best of it.  I really enjoyed the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  So many colors and so much music.  We saw the band from Fayetteveill High School and talked about how that is where Papa Carl and GiGi live.  Mommy and I danced to the music.

I got pretty upset when one of my favorite punkeens had a blowout.  It was just a small hole that I stuck half my hand into.  I don't know why Mommy had to throw it away.  I asked for that punkeen for the rest of the morning.

I took the longest nap I've taken in a long time.  By the time I finally woke up, half the day was gone.  Mommy asked me if I wanted to go on an adventure.  Even though I told her no, we still went to Starbucks and got coffee and fruit.  We sat outside to eat.  It was yummy and fun.  Maybe adventures aren't all that bad.  I hope Mommy has an adventure planned for tomorrow.

We had black beans and yellow rice for dinner.  I helped Mommy feed me by putting the food in her spoon to give to me.  I'm sure she appreciated the help.  Apparently, this was not a traditional Thanksgiving day meal, but I enjoyed it.

Mommy and I talked about how much we have to be thankful for this year.  We are so blessed.

We had a great rest of the weekend, too.  Mommy and I spent an hour and a half at the park.  I asked to "wing".  We winged in all 3 of the baby swings because as soon as Mommy took me out of one swing, I pointed to another and said, "Wing.  Whee.  Whee."  Mommy learned that you have to be careful clapping at a baby in a swing.  We can't resist the urge to clap back.  I went down the really big slide all by myself, and I played ball with Kayla.  I LOVE the park.

My favorite words this weekend are "thank you" and "yes."  Mommy says that even though the concept is the same, a baby that answers yes to every question is much more cheerful sounding than one that answers no to everything.

I've started saying "bess you" when I sneeze, and I say "messy" when Mommy changes my diaper.  Yesterday, I looked up at Mommy as I was making my diaper stinky and said, "I poop." 

Today, I was helping Mommy put things away in the bathroom and knocked something over.  She said, "Oh, Honey..."  I toddled around the bathroom saying Oney, Oney, Oney.  I also found some nail clippers in the bathroom drawer.  I sat down with them, pulled off Mommy's house shoe and sock, grabbed her toe, and tried to clip her toenails just like she does to me. 

I took my hone (phone) to bed with me last night.  Records show I made a very important call at 3:02 AM.  Mommy woke up and looked at the monitor.  I was sitting up in bed quiet as a little church mouse texting away to all my friends.  What did we do before we had hones?

Last weekend I was walking 8-10 steps pretty consistently.  This weekend, I'm walking about 50-60% of the time.  By next weekend, I may never crawl again!

Daddy's Little Helper

It took all of us to get things packed up...

Walking with Daddy

Maternal Musings

My Dearest Little Austin,

I spend so much time on this blog trying to recount all the funny, adorable, amazing things you do.  I want to capture these anecdotes so that our family can share in the miracle that you are.  I want to capture every little memory, milestone, and moment so that I can always revisit every step you take.

However, I think I've gotten so wrapped up in telling your story that I've forgotten to tell you mine.  At some point, you will read this blog and marvel at how silly and petty some of my posts are.  That's okay.  It's a mother's right to be amazed at every sound and motion that you make.  It's okay that I don't always remember that there have been other kids that were cute, that learned to feed themselves, and to talk, and to walk.  It's okay-and right- that I think you are the most perfect, amazing, wonderful child that God ever made.

However, what is most important is not what I think, but that you know that you are here for a purpose, a wonderful God ordained purpose.  You are learning to talk so you can talk to Him.  You are learning to walk so you can walk in the paths that He has chosen for you.  I thank God for creating you just the way that you are.  I wouldn't change one single thing about you.  You are so quick to smile and laugh and enjoy the moment.  You are so smart and obedient.  You are physically perfect and healthy and strong.  I pray every single day that God will protect you, and that you will love Him with all your heart and mind and soul.  And I beg God to give me the wisdom to raise you to be the man He has created you to be.

There is not a night that passes when I don't pray that God will post his angels at the four corners of your crib to watch over you while you sleep, that He will let you rest in his Holy embrace, and that He will place His hand over your heart to protect it and to claim it as His own.

I love you, my sweet child, deeply, completely, and forever.

Mommy

Bubbles

Tonight, I started blowing bubbles at Austin during his bath.  I've done this before, and he laughs at the bubbles or tries to chew on the wand.  Tonight, he got so excited.  He said, "Bubbles!"  Soon a big bubble landed on the side of the tub, and I said "pop" when he poked at it.  That was great fun!  He started saying, "Bubbles!  Pop! Pop!"  He pointed at the cabinet and asked for the bubbles when I tried to put them away.  He then took the wand, dipped it in the bubbles, and put it up to his mouth trying to blow.  He accidentally blew a few bubbles when he held the wand up to his mouth and laughed!

My First Color

As I was giving Austin dinner tonight, he pointed at my shirt and very clearly said "puple."  Thinking about food, I agreed with him that I had on a purple shirt.  It wasn't until bathtime that it struck me that he identified the color purple out of the...well, blue.  As if to prove his point, we were reading one of his color books before bed.  I was on the left page, orange.  Tigers are orange, you know.  Ausin pointed to the right page and said, "puple."  He was right.  Butterflies are purple.

Mrs. Fran says Austin also says yellow, but I haven't coaxed that one out of him yet.

No, No. Don't Eat the Markers.

Tonight, Austin was coloring.  Actually, it is more fun to take the caps off and put them on the marker than it was to actually write on the paper.  He got the cap off one of his markers and started sucking on it.  I told him no and pulled it out of his mouth several times until he decided he had to obey. Of course, obeying made him mad so he threw the marker down. 

Soon, he was playing with another marker.  He took the cap off, put the marker up to within a centimeter of his mouth, cut his eyes at me, and when he saw me watching, gave an impish grin, shook his head emphatically, and said, "Noooooo!"

Austin's First Text

(to Daddy)
LpiLL. DF

Crib Notes - Smart and Sweet

I am so smart (and sweet).  That's what Mrs. Fran told Daddy this week.  I communicate better and better every day.  I have started surprising Mommy with all the things I learn in day care.

These are some of my new words:  poon (spoon), punkeen (pumpkin – carving that Jack-o-lantern at daycare made a definite impression on me) bloon (balloon – also a daycare thing), off (as in "I want my shoes off"), popi (paci),  tan uu (thank you), done (as in all done, no more food needed), cacker (cracker), cheeo (Cheerios), maka (marker), mine (Mrs. Fran says that this is a 2 year old word). more, and milk.  Oh, and my very, very, very favorite word of the month is NO.

Mommy and I were running errands last weekend, and I saw 4 Jack-o-lanterns on someone’s porch.  I repeated punkeen over and over again until Mommy finally saw what I was talking about.  I did the same thing with some balloons tied to our neighbor’s porch when we got home.  Mommy didn’t know I could say those words, and honestly, she was pretty slow to catch on to what I was saying.  The pointing helped.

I also started doing the sign for “more” last night at dinner.  And then again after dinner to show off for Daddy.  I can do the sign for “all done” as well, but sometimes it is easier to just push the plate off my tray.

I’m ready to walk and started taking several steps unassisted, but walking is so slow!  Like they always say, why walk when you can crawl?

I Think I'm Cute...