Playing catch up

The past couple of weeks have been busy.  Sunday 4/15 I ran in a half marathon.  It was a smaller one (only 3,000) people that went from Littleton to near downtown along the Platte river bike path.  The night before the forecast called for an inch or so of snow on the ground by morning and the storm to be wrapping up around 10am (of course, after the race).  I woke up that morning to no snow and even a little sun.  Yea!  The race didn't start until 9am, which was nice that it wasn't super early.  My friend Kara was also running so her fiance, Jay, drove us to the start so we didn't have to worry about parking.  The race was fine except for the wind.  We were running north the entire way and the wind was blowing from the north the entire way.  No fun!  The last 4 miles were a little tough, but I finished in 1:39:45, which is my 2nd best half marathon (about 7:36 pace).  David and Austin met me at the finish line.  The wind picked up even more and the clouds rolled in after I finished so we didn't get to hang around too long at the post-race festivities because it was cold for Austin.  That afternoon, Rachel, Adam and Brody came over for an early dinner.  It was actually very calm for a dinner with a toddler and an infant.  We had BBQ pulled pork and a yummy salad that Rachel made.

Playing with my "arranged friend", Brody

David left for Vegas for work on Monday until Wednesday night.  On Tuesday morning Austin was so fussy.  I had never seen him like this.  He woke up and was fussing in his crib (usually he just hangs out happily until I come get him).  While I was finishing putting on my makeup he would not stop crying.  I took his temperature and he didn't have a fever.  It was so strange.  I decided to go ahead and take him to school and he fell asleep as soon as we got in the car to drive there- worn out from all that crying.  Around 10am his teacher called me to tell me he had a 101 fever.  So I packed up all of my things including some things to work on from home. I knew I would be staying home since David was still out of town.  That afternoon he did not have a fever anymore and seemed fairly happy.  We went on a run and he rode happily in the stroller.  He seemed to be doing better but just tired.  On Wednesday I was planning to take him to school after lunch since he had been fever-free for 24 hours.  But on Wednesday morning he threw up, ALOT.  So Austin and I were home all day Wednesday.  I worked during his naps and focused on making sure he was hydrated.  He even had some mango flavored pedialyte.  Boy, did he love that; it was like candy.  On Wednesday evening I started to feel sick.  David came home around 7pm that night and in the middle of the night I woke up with a 101.4 fever - no good.  So Austin and I stayed home again on Thursday except this time mommy was sick and baby was doing better.  Meanwhile I was doing my best to disinfect everything so that David wouldn't catch this nasty bug.  We all went to work/school on Friday.  I was feeling okay but I didn't realize I wasn't better until half way through the day on Friday.  We just hung out at home on Friday night.  Saturday morning David played golf and Austin and I ran errands.  These errands involved buying a plethora of cleaning products (mentally that would help the eliminate the bug).  I also managed to go the Sprint store to buy my first iPhone.  Austin was a hit at the Sprint store - happy, healthy boy.  Meanwhile, I was not better.  (Austin loves the iPhone btw; therefore, I did by the Otter box case for protection in case he gets his hands on it and drops it, which I am sure will happen.  Yes, I know the otter box doubles its size, but I am willing to live with that if it protects it from falls).  Later that afternoon, David was home from golf and he caught the BUG.  Yuck!  He was banned to the basement and Austin and I stayed upstairs.  That night, my body proved that the bug was not gone yet.  I got sick during the night and twice on Sunday.  It is hard being sick and taking care of a baby.  No fun.  I prayed for God to heal me, and heal me fast (and David too).  We stocked up on Gatorade and crackers.  I'll just skip to Monday- the Bug had died and we wall went to work and school.

This is like candy

Mango candy, yum!

Everyone stayed healthy for the whole week.  This weekend we dined at Park Burger on Friday night with Austin.  Everyone there has kids at 5:30 on a Friday.  Yesterday David played golf in the morning while Austin and I went to the grocery store and Bed Bath and Beyond.  7:30am on Saturday is the best time to go to the grocery store; no one is there!  I ran in the afternoon (we can still do that here because yesterday the high was only 60).  We went to church last night at 5pm.  Austin went to the kids room.  About half-way through the service his number flashed on the little screen.  Oh no- that meant he was crying and not consolable.  I went to get him and he was so upset.  Poor baby.  I took him to the nursing room and he nursed to calm down.  I think he is in that phase where he wants his mommy.  He is fine at school because he knows the classroom, his crib there, the teachers, etc.  But he doesn't know the kids room or teachers at church yet.  We will have to keep trying until he gets used to it.  Today David is cleaning out the pond in our backyard (dreaded annual task).  Austin is curious about everything.  I gave him a spatula, cup, and some tupperware on the floor in the kitchen today.  That entertained him for a good 30 minutes while I cooked.  We went on a walk to Harvard Gulch park near our house and Austin had a blast in the swing.  That will be a fun, easy summer activity.

 

8 Months!

Last Monday, April 9th, Austin turned 8 months.  Wow!  I can't believe he is already this old.  When I hold him, I still think of him as a newborn.  He is growing up too fast.  The past month has been so much fun with him.  He is trying so hard to crawl but is not quite there.  If there is something he really wants, but it is out of his reach, he will get to it somehow.  He will scoot to it on his bottom or bend over so far (he is so flexible) that he finally reaches it.  Or, he will go from sitting to his tummy and then do log rolls until he reaches it.  He is so interested in everything that is not his real toys like mom and dad's cell phones, the remote control, the laptop, the baby monitor, my water bottle, shoes, etc.  DiDi even bought him a toy cell phone and Mimi bought him a toy remote control.  He likes them, but somehow those aren't as cool as the real ones.  He is still so happy.  When I show up at lunch time to nurse him, he sees me from across the room and gets so excited.  He puts his arms in the air, gets a big smile, and starts to "yell" at me.  When I pick him up after work, he does the same.  Also, when I say "bye-bye", he knows I am leaving and fusses a little.  It ends pretty quickly though.  It's as if I am the greatest thing in the world- that sure makes me feel loved. :)  He has two teeth that I can see on the bottom - one that is about half-way up and the other is just starting. I felt his top gum, and I think he will get one up there soon too.  Austin just discovered the letters "B" and "D" and likes to say ba-ba-ba, and da-da-da.  David claims that da-da was his first word.  He does say "da-da" but has no idea what it means or that David is, in fact, DaDa.  When we are driving home from work/school, he loves to talk to me.  He will make a noise, I will repeat it, and then he will make another noise, and I will repeat, and so on.  It is precious.  At home, he even talks to Savannah.  Sometimes when he is on the rug in the living room surrounded by toys, I will step out of the room (I know, I won't be able to do this for much longer) and Savannah will be the only one in the room.  Then, I will hear Austin talking to Savannah.  It is as if he is saying "come play with me".  Just last week, Austin had meat for the first time.  Prior to meat, I had made all of his fruits and veggies.  I just don't see myself making pureed chicken or turkey or fish.  So, until he can eat finger food meats, I am going to buy jarred meats.  He has had turkey with mixed veggies and chicken with veggies so far.  He liked them and no signs of allergies.  One food he really likes is plain greek yogurt with some mashed bananas mixed in.  I first tried giving him plain greek yogurt (with nothing added) but he did not like the tartness.  So, the next time I mixed in mashed bananas, and ta-da, that sure was yummy.  He is still sleeping like a champ; the teething does not seem to bother him.  He goes down around 7:30pm and wakes up around 6am.  He naps twice a day (for a total of about 2.5-3 hours).  He is eating 3 solid food meals a day and having milk 5 times a day -typically 2 bottles/3 nursing on week days and 5 nursing/day on weekends.  His teachers tell me that he is very independent and such a happy boy.  They say that when he is tired, he just puts his head down on the floor where he is playing and starts to suck his thumb.  Speaking of thumb, he is attached to it.  For now, it is really cute and makes things easy because he sticks it in his mouth when he is tired, hungry, bored, or upset.  I am sure when he is three, I will be wishing he would break that habit.  Oh well.  Austin, will you stop growing up so fast?  Before I know it you will be walking around and reaching for everything.  I am thinking I need to put away the glass vases and electronic devices.  Before too long, you will be mobile and into trouble.  I cannot imagine life without you.  Your eyes light up when you smile and that can light up any room.  I love you, precious boy.

This smile lights up a room :)

So grown-up

Petting Savannah dog

Check out that handsome smile

He is Risen!

We celebrated the resurrection of our Savior with this smiley guy.  Austin's first Easter was one filled with family time.  We went on a short walk in the new stroller that DiDi bought to keep at her house.  Austin dug into his Easter basket.  We went to 11 o'clock church after his morning nap at the Well with David's family.  Austin behaved during the music and then decided to leave us a present in his diaper so David went to change him and ended up staying in the foyer for the rest of the service.  I could hear him squealing from my seat - good thing he wasn't still in the service.  After church we met my family (who went to 10am church at Chapelwood) at Lakeside to take some pictures.  My family had a 1:30 lunch reservation at Lakeside but we couldn't stay to eat since Austin needed to go home to nap.   



Smiley guy on Easter morning!

What is this basket thing?  A book too!



This basket has eggs in it



A hat and a bib.....boring

Another hat - at least this one has sea animals on it

Loving my new stroller

All of the kids and grandkid (loving that thumb)

Happy boy with DiDi!

Chattin it up with DiDi

Posing (kinda) with Aunt Ricki and Uncle Stephen

Mama is tickling me

After pictures at Lakeside, Austin napped while David watched the Masters and I baked some brownies.  We then headed over to Mimi and Big Deal's house for the afternoon.  Summer and Ben played with Austin and he really loved that and watched their every move.  We had an early dinner and opened Easter baskets.  Summer and Ben hunted for eggs in the front yard.  Next year Austin will join them :)  It was a fun weekend with family in Houston celebrating Jesus and his sacrifice for all of us.  I am thankful.  I even have multiple mosquito bites as souvenirs.   

Who is this pretty girl?

Playing with the big kids



2 Easter baskets?  Peeps for me!



Juggling my egg filled with candy and my remote control

Learning to make the animals pop up...not quite there, but getting there

Lovin Mimi

and Big Deal too



Easter in Houston - Part 1

We arrived in Houston on Friday afternoon.  Austin did not enjoy the flight.  I mean, he did okay.  The problem was that he napped on the way to the airport (30 minutes) and his morning nap is usually about 1.5 hours.  I nursed him when we were taking off in hopes that he would fall asleep in my arms and sleep at least 1 hour.  He did fall asleep but then proceeded to wake up 15 minutes later.  He could not get comfortable to sleep for the remainder of the flight and was quite fussy.  We made it though.  On Friday evening, my mom hosted her brother and sister and their families for an early Easter southern dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and carrot cake.  Yummy!  David's mom and dad came too.  I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but here are a few.

Aunt Ricki is fun!

Wide-eyed with Big Deal

All smiles!

A little sleepy

Still sucking my thumb with Cousin Camille and Aunt Jennifer

On Saturday, I went on a 10 mile run while my mom stayed with Austin and David and Stacy played golf at Lakeside.  It was much warmer than I am used to but not too hot for Houston.  Then after Austin's morning nap, my aunt Carrie and cousin Christina came over to visit.  Stephen and Ricki came over too.  Austin loved staring at his uncle Stephen and Ricki taught him how to throw his dirty, empty bowl after finishing his lunch.  

So focused and serious

Feet are my favorite

I like my Cousin Christina :)

And Aunt Carrie too

During Austin's nap, my mom and I went to Babies R Us to buy a stroller for my mom to keep at her house.  Since Austin has started to reach for everything (including cell phones), we also bought him a toy cell phone.  That is the last electronic device he will have for the rest of his life under our roof (ha, I wish).  After his nap, we took Austin over to see David's grandmother (who is 94).  She has a hard time hearing and seeing but I think she was happy we came to see her and happy to see Austin again.  

Smiling for great Grandmother

Twins?

As soon as we got back from visiting Grandmother, my friends came over for a brief visit and glass of wine.  Mallory, Annie, and Sara/Matt/little Savanna all came.  It was good to catch up (event though it was brief and we were interrupted by sweet Savanna and Austin).  We missed Jenny (who just had surgery on due to a skiing accident, and Kristin, who lives in Texarkana and didn't some back for Easter since Preston her husband is a minister).  We managed to forget to take a group picture.  

Playing with pretty Savanna

Sharp looking dude

So sweet