A Weekend of FIRSTS

This weekend was a big weekend with a couple FIRSTS for Austin that I must document!  He started rolling over AND spent the night in his crib for the first time!

All week he had been acting like he might want to roll over but couldn't really figure it out.  He was moving his legs and trying to suck his thumb while laying on his back.  (Side note: He sucks his thumb a lot now!  Mostly when he is tired or hungry but he is FOR SURE a thumb sucker and it is CUTE!!)  Back to the rolling over....  I spent a long time Thursday night with my phone pointed at him and the video going hoping I could catch it on camera but he just wasn't ready.  Then while I was at work on Friday I got a text from Tayt that said, "He just rolled over!"  Then I got a video of him doing it again and the sound in Daddy's voice was priceless as he watched his boy reach a milestone!!  He spent the rest of the day rolling from his back to his side and then over to his tummy!  We were impressed! 

Later that night I went to a wedding shower for a friend and Austin and Daddy were having a "boys night" at home!  Tayt decided to put him down in his crib (in his room) at 9pm after he fed him.  Up until this point he has spent every night in the pack and play in our room.  He has just slept in his crib during the day for naps.  We were planning to let him stay in our room until summer.  I just anticipated that the transition wouldn't be easy and if I was going to be up and down all night, I wanted to be off work.  Well, that was not the case.  We left him in the crib and he slept until 6:30am!!!!!! 9 1/2 hours!!!!! WOW!  Of course, I was up all night going into his room and checking on him but he was perfect each time.  So we tried again on Saturday night and he slept from 9pm until 4:30am and then went back to sleep until 8:30am.  And then Sunday night he slept from 9pm until 3:30am, woke up and ate and then went back to sleep until 9:30am!  So, it is safe to say that maybe we should have tried the crib a little sooner because it looks like the mattress is comfy and he is happy as a clam in his own room. 

Tonight his nighttime bottle was 1/2 breast milk and 1/2 formula...another first!  Since I have been back at work, my supply has gone down some and I can't quite keep up with my little piglet who is eating like a champ.  I called the pediatrician's office and talked to the nurse.  She assured me that this was fine and it may even help him sleep better at night.  She also said we would discuss adding rice cereal at his 4 month appointment. 

I can't believe we are at this point now.  It seems like just last week we were bringing him home and waking up every two hours to feed him.  Now he is on a good schedule, eating well and sleeping through the night for the most part.  Three months is such a fun age!!

P.S.-If I think about it I will try to get a video on our camera of him rolling over.  He just rolled from his tummy to his back in his crib so clearly he is a pro at this rolling over game!  Game on!!

3 Months Old

Three months ago our lives were changed forever.  Three months ago our hearts doubled in size.  Three months ago our family grew.  Three months ago was the happiest day of our lives!  Austin is 3 months old!!!!

There is not a doctor's appointment this month, we have to wait until next month, so there are no stats to report this month.  We think he is weighing somewhere between 12 and 14 pounds right now. 

Here are some things our little love is up to this month....

*He LOVES to suck on his hand/fist/thumb.  I think it is safe to say he is going to be a thumb sucker and he is working hard to get that down!  Since he hates the paci so much, we are glad he is finding something that will help him sooth himself.  And, yes we are already saving for braces! ;)

*He is getting on more of a schedule this month.  Since Daddy is home during the day and I am home at night we are both trying to find what works best for our boy.  Here is a snapshot of what MOST days look like right now.  (I'm pretty sure that as I am typing this, he is planning how to change things up on us...because that's just what babies do!!)

7-8am: Wake up/eat (bottle)

Play for a while, go on a walk, smile, giggle, coo....

9-10am: Morning Nap (about 3 hours)

Eat (bottle), play, etc....

12-2pm: Afternoon Nap (2-3 hours)

Eat (bottle), play, etc....

5-6pm: Evening Nap (short, only about 30 minutes to an hour)

Eat (bottle), play, etc...

8:00pm:  Get ready for bed (bath time, pjs, books)

8:30ish: Eat (BF with Mommy)

9-9:30pm: Bed Time (for Mommy too!)

2-4am:  Eat (BF with Mommy)

start all over again.....

(sleeping so hard)

(music time!)

(Play time with Tanner!)

*He is smiling all the time!!!!  He recognizes Mommy and Daddy and when we talk to him he will smile and coo and try to laugh!  He is becoming much more vocal and it is so cute!  He watches our mouths move and tries to copy us.

(At times he cries but Mommy and Daddy think he is still the cutest thing ever!) ;)

*He is still wearing 0-3 month clothes for the most part.  Some of the onesies are getting small so he has worn a few 3-6 month onesies.  However, he can't wear any 3-6 shorts/pants.  His waist is too small and some of the 0-3 pants still slide off of him.  And, he is still in size 1 diapers.

*He made his first trip to school this month!  Tayt brought him at the end of the school day to meet my class!  The kids loved looking at him and he was wide eyed and just looking all around at them.  Then I took him to a staff meeting/bridal shower and he was passed around the room so all the teachers could love on him!

*We have mastered the bottle now...YAY!!!  He is drinking about 5 ounces at a time each feeding.  He takes the bottle all day and then I BF at night before he goes to bed and at the one feeding in the middle of the night.  I pump in the morning, at school once and when I get home so he still getting all breast milk.

Happy 3 Months Austin!  We love you and just can't get enough of you!  Thanks for making our family so perfect!!!

Baseball, Crawfish, Easter and Back to Work

The title of this blog is proof that we had a busy weekend.  And proof that I am officially off maternity leave and back to work this week, which is why I am cramming 4 posts in to one.  I don't want to let these events go undocumented and if I don't do it all at once right now while Austin is sleeping, it may not get done.

Baseball:

Friday was Opening Day for the Rangers!  We are so excited baseball season is starting again!  Just in case you have been living under a rock for the past few years (or don't follow baseball, shame on you) the Texas Rangers have been to the World Series two years in a row.  We have been to almost every game to cheer on our team all thanks to my amazing dad who hooks us up with awesome seats to enjoy the show!  Being at the playoff games, especially the World Series, is such an amazing experience.  The vibe in the stadium is simply electric.  The stands are FULL of fans dressed from head to toe in red, white and blue and everyone comes early and stays late.  Unfortunately we have yet to win the title of champs but we are hopeful that 2012 will be our year!  So, on Friday Tayt, Grant, Sara, Trent, Caroline and I headed out the ballpark to start the season with a bang!  We tailgated and "celebrated" the start to the season in style and maybe our presence was good luck because the Rangers took home a WIN!  We had a lot of fun and I can see this group of 6 attending many more games this season together.

Crawfish:

Saturday we went to a Crawfish boil at BW and Melissa's house out in Melissa.  The food and company was great!  I think Austin enjoyed his first boil hanging out with Lovey, G, Grant, Sara, Trent, Caroline, The Morgan Fam, Brian and Melissa! ;)

Easter:

Sunday was Austin's first Easter!  We went to church with my parents, Grant and Trent at Christ Church.  Austin didn't feel like sleeping through church and wanted to "talk" during the sermon so Tayt and I took turns with him out in the narthex.  After church we headed to my parents for a delicious lunch.  Our little guy got a new Easter basket with his name on it from his PeePaw and Dee,  Mommy and Daddy got him two Easter books and a blue hippo and Lovey and G got him his first Easter bunny (Wilson).  We all enjoyed spending the day together.

Back to Work:

Monday was my first day back at work.  I will admit that I was kind of a mess Sunday afternoon and evening.  Just thinking about not spending all day with my baby made me tear up.  Knowing he was going to be spending his days with Daddy did make things easier but I was still feeling sad.  I made it to work Monday morning with just a few tears and was able to dry my eyes as I entered the school just in time to be greeted by so many smiling faces!  It was great to see my team and my coworkers and everyone was so sweet to me and many were sympathetic to my "situation" as most of them have "been there before"!  But, as soon as I saw my students I quickly remembered why I do what I do every day....They were THRILLED to see me and have me back!!  I felt like a rock star all day as they hugged on me over and over, told me how happy they were and asked about Austin!  They made it all worth it!  The day went fast and right at 3:30pm I raced out the door and back home to my boys.  Austin and Daddy had a great day with lots of naps, good feedings and smiles.  I am beyond blessed to have the husband I have.  I have had several people tell me that their husband would never stay home like that.  Really?!?!  Tayt is the best Daddy to Austin and such an amazing husband to me.  We are convinced that God has a plan for our family and our path has been laid by Him.  For now we are grateful that Tayt's school schedule worked out the way it did this semester and we will will take the coming semesters as they come.  We will leave God in control and just work as a team day by day to do the best we can to take care of our baby.

And, it sounds like Austin is waking up from an afternoon nap which means its time for me to go snuggle with him for the rest of the evening!  Goodnight!

Farmers Market

Last Saturday we took a trip into downtown Dallas to shop around at the Dallas Farmers Market. The weather was PERFECT for spending some time outside as a family of 3!

Before we shopped around we ate some amazing food from two different vendors. We had Mexican food and BBQ, two of our favorite things to eat! Let me tell you....its was AMAZING!!! We even learned that Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives had been to these "dives" recently and the episode will air on Food Network this Spring. We will be on the look out and would highly reccomend both of these places to anyone.

After eating we enjoyed shopping and sampling some excellent produce from local farmers. We both agreed that it felt so good to support these local Texas farmers and eat food that came right off the farm. We bought a cantaloupe, a honeydew melon, strawberries, a cross between a tangerine and an orange, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, red and green peppers, a pineapple and a cilantro plant. Everything was so fresh and delicious and sure makes our refrigerator colorful. (We are quickly going through our purchases and will be making a trip back soon and often!)

After we bough the produce we headed over to the nurseries to check out the beautiful plants and flowers. We ended up with two hanging baskets with pink and purple bougainvilleas and some geraniums to plant on our back patio! I could have spent a fortune on flowers though!

It was a really great day. Our little man slept the whole time but I know he enjoyed the fresh air and time with Mommy and Daddy! ;)

UPDATE: "The Great Bottle Strike of 2012"

So, I may have been a little premature in my last post about the strike being over. After one really good day I thought we were home free but nope, this boy has a mind of his own and boy is he smart! We struggled through the next few days and it was really hit or miss when it came to him wanting the bottle. I took the advice of so many other moms and would try to stay far away. I even found myself in our master closet (cleaning it out) one time while Tayt tried to feed on the other side of the house! ;)

Eventually things just started to click and he was okay with taking the bottle from Tayt AND from me!! YAY! So now, one week later, we can both give him the bottle with no problem. I am breast feeding at the very last feeding of the day, because it makes him super calm and sleepy but other than that we are doing the bottle at all other feedings. His feedings are also becoming more predictable. I don't want to say we have a schedule, because I know as soon as I say that things will change, but things are getting more "regular" around here!

Look, I even have proof of me feeding him a bottle!