County Fair

Zach, Austin, and I went to the Indiana County Fair yesterday. This is a really classic small-town fair: lots of livestock, home-grown vegetable contests, fried food, carnival rides, a demolition derby...what more could you ask for a Saturday's entertainment?

I guess it's our big city roots, but Zach and I really like looking at all the farm animals. Maybe someday Austin will enjoy that too; yesterday he seemed a little indifferent. At least until those sheep started baahing and he decided to cry. Pretty scary, those sheep. (To be fair to the sheep, Austin was getting awfully tired. It's hard to get in a good nap with a demolition derby going on nearby.)

Exciting Things

1. Austin has slept through the night (8pm-6:30 or 7am) twice in the last week. The first time I attributed it to being extra sleepy on account of his vaccinations, but last night was the real deal! He fussed a few times around 1:30 and 5:30 but we left him alone and he fell back asleep. What bliss!

2. I tried on a pre-pregnancy skirt yesterday on a whim and it fit! Perhaps a little snugger than it was a year ago, but it definitely fit. This particular skirt (tan, knee-length, corduroy) was one of my very favorites and I have been so sad at the thought that I might not be able to wear it again. I decided to go through my closet and try on other pants and skirts I've been ignoring. Many things are still too tight but I found a few things I can wear. This has made me so happy...I don't really mind being a few pounds heavier than I used to be but I have been missing my cute clothes!

3. Zach went back to work today so he got up at 6am. I followed through with my intention of getting up with him and I was able to work out for 3o minutes before Austin woke up. If I can stick with that plan, perhaps more old clothes will be able to make their way back to my wardrobe a little sooner.

Four-Month Checkup

For the record, at the doctor today Austin weighed exactly 17 pounds and is 25 inches long. I saw Mrs. Dr. Jabir for the first time (I've seen Mr. Dr. Jabir at previous visits--they have a practice together) and liked her just as much as her husband. We talked about starting Austin on solids--I think we'll be doing that very soon. And of course the not-so-fun part: Austin got another round of shots. He did very well...I think it helped that he was already kind of tired so he fell asleep as soon as we got in the car and is still napping now. So all in all, we are blessed with a very healthy baby boy!

Austin, Lately

Zach and I realized a few days ago that we haven't been taking many pictures of Austin since we came home from vacation. So, we're attempting to fix that! Here's a little bit of what we've come up with...

Austin has reached the stage where everything goes in his mouth. I think he liked finally having the animals in his playmat at mouth level!

Gran, this one's for you. The outfit is really cute!

Austin still can't roll over but it could happen any day. I think the main thing standing in his way is that he wants to spend most of his tummy time sucking on his hands! It's a rare occasion when he decides to actually prop himself up like this.

Hey, that baby in the mirror is pretty cute!

And finally, a little video. I think Austin was actually playing with the piano a lot more before we turned the camera on. He likes to look at the camera and that's usually a good thing, but it's a little hard to explain to your four-month-old that sometimes he should ignore the camera and just keep playing!

High Chairs?

I think it's just about time for our family to purchase a high chair. Austin is no longer content to sit in his bouncer while we eat (at least not for longer than 5 or 10 minutes) and solid-eating time is right around the corner. So I'm looking for advice. Is a full-size high chair better or should I get one of those seats that strap onto a regular adult chair? Anybody have a specific brand/type they just love?

Fresh From the Farm Part 3

Okay, so we have actually gotten many more than 3 deliveries from our CSA, but it's been awhile since our supply of vegetables seemed blog-worthy. Being out of town, we missed the first few weeks of summer veggies, so today's basket was pretty exciting for us. Green peppers, spinach, basil, several kinds of beans, a beet, some little carrots, an eggplant a squash...so much goodness! I think a vegetable lasagna will be on the menu, plus some new-and-different side dishes for everyday things like chicken.

Trip Wrap-Up

Well, vacation is over; we got home Wednesday night. The second half of our trip was just as nice as the first half, maybe even better because Megan and Andrew were there with us. More family loving on Austin, more fun.

One of the trip highlights came Saturday morning when Andrew, Zach, and I went parasailing. (Why didn't Megan go? Read about it on her blog.) If you're not sure, parasailing is when you fly through the air suspended from a parachute, attached to a boat by a 1000 foot rope. You are really, really high but it is so neat! We saw a stingray and a sea turtle from the air, plus a group of dolphins as the boat was taking us to the parasailing location. We went right by our condo while we were in the air and got to wave to Mom and Megan, who were hanging out on the beach.

A fellow parasailer took these pictures of us.

Waiting to take off

Up, up, and away!

Yep, that's us way up there! The view was just incredible.

Getting dipped in the ocean before landing on the boat

Of course the fun didn't end there. Here's a little bit of fun from the rest of our trip.

Checking out the live alligators before playing miniature golf. (Zach did ridiculously well considering that he had a baby strapped to his chest.)

Walking on the beach, facing forward at last!

Fun in the pool

Family pic with the sunset in the background

More Beach Days

Yesterday we took Austin to the swimming pool for the first time. Much like the ocean, at first he didn't show much of a reaction. He was like a little soldier, resolutely taking whatever came his way without changing the expression on his face! But he relaxed after a while and seemed to have fun, especially when Grandma played with him.

Aunt Megan and Uncle Andrew are arriving tonight. We are excited to see them and we know they're excited to see Austin! Zach and I just may have to create a signup sheet for Austin time...