A Few Little Updates

Austin and I are in the middle of a nine-day visit to Grandpa Russ and Grandma Susan's house in Missouri. After a few minutes of wondering who the strangers were who wanted to hold him when we got off the plane, he warmed right up and now can't seem to get enough of his grandparents. He loves Grandma's tickles and sitting in the sink every morning while Grandpa shaves. (Just like my sister and I used to do, I'm told.) Several exciting features of the trip:

• He has been sleeping through the night despite being away from home, something he has not done on any previous trips.
• His first tooth appeared on Wednesday. I think the second will probably come up before we go home, it's so close to the surface.

I have not been too good about taking pictures since we got here; I will try to do better during the second half of our trip and perhaps post some in a few days.

Little Cheater

If you watched the video in my post a few days ago, you know that Austin is pretty good at making baskets with the little basketball hoop he got for Christmas. He really likes the red numbers that light up and flash when you make a basket. Pretty fun to watch. But check this out.

Austin has figured out that you don't actually need to put a ball in the hoop to get those nifty red lights. Just stick your hand into the hoop, press the little button, and voila! All the excitement of a basket with less effort.

The Proof is in the Pudding (or the Cupcake)

On this Valentine's Day, how do I know Zach loves me? Because he had nothing but smiles and kind words when our Valentine's dessert turned out like this.

What in the world, you say. They are (supposed to be) heart-shaped cupcakes. I got some silicone molds at Michael's a few weeks ago and I have been very excited about trying them out. The result is not exactly the beautiful romantic treat I had in mind. Offhand I can think of about five things I could have done differently during the baking process that might have contributed to success, but this is what we have for now. Bless his heart, Zach's attitude seems to be "We have cake, we have icing, they taste good, who cares what they look like?" I am so thankful for this man!

Ten Months

Austin turned ten months old yesterday. How about some cute pictures to celebrate?

The other day I was feeling organizational so I sorted all the toys in Austin's room into piles and put him in the middle to see what he'd do. He went for the drum that plays songs when you move it.

Sleepy baby. He just woke up.

Cuddling after his bath.

I'm sure Daddy was doing something to make him laugh.

Just plain cute.

And finally, a little video montage from the last few weeks.

Just a Few Things

Wow, I've been really bad about posting lately. I haven't taken many videos or pictures of Austin and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. But just in case I have any blog readers left, I thought I'd just tell a little bit of what has been going on around here.

• Austin and I survived three days without Zach. (It was the first time we were home on our own without him.) God was so gracious to give me/Austin two really good days: he napped well, played happily by himself for long stretches, and slept through the nights needing no more than a pat on the back here and there. The third day was a little rougher--Austin napped less than an hour and a half all day--but knowing that Zach would be home soon made it bearable.
• Austin is almost crawling. Between rolling, stretching, and scooting, he manages to surprise me with how far he can get. Just this morning, he was playing on the living room rug in front of me. I looked down at the computer for a few minutes, looked back up at him, and he was practically underneath the futon!
• We bought Wii Fit last week. I love it. I get a little annoyed when the Body Test tells me my Wii Fit age is 41 just because I can't walk in place on the balance board the way I'm supposed to, but otherwise it's great. If Austin will stay asleep past the end of this post I think I'll do a little yoga!
• I have been pretty faithful to the 5 AM club, if getting up at 5:15 to 5:30 counts. I have tried getting up early to have my quiet time many times in the past but I feel like this is the first time it has really worked for me. I think in the past I have felt an obligation to do so but not really a desire. But in this season of my life I'm finding that I can focus on reading and prayer so much better in the morning so I really enjoy being up early.
• Most people around here looked forward to last night's big game because of, well, the big game. I looked forward to it because Zach and I decided a few days ago that we would order pizza during the game. And the pizza did not disappoint me--ham and pineapple from Venice Pizzeria. Sooooo yummy.
• We have now had snow on the ground for about two and a half weeks. More is expected this week. I have kind of gotten used to winter weather, but it does make going out with Austin a bit difficult. If I go downtown, where most of the parking is parallel, I have to climb over huge piles of snow to get him out of his carseat, and it's not the best weather for the stroller. So we're not getting out as much as I'd like.
• Did I mention after Austin's last doctor appointment that he weighs 22 pounds? So you can see why I'm not eager to go out much without benefit of the stroller!

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone! Punxsutawney Phil apparently predicted six more weeks of winter this morning. I HOPE that's all we get!