Things Austin Does

Austin...

• hums "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" almost constantly. Is doing it right now, in fact.
• says "uh-HUH" (emphasis on the second syllable) in answer to nearly every question, making his actual preference difficult to discern. (I guess it's better than saying NO to everything, right?)
• says almost nothing else. Understands plenty, has a huge receptive vocabulary, but is choosing to keep all those words inside for now.
• likes to pull things out of baskets, buckets, etc. and put them back. Over and over. Example: He pulled my cleaning rags out of the pantry last night and amused himself for at least 10 minutes while I made dinner. Awesome.
• interrupts his blogging mommy and shoves a book in her lap he wants to look at. Screams until she complies. Someone is going to have a bit of an adjustment to make in about six months, hmm?
• happily eats cheese, any kind of bread product, any kind of fruit, usually peas and corn. Oh yeah, and dessert if allowed. Vegetables...not so much. Meat...on a good day.
• likes to throw things and is developing a pretty dangerous arm.
• loves clocks, flags, and lights and can spot them a mile away. If he tries to get your attention out in public, he probably sees one of those things.
• is growing in obedience, although maybe not in patience...yet.
• will nearly always sit quietly to pray with Mommy or Daddy, even in the middle of a tantrum/discipline/instruction session.
• runs across the room at random times to hug Mommy's knees and in general does new things all the time to steal her heart!

Pregnancy the Second Time Around

Being pregnant this time is a lot different than being pregnant with Austin was. Physically, it hasn't been too different. No real morning sickness to speak of, just random hunger or lack thereof, a bit of pickiness about what I want for dinner. A few more middle-of-the-night bathroom trips, and I am definitely more tired!

It's that last thing, the tiredness, that has made the most difference, because it has affected me emotionally and spiritually as well. I am not superwoman, it turns out. :) I am learning to show grace to myself when housework goes undone because I needed a nap or when Austin and I just chill on the couch with some Food Network because I can't imagine being anywhere but the couch. (As a friend from church wrote on her blog about TV watching with her toddler: "It's not a crime." So thankful for her take on this!) And I am newly amazed by God's grace to me. I was almost brought to tears at the beginning of worship time on Sunday as I pondered how God welcomes me with open arms despite how many times I have slept through my normal devotional time in the last few weeks. He is so kind.

I can't write a blog post like this without mentioning how grateful I am for my husband, the precious man who does the dishes, cooks dinner when I don't have the energy, takes Austin downstairs while he practices so I can have a bit of time to myself, and randomly takes us to Cici's for lunch because he knows how much I love pizza. Love you, honey.

July 28...

Austin has some news to share: