One-Car Family, But Without the Car

A few weeks ago we took our car to get its annual state inspection. It passed, but the technician noted that it was a little sluggish shifting from first to second gear. We had noticed the same thing just the day before. He suggested we get it checked out, said maybe it just needed a transmission flush, maybe it needed something more. So we had it checked out this morning at Aamco. (Is "double A, M-C-O" in anyone else's head?) Turns out our transmission needs to be rebuilt. According to the diagnostic computer, the transmission is having trouble shifting from all the gears. (We haven't so much noticed because I bet it has been several weeks since we drove more than 35mph. Such is life in a small town.)

Besides the monetary expense, which is nothing to sneeze at, we are now facing the slight hardship of being a zero-car family for the next week or so. Fortunately there are few things in Indiana that are not within walking distance, and it's a nice time of year to need to take a lot of walks. We can walk to church. We were planning to go out to lunch for my birthday this weekend, so we can just walk downtown. I can walk to my Bible Study. Zach can walk across town tomorrow to pick up our CSA veggies. And when walking is not an option, such as my Women's Club meeting tonight, it is not hard to find a ride. No one seems to mind driving 500 feet out of their way to pick you up.

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...

Beach Days

Here we are in Florida! We found out upon arrival that we have wireless internet in our condo, so I won't have to wait until we're home to post pics and videos of our trip.

We are having a wonderful time here. The weather has been great: a few scattered thunderstorms but partly sunny and warm most of the time. We have an amazing view of the beach from our balcony so we spend a lot of time out there, eating meals or just relaxing with a book. Zach and I have gone out and played in the ocean every day just like a couple of kids--Austin's grandma and grandpa are more than willing to watch him while we're gone! Austin is such a people person...he smiles at everybody around him so he earns plenty of admiration and attention wherever we go. Not that we go many places, apart from dinner. This is a pretty low-key vacation, just a lot of reading, doing crosswords, spending time on the beach...whatever floats our boat.

Naturally, one of the highlights of the trip so far has been taking Austin to the beach for the first time. Take a look...

We expected a bit more of a reaction from Austin when we stuck him in the waves, but our little guy chose to just play it cool, didn't he? We assume the lack of crying means he liked it...Zach and I were reflecting on how Austin is never really excited by things, just people. One thing he did not like: having to take a bath when we got back to the condo when he was really just ready for a nap! Well, life on a beach vacation is just rough like that.

Here are some pictures of our little beach bum.

Looking at the clouds

Meeting Grandpa Russ (in the Atlanta airport, just before our second flight)

Hanging out on the balcony

Off We Go

Zach, Austin, and I are taking off tomorrow for 12 days in Florida with my parents. Aunt Megan and Uncle Andrew will be joining us for the last few days of the trip. I am really excited about this trip for a couple of reasons. First, Grandpa Russ will finally get to meet Austin! I can't wait to see my dad with a baby--it is a little hard for me to picture right now but I'm sure he'll be a great grandpa. Second, we are going to the same beach (Siesta Key) that my family went to several times when I was a child, and I think it's cool that Zach will get to see the place I have so many fond memories of.

Tomorrow will definitely be an adventure--it will be Austin's first time on a plane (and our first time with a baby on a plane) and our flights are in the late afternoon/evening, which tends to be a fussier time of day for Austin. As Zach pointed out, it's a good thing he's so darn cute--perhaps that will help our fellow passengers forgive him for any crying he may do. I am thankful to all my mommy friends who have given me advice about flying with a baby. I feel as prepared as it is possible to be.

We don't anticipate having internet access much, if at all, while we're there, but I'm sure I will have zillions of pictures and videos when we come back.

"Deelooshus Hot Doggies!"

Our family went to the drive-in again last night. The shows were Wall-E and Get Smart. We thought about staying for both shows but decided to go home after Wall-E because we were getting tired. 11PM is late for some of us, you know?

But we didn't leave without a little treat for our blog readers. We recorded some of the classic "refreshment stand" ads that were playing before the show. We could have chosen so many more, but here are two of our favorites.

We Ate Our Way Through Downtown Indiana

Zach and I attended the "Taste and Tour of Indiana" fundraiser tonight. That means we got to walk around downtown and sample food from 14 area restaurants. Actually, we only got around to 10 of them. That was the minimum requirement to be entered in the door prize drawing. Plus, that was plenty of food. But what a fantastic evening! For a town of its size, Indiana has an amazing number and variety of restaurants. We tried several places we had never been to, along with some of our favorite eateries. At the end of the evening everyone got to vote for their favorite place. Here's a sampling of what we ate...

• fried chicken "stix" and pepperoni rolls at Canyon Pizza
• chicken parmesan at Spaghetti Bender's
• an assortment of wings and fried zucchini sticks at Murphy's II
• roasted red pepper soup and cheddar pot roast at The Coney
• Indian food at Tandoor (don't even ask me what it was called...something unpronounceable)
• Italian-style baked beans, bruschetta, and meatballs at Nap's
• potato salad and lemon meringue pie at 9th Street Deli
• taquitos, beans, and rice at Cozumel
• spinach artichoke dip, wings, and pizza at H.B. Culpeper's

And the very best: (not just our opinion; it won the popularity award by a landslide)

• tiramisu cake, red velvet cake, chocolate chip cake, butterscotch blondies, capital rolls (their signature cinnamon roll) and gelato at Cafe 701 (They had a whole table of desserts, plus soup and salad. I didn't see anyone eating the soup and salad, though.)

This has apparently been an annual event for the last seven or eight years; we must have just missed it last year. Be sure, we will definitely be doing this tour again next year!

Videos, etc.

Zach and I took several cute videos of Austin while our family was here last week. It has taken me longer than I'd hoped to get them edited and uploaded to YouTube but they're finally ready. (I'm sure all of you with little ones understand how you start your day thinking something will get done and then it just doesn't.)

Here's Austin having fun with Pops. Do you think the Bonanza music is a nice touch? It was necessary, really, because our air conditioner made it impossible to hear much of anything else. But Austin was laughing and all of us were cheering him on.

And here's Austin having fun with Mommy and Daddy. I love the look of joyful anticipation on his face! It is so amazing to see how he recognizes me and Zach and loves to play with us. He is such a blessing to us!

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks for good measure.

Napping with Mommy

So happy to be with Gran!

Three Generations of the Collins family

So what else is new with us? Not much, really. I was invited to join a ladies Bible Study that some of my friends are facilitating and we met for the first time this morning. It was wonderful to spend time with some other moms and be able to share what's going on in my life, especially as far as Austin goes, with women who have been there. I was very encouraged by the time I spent with them.

Austin is still sleeping pretty well, although it's been a few nights since he slept seven hours. We're still doing just one nighttime feeding most nights, though; it can happen anywhere from 2AM to 5AM. But here's something that has me a little frustrated--since he started sleeping longer at night he wants to eat about every 2 1/2 hours during the day. Shouldn't he be starting to stretch out his feedings a bit, not cluster them closer together? Any words of wisdom, mommy friends?

A Fun Visit

Austin's Gran, Pops, and Uncle Heath arrived for a visit on Friday. Austin has had a great time with them all, especially getting to know his Pops. Pops takes him on lots of walks around the backyard, and Austin loves the outdoors! Our little boy has been so content the last few days with so many loving arms to hold him!

Our church had a picnic yesterday in Altoona and then attended an Altoona Curve baseball game. It was Austin's first ballgame and he seemed to love it. We had to hang out under the stadium for awhile on account of a rain delay, but everyone had a great time once things were underway.