Tues, November 17

Well, we’ve got another month under our belts- Austin turned two months old this weekend. He is about 11 ½ pounds now, has the most precious smile, and is finally starting to sleep without one of us holding him!

"High-5!"

This is a big week or so for Addison. She got her first haircut yesterday, and did great. True to form, she just smiled and socialized the whole time. We just trimmed the ends, but she still looks older without the little whispies. We have check-ups coming up this week with the dentist, the cardiologist, and the audiologist. Please pray that those appointments all go well and end with good news.

Addison is a great big sister. She loves her little brother and can’t stop kissing him. She also likes to rub his head and say, “awwww.” I think he likes her, too. We’ve caught him smiling at her a few times. It’s very cute!

Two Against One

When there are more children at home than parents, I’ve heard it said you have to go from man-on-man to a zone defense. Such was the case this morning at our house. Wes was at work, and I was going to give Austin a bath. I figured I could keep a better eye on Addison if she were in the bathroom with us instead of roaming the house by her little two-year-old self. I strategically placed the heater up out of her reach, responsibly tucking the cord behind the cabinet. I had a towel ready, a clean diaper and onesie, wipes, diaper cream, pacifier (bathtime is not his favorite time of day), and toys for Addison. I realized about the same time she did that the Kleenex box was within her reach. I was feeling pretty good about things because she only pulled out 3 tissues before I picked it up. I get Austin down to his diaper and look over at Addison to find her left leg hiked up over the side of the tub, reaching for a bath toy with her little body teetering on the edge of the bathtub. I get her down, proceed to remove Austin’s diaper and realize I’m hearing splashing, but Austin’s not in his bath yet. I turn around to find Addison holding the toilet seat up in one hand, splashing in the toilet with the other. I think about several ways to handle my situation- trying to avoid all the inherent dangers of bathtime, and decide to hand her wipes to “play with” and clean her hands. I quickly realize this is not the solution I’m looking for as she dips them in the toilet and brings them toward her face (the toilet lock, mind you, is on the floor beside the toilet, just waiting to be installed). I intercept the wipes before they reach her face and look around for anything heavy enough to keep her from opening the lid again. The closest thing I see is Austin’s car seat by the back door, which works out well, because now I have a place to put him! I set him down in his seat on top of the toilet, throw away our toilet-wipes, and take her into the kitchen to wash her hands. We did finally succeed at bathing Austin without any injuries, burns or drownings. I guess I should just be thankful he didn’t pee on anything and she hasn’t figured out how to flush her toys down the toilet yet!

Sic 'Em

Despite their 13 season losing streak, we are Baylor fans. It is our alma mater, and let’s face it, they need some support. So, here is our little cheerleader & Baylor bear. (Austin was too small for his costume, & it was a little too warm anyway, so we just went with the hat.)

And my new favorite daddy picture…

Fall Fun

So we had planned to take the kids to the pumpkin patch today, but things didn't quite go as planned. We were all ready to go when we realized between Austin wanting to eat- again- and Addison crying every time I left the room, that this outing was a bad idea. Since we already had the kids in their cute shirts from Aunt Kristin, we decided to have a little impromptu photo shoot here at the house, and we actually got some pretty good pics. Maybe we'll try the pumpkin patch again tomorrow.

Sometimes you just don’t have enough hands. They say necessity is the mother of invention…

Chatty Addi(son)

I think this video speaks for itself. And this is only half of it.

One Month Old

It’s hard to believe, but Austin is already a month old! Just today I was saying that Austin’s birth was still so clear and fresh in my mind, and yet every moment since then is a complete blur. Austin weighs about 9 lbs. 3 oz. I think it took Addison about three months to get to that point. So, we know he’s eating well to say the least.

When Rach and I were younger, we both had very blonde, curly hair. So, naturally, we assumed Austin would come out of the womb sporting a nice circa 1981 afro like his daddy once did (see below).

When Austin was born with dark, straight hair, we figured that idea was out the window, until recently. We’ve noticed that even though his hair seems dark, the roots are very blonde. So, our ideas about keeping a stock of hair products for all of our kids may actually be necessary after all.

Next weekend, Rach is going to work for a few hours, which leaves me at home with the two kids. We will have a great time, and I’m sure she’ll enjoy some time out of the house.

Addison is still the cutest almost-two-year-old we know and is doing well with her world being turned upside down. She has found new ways of entertaining herself and has a newfound appreciation of Bearfoot.

Families & Football

We’ve had a house full of company lately. Most of the Taylor family came last weekend to meet Austin.

This past weekend the Jumpers were in town. We’ll have to post more pics later since they’re on a different camera. Here’s what we do have.

In the spirit of football season…

"Touchdown!"

"Go Bears!"

(Thanks to Grans for the cute Baylor outfit and for teaching Addison "Go Bears!")

Austin is doing great. He’s up to 8 lbs now and truly “sleeping like a baby” (why do people use that phrase to mean sleeping soundly??). We think Addison has realized lately that Austin is here to stay- and she’s not thrilled about it. We’re hoping that at least she won’t remember these initial few weeks of adjustment and will soon forget what life was like without him. If we’re going to have any more kids, Wes and I are going to have to forget these first few weeks of sleep deprivation as well.