More Milestones!

Austen is going 100 miles an hour these days. She is currently getting four new teeth at once (ouch!) and has been a great sport about it. Once these four are through (almost - I think one or two are just starting to poke through), that will make seven teeth, including a molar. And here I was "worried" that she was getting her teeth late.
As of yesterday, Austen is cruising around on the furniture, and letting go for seconds at a time. She has tried to take a step here and there, but hasn't gotten anywhere before plunking down. She wants to be like her big sister so badly...we are thinking she will walk before Kaitlyn did. If anyone remembers, she didn't walk until a little after 15 months.
Austen says "bye-bye" while waving pretty clearly, and that's the only one we know she is saying for sure. We swear she says "go" to Riley because Mom and Dad are always saying that to him. ;-)
Kaitlyn is talking up a storm...she says 4+ word sentences all the time and things come out of her mouth that we didn't know she had the knowledge to say. Before I left for work the other morning she said, "Bye! Have fun at school today Mommy!" Last week, Austen had JUST fallen asleep for a much-needed nap, when Kaitlyn decided to go in to check on her. By the time I realized what she was doing, she had one leg on its way over the crib rail, Austen is wailing, and Kaitlyn is sweetly asking her, "What's the problem, Austen?" One more is that we will ask Kaitlyn in the car if Austen is sleeping, since we can't see her face with her seat facing backwards. Kaitlyn will look over at her and say, "No, she's not sleepin'...she's awake." This is only to find Austen totally zonked out when we reach our destination.
Anyway, I don't know if I've mentioned that I'm getting our blog printed in a book, so I am trying to include milestones, stories, etc. that I will want to remember. This will take place of the baby books that didn't happen. :-)

Kaitlyn is FINALLY smiling for the camera...happy Mama! We have constant colds around here from about October to May, so excuse the red nose. :-)

Jeff and I went out on Saturday for my 30th birthday. The girls went to my parents' house for the night, and we stayed in a hotel in downtown Seattle. We had so much fun...Cheesecake Factory for dinner and then off to different places for drinks. It was so nice to be out just the two of us. Welcome, 30s!

10 Months Old!

The big girl's latest:

- We have a molar! A few days ago, I noticed a white spot on the back left, and when I finally got a closer look realized that it was indeed Austen's first molar. At 10 months?! Her teeth are coming in a bit out of order: First the bottom fronts ("normal") next the two top outside fronts, and now a left molar.

- Sitting up on her knees...so old!

- First official injury: A fat lip from falling onto her play table. Oops!

- Interacting more and more with people, and continues to love and idolize her big sister (even if she gets the occasional smack).

- Loves Kaitlyn's play kitchen.

- Loves to look outside through glass doors.

- Finally starting to get the hang of her sippy cup...slooooowly.

- Isn't super intersested in "big people" food, but getting there.

- Lots of clapping. :-)

- Making the "ma" sound.

- Let go and stood on her own for about a second...we think it was an accident. :-)

Austen is just getting more and more interactive and fun each day. She is developing her little personality and so far is our happy, laid back (most of the time), funny baby girl. She cracks herself up almost as much as she does it to us. ;-)

Happy 10 months, Austen!

Little Chefs

I had the day off today, so the girls got to cook me breakfast. I'm a lucky mommy!

New Project/Austen's New Tricks

I am still having fun with crochet when I get a chance. I need quick projects since I only have time to do a bit here and there. These animals are perfect for that. This bunny is for Kaitlyn, since Austen adopted the monkey I made before she was born. The great thing about making things for kids is that they don't notice or care about the mistakes. ;-)


Austen has started pushing this play table across the room. She also starting saying "bye-bye" (ba-ba in response to us saying bye-bye) and waving as she says it. Both of these things happened last night. Jeff and I were both looking at each other in amazement...it was just crazy how fast it felt. She has also gone from "scooting" to full crawling, and the girl can move. These milestones are so fun and exciting, but as I always say, a bit bitter-sweet. It **almost** makes me tempted to consider three kids, but if I went by that reasoning we'd end up in competition with the Duggers. ;-)

December Update

Some pictures from December for your enjoyment:

For about a week, Austen would make this face every time a camera was pointed at her. Then, as quickly as it came, she quit doing it. Random.

Tinkerbell on an important call:

Hey, everyone needs to eat!

Austen enjoying her view of the snow:

My cousin, Anni, her partner, and her son, Io (Ee-oh) came up from Oregon for two nights. They stayed with us, and Io and Kaitlyn had a pretty good time together. With only a few toddler incidents, they spent most of the time getting along. ;-) They are almost exactly a year apart, Io being older.
Cooking together:

Austen helped:

Reading together:

Riding together:

Watching Tinkerbell together:

Our whole family (including my mom, dad, and Rob) except for Austen (phew!) got pretty sick with a stomach virus the Thursday after Christmas. Jeff and Kaitlyn woke up with it, so I took care of them until about 2:00 (when both of the their stomachs finally settled), then I started up a few hours later. This picture shows how Kaitlyn and I celebrated the ending to a tough morning (notice the protective towel ;-)):

If you can get past the shades, you can see Austen's first teeth! As of yesterday, she also has one poking through on the top side, and I think three others will be cutting through any day. She's a champ!

She has been sleeping very well for us lately. We finally did some "sleep training" at around 8 months after waking up multiple times a night for months. I was starting to feel physically ill and run down (dizzy spells, head aches, etc.), so we decided it was time to do something. Within three nights, Austen started sleeping ten hours straight. It was pretty painless, too! :) As a result of teething (I think), she has been waking up in the early morning and fussing, but puts herself back to sleep shortly after.

I just think Kaitlyn looks so old in this picture (minus the baby bib!):

When big sisters attack with stickers:

"SO BIG!" Love it. This is our favorite thing right now. We say, "How big is Austen?" and she raises her arms in the air...small deal to some, but major to mom and dad. ;-)

Austen is quite the "helper" these days. Putting away Christmas ornaments would have gone a lot faster if she hadn't been right on my trail, taking everything back out of the bin...

Playing nicely...for that moment:

Austen started day care this week! She will go with Kaitlyn Wednesday through Friday, and some combination of our parents will watch them on Monday and Tuesday. She has been doing great there, and is soooooo tired and ready to catch up on sleep this weekend. :) We have been surprised, though, with what a trooper she is when we get home. She plays happily all evening! Before starting, evenings were a touch-and-go time since she would get more tired by the end of the day. Who knew that going to day care all day would change this...seems backwards!

Sweet dreams!

9 Month Stats

Austen had her 9 month check-up today.
Weight: 20 lbs. 12 oz. (81%)
Height: 28.5 in. (80%)

She's still our chunky little girl, but has definitely slowed her roll in the weight gain department with less than a pound in 3 months. She's burnin' it off with all that movin'!
Kaitlyn was exactly 20 pounds at her 9 month appointment, by the way.

And here is a cute picture of Christmas morning:

9 Months!

Austen is only 3 months away from being one year old. She is definitely on the move...still "scooting" more than anything, but attempting hands and knees a bit. She's also pulling herself up on everything and getting into things. I think this is one stage I can do without, since she is still so wobbly but wants to pull up.
One of our favorite things right now is Austen's little laugh. She cracks herself up. :) She will just be sitting there and start giggling - too cute. She loves her big sister and just can't wait to be able to do everything she does.
This girl still loves to eat! She loves her fruits and veggies, and has now mastered the art of picking up "Puffs" and stuffing them in her mouth. Her two bottom teeth are both through and growing in fast.
We have her 9 month appointment on Monday, so I'll be sure to post current stats!