1st Trip to the Zoo!

So today we took Austin to the Ft Worth Zoo for the first time! Shane took the day off, and we decided the zoo was a good option because the weather was going to be nice!

We got to to the zoo around 12:45 & stayed until around 4.... and Austin did fantastic! He never once fussed! I've decided that we will be going to the zoo a lot- he loved the animals, he was constantly being stimulated (therefore he didn't mind missing his afternoon nap), he ate snacks while we looked at the animals, and then he fell asleep within minutes of getting into the car!

Austin's favorite animals/exhibits were:

*The penguins- it was feeding time & so they were all out of the water and then jumping in to get the fish that were being thrown in. He loved watching them jump in and swim around.

*The river otter- again because it was constantly swimming around and close to the glass.

*The parrots- we bought this seed stick thing where the birds will fly down and land on the stick to eat. So basically you are holding the birds. Anyway, Austin LOVED it & kept trying to grab the birds.

*The meercats- first of all, these little animals are just the cutest things EVER! We were also able to get very close to them, and they would come right up to the glass and interact with the kids!

Here are more pics of our day- Shane did a good job getting some great shots!

I've always thought the way that flamingos rest their heads on their backs is so neat!!

A constant battle all day long- trying to get Austin to look at the camera! There were just too many other things to look at!

A cute baby giraffe- there were several of them!

Look at those beautiful colors!

At one point I caught Austin sucking his thumb... which I've only seen him do a handful of times!

The way the lions behaved reminded us of our cat, Max, obviously on a much larger scale :)

Being silly- Austin does this a lot now where he just lays his head down and smiles at us!

The gorillas were funny to watch- so much like humans!

Mommy & Austin

Love this one- just breathtaking!

Shanna's Baby Shower

Yesterday I attended a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Shanna! The shower was over in Dallas at her friend, Heather's, house. The hostesses did a wonderful job capturing a perfecting theme for the shower- Mickey Mouse! Shanna is actually decorating her nursery in Mickey Mouse, so it was perfect!

Shane's mom (Sharon), Aunt Linda, Cousin Courtney, and Shanna's best friend (Kendra) all traveled up from Victoria, TX to attend the shower! We all went to lunch before the shower, and then had time for a little shopping!

Overall, the shower was fantastic! Shanna was blessed with so many sweet gifts! Baby Dusza is all set! I can't wait to meet my first little niece or nephew, and Austin's cousin!

Here are a few pictures from the shower!

Table the hostesses set up for guests to write blessings to baby Dusza

Table with food and punch (notice the colors, polka dots, how everything is shaped like Mickey Mouse- so cute!)

Mommy-to-be

Three Generations!

Kendra, me, Sharon, Shanna, Courtney, & Linda

The hostesses

Some of the gifts (I forgot to get a picture when she started opening!)


Opening gifts- fun fun!

Shane was in San Francisco all last week for training, so I didn't get many pictures of Austin (I barely got my teeth brushed everyday!) So here's a pic from last week- and I'll work on getting more in the next few days!

11 Months Old

Today marks Austin's 11 month birthday! I've put together my usual list of things about Austin (there are 11 this month):

*Austin started crawling! At first we would have to bribe him to crawl, but now he does it out of curiosity! He crawls fine on the wood floor, but is not too fond of the tile! I wouldn't either- it's hard! Austin enjoys playing with anything that he is not supposed to play with- electronics, cords, outlets (which are now covered), etc. Fun times.

*He learned to pull up on our leather coffee table the day after crawling. He had been trying, but couldn't do it without my assistance. Austin's favorite things to play with include coasters, remotes, really anything on the coffee table.

*Austin spends a lot of time playing in his crib. When he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he usually spends 20-30 minutes just entertaining himself. We usually find him with his 2 stuffed animals sopping wet, with all blankets pulled into the crib (that were hanging on the railing), his socks off & sometimes on the floor, and the ultimate crib sheet pulled loose from one corner. I'm just glad it gives me a little more time to get stuff done!

*He is learning how to use his tongue a lot more. We especially notice this when we are in the car driving. Austin will sit in his car seat and babble, but you can see that he is moving his tongue around and playing with it- obviously learning how to use it more for talking. All I know is that he ends up with a ton of saliva all over his face.

*Austin is still sleeping 12+ hours at night, and taking 2 long naps during the day. One day this week his morning nap was 3.5 hrs!! We've also noticed that he moves around a lot more while he's sleeping. When he was younger he never moved because he was swaddled until 6 months old, but now we find him in all sorts of weird positions! He's also very good about going to sleep- we just lay him in there & he goes to sleep (sometimes he fusses a few minutes, but nothing major.)

*He continues to eat more solid foods! I'll pretty much let him try anything that isn't too hard or spicy. The only bad thing is that Austin eats an early dinner (just due to timing of when he wakes up, etc.) So, when we get around to eating... he thinks he needs to eat again too. So most nights Austin eats 2 small dinners. Another funny thing is that he is ALWAYS talking while eating (like between each bite.) Sometimes it sounds like he's saying "mmmm" between bites, sometimes it's fussing because he can't get the food in fast enough, and then other times he's just making noises.

*Austin sticks out tongue when doing something (in concentration.) Now many of you probably know that he obviously learned this from his mommy. Shane always teases me about it, but now I guess he will be the odd man out!

*He has learned to clap- but hasn't perfected it yet. He still doesn't flatten out his hands completely, so he doesn't make a lot of noise. Once he figures that out, he will LOVE it.

*Austin laughs a lot! The things that really get him going are peek-a-boo, daddy tickling him, and mommy snorting like a pig (odd, i know.)

*He thinks it's fun to chase Max (on the other hand, Max does NOT think it is very fun.) I've also noticed that he always stops what he's doing to watch Max eat. It's cute to see how much more he notices things like that than he did just a few months ago.

*Austin has gone to the nursery at church a few times. So far he has done better than expected! He went with the ladies without crying or even looking back, but evidently got upset after the newness wore off & he realized mommy & daddy were not there. He lasted 45 minutes the first week, and 30 minutes the second. We'll keep trying!!!

I love how he's sitting in this picture!


I can't believe that next month will be the big 1st birthday posting! I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day!

We have crawling!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Austin officially started crawling today! WHOO HOO!!!!!

Life is about to completely change, and I'm not sure that I'm ready for it.....

A week in pictures

I don't have much new to say, so I'm just going to post a bunch of pictures- that's what yall want anyway! :) FYI- I do change my child's clothes, but he is in PJs all the time when we are at home (comfortable!)

Big smile

Playing with one of his favorite toys- the farm! (hence the barnyard bash theme for his 1st Birthday!)

Austin is in this position ALL of the time. Since he doesn't crawl yet, he just goes from sitting to all 4s, then back to sitting, etc.

Cutie pie

How can a child get bored with this many toys?

A quick workout

What is it with boys and electronics?

Pull-up series (by the way, I helped him to his feet in the last picture- he can't do that YET!)

My new laptop- isn't it pretty? I love it!!

Have a great week!