Austin's First Thanksgiving

For the record this isn't actually a photo of Austin's first Thanksgiving. Unfortunately our camera died the night before the big day (or as some call it- Thanksgiving Eve). Apparently you can only drop and get sand in your electronic device so many times before it gets angry. The good old Power Shot A75 started acting a little funny a few months ago, but now it's not even registering when you put new batteries in. We think we may be able to get Cannon to fix it for free. Until then I will be on a picture hiatus. The good news is that I can possibly get some Thanksgiving photos from my DARLING, SWEET, BEAUTIFUL, KIND, and GENEROUS cousin Caitlin.
Even though we have no photographic proof, we enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner and lots of laughing at Aunt Joan's house. And best of all, Austin was able to meet my Gramie for the first time. That's right- I said MY Gramie. She is an amazing Gramie, and since this is MY blog, I do not have to share her. Later that evening we drove to Aunt Betty's house to stay the night and got to see even more family. At this point I think Chris' head was spinning with visions of Webster's in his head. We can quiz him later on names and such. Chris had a good time watching lots of football with Uncle Stan, and Aunt Betty and I were able to visit and even cause a ruckus at Wegmans trying to buy beer.
As you all can guess, Austin was the center of attention at all times and handled it pretty well , there were only a few melt downs. For Thanksgiving dinner he ate some baby food that was a blend of Turkey, Apple, and Pumpkin and LOVED It. Next year he'll be armed with lots of teeth and be able to eat the real deal. It was definitely a whirlwind 2 days, but now we are back home safe, a few pounds heavier, and very thankful to be living closer to family.

Just like a man.

The other day Austin was rolling around the living room floor as usual and rediscovered his mound of toys that lay on his quilt. As he cruised over, I decided to capture what toy he would go for out of the stack. And of course, like any man, he went for the remote control (I had already removed the batteries and checked for loose buttons just in case).
Looks like he is a chip off the old block!

Eating like a champ!

Last week Austin ate a WHOLE 4 oz. jar of baby food for dinner. This was a big deal because he usually eats 1/2 a jar with some rice cereal mixed in. I was in complete shock when I realized I was scraping the bottom of the jar and he was still going strong. Then the mommy worry set in. How long ago should I have offered the whole jar? Have I been starving my child? And since I take pictures of everything- here is a photo with Austin and his first "tapped" jar of food.

Look at that big boy!

What was that stuff anyways?
(Plum, Banana, Brown Rice in case you were wondering)

Who cares, it was delicious!

Baby Laughs

The best laugh I have ever heard belongs to Austin. Chris was popping some bubble wrap the other night and Austin was totally cracking up. I thought maybe Bill Cosby had walked into my kitchen and was trying a new routine on the little guy, but alas, just daddy and his bubble wrap. Priceless.

Let's Go Mountaineers!

This past weekend we hit the road and drove south towards Morgantown for the WVU football game. We stopped halfway and visited with my Aunt Deb and Uncle Ron for an evening. They stuffed us full of good food, loved on Austin, and gave us a good night of sleep before we continued on down to West- By- God. In Morgantown we met up with Chris' mom and dad, his sister Katy and Jon for a good old freeze your buns off tailgate. Austin received even more loving, presents and an intro to WVU fans at their best. Before the game started I took the little guy back to our hotel and got him all settled down for the night. I am beginning to realize that Austin MUST have a routine and schedule or he will melt down and take out everyone within a 5 mile radius. It was great to see everyone, great to get back into Morgantown, and not so great that it involved so much driving. (P.S. WVU lost to Cincinnati so don't ask or you'll get Chris going again)

Austin LOVED Aunt Deb! She thought he way okay for a baby ;o)

Austin was a big boy and sat in a high chair for the first time!

Austin and Nana at Bob Evans. He later threw her biscuit onto the floor.

Boo!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Mom always made the lesser holidays so special for us when we were kids, and I hope to do the same for Austin. This year was pretty laid back for us. Austin had his 9 month check up which involved his flu shot. Needless to say he was not a big fan of the nurse wielding the syringe, but he did weigh in at 15 lbs. 13 oz. and 26.5 inches long! Later that evening I made homemade chili and cornbread and Chris brought home some Vampire wine. I am pretty sure it was the best Halloween meal ever. We then waited for our Trick-or-treaters and took turns answering the door and getting Austin ready for bed. Once the little pumpkin was sound asleep in his patch we watched the movie "Leatherheads" with George Clooney and had some of our Vampire wine. It was definitely not our most crazy Halloween, but a wonderful one nonetheless.

Vampire wine. No vampires were harmed in the making of this wine.

Our little pumpkin. All together now- AWWWWWW.


Austin showing off his stem.