Where oh where?

"Where oh where has my daddy gone?

Oh where oh where can he be?

He said he'd be home at 6:30.

Oh where oh where can he be?"

Likes & Dislikes

I am happy when:

-mommy comes to get me out of my crib after a nap

-I finally get a hold of the remote!

-daddy blows raspberries on my side

-mommy give me puffs

-I see my bottle

-we go for a stroll in the neighborhood

-mommy reads me my books

-I am naked!

-It's time for a bath (because I get to be naked)!

-mommy and daddy toss me in the air and catch me

-I spot Lucy!

-I hear the Backyardigans theme song

-I throw things on the ground and mommy or daddy pick them up for me

-I hear the phrase "peek-a-boo!"

-mommy claps and sings to me

-I get to feed myself

-I see my reflection

-we play in the pool

-mommy and daddy give me hugs and kisses!

I am NOT happy when:

-I have to get my diaper changed

-mommy or daddy are putting my clothes ON

-I'm out of Puffs

-someone takes away the remote

-I fall on my tushy

-I have to be still

-I drop my paci over the side of the crib

-my bottle is empty

-I can't reach what I want

-mommy feeds me peas

-I can't fit a toy in my mouth

-I accidentally sit up in the crib and it wakes me up

-mommy wipes my face and hands

-Lucy barks real loud

-I'm not getting attention

-I'm too sleepy to go to sleep

-I have to ride in the car for a long time

-strangers get all up in my face

-daddy has to go to work

-my teeth are coming in!

A note from Austin

dAZADDDDDDDDDDDDDDXZZQQQ

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Austin had to make his mark on the blog, and yes, he really did type that! He also turned the wireless off which I had no idea you could even do via the keyboard. He's almost 8 months and can already do stuff with a computer that his mommy doesn't know how to do. A sign of the times, I guess!

A visit with our grand-nephew

Let me start off by saying that Ryan's family tree is a bit confusing. He didn't come from a typical family to say the least, but a loving family nonetheless. Ryan's parents are divorced as you may have noticed and his dad is much older. Actually, Ryan is 27 and his dad is in his mid-70's! Ryan also has 2 half brothers who are old enough to be his father and who have kids almost the same age as him. In fact, one of Ryan's nephews has a son of his own who is older than Austin! So, if you're following all this, Ryan has a nephew who is his age and a grand-nephew who is older than our son, Austin. Strange, huh?!

Anyway, Ryan's nephew and grand-nephew came up from Santee this weekend and we got to spend a little time with them after church on Sunday over at Ryan's dad's house. Dennis (Ryan's nephew) and his wife, Joy, have a little boy named Lincoln who will be 2 at the end of this month. Don't let those gorgeous blond locks fool you though, this little guy is ALL BOY!

Austin was just plain tired out from a busy morning in the nursery and immediately fell asleep, but Lincoln went full speed the entire afternoon and gave me a taste of what it's going to be like keeping up with a toddler. I think I better get my running shoes ready and start lifting some weights!! I thought I couldn't take my eyes off of Austin for a minute, but when Link's daddy looked away for a mere second, he found a rotten plum on the ground and popped it right into his mouth and started chomping away!!

He was quite the handful, but quite the sweet little boy as well. He loved saying "cheese" for the camera and giving kisses. I was sad that Austin slept through most of their visit but a little glad at the same time because I think Link might have seen him as a play toy instead of a helpless infant! They will have plenty of chances in the future to knock heads, however, I'm sure of it!

Taking a dip!

When Austin was born, someone bought him a blow-up kiddie pool. I was really excited about it but totally worried that by the time he was old enough to use it, I would have forgotten about it or put it somewhere I wouldn't remember. Well just this week I came across it in the back of his closet and immediately took it to Ryan to blow up for us.

After his morning nap, I filled up the pool, let the water sit awhile to get warmer and placed Austin in the middle to see what he would do. I figured he'd either get mad, try to climb out or it would be too cold...but much to my surprise, he sat there and just started splashing away and chasing his plastic crab & ducky around! We sat out there for about 30 minutes and he had a ball and completely ignored me while he played around. He even stayed IN the pool and didn't try to climb out like he does in the bathtub. We might just have to take baths in the kiddie pool from now on.

Open to all

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who commented, e-mailed and even called me to say how much they enjoy the blog. It's so nice to know that many of you enjoy reading about our little man as much as I enjoy writing about him! You are the reason why I'm going to keep our blog public, a few rude comments aren't going to scare me off this time. Thanks again for the support!

-Jennifer

Winner!

Congratulations to Stefania (#6) who won the giveaway via www.random.org number generator. Thanks to all of you who entered!!!

Going private?

So, this giveaway was almost like a test for me, a test to see just how many people (besides the ones I already know of) actually read this little blog of mine. I thought it might entice some of you to come out of the woodworks and make yourselves known, but I've had a pretty pitiful response so far!

See, I've been playing around with the idea of going private for the past couple of weeks after I caught wind of some comments that were made about a few of my posts that really hurt my feelings. I almost checked that privacy option right then and there, but I was worried that I might shut out some people who really do enjoy reading my blog, but who don't make themselves known.

I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to go private, in fact I change my mind about every day. I'd love to hear some of your thoughts and to all you anonymous readers, this is your chance! I love my blog and I enjoy posting and chronicling the events that go on in our lives. I hope Austin can look back one day and really have fun reading about his life in this manner and enjoy it as much as I have...after all, he is the reason for this blog! Even if me and my family were the only people reading, I would continue to blog because I do it for me, for Austin and for those that love and care about us...not for contest entries, advertising or to make money. This blog is a true account of our everyday lives, however uninteresting they may sometimes be!

My original thought was to "punish" those who were bad-mouthing by eliminating their access to the blog, but I don't want to take away access to everyone else out there just to punish a few sorry people. So, if you enjoy reading about our everyday, often uninteresting, lives and want this blog to remain open....let me know or shoot me an e-mail at inimnijeni@hotmail.com Also, enter the dang contest and try to win some free stuff!! :-D

I'll post with my decision soon!

Giveaway Day!

In honor of summer vacation, I've decided to host my 2nd giveaway for all you loyal readers (yes, all 10 of you).  Since I don't exactly have the following of other popular giveaway sites (nor do I want it), you've got a pretty good chance of winning something if you enter!  All you have to do is leave me a comment or become a follower of the blog.  It's that easy!

Ok, so what will you win??  This is the best part!  I'm offering a couple prizes for the winner to choose from (all brand new of course):  a girls Babystar onesie (3-6 mos), a Gymboree one-piece outfit (0-3 months), a snazzy pair of BabyLegs, or a pregnancy journal!  Whoo hoo!!

These are some great gifts and even if you're not a mama or expecting, any one of these could make a great baby shower gift!  So, get your entries in fast, the contest closes tomorrow at 9pm!

Good luck!

Anand & Yasha's Wedding

Thursday morning the three of us packed up and headed to Savannah for the wedding of Anand and Yasha.  Anand and Ryan met at Clemson several years ago and we met Yasha when Anand brought her as his date to our wedding in 2007.  Their wedding was a wonderful experience and the happy couple looked fabulous!!

Both Anand and Yasha's families are originally from India and they had a lovely traditional Indian wedding in which over 500 were in attendance...mostly family!  We felt so privileged to have been invited to take part on their big day....even if we stuck out like a sore thumb and didn't exactly know what to do or what was going on!  I actually came home and immediately googled "Indian weddings" to get a little more background info on what we had just seen.

Lets just say that an Indian wedding is quite extravagant!  The event lasts for several days and truly is a celebration of marriage.  Most of the guests were dressed in beautiful traditional Indian clothing and the detail and colors were breathtaking!  The music was loud and beautiful and the dancing was fun and unique.  The food...eh...not my style, but I was proud that tried most of it (and then we went through a drive-thru on the way home).  

We tried to eat further away from the other guests so that we wouldn't be embarrassed if we didn't know what we were eating or made strange faces with each bite, but after the ceremony on Friday, the room was getting crowded and we had 5 Indian women come and sit down at our table.  Ryan was trying to be brave and after inspecting a package of "mouth freshener," proceeded to put the entire contents into his mouth.  You can imagine my embarrassment when he had to spit it all out in a napkin while the 5 women watched him from across the table.  I think they thought it was funny...or at least I hope they did!  I'll have to wait until Anand and Yasha get back from their honeymoon in Greece to make sure we didn't utterly offend anyone.

As for Austin, he was WONDERFUL!  We were a little nervous about taking him to such a big event and away from his comfort zone, but he once again proved to be a happy and resilient little guy.  He was doted on by many of the guests and adored watching all the people and kids running around.  I think he got into the music and never seemed to mind the noise.  He even slept well in his pack 'n play both nights and took all his naps, either in our arms or in the car. What a great baby we have!!!  (And I believe some of our parenting "techniques" have helped as well.)

Gimme some sugar!

I'm a little late with this, but just about 2 weeks ago Austin started giving kisses!  Ok, so it's more like putting his wet, open mouth on my face, but I know what he's trying to do.  It is about the cutest thing I've ever seen and it absolutely makes my heart melt when he does it.  He has given me and Lucy a couple smooches and today finally gave one to daddy.  I don't think that's his order of preference, me and Lucy just spend a lot more time around him since daddy works all day.  Ryan wouldn't leave him alone all afternoon trying to get another one though, he was totally loving it!

Those baby kisses really are sweet as sugar!

Ode to Puffs

Oh Puffs, how I appreciate your yummy, dissolvable goodness.  Not only do you keep my 8 month old entertained while sitting in his high chair as he waits on me to finish making his meals, but you also make a perfect bribe for my little dog.  

Puffs, I do not dare leave home without you for when I am in a pinch you always come to my rescue.  Whether it's keeping baby occupied as he desperately tries to pick up every star shaped morsel or as a pacifier when we are out in public and a tantrum is coming on.  You are always there to save my sanity.

Your perfect size and tasty flavors - Cherry, Banana and Peach, make an enjoyable, mess free treat without the choking hazard of other snacks, and your whole grain nourishment makes you a healthy choice as well.  

You give me a few extra minutes in every day to take care of pesky chores while the little one sits quietly and tries to figure out the best way to get your palatable puffiness into his little open mouth.

Those days of restaurant rages and highchair hysterics are over.

Oh, Puffs...how I sing your praise!

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Puffs work for me when I need to quiet a fussy baby or keep him entertained in his high chair. Be sure to visit We Are THAT Family to see what works for other moms and post your own 'Works For Me Wednesday' blog carnival post!

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to another addition of Not Me Monday brought to you in part by MckMama:

I am certainly NOT sitting here watching The Bachleorette and getting total butterflies like I'm a teenager in love and seriously pulling for Ed at the moment.

We spent a good part of the weekend 45 minutes away in Clemson for the NCAA baseball regionals, but I definitely did NOT use this as an excuse not to cook a single morsel all weekend.  

Speaking of the baseball games, I also did NOT dress Austin in a t-shirt matching mine and totally love it!

In a strange coincidence, I definitely did NOT have to convince at least 3 people today that I really am NOT pregnant nor are we trying to get pregnant at the moment.  I guess some people didn't fully believe my Baby Fever was indeed curable!

Today during Austin's afternoon nap, I did NOT decide on a whim to rearrange some furniture and pictures and then sit back and decide that I completely hated it and proceed to get really upset that I wasted an entire nap time!  (Yes, nap time around here is a treasured thing which should only be used for taking naps of my own or being productive, it should never be wasted.)

Finally, I certainly did NOT feed Austin yogurt and cereal for all three meals today because it is by far his favorite food and he has been having trouble eating his solids lately with his new teeth coming in.  I just didn't feel like waging a war trying to get him to eat his fruits and veggies when he's already in a delicate mood due to the teething.  Lucky for me, all three meals went down easily and we might be ready tomorrow to sneak in a few bites of carrots and sweet potatoes.

They're heeere!

Austin's bottom two teeth are popping through at this very moment!  Since 4 months, we've been blaming every bad mood and sleepless night on teething, but this time we finally got it right.  He was refusing to eat his baby food and most recently developed a rash on his face which have been our only signs so far.  I have been feeling for teeth for a little while and couldn't feel a thing, but when trying to feed him this morning I could see the white tips starting to pop through.  He seems to be doing pretty well, just chewing on everything he can get his mouth on, but otherwise a happy little boy!  I hope he continues to do this well, growing all these teeth can be hard work!

We interrupt this ballgame...

You people didn't think we made poor little Austin stay outside in the heat for 7 hours each day this weekend watching baseball, did you?  Of course not!  On Saturday we left the first game pretty early and made our way to downtown Clemson for some sightseeing and an early dinner at Brioso's.  

On Sunday, we left the 10-0 blowout over Tennessee Tech and went to visit Ben, Tonya & Tyler who live in Seneca.  Austin and Tyler had a little playdate which consisted of Austin being completely engrossed in all of Tyler's toys while little Tyler looked on with disapproval.  I don't blame him though, I don't like people coming into my house and drooling all over my stuff either

The boys seemed to have a good time and Tyler showed off his new walking skills while Austin continued to mouth all the new toys and explore everything around him.  Tonya and I talked about the kiddos, as new mommies tend to do, while the guys talked sports...as guys usually tend to do. We really enjoyed spending time with the Johnson's and we'll definitely have to plan some more playdates for the near future!