He Talks

Just a few of the words Austin has added to his expanding vocabulary:
Mama
Dada
Mimi
Papa
Bah (bottle now sippy)
Ba (Ball)
Hey Bebe (most recent and defiantly the most adorable)
Hey (whoever Mimi, Mama, Papa etc)
Tickle, tickle
its hap (I am trying to teach him Its Happening for Jeff)
Bebe
Poopy

Austins 1 year appointment shows that he is indeed growing into his head finally

Weight 24 lbs 8 ounces 75th percentile
Height 29 1/4" 50th percentile
Head 19" 95th percentile (he was off the charts at his last well baby visit.

Here are some cake pictures from his 1st Birthday

Horrible

I am so horrible about updating this blog. I need to be better about it, although I am not completely sure who actually reads it.

Austins 1st birthday has come and gone and his party was wonderful. He received a lot of very nice gifts. I have packed up the baby toys and traded them out for all the wonderful things he received.

We have our one year well baby on the 25th so I will updated with stats then. I do not have any pictures uploaded from his party yet,but I do have a couple from his 1 year photo shoot.
Enjoy! If you would like to see more go to www.amyoc.com, proofing, password is bp1 and bp5 (which is Austin and his 2 year old cousin Kiera my cousin Jeffery's daughter)

One year ago..................

Dear Austin,
On this day one year ago at exactly 10:34am you made Mama and Dada the happiest people alive. You came into this world talking, movin' and shakin' and haven't stopped since.

This past year has been a whirlwind of emotions for all of us. You have truly taught Mama the art of being patient. From the first few days of getting to know each other, to our silly games and funny songs you have made the last year of our lives the best it has ever been. Our family is more complete now that you are in it.

You are truly a remarkable baby. You defiantly have Mama's stubbornness yet an easy going nature like Dada. You are ALWAYS happy, smiling and a joy to be with.

There were times where we weren't sure we would make it. Sleepless nights, the flu at 3 months for both you and Mama, teething, feeding issues...but here we are one year later and Dada still has hair, Mama learned to survive on 1 hour of sleep at a time and you have grown into a wonderful little 1 year old who amazes us every day.

We love you Punky, Punks, Budles, Austy, our little Pumpkin Pie.
Mama and Dada

Someday you will be embarrassed by us or we may forget the words so just in case:
My name is Austin,
I am so cuddly, with a duckie
and I like to build.

I am on Dads team
I'm number 1
I like to dance
and fill my pants.

Only God Knows

Today I am especially reminded of what a precious gift Austin is.
A child was lost today and my heart aches for a family who will never hold their son again. A twin sister who will never be able to feel that bond again, or perhaps have a unfillable void. A new baby on the way who will only hear memories of how special their older brother was. I guess it is not right for us to guestion Gods plan. I cannot help but feel sadness for this family and yet still have anger that the God that I believe in could cause so much pain. Why this child, why any child for that matter. I know that he is playing in Heaven now, and will be an angel to watch over his family. God speed Jakob.
Hold your babies a little tighter tonight, and give thanks.

Holy Teeth Batman!!

Four, yes that's right, FOUR new teeth have emerged. All tops, and all at once. Poor little guy. No wonder he has been so "un-Austin" like the past few weeks. I feel horrible that I wasn't more patient with him. Not that it at all hurts him to sit in his crib and cry for five minutes while mommy or daddy take a five minute sanity break.
Patience...ahhh..my nemesis. For all of you that know me in real life, you are quite acquainted with the fact that I have none of it. I do not try to hide my lack of patience or for that matter make any real excuses for it. Except for the clever "I just do not have any tolerance for stupidity." However becoming a parent is probably one of the best things that could have happened to me in that department. I still get frustrated but not at all as quickly or frequently as I used to. There are somethings I cannot control and I have learned to deal with that now. Life is better for all involved. Ask Nate, I am sure he can attest.

Nine and a half months old!!!! I cannot believe it! He is so grown up and doing all sorts of new tricks everyday. Finally crawling!!!!!!!!!! All of a sudden he was just go, go, go. Since he now has the hang of that his newest trick is trying to pull himself up and cruising furniture. Still wobbly, but check back in a little while and I am sure he will have mastered that to. My little baby is becoming my little BOY. Amazing, heartwarming and sad all at once.

"Mimi went to Flordia last weekend and I tried to stow away in her carry on"

"and she found me a new friend 'Charlie'"

9 month well baby and Austin is tipping the scales at 23lbs 12oz, 28 3/4" long supporting a 19" melon. My short, sweet, solid, big headed baby! I LOVE YOU!

Not a lot of new happenings in the Ball household as of late. Nate is currently working a schedule that allows him to be home at night with Austin and mama, which has been wonderful. I forget how much fun it is to watch him and Austin interact. Or how nice it is to not be the bad guy who puts Austin to bed when all he wants to do is still hang out. Sadly come Monday life will be back as usual. Nate being a single parent in the morning and I at night.

Austin had defiantly been sir grouch a lot the past couple days. With a low grade fever and the numerous messy diapers either we have a little bug or a new little tooth waiting to emerge. I believe the later. He has taken to biting down on his spoon again as he did with the first two teeth, only this time he cries afterward. Last night we allowed to be "naughty" and play in his basket of bibs and burp clothes. Normally this basket is off limits but it seemed to keep him happy and content last night and mama and dada were all for that.

Still no more additional progress on the crawling front. He does get on all fours and Grampa has seen him move a couple inches, but he is far more adept at rolling and scooting on his back to his desired location. He is standing now and will do so for quite a long time if there is something to play with or keep his attention. He was trying to reach dada on the other end of the couch the other night, but couldn't quite figure out how to get there. I cannot believe our little guy is nine months old. I was going though our "No other baby will ever wear these clothes but Austin" box the other day due to moving it upstairs after the multi-floods in the basement and cannot believe how small those clothes seemed. I remember thinking what a big baby he was, and now looking back he was so small. We have our nine month appointment coming up and I will be sure to update with stats.

Magician

Watch me pull a rabbit out of my diaper!

Presto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Austins room is finally taking shape!

Mimi finished the valance this past week. Finally Austins room is turning into the baseball haven Nate hoped it would


In this one you can see the quilt that my moms friend made for him.

We are in teething hell right now. I hope this one pokes through soon. Between the humdity and teething pain our little guy is miserable! Somethings mommy just cannot fix.

Are we ever going to crawl?

I know, I know. Austin is only 8 months old (well this Saturday will be 8 months as my Pampers email so gently reminded me), however this little bugger shows no interest what-so-ever in crawling. Not that he is not mobile in so many other ways. He can roll with the best of them and rolled himself right from the foot of the couch to where his high chair sits in the dining room (since most of you have never been to our home that is about 10 to 12 feet) in a matter of what seems like seconds. He also will roll over on his tummy, or do his now famous back bend, find what he wants and then rolls back to his back and scoots himself there. Much at the same rate as he would if he was crawling.
His "fairy" God Mother, Christy, showed me a few tricks to help him in the crawling position but he wants nothing to do with it. Perhaps one day he will go from scooting to walking. I think there is nothing cuter then a baby on all fours racing to their destination...then again there is nothing funnier then Austin scooting to his.
Nate and I both took a week off from work this past month and spent a much needed week as a family. We mostly puttered around the house and just enjoyed both being home at the same time. However on Tuesday of that week we headed up to Grand Rapids to John Ball Zoo. We had a great time. Austin slept through most of it, but woke up for Daddies, and based on his expressions his as well, favorite animal. The Penguin. They would swim by and Austin would laugh, kick his feet, and bam on the glass. Then they would swim away and he would look at us as if to say "Where did they go?" Back they would come and it was if he was seeing them for the first time all over again. He also really enjoyed the fish tanks, as I am sure his Grampy is ecstatic about. We stayed the night in GR and here is Austin as king of the castle....
He just looks so little at the head of that big bed.

There are not many pictures from the zoo with Austin in them, like I said he slept through almost all of it, but here he is in the Pack N Play waiting for Mom and Dad to finish getting ready for the day


I love that his hair is getting longer now and enjoy giving him a faux-hawk every now and again. By morning it is more of a shark fin in the back and flat in the front. He is now affectionately known to mommy and daddy as "Shark Bait"


I was one of those neurotic moms that sacrificed a "cute" bedding set for safety and refused to put a bumper in the crib. Now that Austin is mobile I was considering it. One morning our usually pleasant happy wake up call was a shrill cry of despair and pain and I knew something was horribly wrong as Austin always, and yes I mean ALWAYS wakes in the morning happy and babbling. I found him contorted in such a way with his foot stuck in the slats of the crib that I had to roll and twist him around to be able to pull his chunky little foot out. A bumper was now a necessity and Mommy was able to finally complete the cute bedding she has always wanted to put in there. Austins room is dark navy on the bottom with a bright white chair rail and a periwinkle blue up top. He has a beautiful quilt that a very talented friend of my moms made for him with baseballs, red and white polka dots and "grandpa" pillow fabric. My mom is currently making him a valance to match the quilt so I knew I needed a red bumper and navy sheets to match. I am now so excited to have the cute "little boy room" I always wanted him to have. Here is Austin "safely" sleeping in his newly "padded" crib with his Bun-Bun (see that Mimi, Send it back home he misses it)


Well I think that brings us up to date on all things Austin for the time being. He does so many different things each day that it is hard to remember them once I sit down to blog. Thank goodness I keep a calendar or I would never remember.

Horrible, just horrible

I cannot believe that I completly forgot to update on Austins 6 month appointment. Well the little bugger has slowed down in the growing so he is not quite as big as either of us guessed. Weighing in at 19 pounds 15 ounces and 27 inches long. Soon he will grow into that huge melon of his.

We have new happenings all the time. Our second tooth has appeared and is coming in nicely and just as perfect as the first. He loves to feel at them with his tounge. I am convinced that the top ones are not far behind, judging his moods.

Austin now sits up unassisted and will play that way for a good 10 minutes or so, or until something catches his eye.

We had his 6 month pictures taken last weekend and they are beautiful. Send me a message and I will get you the link to check out. Here is a sample

Copyright: Amy O'Conner Photography

Future Olympian

Summer Olympics 2028 here I come. We may not be sitting up completely on our own yet, and being on our stomach to crawl doesn't seem to be our cup of tea, but we do find ways to get around. Our little inch worm travels along the floor like this. We were worried at one point that his neck was never going to get strong enough to hold up that melon of his, and now look at him.

Another bottom tooth is on its way through. This one far more noticeable as far as his demeanor...uuuugggghhhh.

Our 6 month doctor's appointment is tonight so get in your guess in for the "How much does Austin weigh now" pool. Daddy is guessing somewhere around 23 pounds, Mommy is going to guess 24 lbs and 7 ounces.

Ma MA

Could it really be true? I tried to deny it as to not get to excited. My mom emailed me on Friday to tell me that Austin was saying "Mama" I blew it off as just his babbling as I didn't want to get to excited at a 6 month old talking yet. Friday night when I got home he said it, then over at my cousins house he said it again. This time lunging toward me wanting to be held.
The more it occurred over the weekend, the more I know he truly is saying "Mama" and knows that it is me he is talking about.
Nate is just as eager to here "Dada" and is working on that too. He was feeding Austin in the high chair saying "da da da da" Austin stops looks and says "Mama" we laughed.
We are also working on teaching him sign language for various items including Mama and Dada, milk, baby, thank you, etc.

In other, Un-Austin related news, I went into our jewelry store on Friday to pick up my wedding set from repair. Our local radio station was hosting a "Roof Sit" to support the Guidance Clinic, a service for victims of child abuse. No one was around with a bucket for my donation so I donated in the store. The sales clerk informed me that since I had donated to "Roof Sit" I was able to enter for a chance to win a diamond star pendant necklace. I thought, 'What the heck, I never win anything.' I received a call Sunday night telling me I had won the necklace. So exciting. What a great way to end the weekend. I cannot wait to go pick it up at lunch today.

Houston, We have a TOOTH

All of a sudden, no warning, no crying, no fever, no swelling, no...well....anything. A bottom tooth has cut through. Discovered by, of course, Mimi! I don't know whether to cry that our baby is growing up so fast or rejoice. I am sure the latter is more appropriate.

Talking with my dad this morning I told him that I had a long talk Austin and explained to him to wait for mommy to be around to do all these wonderful things. I asked Austin to please not be planning for his prom when I got home from work tonight. Grandpa, in all his wisdom states quite simply, "That's exactly how fast it happens." Scary.

Mommies home!

This is the sweet face that greets me every night when I come home....enough said

From heatbeats to giggles

I am preparing to begin Austins scrapbook, and was organizing old posts from a mommy board I belong to, when I discovered that it was a year ago this week that we heard little Austins heartbeat for the first time, we also received 7 inches of snow that day and made it almost impossible for me to make it to Oaklwan in time for my emergent ultrasound.

It is amazing how in one year things can change so much. From hearing that "whoosh, whoosh" sound at 170 bpm, to now hearing him babble and giggle and squeal with delight.....I am not sure which sound is sweeter.

Almost 5 months

I was lying with Austin last night and just looking at his little hands and it hit me, I created, well we created, this little life. This tiny human who relys on us for EVERYTHING. It is such a powerful thing, the gift of life. And in a second, the very second that little person makes his first sound from birth your whole life changes in an way that is almost impossible to put into words. It is shame that so many take that for granted.

Austin has a fever

Tiger Fever that is!!

We have our future starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers right here. As everyone knows Nate is of course a die hard baseball fan (or any sport for that matter), so of course Austin has to have an outfit to watch the games with dad in. We cannot wait to take him to his first game, albeit a while down the road, but definitely something to look forward to

Lights, Camera, Action

Well we bit the bullet and bought a Camcorder this weekend. I am very pleased with our selection, now to just figure out how to use the darn thing. Why must they put the user manual on CD, I just want the good old fashioned booklet to read. Oh well, such is life. Austin seems to think now when the camera comes out it is time to cry! You would think that he knew better already with his mimi being the picture Nazi she is.

On another note dear friends of ours, Craig and Carrie, welcomed their new little bundle of joy Ayden Craig on Friday, March 28th at 1:23am. A sweet little guy with a headful of hair. Congratulations Craig and Carrie and welcome baby Ayden, Austin cannot wait to get to know you.

Everyones good for something

Mommy's good for snuggling
Daddy's good for making me laugh
Grandpa Murphy is good for adventure
Mimi's good for singing
Grandpa and Grandma Ball are good for letting mommy and daddy go out..

It's all relative. The other morning Austin wanted Mommy. ONLY MOMMY. While, for me, it is comforting to know that working full time isnt hindering our connection, understandably it was upsetting for Nate. However no one and I mean NO ONE can make Austin laugh and giggle and smile until his cheeks almost crack like his Daddy can.

We all have our place in Austins heart and in his needs in life.

Chunky Monkey

Four months and tipping the scales at 17 pounds 8 ounces and 25 1/4 inches long. Happy and healthy. That is all a mom can ask for.

Three shots, such a trooper. After the first one he looked at the nurse like "What the heck was that for, what did I do to you" Then second shot goes in and he lets out one big yelp and is frantically looking in my eyes like "Mommy help, what is going on, why aren’t you picking me up" Third shot the cries he omitted seemed to express his true feelings on the matter..."ttttthhhhisss issss bullllxxxxxxx"

Then as quickly as it started it was over. Sound asleep in his car seat. Peaceful, like an angel.

I don’t know what they put in those shots; Caffeine...crack...whatever it is Austin was a happy playing fool at 10 pm last night. Oh no little guy...Mommy and Daddy are ready for bed.

Snuggled on the couch with mommy, fast asleep in 10 minutes; my favorite way to end the day.

And Now...A Moment to Breath

Breath, blog same thing right? Wow, 4 months...Our little guy is 4 months old. Where has the time gone. From pregnancy to birth to now, seems like a whirlwind


Nov 12th, 2007 (so far one of the greatest days of my life)



To now



I suppose this blog will not only allow me to brag about our wonderful son, but perhaps, in some small way, bring humor to others. Perhaps our new parent "oops" stories will strike your funny bone, or make you reminisce to your first year as a parent.

We have our 4 month appointment tomorrow. I am guessing well over 17 pounds, Nate seems to think no more then 16. We will see, either way he isn' hurting for a meal.