8 Months

He's on the move! Austin has gotten quite good at doing the army crawl. He can get where he needs to go, and he's getting faster. I'm ready for him to start crawling on all fours though, it might save me some time doing laundry. I don't care how much I try to keep the floors clean, a fat, 8 month old baby belly can pick up dirt better than a swiffer.

Here are some other 8 month old Austin facts:

• We think he weighs about 20 pounds. He's still quite the chunkster.


• He wears mostly 12 month old clothes now. His 9 month clothes, especially the one piece ones, are too short.
• He STILL does not sleep through the night. He goes to bed around 7-7:30 and wakes up consistently around 12-1 am for a bottle. The pediatrician has told me he's big enough to not eat during the night, but I've tried not feeding him, and it does not make him happy! So, I've decided that since the pediatrician is not offering to come soothe my baby in the middle of the night, I will continue to give him a bottle until he decides he's ready to give it up. Hopefully, he'll do better soon!
• I just bought him his first sippy cups. He hasn't quite mastered them, but he loves to chew on them and throw them to the floor from his high chair. Then he just smiles as we pick it up for him, over and over and over...
• He loves to yell! Anytime he's "talking", it has to be loud. I guess he has figured out that if he's to be heard over his sister, he needs to be louder than her.

Here are a few pictures from Airlie Gardens here in Wilmington. We went last weekend to enjoy their spring flowers and couldn't resist at least attempting to get some good pictures of the kids...

Here's Austin in front of the 400 year old Airlie oak.

The munchkins. For the life of me, I could not get Bella to actually look at the camera and smile.

Bella and Austin in front of Airlie oak

Just listen for the sound of giggles...

Sometimes, it can be tough coming up with activities on the days I'm at home. I feel like we have lots to do at our house, but somehow, Bella still gets bored at times. So today, I suggested we play hide and seek. Bella thought it was a fabulous idea. I counted first, and she hid. As soon as I said, "ready or not, here I come!", I heard the giggles. That took the challenge out of finding her. Then I found her hiding place. She was sitting in the chair in her room. In plain sight. And the next time it was her turn to hide? Back to the chair and giggling. Perhaps, I should have done a better job of explaining the game. But it still made me smile.

Austin's Dedication

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

That was the scripture we chose for Austin's dedication. He was dedicated last Sunday, April 11 at our church here in Wilmington. We have joined First Baptist Church and love it. And it's a small world because the pastor used to be an associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Greensboro when we lived there.

Austin did great- he allowed the pastor to take him and walk all over the sanctuary with him. Bella also enjoyed standing at the front of the church, although she didn't quite get the concept that she should remain quiet. She kept asking loudly "WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO SING AGAIN??"

My parents and Scott's parents came down for this, and we enjoyed a BBQ lunch with them after church. I was stupid and forgot to take my camera with us to church, but we did get some pictures at home. Too bad I forgot it, because our church is beautiful. It's over 200 years old and downtown by the river... But here are some pictures we did take- you can see how handsome he looked for all those folks at church!

Bella and Austin with their Nana and Papa after church

Big Sis and Little Bro

Handsome fella!



Bella and Austin with Grandma and Granddaddy

Watch Your Language, Ma'am

I am fully aware that a 3 year old is like a little sponge. Everything I say gets stored away somewhere in that little head, just waiting for the perfect moment to emerge. Some things, I'm awfully proud of- like the time I told Bella that I would give her to the count of 3 to let me brush her teeth, and she proceeded to count to 10 as I stood there dumbfounded. Other times, I'm not so proud.
I really try to watch my language around my kids. But, every once in a while, a little word slips out in frustration, only to be repeated by Bella later that day. I have heard her say "damn it" a few times, and unfortunately, I know exactly who she learned it from.
But, tonight, I realized that it's not only the obvious curse words I need to be careful of. It's also the words I use in place of them. I don't think I use them much, but I have been known to use words like freak, frick or shadookey in place of more colorful language. Apparently, my sponge noticed too. Tonight, while Austin was getting his bath, he was extra excited and was splashing insane amounts. We bathe him in the infant tub on top of our bathroom counter. The mirror, countertop and floor were covered in water. I was dripping wet myself. Scott and I were laughing at how happy he was, and then Bella chimed in behind me.... She said "Look at him, he's splashing like a little moe foe!" And I hung my head in shame...