the coatney crew

5 months!

2009-11-19T22:31:00.018-06:00

I absolutely cannot believe that Austin is 5 months old! This month has been full of many new firsts for our little guy. He has had his first solid food, went to his first basketball games (and i think he likes it!), got to experience his first Baylor homecoming, his firstHalloween, went to his last Baylor football game of the season, sat is the bumbo seat for the first time, and has finally rolled over! Austin continues to grow and change everyday and is really starting to look more like a little boy than just a baby. We have all settled into more of a routine and it just seems like Austin has been part of us forever. Here are some pictures of his firsts this past month.

The first feeding of cereal

1st bite-not so sure about this....where is my bottle!?!

a little reassurance....

if at first you don't succeed, try again and again

i got this...

see it's not soo bad

and first cereal

feeding is complete

Rolling over (finally!!!)

started on his tummy....

off he goes...

and ended on his back!!!

Sitting in his bumbo seat

both boys seem to like this set-up!!

**The Baylor homecoming and Halloween pictures are in separate posts so check those out!

Baylor Homecoming

2009-11-01T17:08:00.010-06:00

Baylor homecoming has always been one of my most favorite traditions and I was so excited this year to share it with Austin. We started homecoming weekend with my best friend and roommate from college, Johann, coming into Waco to visit. We had dinner at Bush's Chicken, an all-time Waco favorite of Johann's, and then headed up to campus to walk around and reminisce. After some shopping at the bookstore we headed back home to get bundled up for the bonfire. The pep rally and bonfire was right in the heart of campus this year. Brent, Austin, Johann and I all enjoyed getting to watch the fireworks and bonfire. Austin did really well with all the people and loud noises going on.

celebrating Austin's first baylor homecoming!!

the fireworks display (pretty impressive show from the heart of campus!)

the bonfire- such a beautiful sight

Johann, Austin and I in front of the bonfire

Austin and Johann at the pep rally.

My all time favorite part of homecoming weekend is definitely the parade. We all woke up early Saturday morning and headed to campus to enjoy Austin's first parade. It was prefect morning for a parade!!

Austin all bundled up ready to see the floats

the start of the parade with the big baylor bear balloon

Austin slept through the first part of the parade but Brent was able to get a shot of him with the baylor bear in the background.

Austin actually watching some of the parade

enjoying our time together at the parade

one of the floats in the parade

(this was KOT's "Jungle Book" float that actually broke down right in front of us and held up the parade for almost 20 minutes until they could get it moving again- a first in all my parade years)

This was my five year anniversary since graduation so before the game the class of '04 had a reunion luncheon. We didn't see too many of my old friends but it was still nice to hang out and eat some yummy Uncle Dan's. We of course we go to the football game but that is most a formality. Since it was pretty sunny and was not going to be a win, we only stayed until half-time.

Austin of course slept through the first quarter

(it was super sunny so i had to cover him up so he wouldn't get burned- hence the blankie on his head)

what a fun homecoming weekend!!

I cannot believe it has been five years since I graduated from Baylor. These years have been the most exciting and life changing years for me and my family. I am very grateful for my time at Baylor and the life that it lead to! I look forward to many more Baylor homecomings and getting to share them with Austin and Brent.

Halloween

2009-11-01T16:58:00.013-06:00

What a fun first halloween we had with our little Austin! Our celebrating started on Friday with the Fall Carnival at my school. Austin of course wore his costume and came to help mommy run her booth. He had so much fun that he had to nap for about an hour of the carnival but that didn't keep him from being a helper. I was in charge of the Duck Pond booth and little A was a very cute teammate. All my students, some current and some former, loved getting to see my baby. I think they asked a million times "is that your real baby?", which made me laugh every time as I answered "yes, this is him".

all dressed up and ready to go!

worn out from all that carnival fun!

helping out at the carnival

Saturday was actually halloween and we started the day by heading out to get costumes for Brent and I. After costumes were all found, Austin and I met Brent at the Baylor vs. Nebraska game. We made it about half-time which was actually perfect timing for us. Of course Baylor lost but it was fun to show Austin off to all our friends in our section. Post game the whole family headed home to start getting ready for our halloween party that night. Austin napped, Brent watched football and I made snacks to take with us. All the couples in our bible study group decided we would have a "costumes mandatory" halloween party that night. We all got dressed up and headed out. Brent and I went as farmers and Austin was our pumpkin!! (pretty clever costumes if I do say so myself!) We had such a good time hanging out with our bible study friends. We ate, talked and played games all evening.

The cookies I made!!

Austin was a little too long for his pumpkin costume so it didn't last too long at the party. Luckily he had his jack-o-lantern onesie underneath so the family ensemble still worked. What a cute pumkin inside a pumpkin!!

the farmers and their pumpkin!!

we tried to get an official halloween photo but Austin was not interested at all!

4 months old

2009-10-20T20:47:00.018-05:00

Wow! How times flies when you are having fun! I can hardly believe that Austin is already 4 months old! He had his four month check-up today and his stats are:

weight- 13 lbs 3 ounces (50th percentile)

length- 25.5inches (75th percentile)

The doctor said he was "just perfect!" He is growing right on track, looks great and is really strong (even though he doesn't roll over yet). Here are the pictures of our doctor visit today. As you can see it had lots of tears!!

crying in the waiting room

crying getting weighed

crying getting measured

the crying stopped for a minute before the shots came

and finally it was over!! I just love this picture of Austin clinging to his blankie for dear life. He was so sad I didn't even bother re-dressing him after his appointment; I just took him home for some rest!

This fourth month brought lots of new experiences for Austin. This month he started going to the baby-sitters full time, which was much harder on mommy than on Austin! He got to go to his first PTA meeting at my school (not that exciting I know). We had Austin's baby dedication at church. He went on his first road trip to Oklahoma and sadly got in his first car wreck. But the most precious of all is that he is laughing now! He likes to be tickled and gives the best laughs when you tickle his tummy and chest. It is the best sound in the world!! He has also found a new toy in his FEET!! I don't have pictures of him at the baby-sitters since I am not there and didn't think to take any at PTA. The pictures from Oklahoma are in a separate blog so this one will include all the adorable feet pictures!

one of the first times he grabbed those little toes!

grabbing and trying to eat his feet

Austin got those super cute little lion slippers as a baby shower gift, so I figured now that his feet are so interesting to him that he should wear them! He really enjoyed trying to get the lion!

And of course we had the official 4 month photo shoot in the nursery chair. And in honor of the upcoming holiday Austin wore his jack-o-lantern onesie! Austin did really well this month as I tried to take his picture the only issue we had was that he kept trying to get his feet!!

feet are more fun that photos!

so cute!

and of course the "official" 4 month photo was the first shot!

he looks like such a big boy and so happy!!

1 year ago

2009-10-15T17:23:00.008-05:00

One year ago today we found out we were expecting! It was such an exciting day for us both. We had been trying for a few months and were anxiously waiting for that magic moment. It all started early that morning. I woke up super early that day, for some reason I just couldn't stay asleep. It was about 5am and I just had this gut feeling that this was it! I was finally going to be pregnant. So I got up, took a home pregnancy test and tried to go back to sleep. I kept telling myself "you can check it later...just get some sleep, today is field trip day." Of course I couldn't sleep at all, so after about 10 minutes of laying in bed, I got up to check. I tried not to be too excited and remind myself that whatever the test says is what is in God's plan. I was soooo excited and shocked to see that second little pink line. Even after I saw the test I still had some doubts and was a bit nervous. After that there was no sleeping for me. It took everything I had not to call Brent (who was at work) immediately and tell him. After I saw the results, I crawled back in bed and tried to stay calm until Brent got home at 6am. The minutes crawled by but finally it was time for Brent to get home. I felt like I was going to explode if I didn't tell him right away. I met him at the door with a hug and told him there was something in the bathroom he needed to go look at. Of course, Brent being a boy, walked in and didn't see anything at first. I told him to look at the shelf and tell me what he thought. A few seconds later, he came back out and asked "so what does this mean?" I told him it was positive and that we were pregnant. Because we had been trying for a while, Brent didn't want to get too excited until we knew 100% for sure. So we both made a deal not to say anything to anyone until we were certain. This was going to be tough! I went ahead and got ready for school then headed out. It was our first field trip of the year that day and I knew the kids would be crazy! My class was going to see Suessical the Musical and I had to be mentally prepared for 22 wild 6 year olds. It was so hard that day to think of anything else, all that kept going through my mind was "I have to take another test!" I barely made it though the day and left school as soon as the bell rang. I rushed to Walgreen's to buy another pregnancy test and then rushed to the house. After taking another test that night and another the next morning, I was pretty sure this was the real deal. The next day I called the doctor to schedule an appointment to find out for sure. I couldn't get in to see the doctor until I was 8 weeks pregnant, so that left us to wait for 3 1/2 weeks. Those were the longest weeks of my life having to wait to get the official confirmation. Finally the appointment came on November 11th. I sped home from school to meet Brent and go the doctor's appointment. We met Dr. Manning that day and got to see the first picture of our little guy. He was so tiny and did not resemble a baby yet, but that was it, we were in love! Both Brent and I were so excited to see our baby and were eager to embark on the journey of pregnancy. Brent and I had already discussed that we would not tell anyone until Christmas just to be on the safe side. That proved to be very difficult since we left for the Bahamas the very next week with Brent's parents, brother and soon to be sister-in-law. But we did it, neither one of us said a word and they never caught on even though I didn't drink the entire trip and was sick more than once. Luckily they were all very distracted with the wedding and didn't pay too much attention to us! I can't believe it has been a year since we found out about our baby, but what an exciting year it has been!

Dedication Sunday

2009-09-27T16:50:00.009-05:00

Today we celebrated Austin's baby dedication at church. It was such a wonderful and momentous occassion for our family. We were lucky enough to have both my mom and Brent's mom there to celebrate and bless Austin with us. Brent's sister also came and helped with the picture taking. Each baby being dedicated had their name, name meaning, picture and a special verse shared with the congregation. For Austin what we shared was his name meaning:

Austin- majestic and noble and Charles- strong man

And his verse was Isaiah 58:11: "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs and strengthen you." We both felt that this verse was exactly what we wanted Austin to know about God and to hold dear to his heart as he grows up.

(the pictures from during the dedication)

There was a little confusion during the introductions of all the babies, poor little Austin was supposed to be second but his slide wasn't there! Of course it all worked out and he ended up getting introducecd twice! Following the introductions we had a prayer and blessing time where all friends and family could come up to pray. It was absolutely amazing to see so many of our friends and family memebers come join in praying with us for the growth and spritual well-being of our son. We were blessed by the members of our life group, a few special friends through out the church, some friends we didn't even know and of course our parents who all joined us in prayer for Austin. As part of each child's dedication they recieved a small bible, a certificate signed by the pastor and a photo frame where the picture from today can go. We thank God daily for blessing us with Austin and pray for His continual guidance in raising Austin to be an amazing man of God.

Our family at home before we headed off to church.

The First 100 Days

2009-09-27T16:42:00.012-05:00

100 days!!

(as you can tell Austin was pumped!)

As any elementary teacher knows, 100 days is a big deal! And today September 27th marks Austin's 100th day. Now at school we would celebrate by counting everything to 100, but with a baby you can't quite do that. What we can do though is recall some of the major moments that have occurred over these 100 days. In his first 100 days, Austin has grown quite a bit. He has adorable little rolls on his legs and his little double chin is so adorable!! He now wears size 2 diapers and fits into his 3-6 months clothes very nicely. Austin sleeps through the night every night and if we are lucky we can get 2-3 naps out of him during the day. He is still a big fan of the power nap, just a quick 10-20 minutes here and there, and then he is ready for more fun. He can now grab for and hold a few of his toys. Austin's favorite is his stuffed cow with chew rings and his chick-fil-a cow. He loves to put anything in his mouth including his fingers/fist. Austin likes to play in his exer-saucer and still enjoys his swing quite a bit especially when he is tired. He is so entertaining and we love listening to him "talk" and make all of his sweet little noises. Elliott is still struggling a bit with having to share his attention but keeps trying to play with Austin. We just love watching him grow and change and are so blessed to have this sweet little guy in our lives.

Austin putting everything in his mouth including his fingers, lion, cow and saucer toys!

My two little boys playing and resting together!

HEALED!!!

2009-09-22T12:49:00.007-05:00

Finally my c-section incision has officially healed! My last would care appointment was 9-9-09 and I was finally declared HEALED. At the end of my last appointment, all the nurses gathered in the hallway to cheer and I had to ring the bell. They made it such an event to be celebrated and reminded me just how far we had come on this little adventure. Even though it was "closed" at my appointment, I was still told to keep it covered for a week more and to keep my activities limited for the next two just to insure that it wouldn't re-open. Although it was terrible experience and so stressful with all that happened, I am very thankful for the wonderful staff at the Wound Care Center and all they did to help me. They were always so nice and so involved and caring about me and my family. Each week they asked about Austin and always remembered exactly who we were and what was going on in our life. That is such a rarity in doctor's offices these days and it truly helped a bad situation not seem so bad. But after 12 weeks of appointments, treatments, 2 weeks of a would vac, and numerous dressing changes; I finally made it. What a perfect anniversary present!! I still don't really know how I will adjust to life without weekly doctor's appointments. So far it just seems like something is missing since they have been part of my life for so long now. Ever since May I have been to at least 1 doctor a week for some reason or another. I am really looking forward to returning to a semi-normal life.

And just because I find it so interesting...
Wound stats:
start-length-3 inches
depth-2 inches
width- .5 inches

It took 72 days of treatment for it to heal completely with 15 of those days being attached the would vac. I would post the photos of the wound at the start and at the end but I have been told that is "gross"! But my wound is healed and I have a beautiful baby and the scar to remind me of it forever!

Sic 'em Bears!!

2009-09-20T16:12:00.010-05:00

Austin went to his first Baylor football game on Saturday September 19th. Baylor was playing Connecticut in their first home game of the season. Since it was still pretty hot outside, Austin and I waited until half-time to make our appearance. Both Brent and I were pretty excited about showing off Austin to all of our friends in our section. Austin wore his Baylor baby onesie and his new hat to the game. He did really well at the game, the only time he fussed or got upset was when the crowd would suddenly get loud or start clapping (luckily it was a Baylor game so this didn't happen too often). Austin liked looking around at all the different people and even "watched" the game for a bit. But since it was a night game and a pretty exhausting day, Austin ended up sleeping through most of the 4th quarter! It was so much fun to be back at good ol' Floyd Casey watching those Baylor Bears. Who knows maybe this year will be the one that changes it all!!

Mommy and Austin enjoying the first Baylor game of the 2009 season

we all support the bears!

Austin has only missed 1 Baylor home game this year and that was the Kent State game. We decided to skip that game since it happened during a monsoon! We thought it best to stay home and just watch that loss on TV. He seems to enjoy being out in the crowd and watching all of the excitement regardless of the score.

Here are some pictures of Austin at various other Baylor games this year:

Baylor vs. Northwestern

Sept. 26th

Baylor vs. Nebraska

October 31st

Austin slept through most of the second half but didn't he look cute in his hat!

3 months old

2009-09-20T16:11:00.013-05:00

Wow, Austin is already 3 months old. I cannot believe how fast it has gone by. This third month has brought many new developments for our little guy. The biggest is that he is trying to sit up! Almost every time we hold him in a laying down position he tries to pull his head and torso up so that he would be sitting. I must admit he is pretty darn strong for a 3 month old! Other developments are that he has turned in to a super sleeper. Gone are those early days when we could never get him to sleep through the night or even sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time. Now this boy can sleep for days! We even had to move his bed time up a bit because he was so sleepy and fussy. We now start the bed time routine (bath, bottle, and rocking) close to 9pm and Austin is usually down for the count by 10pm. Once we place him in his bed he will sleep all night long and almost always has to be woken up in the mornings so that we can begin our day. On non-school days Austin will sleep until 10am at least and even then we still have to go wake him up. On school days, I usually let him sleep until the last possible minute and then take him out of bed and put him straight in the car seat. He is almost always still sleepy & groggy and of course still in his wonderful footie pajamas when we get to the baby-sitters. On the rolling over front, Austin has only made it to his side so far; which he does every night in his sleep. He doesn't like being on his stomach lately, so he hasn't made any progress in a full roll from stomach to back or back to stomach yet. I keep trying to work on this skill but Austin tends to start screaming when placed on his floor. I am guessing it is because he can't really see what is going on when he is down there. Austin is definitely a boy that likes to see the action. He loves to sit in his bouncer these days and just watch mommy and daddy talk and do chores. His other favorite place to play is his new exer-saucer. We decided to go ahead and get it out since he can hold his head up so well. Austin does great sitting in it, he has even got himself spun around a few times much to his own surprise. He likes to stare at the different toys on the tray especially the mirror. But it is always a moment of excitement when Elliott decides to join in the playtime with his entertaining. Elliott still is having trouble understanding that Austin can't quite play with him yet but Elliott keeps trying to share his toys. Austin has definitely settled into more of a consistent routine. We make him wake up most mornings at 7am, rush to the sitters where they feed, change and dress him for the day. I pick him up between 11:45 and noon, we then come home for lunch and a 2-3 hour nap. After he wakes up from his nap, we tend to have some fussy time until he usually eats around 4pm. Then it is mommy and Austin playtime! We like to swing, walk around the house, sing songs and on a really good day Austin will be cooperative and I can actually get some school work done while he sits in his bouncer or exer-saucer. This is often short lived until dinnertime around 7pm and then daddy comes home at 7:30pm. Brent likes to have some daddy and baby playtime before we eat dinner ourselves. If need be we might run some errands or take an evening walk around 8pm which Austin regularly naps through. Now most would worry that a power nap so close to bed time would keep the baby from sleeping, but not our boy, he will still go to bed no matter what! Then it is back home for a bath, bottle and bedtime about 9:30pm. Bedtime is for sure my favorite part of the day. It is when Austin and I sit in the rocker for a 6 oz. feeding, listen to some classical music and enjoy some great cuddling. Austin is still only eating 4 ounces at a time during the day and then a bigger bottle at night. Each time we try to up the amount he eats during his day time feedings, he tends to spit up and be unhappy. So for now we will stick with the smaller 4 ounce bottles every three hours and then the bigger 6 ounces at bedtime. Austin is just so fun right now, he is constantly becoming more aware of his surroundings and making the most adorable faces. He isn't really into any of his toys yet but he LOVES his hands. They are always in his mouth and close to his face. You can tell he is getting sleepy when he starts to hold his pacifier in his mouth with one and and with the other starts rubbing and covering his eyes. Austin is making more and more noises and really enjoys "talking" with us. We have even managed to get a few little giggles out of him. It is just the most precious little sound ever!

Austin has found some of the toys on his exer-saucer

enjoying some exer-saucer time and of course elliott has to join in!

look at that big boy trying to feed himself!

such a happy boy!

elliott trying to share his duck toy with Austin

Austin trying to pull himself to a sitting up position

The 3 month photo shoot:

some of the out-takes....trying to sit up, putting his hand in his mouth & his hand in his mouth again

and the official 3 month photo!

I heart footie pajamas!

2009-09-13T20:26:00.011-05:00

Austin finally began sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old. It truly was the perfect time for our family because the first night he slept all night was the first day I had to go back to work and lucky for us he has done it ever since. For the first two weeks after that he would consistently wake up around 6am. But then all of the sudden our sweet baby turned into a sleep machine and I completely believe it was because of his pajamas. Now Austin had been sleeping 5-6 hours most nights but always woke up without his socks, shirt twisted up and the blanket kicked completely off. So I thought maybe he would sleep longer if he stayed warmer thus brought us to footie pajamas. We had only gotten 1 set of footie pajamas as a baby shower gift so I gave them a try and what do you know.... it was like magic!

1st night in his footie pajamas

just look at those cute little feet!

Austin slept almost 8 hours that night, I actually had to go wake him up to get ready for school that Friday morning. All I could think was it had to be the pajamas. Later that day I told his Aunt Lindsay about his amazing accomplishment and the wonders of the footie pajamas. And lo and behold if she didn't go buy him 7 more sets of footie pajamas!! Friday night we tried out our pajama theory again with one of his new sets from Aunt Lindsay. Austin was dressed in his magic pajamas, had his bottle down and enjoyed some quiet rocking time then at 10:30pm he was laid in his bed to see if it really was the pajamas that made the difference. Off to bed we went and I did not set an alarm because I figured Austin will wake us up in plenty of time to get ready for the day. Saturday morning, September 5th, sometime after 9am....I remember waking up that morning in a panic because it was so late and I had not heard him yet and I started to worry that something was wrong. So I immediately ran to his room to check and found him safely curled up on his side, thumb in his mouth and sleeping soundly. It was so darn cute I had to take a picture. I still don't know how he got on his side, they must really be magic pajamas!

all curled up....

thumb in mouth!

We do love Aunt Lindsay and those magical footie pajamas. Now every night Austin sleeps in his footie pajamas and we have to go wake him every morning because he is sleeping so well. So after making fun of those silly pajamas and how anyone would dress their kid in them, I must admit..... I HEART FOOTIE PAJAMAS!!

game day!!

2009-09-13T14:41:00.005-05:00

College football season is finally here!! September 5th was a big day in the Coatney house; Baylor and OU were both kicking off their seasons. The Baylor game was first so the whole family put on our best Baylor gear and got ready to watch the bears on tv. We headed to Randy's house for lunch and to enjoy the Baylor game on the big screen with our good friends. Austin enjoyed watching the game for the first quarter but it soon became nap time and we had to retreat to the other room for some quiet rest time. The only time Austin fussed during the game was when Baylor had a big run to score and all the boys yelled. After some comforting and cuddling, Austin was ready for more football. Sadly the adorable Baylor Baby outfit didn't make it through the whole game. I won't go into details but it was a mess! Baylor beat Wake Forrest and we were all super excited! What a great start to new football season.

Austin all ready for the game!

of course elliott didn't want to be left out!

all my Baylor boys!

After the Baylor game we headed back to our house to get ready for the Sooners. This of course meant changing clothes for everyone in the family. Brent had been waiting since February to put Austin in his OU onesie. (It was actually the first piece of baby clothes that we got!) So we all put on our OU gear, ordered Poppa Rollo's pizza for dinner, and settled in for the game. Unfortunately, the Sooner game did not turn out as well as the Baylor game. The Sooners lost and it was very sad evening in our house. Who would have thought that Baylor would win and the Sooners would loose?!? But regardless of wins or losses it was a great day of family football fun!

Brent and his Sooner son!

our tired little guy

all wiped out from a day full of football!

Now that football season has officially began, I am sure most all of our weekends will be consumed with games to go to and games to watch. Oh how I love the fall!

and the Grandparents came!

2009-09-13T14:17:00.006-05:00

Labor day weekend Grandpa Jim and Grandma Ann came down from Tulsa to visit with Austin (and maybe us too). During their visit we did some shopping, went out to eat at some of their Waco favorites and spent lots of time playing with Austin. Austin spent the entire weekend in someone's arms and seemed to love it! They came down on Friday and we had to order some Poppa Rollo's pizza that night for dinner. We all spent the evening at home just catching up and enjoying all the fun faces of Austin. Saturday was game day and we all headed to Randy's for some barbeque and football. Sunday we just hung out at home and then Monday we all went to Chick-fil-a for our free sandwich and some shopping. Grandma Ann bought him a hoodie jacket for fall time and a super cute onesie from baby gap for halloween. We always have such a good time when they come to visit and they just love watching Austin!

Grandpa Jim feeding Austin

Austin with his grandparents

The next weekend Gigi (grandma Karen) came down from Abilene to visit for Grandparents day which was Sunday September 13. Saturday was again spent watching football and Austin was loving it! Sunday was church and lunch and even more football. Good thing Austin enjoys watching football! We all love having family down to visit and are so glad that all his grandparents are so involved!

Austin talking with Gigi

Austin watching football

Daddy and Austin watching football

Visitors, Visitors and more Visitors!

2009-09-09T17:46:00.008-05:00

The last few weeks have brought us many visitors! At the end of August Brent's brother David and his wife Cayla came to meet Austin for the first time. We had a good time chatting and showing off our little guy. So sad that Uncle Dave and Aunt Cayla live so far away and don't get to visit more often.

Austin with Uncle Dave and Aunt Cayla

The very next day we had even more visitors from Tulsa! Brent's favorite cousin Michelle and her best friend Jerri Jean also came to meet Austin for the first time. We all went to dinner at George's and had some great food and good conversations. Michelle and Jerri Jean then came back to our house to hang out and play with Austin. Those girls are so much fun! They even brought Austin some super cute clothes that he will get to wear when the weather turns cooler. They also sent him an exer-saucer the next week. Austin is already loved so much by all his family in Tulsa and here of course too!!

Michelle and Jerri Jean

Back to school...

2009-09-09T16:32:00.005-05:00

Well the time has finally come for me to head back to school. I had such a wonderful summer being home with Austin and just getting to be mommy that I hated to see those days end. The first week back was just a week of trainings, meetings and workdays so nothing too strenuous but yet somehow still very stressful. For that first week back, Austin spend most of his days with daddy and even had a few visits up to my classroom. On Tuesday, Austin went to the babysitters for the first time. Luckily Brent took him that morning and saved me from being in tears. Trainings and workdays came to end on Friday which meant the first day with kids was all too close.

Monday August 24th was the first day of school and still to this day I get nervous and don't sleep much the night before. I have started school 19 times as a student and 6 now as the teacher, and I must admit being the teacher is the harder of the two! Monday morning bright and very early I headed up to good ol' DHES to prepare for the 23 little angles that would be walking though the door to room 6. The scoop so far is 14 boys, 9 girls, 1 special needs student, 3 very hyper students, 4 that don't know what planet they are on, and 2 mad mommas already! It is going to be one heck of a year!! To make matters a little more overwhelming, I had to spend the first week of school not only training my little kiddos but also preparing for a sub. Due to all the wound drama and still not being healed, I will be teaching part time for the first 6 weeks of school. Starting the second week of school I would only be teaching math and reading in the morning and then my sub would teach science and social studies in the afternoons. The first week was exhausting but knowing that I only had to do one week full time helped me make it though. It was very tough but we all made it though the first week of school and had the weekend to recover!

Austin and Mommy on the first day of school!!

2 months old

2009-08-19T21:37:00.010-05:00

Austin is officially 2 months old! I can't believe how fast time is going, we waited so long for him to get here and now the days are just zooming by. As we were approaching this milestone, I started thinking back at all we have done over these past 2 months. I estimated that we have changed over 450 diapers, fed and washed almost 200 bottles, been to chick-fil-a at least 15 times, been to a doctor's office 17 times, changed/washed more clothes than I could even come close to counting and taken nearly 600 pictures of adorable little Austin. Austin has almost completely outgrown every newborn outfit; there are still 2 that fit at this moment but give it another week and those too will be too small. I have had to pull out his 0-3 month clothes and I have put them all in the rotation. Austin now smiles and coos everyday, which just melts my heart every single time. And perhaps our biggest accomplishment is that he has slept through the night twice now!!!! For the very first time on Tuesday night he slept in his crib from midnight until 6am. I was so happy and proud I could have cried. And then, to top even himself, the next night he slept from 10:30pm until 7:30am; a whopping 9 hours in his crib!!! It was an absolute blessing for a very tired mommy who had to return to work this week. Austin also had his very first day with the babysitters this week. On Tuesday daddy took him to Barbara and Larry's for his first day. (I thought it was better for Brent to take him so I wouldn't cry.) Since birth Austin has gained 2.8 pounds and grown 2 inches. It is truly amazing just how much he has changed in such a short time. We are madly in love with our baby boy and enjoy each and every moment with him.

3 days old

2 months old... same outfit & same couch

what a difference!!

Each month I try to take an "official" photo in his nursery rocking chair. This month he was more expressive so I included a few of the out-takes as well.

just too funny of a face not to include

can't sit up just yet

the official 2 month photo

getting upset......

and photo shoot over!

2 month Check-up

2009-08-15T21:41:00.013-05:00

Austin is now 2 months old and that meant time for another check-up! We went to the doctor Friday for Austin's 2 month check up & shots. Here are the stats on our growing baby boy....

Weight-11lbs (50th percentile)

Length 23.5 inches (75th percentile)

Head Circumference- 15.5 inches (50th percentile)

Weight check and head measuring

Austin hated having his clothes taken off to be weighed and measured. He screamed the whole time Aunt Lindsay and Grandma Mary tried to check him in at the doctor's office. He calmed down a little when we got the room but was still pretty fussy while Dr. Wilcox was trying to check him out. I had to hold him for almost all of it and even had to help the doctor get a good look at his eyes. Austin checked out great and is growing and developing wonderfully. He even got tons of compliments on how cute he is from all the nurses. Now they might be a little biased since Grandma Mary and Aunt Lindsay work there, but we can't argue that is super cute! Since it was his 2 month check-up, it did mean Austin had to get his vaccines. Dr. Wilcox decided that she would only give 3 on Friday and then he could come back next week to get the other 2 so that he wouldn't be a overwhelmed and too upset by 5 shots at once. The second the nurses laid him down on the bed to give him his shots, Austin screamed like crazy. One of the nurses felt so bad at how much he was crying that she started to tear up herself. Even though it was hard to hear him cry that much, he quieted down just as soon as I held him. After we left the doctor's office, Austin slept for a couple of hours but unfortunately he was still pretty fussy for the rest of the day. It was such an exhausting day for Austin that we were able to lay him in his own crib Friday night and he slept there for 4 hours!!!!

Grandma Mary loving on that sweet baby boy

Aunt Lindsay being sad with Austin

Dr. Wilcox checking him out

Getting those awful shots

Look at those baby legs with all those band-aids!

Daddy makes it all better!!

A-town & Sip-N-See

2009-08-11T18:55:00.019-05:00

This past weekend we packed up the family for Austin's first visit to Abilene. This was our first road trip where we had to pack up Austin & Elliott and it was a lot of stuff. We were headed to Abilene because my mom was hosting a Sip-N-See on Saturday for us to show off our little bundle of joy. I was smart enough to pack almost everything the night before so that the morning would be a little bit less stressful. For those of you that know my family, we run on "bonham time" and always leave at least an hour after our projected time. Well this was no different, we planned to leave at 9am but ended up pulling out of the driveway at 10am. I was impressed though that adding a baby really didn't make us take any longer getting ready. Austin did surprisingly well in the car, he slept almost the entire trip only waking up as we were about 10 minutes outside of Abilene. Elliott however, was a wild man the whole time. He was constantly climbing over every seat in the car and going from lap to lap and occasionally peeking in the car seat to check on Austin. We got to Abilene in just enough time to feed Austin, change clothes and head to the church for the Sip-N-See. The sip-n-see was such a great way for us to show all of our Abilene friends Austin. Many of my mom's work friends came as well as quite a few of the ladies from my home church. One of my all time best friends Julia, who I have known since elementary school, also came to meet Austin. It was so wonderful to get to talk to everyone and to show off Austin. He did really well at the shower and only spit up on one person! Austin was held by many different ladies and even laid in the famous "brass bed" for a few minutes. A big THANKS goes to my mom for hosting it for us and to all the people that came to share this special time with us.

Austin & Elliott in the car.

Guests: Trina Fink, Grandma Karen (Gigi) & Jacinda Dieken

More guests: Connie Keaton & Aunt Jenna

The Coatney family.

Austin in the brass bed.

Mommy and Austin.

One of my dearest friends, Julia!

On Sunday morning we all headed to church at my hometown church, First Baptist Abilene. It was so great for me to get to show Austin to all the people who played such a large role in my growing up years. One really special moment for me was getting to introduce my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cross to my son. It is just amazing to me how many truly wonderful people were so thrilled to meet Austin and congratulate us. Austin sat in the service with us until about 10 minutes before it was over. At that point we had to take him to the nursery so he could be placed in the brass bed for everyone to come by and see him. (My church as a large picture window in the nursery where babies get to lay in the special brass cradle on their first Sunday at church. They even make an announcement in the service for everyone to know and then make their way down to see him.) We dropped him off, took quite a few pictures, and barely were able to leave him in there so we could go back to the service to hear the announcement. Many of the church members came down to the nursery to see him. Austin got lots and lots of compliments on just how cute he is! It was very surreal to have many of the kids I spent my high school years baby-sitting come by and see my own baby. I don't feel like I have gotten any older or changed at all and yet all of those kids are in middle and high school now and are nothing like the kids I spent so much time with all those years ago. Anyway, I digress....Austin was such a cutie, he just kicked, flailed and smiled the whole time he was in the bed and never once screamed or cried. Brent and I were both so proud and loved getting to show him off.

Headed into church and inside.

Austin in the brass bed.

Outside the picture window looking in at Austin.

Family pictures after church.

The other big highlight of our Abilene trip was dinner at my absolute favorite restaurant, Dos Amigos. We never have a trip to Abilene without it! We also went to the Episcopal church to take some family photos of Austin in his name onesie before he outgrew it. We able to get some really great shots of our family at a beautiful stone church. We then packed up and headed back home to Waco. The trip back was not quite a smooth as the one down there. We only made it to Eastland before we had to pull over and feed a very unhappy baby. After a bottle and some cuddling, Austin was able to go back in his seat and we could get back on the road to Waco. We finally made it back home and were all very tired from our short little get-away. I would say it was a successful first road trip and visit to Abilene.

family pictures (you can't tell but Austin is wearing his "austin" oneisie that he has now outgrown)

Week 7 and beyond

2009-08-10T22:24:00.012-05:00

Now that Austin is 6 weeks old we finally ventured to church. Last Sunday we barely got up and got everyone ready for the service but we made it. We were a few minutes late but I was still pretty proud that we only missed 1 song, not too bad for our first outing to church. Austin did really well during the service, he attentively looked around during the music and only fussed a tiny bit when the sermon started. Once he fussed I took him out to hold him and he quickly fell asleep for the remainder of the service. It was great to feel back in the loop at church and get to see some of our friends who also have their own babies or babies on the way. (Now I had the camera with me but the batteries were dead so we didn't get any pictures of his first Sunday at church...we will try again next week)

Of course this week also included my weekly visit to the wound care center. Unfortunately this week did not hold such great news, Dr. Haus decided that I was not making the progress she wanted to see and she re-ordered the wound vac. I think I was so shocked by this that I didn't even respond, I just walked out in a daze. By the time I processed what was going on, KCI was calling to give me delivery instructions for my wound vac. I wasn't given instructions on when to return for it to be put on so I will have to wait until Monday for my next appointment.

To boost my spirits after my doctor's appointment Brent decided I needed a dose of chick-fil-a and a new cell phone. So we went to lunch and then headed to Sprint. It took a few weeks of mental preparation for me to finally commit to changing my phone number to a Waco number, but I did it. I now officially am a full fledged Waco resident (sad I know!) To ease the blow, I did get the coolest phone available...the Samsung Instinct s30. It is a super cool touch screen phone and so far I am loving it!

In Austin news this week, he went on his first out of town mini-road trip! On Wednesday I decided that I was tired of sitting around and that we were getting out. I packed up Austin and the stroller, grabbed my friend Clarissa, and headed down I-35 to Round Rock. Austin did great in the car, he slept the entire time. The reason for the Round Rock trip was to go to IKEA in order to pick up a few things for my classroom. Austin did pretty well while shopping, we stopped to sit in the cafe for a quick bottle and diaper change once. Austin then refused to go back in his carrier so I had to hold him for the remainder of the time in IKEA. And of course if you are in Round Rock you have to stop by the outlet mall. I was very proud of myself, I only bought the things I needed for my classroom and nothing else!!

Getting read to head to out on his first road trip!

Shopping at IKEA

On Thursday Lindsay, Austin and I headed back up to school to finish my classroom. We dropped everything off before grabbing a quick bite to eat with some dear friends before they move to Russia. After lunch we returned to school and got to work. We worked on organizing tons of books, putting out all of the tubs and baskets, and putting up all of the wall decorations. While we worked Austin slept so peacefully on the floor in his boppy pillow. I could not believe he slept for almost 4 hours without being held. Everyone that walked by thought I had a baby doll laying on the floor because he was all bundled up and being so quiet. It was my miracle for the day which enable us to get everything up and put away. The room looks great and ready for kids, now if only I could say the same thing about me.

Austin sleeping on the floor of my classroom for almost 4 hours!

Now that my classroom is all set up I officially have 1 more week of summer to enjoy being home with Austin. I can't believe that this summer has gone by so quickly. It will be so hard to not be with Austin all day and to get to enjoy all his little moments.

what a cutie!

6 weeks

2009-08-02T21:24:00.016-05:00

This week started with mommy and daddy actually getting to get out and going to the movies!! My mom came into town Sunday and offered to keep Austin so Brent and I could go see Harry Potter 6. (I had really been wanting to see it and it was getting harder and harder to keep my friends from sharing about it.) It was so nice to get to spend some time together and I did my best not to check up on him too many times but it was a long movie! Of course he did fine and I know his grandma enjoyed playing with him.

This week I finally made some progress in my wound care and was discharged from home health care! Monday was my last visit from my home health care nurse and although they were very sweet, I was glad to be free of the tri-weekly visits. Now my wound is still not completely healed but it is looking much better and getting closer little by little. I still have once weekly appointments at the wound care center but hopefully not for too much longer.

Life is slowly settling into more of a routine with our little guy. We still working on the sleeping issue but we have had a couple more nights of sleep this week. Austin continues to grow like a weed! We went on Wednesday to get a weight check on him and he is already 9 lbs. 10 oz. He has gained 1 whole pound in just 2 weeks. You can tell for sure that this boy does not miss a meal. We had to put away two more newborn outfits this week but we did get to break out his little sandals for the first time. Unfortunately Austin developed a pretty bad case of diaper rash this week that came on pretty suddenly. We tried all the creams we had at home but they just didn't cut it, so Grandma Mary called him in a prescription for some Happy Hiney. Hopefully that will do the trick.

Goodbye giggle-saurus, you were super cute.

Look at those little shoes!!

On Thursday Lindsay offered to come to school and help me set up my classroom since I am still not supposed to do much physical activity. Austin joined us for this outing and got to spend his first of many hours I am sure in my classroom. He was not much of a helper and only took a short nap while we were there so Lindsay and I had to take turns working and then holding the baby. We got all the big furniture back into place as well as all the computers set up. A GIANT thank you goes to Lindsay who so patiently set up all the Dells with all their million cords in a very neat fashion to accommodate my OCD tendencies. We didn't get all the little stuff done but luckily Lindsay offered to come help again next week.

On Friday I had my 6 weeks post-partum doctor's appointment with Dr. Manning. I finally got a chance to tell her about all the drama that has occurred with my c-section incision and wound. Of course there isn't anything she can do but it was nice to get it off my chest and let her know about all that has happened and my very bad experiences with a few staffers at her office. At this appointment we also got to get a picture of Austin with Dr. Manning since she was the one who brought our little guy into the world. Everything checked out good and I am done with those appointments for quite a while. It will actually be weird not to go to the doctor every month. I very vaguely remember life without constant doctor's appointments.

Friday was also my first night out with the girls. Me and a few of the ladies I teach with all got to go to crop night and get some much needed scrapbooking done. (I am super behind...like still working on the wedding-YIKES!) It was so nice to get to relax and just enjoy some quiet work time. While I was gone Aunt Lindsay stayed with Austin. She was super baby-sitter that night doing laundry, giving Austin a bath, and keeping him entertained all while letting Brent catch up on some much needed rest. I was able to get 5 pages completed and then got to come home to my sweet baby boy. Thank you again Aunt Lindsay!

This is what happens when daddy dresses Austin ;)

It is crazy that it has already been 6 weeks since Austin was born. He is such a cutie and we are both loving every minute! Here are some other fun pictures of Austin from this week...

Austin's idea of floor time....

Elliott's idea of floor time.

My two boys passed out in our bed.

top 5 in the fifth (week that is)

2009-07-25T19:25:00.018-05:00

The top 5 moments and milestons from the five weeks of Austin:

5. Visiting Baylor and getting to see the bear

Last Saturday we took Aunt Judy and Aunt Janet up to see the Baylor campus during the weekend visit. This was Austin's first ever trip to my lovely alma mater. I know he had absolutely no clue where he was and he actually slept through most of our tour; but still I had an overwhelming sense of pride and joy to share that part of my life with him. As we walked around the heart of campus using his fabulous stroller for the first time, I could just imagine him a few years down the road running around and being so excited to see the bear. As we walked around the bear pit I got to share some fond memories of my time at school with Austin, Judy, Janet and Brent. While we were there we were lucky enough for the bear to come out of his cave and pose for a few photos. For our big outing Austin even wore his Baylor Baby onesie that he got from our good friend Mac. I look forward to taking Austin many more times to campus and hopefully watching him fall in love with the school I love so much.

4. Watching Austin grow and change

It seems like this week Austin has grown so much! He is no longer my tiny little guy who I held so much those first few weeks. He is eating much more these days as well. Those 2 ounce bottles are no more, he now eats 3 and sometimes even 4 ounces at a feeding. He is even starting get little rolls on his legs, under his chin and even his tummy is much more round. No more newborn diapers for our little boy, he has made his way to size 1 already. This of course means he is starting to out grow his precious little newborn clothes. We have already had to retire two of his outfits that he got from grandma Mary and aunt Lindsay. As fun as it is to watch him grow right before our eyes it already makes me nostalgic and reminds me just how fast he will grow up.

The first outfit he outgrew, and sadly I don't have a picture of the other one...he outgrew it too fast!!

3. Swing Sweet Swing

This week we have fallen in love with our baby swing. It is like magic when Austin has those fussy moments. We put him in his swing and within in moments he is calm and almost instantly falls asleep. It has been so nice to be able to get things done around the house, make a phone call or even go to the bathroom without the baby screams in the background. In the afternoons when I am by myself the baby swing is my sanity saver for sure. I know Brent and I love the baby swing but I am pretty sure Austin enjoys it as well. We cannot thank Aunt Judy enough for the best gift ever!

Little Austin enjoying some swing time!

2. Daddy Day Care

This week I had to go to training Monday-Thursday and Brent got to stay home with Austin all by himself. It was so hard for me to leave my baby boy for the first time but I knew he was in good hands. I don't know what they did while I was gone but I loved coming home to see Austin's cute little face. Each morning when I had to get up and go all three of my boys got to stay peacefully asleep in bed. Brent even did a great job of getting Austin packed and ready to go to our friend Amanda's house when he himself had to go to work at 2. Austin had his first babysitter for those 2 hours when he stayed at Amanda's house. He did much better than I did all week. Even though it was really tough leaving each day, I am glad I got these little practice workdays before I have to head back full time. I did my best to remind myself each day that while I am gone he is really just spending most of his day sleeping. I know Brent enjoyed his special father-son time each day and really got some good bonding in while he was in charge.

1. SMILES!

The best moments of this week have to be the smiles. Austin is really starting to be more alert and awake each day. He looks at you so inquisitively when you are talking to him and responds to whoever is talking by turning his head and trying to find them. We have been so lucky to get a few sweet baby smiles when holding and loving on him. Along with with alertness he is starting to enjoy watching is mobile and listening to the soft music. Austin's favorite thing to stare at is the curtians in the living room. I think the bright red color really captures his attention. He has also spent some more time on his tummy time mat and although he is still not sure about what to do while there, he will lay there content for a few moments at a time. I have tried to introduce a few new toys and other things to stimulate his growing brain but he is still not too interested. Other items to note for the week are that Austin is still doing well with his 1 formula bottle a day and he is still spitting up quite a bit but nothing to be too alarmed about yet. We are still working quite hard at getting him to sleep more during the night and are seeing some improvements there. Most nights we have our last feeding between 11 and 12 and will get 3 hour stretches of sleep after that. He hasn't slept in his bed yet but our goal of this next week is to make that move.

Attempting to play with toys but Austin is not too into that yet.

melt my heart!!!

1 Month!!

2009-07-19T18:43:00.025-05:00

Warning- this is a long one!!

It is hard to believe that a month has already passed since Austin's birth. I cannot imagine or even remember life without him. He has brought so much joy to our lives and we are completely in love!! The first month with Austin seems like it has flown by but yet somehow it seems like he has always been part of our family. We have tremendously enjoyed watching him grow and change in the last 4 weeks. This fourth week has been a biggie and brought some major milestones for Austin. The biggest has to be that Austin finally got to and surpassed his birth weight. At his weekly weight check on Wednesday Austin weighed a whopping 8 pounds 10 ounces!!! What a chunky little monkey we have on our hands! At the beginning of the week his umbilical stump finally fell off and we got to see his cute little belly button. That of course meant he could have a real bath! Austin really enjoyed his big boy bath and getting to sit in the warm water. During his bath Austin did not cry at all; he just sat back and relaxed. This week also included many more outings for Austin. We have been to of course more doctors appointments for me and my wound. But we have also been to a few more restaurants including Ninfa's, Poppa Rollo's (a Waco must!!), Chipotle (daddy's favorite), and of course another trip to Chick-fil-a. This week Austin also went on his first shopping trip to Target where we had to buy more pacifiers (since we had lost 1 already) and baby wipes. During this week Austin even had his first visit to my school. I had to go talk to my principal and I got to show Austin off to the office staff. Austin also had his first bottle of formula this week. He did very well with it and will hopefully continue to do so seeing as how he has to be a complete formula fed baby by the time school starts in 4 weeks. All I can say is that formula may be easier but it is much stinkier! Austin still seems to have his days and nights confused as far as sleeping goes but we are trying to be patient and work our way through it. We had 2 nights during this fourth week in which Austin stayed up crying until 5am!! Luckily Brent and I make a good team and can take turns with the late night holding and swinging. These late night screaming and crying adventures are what helped us decide to break down and get a baby swing. As Austin neared the 1 month mark I finally was able to get the birth announcements finished and mailed out. It took quite a few shots to get a sweet naked baby picture but we finally got one that would work and the announcements looked adorable!

The first outfit he has already outgrown! I can't believe he is growing so fast! Goodbye newborn clothes.

1st shot of Austin's belly button without his cord.

1st time on his tummy time mat.

The photo we used on his birth announcements.

This week also brought a few more visitors to meet little Austin including 3 of his wonderful great-aunts. Aunt Janet and Aunt Judy made a very special trip from Tulsa to meet Austin! They both loved holding and cuddling our sweet little boy all day. They also enjoyed taking tons of pictures of both Austin and Elliott, who loved getting some special attention of his own! Austin was definitely a star in their eyes just like he is in ours everyday. During their visit they helped us pick out and get a baby swing. A BIG thank you goes to Aunt Judy for that sleep-saver for us and I am sure Austin will enjoy it almost as much and Brent and I will. (He is peacefully sleeping in his swing as I write right now!!) We all loved having Janet and Judy here and hate that they live so far away. Janet and Judy weren't the only great aunts that came this week, Valerie also made a surprise visit meet Mr. Austin! My mom and aunt Val drove up on Sunday to help us celebrate Austin's 1 month birthday. We all enjoyed sitting around, talking and admiring Austin. They were even sweet enough to hold Austin while Brent and I enjoyed a much needed nap. We want to thank all our aunts for visiting and sharing our joy with us this weekend.

Aunt Janet & Aunt Judy

Janet, Judy and Brent putting together the swing. Austin, Elliott and I helping. Austin in his swing for the 1st time. It worked like a charm!!

Aunt Valerie

As for an update for me and my wound care this week, I got to take off my wound vac!! This week included another visit to wound care and 2 visits from my home health care nurse Rick. On Wednesday, after 2 weeks of having to tote around the wound vac, I finally got rid of it. Rick decided that was time for it to go and I was free again. The removal of the vac meant that I had to go back to twice daily wound dressing changes but that is better than being attached to a pump 24/7! In happier wound news; I finally was cleared to drive. It had been weeks since I had driven myself anywhere and it was really nice to get out on my own again. Who knows how much longer I have until I am completely healed but at least I am making some progress.

To my Austin:

You are the joy and light of my life. I am madly in love with you more and more each day. I love getting to know you and share each day with you. You have changed my life completely and I wouldn't want it any other way. I love getting to hold you and look into your sweet big blue eyes. You have the most precious little hands and feet I have ever seen and your little thighs and cheeks are getting chubbier everyday. Even when you cry I can't help but love that lower lip of yours that pouts and quivers. I am trying my hardest to hold onto every moment with you in this special newborn phase but can't wait to see how you will grow and change and find out if that hair is going to be red or not!!

~ love you always and forever~ your mommy

Every month I plan to post the "official" picture of Austin in his nursery chair. This month he wore one of my favorite outfits; a gemini onesie from baby gap. (As you can tell he is impressed!)

3 weeks!

2009-07-12T19:13:00.014-05:00

Hard to believe that our little boy is already 3 weeks old!! Austin has changed our lives so much in such a short time. Everyday we get to know him better and are trying to quickly learn his likes and dislikes. As for now it is very obvious that Austin prefers to be held-ALWAYS! He is such a sweet little cuddler and sleeper while in your arms but the moment you lay him in his bed, bassinet or bouncer he wakes up in a huff. We have also learned that Austin hates to have his diaper changed. The second that diaper is off he starts crying so hard that he loses his breath. It is such a heartbreaking cry but just cannot be avoided. Both Brent and I are getting much better at quick diaper changes to avoid the infamous fountain that comes with little boys. (But I will admit, we have each gotten hit by our fair share.) Austin also doesn't like to be covered up, just like his daddy. Every time I try to cover his feet or legs, he kicks off the covers to leave his little feet exposed. During this third week we have even been lucky enough to have 1 night with a five hour sleep stretch and 1 night with a six hour sleep stretch!! Of course that isn't the norm yet but it does give us hope that one day we will sleep again. Austin continues spend more time awake as the days progress and is so fun to watch as he looks around. Austin makes some of the cutest faces I have ever seen! Some of my favorites are his little smirk right after a feeding, his pouty lower lip when he is upset and those random grins. Of course I like to think that he is grinning at me and the funny things I say but that is probably not the case. This week also had some milestones for us. This week Austin went on his first real outing to Chick-fil-a. Everyone that works there was so happy to see him and they all oohed and ahhed over him. He even got his own little stuffed cow from the super sweet greeter. To all those who know our family well, you know what a big deal this is for our little family. This week we also had a big outing to dinner with all the couples from our bible study group. It was such a wonderful treat for me to get to hang out and talk with friends and just to be out of the house for something other than a doctor's appointment. Austin did very well at dinner both times, he slept nice and quietly in his car seat! This week has also been a week full of hiccups and spit-ups for little Austin. I finally finished all my antibiotics so hopefully the spitting up and throwing up will decrease soon.

Austin's 1st trip to Chick-fil-a!!

Some random pictures of Austin this week in my two favorite onesies.

(Disclaimer: this part is more graphic!!)

As for me this week, it started with of course another trip to wound care but this week they put on a wound vac. So all week I got to be hooked up to a vaccuum that is supposed to be helping my incision heal faster by using negative pressure. This vaccuum includes foam placed inside the wound, a suction cup, LOTS of tape, nearly 2 feet of tubing and a lovely 3lb. battery pack that I get to carry with me 24/7!! It has been such a pain to deal with and a gigantic obstacle in caring for a newborn. You never really realize how much you get up and move around until you have something tethered too you!! The wound vac also meant that I now had to have home health care nurses come out every other day to clean and change the dressing. And although the nurses have been very kind and it has been nice to have to not get Austin all packed up, it still is not much fun at all. I go back to the doctor at wound care on Monday and hopefully I will only have to have this wound vac for another week.

Me with my wound vac and battery pack. This is what I get to carry around everywhere I go!!

2 weeks!

2009-07-04T21:59:00.006-05:00

Austin is now 2 weeks old! I can't believe how much he has changed in such a short time. He is starting to gain weight and even has the beginnings of a double chin. We went to the doctor today for his 2 week weight check and blood work. He hasn't made back to birth weight yet but he is getting closer at 7lbs 14 ozs. Austin's second week has been mostly a week at home. Unfortunately the week started with my c-section incision getting infected and opening up. I will spare the rest of the information and details since many think it is "disgusting". But needless to say, we have been to many doctor's appointments and not been able to do much else. We only had one outing this week and that was to get photos developed and order his birth announcements but other than that we have been home bodies.

Other developments for the week are that Austin is starting to be awake just a little more during the day and spend some time looking around. We are all still working on sleeping more in the night time. As of right now we only make it in 2-3 hour stretches. Austin has even had 2 bottles this week and did very well with both of them and Dad really enjoyed getting in on the feedings. Austin had his first manicure this week and I was able to cut and file his nails without any injuries. It did take some time since he would clench his fist almost every time I would grab one of his little fingers. This week has also included much more fussy-ness for little Austin. Due to my unfortunate infection and need for very strong antibiotics; Austin has quite the upset stomach. The medicine I have to take is so strong that it makes him throw up and not feel well at all, but hopefully after the required 10 days it will pass and he will return to a less fussy little boy. This week also brought a return visit from Grandma Karen and a few other visitors including Carrie, Jeanette and Anna. Austin's second week ended with his first holiday at home- the 4th of July! We didn't go anywhere since he is still so young and I had my open wound. We instead had some family and a few friends over for some hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill. Austin wore his new Old Navy flag onesie but that was pretty much the extent of his celebrating since he slept through most of the "party".

Austin wearing his "baylor baby" onesie that Mac got him!!

Our "All- American Cutie" on the 4th of July & family photo

1 week old!!

2009-06-27T14:32:00.009-05:00

Hard to believe but our little Austin is already 1 week old. It seems like an eternity ago we were in the hospital preparing for his arrival. It has been a long but great week. His first week has included 3 days in the hospital, finally getting to go home on Monday, first car rides, seeing his house, first baths, first times to use his bouncer, crib and bassinet, first doctor visit and many many feedings and diapers. Here are a few pictures of his first week.

First car ride on the way home from the hospital.

First time to meet his brother Elliott.

First time to sleep in his bassinet.

First time to sit in his bouncer seat.

First bath at home. He did pretty well. He of course cried but didn't pee on me or scream the whole time.

First time to sleep in his crib.

How time flies

2009-06-25T19:26:00.008-05:00

It is amazing how time flies by! Six years ago today Brent and I went on our first official date. Who knew that dinner at Ninfa's and a game of putt-putt would be the beginning of our life together. Now here we are coming up on our 3rd anniversary of marriage, 2 years of living in our house and have just welcomed our first son. It is truly amazing how one event so seemingly small can completely change everything. June really is the best month of the year. I feel so blessed to have such an extraordinary husband and absolutely adorable son.

Brent & I during our dating days (November 2003)

Brent & I bringing home Austin (June 2009)

Baby Austin has arrived!

2009-06-23T13:46:00.014-05:00

(sorry it's kinda long and detailed- but I wanted to record the day as best as possible)

Our sweet little boy finally arrived Friday June 19th at 6:43pm. It was a long wait for him to get here but we are so happy he made it!! It all started Thursday afternoon with a doctor's appointment to get a catheter placed to help with dilation and then off to the hospital. We spent the night Thursday and tried to get some sleep even though it was very hard with all the checks, pokes and prods throughout the night. Bright and early Friday morning (5am!!!) the nurse started the pitocin drip to get things going. Dr. Manning came in at 8:30 to break my water and hopefully get things moving even quicker. I labored all morning and about 11:30 decided I had been strong enough and it was time for the epidural. The anesthesiologist got there around noon and started the wonderful drugs. All I can say is I love epidurals! After that we both tried to get some rest which again was hard because the nurses would come in constantly to check and adjust the all the million monitors. Our little boy liked to move around too much and would always come off his little heart monitor. The doctor came back around 2pm to check our prgoress. We hadn't made too much so they upped the pitocin and made me wear a really tight band around my stomach to help him make his way down. Then three more hours of labor, which luckily I was not feeling too much except some fun leg tinglies and pressure from the band. Around 5:30pm the doctor came back to check again and make a call on what to do next. Unfortunately we had not made any progress past 4 centimeters and -2 station. Dr. Manning went ahead and made the call for a c-section. It wasn't what we wanted but we all knew that it was what was probably going to happen since little Austin had not made any progress in dropping down. Right away the nurses started prepping both Brent and I for what was to come. They got Brent all dressed in his gown, booties and mask and pumped up my epidural. About 6:15pm they rolled me back, rather wrecklessly in my opinion, to the surgery room. They finished prepping me and finally got Brent back there around 6:30. Brent got to watch most of the procedure and see our precious little one make his debut at 6:43pm. I don't remember much but I heard the doctor say right away "Oh, this little boy was not going to come!" He had somehow gotten his face turned sideways and had his cord wrapped around his neck 2 times. It was an odd experience but not as bad as I had feared. The only things I recall are feeling the nurses sitting (well really just pushing extremely hard) on my stomach, the smell of my skin burning and then hearing the staples be put in. It was a good thing that we went ahead with the c-section and ultimately the safest choice for Austin. The nurses and doctor all immediately asked for his name since they knew it was a secret. They were the first ones that got to hear the secret! Austin Charles Coatney checked out wonderfully! He weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and was a whopping 21 1/2 inches long and scored a 9 on his apgar. (I had guessed exactly right when Brent and I were making our guesses the night before!!) Brent got to go back with Austin to get checked and cleaned up while the doctor finished up on me. About 20 mintues later I got to join my new family in recovery and get to hold Austin for the first time. It was such a wonderful time to get to just be a family of three. We had about 45 to spend all together before we had to face the world that was impatiently waiting outside the waiting room. Once we are all ready they handed me Austin and rolled us down the hallway to our postpartum room. We got to roll right through our crowd of visitors who were all so excited to meet our little one. Once settled in our room the visitors started pouring in. First we had Brent's mom & sister, followed by Brent's Dad and Step-mom, then my mom and sister. Once family all got to be in there and hear the name at last the friends started coming. Randy was there right away even Tonya and Jennifer came to visit us Friday night. We eventually got some alone time and tried to get some rest. Saturday brought even more visitors and more family. Saturday is also when Austin got all his procedures done including his bloodwork, circumcision and first shots. Sunday was also spent in the hospital with even more checks of vitals every 2 hours for both Austin and myself. Austin started to appear a little yellow so they did some more bloodwork to check for jaundice. He had a slight case so we had to amp up the feedings and try to get him some sunshine. We tried to rest as much as possible but we did have lots of visitors from family, friends and tons of nurses. After a l-o-n-g stay in the hospital we were finally ready to go home Monday morning. Around 9am the doctor cleared me to go home and then about 9:30 Dr. Duechamp cleared Austin. We were told to just keep an eye on his jaundice and that he needed to go the the pediatrician on Wednesday for a weight check. Finally the paperwork was done and we got to leave the hospital at 11am. It was such a surreal experience putting him in the carseat that we have been looking at for 2 months and then driving off with him.

Now we are at our house and it is all for real. It is overwhelming but absolutely amazing!!

Baby update

2009-06-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

Today was our last official doctor's visit-YAY!! This little boy now has a planned delivery date of June 19, 2009. Everything went well at our appointment today with the sonogram and exam. He looks good and is not too big after all; he just has too much room in his swimming pool!! We go back late Thursday afternoon to see the Nurse Practioner for a catheter to placed in order to help with dilation and then it is off to the hospital. The induction will officially start Friday morning bright and early. Hopefully all will go quickly and smoothly and baby boy Coatney will be here sometime Friday! Stay tuned for more baby information including the much anticipated baby name!!

Maternity Pictures

2009-06-09T21:38:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we were lucky enough to have a friend take some maternity pictures for us. Even though it was a rainy, rainy day we were able to get a great outside shoot. We went to a gorgeous building in downtown Waco to utilize the bright red bricks and classic architecture. Our friend Jason (of Jason Hagerup Photography - http://www.jasonhagerup.com/) took some wonderful pcitures for us so I thought I would share a few. Thanks so much Jason!!

I love the black & white shots!

(and 1 to show what a rainy day it was)

Baby update

2009-05-27T21:31:00.007-05:00

This week marks the 36th week of pregnancy. On one hand it seems like I have been pregnant forever but on the other I can't believe we are almost to the end. We went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up and ultrasound. Baby looks good and measures about 2 weeks ahead of where we are, but not gigantic yet. He is still up high so it looks like we have a little more wait time until his big arrival. During the ultrasound we were able to get one good picture of his face; which was hard because he likes to hide behind his arm. Just look at those chubby little cheeks!!

You can see by the big belly how he is measuring two weeks ahead of schedule! (end of 35 weeks)

The Infamous Belly Shots...

2009-05-11T21:43:00.005-05:00

I have had MANY requests from friends and family to post some pictures of "the belly"... so here you go. For those who asked-you are welcome! For those who didn't ask...I'm sorry.

26 weeks

28 weeks

30 weeks

Baby Shower #2

2009-05-11T20:42:00.006-05:00

We had our second baby shower last week. It was a co-ed shower hosted by Brent's mom, sister and aunt. We had a wonderful time with all our friends and family that got to come, especially those who made the trip from out of town. This shower also brought some fabulous gifts including our travel system and a pack-n-play!! (Thanks grandma mary and aunt lindsay!) Other great gifts included the Diaper Champ, lots of clothes, a humidifier, a tummy time mat, and they always useful giftcards. At the shower we also got some helpful parenting advice and enjoyed some yummy cake and homemade mints. Even though I was forced to play the string measuring game (where everyone has to guess how big your belly is with string and then test it!!) it was still a great time. I was very pleased that Brent measured a nice short string to help make me feel good about my ever expanding stomach. Kudos to Lauren who was only off by an inch!! However Ryan is still in big trouble for measuring WAY too long!! We had a great time and are so thankful for the shower and all thsoe who came.

All the WONDERFUL gifts that we recieved and all the guests that came!

A BIG thank you to all!!

Baby Shower

2009-04-19T21:43:00.005-05:00

This weekend we had a baby shower here at our house. Three of the girls I teach with hosted it for us. They did such a fabulous job and we all had so much fun. We had a great time talking and sharing baby stories while enjoying delicious snacks and very yummy cupcakes!! We received many wonderful gifts!! Some of them included a baby bath tub, lotions, onesies, clothes, a super-soft lovey and a high chair. I am so grateful for all the friends that came and shared in this special time in our lives. Thank you very much to all!!

The Nursery

2009-04-12T20:47:00.006-05:00

Last weekend we painted the nursery. Well actually Brent, his mom, and his sister painted while I supervised! It took a while, but I finally picked the colors for the wall and stripes, that matched our baby gap bedding perfectly. It took two days to paint and somewhere around five different room rearrangements to complete the project. Now all that is missing is a rocking chair, the baby's name on the wall, and of course our baby boy! Here are some pictures of our new baby's room.

I caved...

2009-04-05T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I have finally caved into the world of blogging. With the arrival of the newest little Coatney not too far away; I figured this was as good a way as any to keep family and friends updated.