Picnic at the Park

Yesterday, Austin got to go on his first picnic. We went to the New Baltimore Park which is one of Austin's favorite parks. We packed our sandwiches, watermelon and lots of snacks. Austin was such a good boy, he sat on the blanket by the beach and ate his little sandwich and shared a Twinkie with daddy. Once we were all done eating, Austin sat on the beach and played in the sand.He even got to taste his first (and 2nd, because he obviously didn't learn the first time) handful of sand! After the taste testing, we took a walk by the water and let the waves crash over our toes. Luckily, there were no screams when the water hit his toes, so we are hopeful that swimming this summer will be a fun experience. Austin got to go on the swings, play on the slides, and daddy even took him on all of the big kids stuff, even though it made me very nervous.

After the picnic, we went home and all laid down in our bed and took a family nap. Unfortunately, for John and I, Austin decided it was time to get up, before we were ready. After our nap, we all got up and barbecued chicken for dinner. After dinner it was time for Austin to take a bath, get his bottle and off to bed. It was the most perfect Sunday ever!

On Wednesday Austin is going to be 11 months old. I cant believe how much he has grown. He can now get on and off his bouncing zebra without any help at all. He is walking a lot more, and is almost ready to give up all his bottles. He has 8 teeth and I am sure the way he is teething, more are on the way. He is wearing 12-18 month clothes almost in a size 4 shoe. Size 3 diapers are a thing of the past and we have moved up to size 4. He has grown into a very independent child and rarely likes help with anything. The bigger the challenge the better for him. He has gotten very attached to his blanket and now when he is ready to cuddle, he grabs it and brings it over to you. I am so excited for Florida because he is no longer a baby but a little man, and he is going to be so much fun experiencing all of the new things.

In pregnancy news, this little guy is WAY more active then Austin ever was. I am not sure if it is because I am more active, having to keep up with Austin or if it's him just reminding us he is around. He has also decided that barbecued food, especially ribs is his food of preference. The funny thing about this is I hate ribs! You couldn't pay me to eat a rib in the past but, now that's all I want. Anything with barbecue sauce will do but, ribs are the preference. With Austin there were small things that I liked more but nothing that I had cravings for and definitely not anything I didn't previously like. I was into chocolate milk, applesauce,and english muffins with peanut butter with Austin. Until now I have not had any specific cravings with this one. It's funny how each baby is completely different. I do hope this one takes after Austin in his sleeping habits, sleeping 4 hours at a time from the day he was born.

John's job at Reach Academy did not happen to be God's plan. As disappointing as it is because John has put so much extra time into it and was really hoping to stay there, we both know that God has a perfect job waiting for him. By the next day of finding out he would not be staying at Reach, John got a call from another principal at a brand new National Heritage school. He has his first interview tomorrow. We are leaving everything up to God. If this is the school he is supposed to be at then it will all work out and if its not, then there is another plan.

Random Videos & Pictures

Austin dancing to music

Austin going for a walk outside

When Austin was a newborn he always took his naps on this blanket. He used to fit perfectly in the middle. Needless to say he doesn't exactly fit but that didnt stop him from taking a 2 hour nap on the floor.

Our cousins from Texas

The swing is so much fun! The slide's a littlle bit more scary

Look I can feed myself!

Me and my little brother.

Austin "helping" with laundry. He loves to push things around the house. The heavier the better. He likes to show how strong he is.

Austin eating his favorite treat pushups. No matter how many times he has one or we tell him they are cold, he still acts surprised everytime he takes a bite.

Mommy's new car

Austin watching John eat a snow cone at the zoo. He wanted to make sure daddy was sharing.

Austin at the polar bear exhibit

Austin and Papa on the boat.

Teething, Teaching and Pregnant

Well the McMahon's have been a busy bunch of people this last month. With Birthday parties, graduations, illnesses, and out of town family, we have rarely had a moment to relax. I am anticipating the relaxation of a fun McMahon/Walkenhorst family vacation.

For Austin, the last month has been filled with cutting 4 teeth. They have finally all cut through and his count is now up to 8. He has also been walking a lot more, venturing out and taking steps on his own. He is very active and and determined. We are still battling with the concept of "no" and we are often given a huge cheesy smile when his hand is slapped or he is told no. Trying not to laugh or smile back when he is looking so cute has been one of the bigger challenges of disciplining a 10 1/2 month old. He has had his ear infection recheck and well visit and everything is looking good. He is about 20 lbs of solid little boy. He is 30 inches and as his doctor says "he's a big boy". He is back to eating very well and likes to feed himself. Mealtime is much more of a mess now since he wants to do everything himself but, at least it gives us time to eat our own food. Austin is "talking" so much now and everytime you see him, he has tons to say. Right now he pretends everything is a phone and holds it up to his ear and chatters away. He is showing some signs of trying to say certain words, mama not being one of them. I have come to the conclusion he will never say my name because he knows I am always there at the slightest peep. Dada seems to still be his favorite to say, and Dada is who he talks on the pretend phone. He tries to say Kacie which is Grammy and Papas dog. Up and yuck are other words he attempts and comes pretty close to saying. Austin can also locate (when he chooses to do so) a nose and a tongue.

On the downside, this morning he woke up with a pretty nasty cold. He spent most of the weekend outside so I think it just caught up with him. He was so sad this morning and just wanted to be held. Hopefully some sleep and Motrin will help him feel much better.

For me, I am going to be 24 weeks pregnant and its going very well, much like Austins pregnancy. This little guy is much more active then Austin was and he lets his presence be known throughout the day. I have been sick much more in terms of colds, ear infections, and sinus infections. This past weekend I have been battling and severe ear infection that sent me to urgent care. With the help of antibiotics and ear drops the pain is finally under control and now I just have to fight a cough and plugged ear. This pregnancy is flying by compared to Austins. I cant believe that we only have about 4 1/2 months left. I am cherishing all the time I have with Austin because I know that he will have a hard time sharing him mommy with another baby.

As for John, he is busy teaching and loving his job. Being a new teacher and waiting to be offered the permanent position for next year, he has been working really hard to show the principal that he would be a good asset to their school. Hopefully within the month he will be offered the position and we can relax a little, knowing what will be going on next year. He is still working at his other job, not as much thankfully but still enough to the point where some nights he gets home late.

Summer is fast approaching and I can't wait. Austin is going on his first trip to Florida to meet his Uncle Eugene, Aunt Karen and cousins William, Louis, and Caroline. We are very excited. Going to Florida has been almost a yearly event for John and I since we have been dating and we cant wait to bring Austin along this year. We are driving which I am sure will be a challenge but also an adventure. I will be in my third trimester which means flying is out (not that it was an option unless I could have been heavily drugged and knocked out). We will be going to Florida and then making a stop in Tennessee on our way back for a couple of days. Austin will be turning a year old in Florida and what better way to spend a birthday then hanging out on the beach and swimming in the ocean!

Graduation Day!

Today I officially graduated from Wayne State. I just wanted to take a moment and publicly thank Christina and Austin for their tremendous support! Getting through 8 months of student teaching was very hard on Christina. It left her taking care of Austin many late nights as I went to work after student teaching. I am very happy to be done, but probably not as happy as Christina is.

Thank you Christina - I love you!

10 Months Old!

On Sunday, Austin turned 10 months old. It is hard to believe that less then a year ago, he was this little peanut that only weighted 6 lbs when we brought him home from the hospital. With turning 10 months came Austins first ear infection. Last week Austin got sent home from daycare with a very high fever. Because of all the crazy stuff going on, we got Austin in to see the doctor right away. He was diagnosed with his first ear infection, although he was miserable, we consider ourselves lucky that he is almost a year old and has not had one before. With lots of Motrin, cuddles from mommy all night, and an antibiotic, he is now doing much better. He is still pulling at his ears but is back to his old self, hurricane Austin, destroying everything in his path!

More updates about Austin: He is now on 1 bottle a day at night. He is completely off baby food and has good days with eating and bad days. For the most part he will try anything. Peas and carrots are still on his do not like list but we find other ways to hide them in his food. For the last 4 days, Austin has been sleeping from 9 p.m. until about 8-9 in the morning. This has been so wonderful for us to get a little taste of sleeping in. This morning I even had to go wake him up so I could go to work! He is still working on walking. He has mastered walking if you hold one of his hands and can take about 5-6 steps on his own if there is something he really wants. He loves pushing anything around the floor. He likes to push our laundry baskets around until he runs into something. Buttons are his new favorite adventure. He now knows exactly what buttons to push on our two tv remotes to turn it on and off. He knows exactly what buttons on his humidifier to push to turn it on and off and is in the process of searching the house for more buttons he is not supposed to touch. He is "talking" more but still refuses to say mama. His loves his dada and calls for him everywhere we go. Dada is always there according to Austin. Austin gives kisses on demand now. Daddy getting the most. He is daddy's little puppy dog, following him around wherever he goes.

We are noticing Austin loves to study everything. His new favorite game is to take all of his diapers out of his basket one at a time. Not only does he take them out one at a time, he places about half on one side of him, then the other side of him, and some behind him. When you watch him, you can tell that in him mind, he is thinking out every move he makes.

In baby news, I am starting to go through another tired phase. This might be in part of Austin being so active. The baby is starting to move a lot more and making his presence known. I have been having some cramping and contractions at night, I think in part to overdoing it. The ultra sound showed that he is healthy and right on track. We do have a name picked out for our new little one but decided to wait until he is born to tell everyone. We are hoping Austin will adjust well, but as of right now, he is very protective of his mommy and does not like when I pay attention to any other baby.

New Job!

This past Monday John had an interview for Reach Academy in Roseville. Later that day he was offered the position, and started the next day. We are both very excited for John to be offered a position even before he completed his student teaching. His advisers at Wayne State have been very supportive. Although it has been very overwhelming for John to step into a position at the end of the year and without any preparation, he has taken it on full force and is loving every minute. We are both positive that this new opening will lead to bigger and better things for our family and we are excited for the future and the growth of John's new career.

Walking!

Tonight Austin took his first official steps! He has been standing alone for long periods of time for a few weeks now and tonight, he finally walked. It began with 2 steps and gradually increased to about 6 steps in a row. Austin has been "walking" for a few weeks with his walkers that he pushes around, and tonight he finally ventured out and did it alone. In true Austin fashion, crawling is much easier and when he figured out how much work this walking thing was, he quickly refused to stand up again. With a little more practice, I suspect that within a month he will be walking on his own for the most part. 

In other news, this week Austin went from 3 bottles a day to only 2. He did this with no problem at all. He has his full appetite back. He is off baby food and now eats just about anything as long as it is not carrots or peas. He loves pasta, so we have lots of Gerber pasta pick ups which conveniently combine chicken and carrots in their filling so that's how Austin gets his veggies. He will eat green beans so we have a lot of those. His new favorites are Mandarin oranges (thanks to his friend Nate who shared his snack with Austin one night), cottage cheese, string cheese, lunch meat, and fishy crackers. Austin loves to share anything anyone is eating. He like to share rice crispy cereal in the morning, or chocolate chip cookies with daddy, and push ups on occasion which he refuses to share with anyone. 

This past week, I was lucky enough to stay home with Austin. We had so much fun and I realize how much I miss him during the day. We are crossing our fingers that John will land a teaching position for next year so I can cut back on my hours and stay home more with our boys. 

And yes I said boys. On Good Friday, Austin found out he will be getting a little brother. My parents are now up to 6 grandsons! John and I are very excited. With the two being so close in age, I really wanted Austin to have a brother to play with. 

A day at the park

On Saturday, since it was such a beautiful day, John and I took Austin to the park to play and get some fresh air. Austin had a lot of fun. His favorite thing was going down the slide and walking around since he is such a big boy now.

Austin on the swings. There was a little boy screaming next to him that he kept staring at.

Austin sliding down the slide. He was actually doing really good and didn't need much help

Austin looking at the water

Austin and Daddy taking a walk

In other news, John has only 9 more days of student teaching left! We are very very excited to have him home more often. We took Austin off his allergy medicine because he was not acting right on it. He had no appetite at all and was still throwing up and had a cough. We are now just using over the counter Little Allergies which seems to be helping just as much as the allergy medicine did. It controls the runny nose which at this point is all we can ask for.

Austin is showing signs of walking. He can now walk when someone holds just one hand. He is standing for long periods of time without holding on to anything. Austin has also been sleeping a lot lately so I am sure another growth spurt is on the works. He right now wears 12 month pants and pj's.

John and I are having so much fun with Austin. He is constantly laughing and smiling and doing silly things to make us laugh. If I would keep him one age it would be this one. He is still my cuddly little baby that loves to sit on my lap and snuggle with a blanket, but he is so interactive and funny. He has such a good personality. Austin is now giving kisses when you ask, that is if he is not doing something else. Sometimes, he will just grab your face and start smooching away. Austin is a very lovable child.

Allergies

As you all know from previous posts, Austin has been sick off and on for awhile now. Its seems like he never gets rid of one cold or runny nose. At first we thought it was just teething but after the scare with pneumonia, I didn't want to take any chances. Last week he started to get the same deep cough and runny nose again. I took him to the doctor right away and she said that since Austin seemed to always be congested, that it most likely is allergies. She gave us some allergy medicine that he takes once a day in the morning. It seems to be helping him a little bit but I have not seen a huge improvement. We also bought a really good cool air humidifier that is supposed to reduce allergy symptoms in his room.

Austin is also going through a no eating phase, and for all of you that know our son, he can eat. He is just not really interested in much food right now. He will still eat oatmeal and his bottles and an occasional snack if he feels like it. I am sure it won't be too long before he is back to his normal self of grabbing food off our plates and putting 5 puffs in his mouth at one time.

Gymboree has been going great. Austin loves it and is very comfortable on all of the equipment. Last night we went to a level 3 class to see if it would be better for Austin. All of the babies in his level 2 class are on the young side. Austin is the only one that can crawl and has a hard time sitting for all of the songs. Level 3 was babies that could walk or were just learning to walk. Austin had a good time but he was worn out. It was a lot more playing than in his other class. We are still going to go to level 2 and to level 3 for awhile. Austins favorite time during class is the parachute. He is the only one that will lay on his back under it the whole time and watch it go up and down. He reached for it and squeals as it comes back down. Its such a change from the very first class when he cried his head off. Last night Austin got a special treat and daddy came to class with us.