Boobieanonymous :)

Well, we've been busy bees, rob with steady work, me with steady school and work. I now have 3 weeks off of school (just finished the semseter!) and my final research capstone class and then I'll be done with my classes for my masters degree in teaching, yay! We've done alot this past month, and I'm in the middle of posting alot of pictues from the past few months... click here to see pictures from:
Easter
Chattanooga Trip we took a few weeks ago
A few more from our cruise
Austin growing and playing these past few months
We've been outside playing alot and going to the park. We're loving bike riding!!! And Austin LOVES playing outside. We got him a cute little playhouse for outside, and a watertable, which he goes crazy over! The people that lived in the house before us left a really nice swingset! He could spend an hour outside without getting bored. And it's perfect with our fenced in backyard. Austin also LOVES the hottub at my parents house, he wants to go in everynight and play in the water.

Ooh, we just had Austin's 15 month check up, and he is 27 lbs (75%) and 32 1/2 inches tall (75 %). We can tell he's gotten alot taller!

We had a great Easter this year. Austin went to an easter egg hunt at church and then we went to Chattanooga overnight and had a blast. We went to the zoo and on a dinner boat cruise, and then my parents and Jeremy and Charlotte met us on Saturday and we went to the Children's Museum (which is the 2nd time we've been in Chattanooga, it's amazing!!) and then did the aquarium in the afternoon. We of course ate at our favorite place, Cheeburger Cheeburger! yumm. We had such a great time, and Austin especially loved the aquarium this time - we had to drag him away, I can't believe he lasted that long without getting bored!

Austin is of course still growing and changing daily. He still only has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom teeth, but in the past week or so his gums have gotten real sore and I think he's teething the rest of his teethies! He's still saying new words and sounds everyday. He can sing the ABC song, on pitch!! That's my baby :) And he still loves to dance, he's a mess :) He also loves If you're happy and you know it, and his favorite books right now are "Brown Bear," "Goodnight Moon," "Where is the Green Sheep" "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb" and "Peekaboo." He loves reading and wants to sit in your lap and read the books over and over. He has also started playing with his toys more and in different ways - making the car noise and playing with his cars, playing his toy guitar and playing with his little people and blocks.

Austin got a big boy bed, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before. He loves it, but he's only staying in it about half the night!! But, this is better than before, from about 9 months - 1 year, with the ear infections he was hardly sleeping. Speaking of ear infections, still none since the tubes! But, we did have a case of brhoncitis a few months ago. But he's doing great now. I go to New Orleans with work this upcoming week, from Sunday afternoon - late Wednesday evening, and this will be Austin's first night away from Mommy (and daddy!). So, I'm a little nervous, but I think he'll do okay - we're trying to break the wake up and nurse habit, so we're calling this boobieanonymous at grandma's! And then, maybe he'll sleep longer in his bed again.

Austin loves giving kisses and blowing kisses and waving and hugging, it's really sweet :) And he tries to copy you and make you laugh - such a personality :) Well, I think this is all for now, time for bed!

Austin's Tubes

How could I forget the most important part... Austin did get the tubes put in his ears and it has been a huge change for him! He is sleeping better, walking better and no more ear infections!! He was such a trooper through the surgery, he wanted to play when he got home, that's my kid :) and he's been to a post op check-up and his hearing has improved and even with him getting sick this week, no ear infection, yay!!!!

Quite a Whirlwind!

Wow - I didn't realize it's been so long since I posted!! Well, Austin's 1 year checkup went great, he is 31 in (80th percentile) and 25.9 lbs (75th percentile), he's slowed down in his growing! He is still in 18 month clothes, but also fits in 24 month clothes. He has already changed so much in these past 2 months. Well, we've been on a cruise, which was amazing! Austin LOVED it and so did we :) It was so nice and relaxing and we had a great time with my parents - they had an adjoining room so it worked out perfectly. We got to see Grandmother for one night in Florida! And then we got into the grind of work and school. Rob has a break for a week from work and I'm caught up with work and school, so we can almost breathe! Austin is learning everyday so many new things. He can say the da sound now, Rob is happy! He is a climber, just like I was! And he loves to blow kisses bye bye, give high fives, dance dance to music, he cracks himself up and laughs, it's great! He loves playing with his lawnmower and toy car! He loves climbing up and down the stairs, he goes a mile a minute! And he LOVES being outside and he especially loves his stuffed animals. he alsways kisses them night night :) He sings all the time and babbles to you like it makes perfect sense. haha. ANd he knows a lot of short commands, like leave it, sit down, bring me this, let's take a bath, etc. smart little boy :) And he tries to sing the ABC song with grandma! ooh, and his favorite books are Brown Bear and Hand hand, fingers thumb and goodnight moon. He can throw wreally good for a baby and his uncle jer has just taught him how to swing a bat... only with one hand, but we will work on it :) We also made the crib into a toddler bed and he loves it, he feels like such a big boy in it,and actually doesn't cry. And he's learned how to get down properly!

ooh, back to the cruise. It was so great. We met a great couple there who have a little boy, nicholas, and he and austin played (austin was a little scared of him though!). The had time everyday for the babies to play, and we took him to the baby pool 2 times a day and we walked a TON aroudn the ship, and grandma and grandpa would take austin so rob and i could lay out and relax :) we went to st. thomas, st.martin and cococay! We went snorkling in st.thomas, took a boat over to st.john - the most amazing experience ever. it was so beautiful! And all of us did an undersea boat in st.martin - it was pretty cool too! Austin was well known aroudn the ship with the staff and vacationeers - everyone knew his name, everyone watned to dance with him and hold him. he was famous :)i guess just because he is so outgoing :)

We bought bikes a few weeks ago, Rob and I are going to take it up to get some exercise. We got the baby seat to put on rob's bike, i bet austin will LOVE it!! and we went to monkey joe's this past weekend which was fun, but we may wait to go again until he is a little older. He is now learning how to jump... he can't really jump yet, he just bounces his knees and gets excited ;) And Rob and I went on a date this past weekend to bahama breeze - the first one in a while! It was fun!!!

This is all for now, like I always say, I'll try and post more often!!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Austin turned 1!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, it's been quite an eventful month. As you have read previously, the holidays started out great! Rob was working like crazy though, so we didn't get to spend alot of time with him. But, he's got the next 3 weeks off, so we are getting in lots of family time and Austin is LOVING playing with daddy :) Austin is getting so fun, going crazy playing with all of his toys, running back and forth from the den to his playroom. He and daddy could play all day long! Then, he'll bring a book to you, open his arms for you to pick him up and read him the book. it's soo cute! I caught him laying on his chair watching his show in his playroom the other day, arm propped up like we lay. Austin is mimicking EVERYTHING... we say, what does grandma say, and he goes "siiigh". It's cute! Austin has figured out lots of sounds, noises and words like that. He's got a ball popping machine that pops balls in the air, and he can say ball pop --- although it sounds like "ba op". haha.

Well, my 26th birthday came and went, Rob was working so we didn't really do anything. My grandmother came to church with us and my mom,dad, Austin and she went and saw a movie! We had big plans for Christmas, but Austin had other plans... we ended up in the emergency room three times over Christmas... first, on Dec. 23 we had to run to the emergency room in the middle of the night because Austin got croup cough and couldn't catch his breath. They gave him a steriod and sent him home. On the 24th (Christmas Eve) around 5pm Austin was burning up and was being very lethargic, and so we rushed him to childrens healtcare emergency place, which is amazing, and he had a 104.8 temperature, they rushed him into the room, took all his clothes off and starting running tests, such as xrays for pnomenia, flu test... and it all came back negative, which was good, but we couldn't figure out what was wrong. This whole time they said there was fluid in his ears but not enough to be an ear infection. They sent us home once they got the fever down with no medicince or anything. We had to go back on that Saturday (26th)to recheck, because his temperature was still constantly 101.5-102.8ish, which he's never had a fever for more than a few hours, so we were nervous. He wasn't eating, only nursing (which is a story for another time, we are trying to wean him and get him on a better sleeping schedule but this screwed all those plans up!) and he'd just sit on my lap halfway fussing/halfway crying. It was the saddest thing i've ever seen. The hardest time for me and rob (and my parents!) to go through with him. Well, on that Saturday, they said he had a double ear infection and gave him medicince. By that monday (28th) he was still fussy like his ears hurt but his fever finally broke, so we took him to his normal doctor that was open back from the holidays. She immediately said that his ears weren't clearing up and had to give him a stronger antibiotic, put him on a steriod because his airway was still slightly closed and he was wheezing and sent us home with a nebulizer to help with his breathing... none of which any other doctor treated! We LOVE dr. zaman!

... and the saga continues, New Years eve comes up and Rob and I are supposed to have our big night out, but Austin has gotten us sick and he's still not feeling great, so all three of us end up at the doctor, rob with an upper respiratory infection, me with a sinus infection and Austin's ears were still not clearing. Good news is we still set off fire works on new years eve, but we were in bed at 9 :( The doctor sent us to an ENT, and Austin went a few days ago and is getting tubes put in his ears this week, so hoepfully his ear infections will clear up, and he will have no more! We will keep you posted on how this goes. I will know tomorrow when they are going to put the tubes in.

We've been celebrating Austin's first birthday for a week!!!!! CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE PICTURES FROM CHRISTMAS AND AUSTIN'S FIRST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!! We started it on January 2nd by having his first birthday party, and about 15 or so people we able to come, we had a great time! Austin was feeling better so he had a blast, even though he was a little quiet. It was a curious george themed party, Austin loves him some george!! We kept the decorations up all week and celebrated. On wednesday, January 6, Austin turned one years old at 8:06 pm. I was less emotional during the day and just really excited, but aroudn 8 pm, I got pretty emotional, and started looking back on this time a year ago :) Boy, it goes fast! But it's so fun to watch our baby boy grow up. He's growing and changing everyday, putting a smile on our face everyday with the new things he is doing and learning. We love him so much and love spending time with him! He's such a sweet little boy :) But oh boy, he's quite opinionated, like his mommy :)The day before Austin's birthday we got his first haircut, and he did so good, such a big boy! He looks all grown up! Then, on his birthday, Rob and Austin came to visit me and my work friends at lunch and then we got his one year pictures taken at target that night and went out to eat for his birthday to roadhouse grill. Austin loves people and showing off so he had a great time! They sat him on a saddle and said happy birthday! Then, this weekend we played,played,played with our little boy and we took him to the curious george exhibit at the children's museum here in Atlanta. The exhibit was cool, but the museum not so much.

Such a long post, but so much to write down before I forget. The stafford family has definately been blessed this year, even with all the crazy events to take place, and we have been very blessed to have such an amazing little boy. We are just trying to take life day by day and cherish every moment and memory.

Oooh, on a fun note, Rob and I finally found a couple to hang out with!! We went to dinner and saw Avatar this weekend with Katie and Howard, and we had so much fun!!!!! Yay, sorry rob and howard, I think ya'll better get used to this :)

one more thing i forgot, while all this crazyness was going on during Christmas and new years, ew took the plunge and got the house painted. This guy did an amazing job! We were homeless for a few days and then had to rush to get everything perfect for Austin's party. At least the house is back in order, thanks mom and dad! Check out the pictures!

Well, T-minus ONE week for our CRUISE!!! YAY :)