God's Country

We are packing up and getting ready to introduce baby Austin to one of our favorite places on the map, OXFORD. I think we're gonna teach him to say God's Country instead of Oxford (just like he will learn Colonel Reb instead of the Black Bear). He had his Ole Miss duds all ready (thanks Aunt Eldy) but it looks like the forecast is going to be a little cold for anything like this so I went into his closet last night and pulled out all the 3-6 month fall/winter clothes for our weekend weather with lows in the 40's. I am dying to see him in his sweaters and jeans and sweat suits! This will also be his first wedding so we have to get him all dolled up for the ladies!

Looks like Grammy daycare will be closed for 4 whole days while we are gone. I asked mom what she was going to do with all her free time without Austin and all I got back was the text :(

I can't say it enough, we are so blessed to have Mom and Dad caring for our little dude. They have him smiling all day and it warms my heart to know he's in great hands when he is not in mine.

Austin and Papa watching the sunset on the river

Grammy loving on Austin

I have to mention our other kiddos, Sydney and Emma. Yes, they still live with us but they just don't get near the amount of camera time they used too. Here is Emmy on our walk. Zach and I walked a pretty far distance so we popped Emmy into the stroller. I really think she likes it!

Here is my new mommy product plug of the week....the SwaddlePod. We got this in the mail and from the night we started using it I have actually had to wake Austin up at 6:45am to feed him. Before SwaddlePod we would have to get up around 4am just for the purpose of re-swaddling because he would wake himself up. I think we would sleep another hour if I let him because he feels so safe and snug! Great invention especially since he was getting too long for his swaddle blankets.

2 Month Shots

We're alive! We survived the 2 month shots and just in case you were wondering I was much more worried about how I was gonna handle it than Austin. On the way to the Dr.'s office Zach told me not to worry because Austin won't even remember today, I said that wasn't the problem because I will :( But we have a fabulous pediatrician who is so good with Austin so I knew we were in good hands.

He was such a little ham today at the appointment...he was a happy little guy through the naked weigh-in and the temperature reading (you know where!). Then he was all smiles for Dr. Weary and even warmed up enough to start chatting with her. She said Austin is growing just like he should. He is still exactly on the average curve for weight and still above average on height.... which I totally expected since we know he is taking after his dad judging by his big ole feet. She also told us we were so blessed and lucky to a baby on a daily schedule and for him to be sleeping through the night. When she threw out the word "luck" I had to grin because I really don't think luck had much to do with it. Zach and I have worked very hard since Day 1 to uphold his schedule no matter what ours may be and we put him in his crib to sleep every night. Although some days were harder than others, we have followed Babywise and it has really made life wonderful. (Highly recommend to all my expecting mommy friends)

Austin loves getting nakey!

Big Nakey Boy...11 1/2lbs

Dr. Weary and Austin chattin' it up!

I love when Daddy swaddles me!

Here come the tears, oh and Austin was upset too....but only for a few seconds and then he was okay.

After the appointment he totally zonked out. He even slept through a diaper change so I let him rest for a few minutes on the changing table before I swaddled him for a nap. Who knows how long he'll be sleeping. Poor lil' fella! Oh but check out the Bugs Bunny bandaid he is rockin! I can't wait for the days when we can give him ice cream and race cars as a reward. But until then we just showered him in kisses and love!

Here he is napping with his donkey Clyde. Clyde makes everything better.

Going Private

Hey all, I am about to make our blog private. Don't worry...you still get to enjoy adorable pics of Austin and our endless home reno projects (2 underway currently that will be blogged about soon) but we are just limiting the access to friends and family...and friends of friends of friends! Since I post a lot of info on here about where we live, what we do and most importantly the journey of our little boy growing up...I just want to make sure not to divulge that info to the wrong people {insert mental image of creepy internet junkies doing bad things to good people}.

Space is limited so either email me (shannon.r.jex@gmail.com) or leave a comment on this post with your email address so I can add you to the approved list. I won't make it private for a few weeks to make sure and catch all of you that may not visit often.

And don't worry, if you are a friend of a friend or my sweet IO Metro staff that started following us by accident when we mentioned the Room Planner on a post...then come along for the journey too!! I would love to have all of you follow even if we have not met yet....just promise me you aren't a creepy internet junkie doing bad things to good people. :)

So send me your email so you can see more of this sweet face....

Roomspirations

This is for all of my "uber imaginative, always on the lookout for inspiration" friends. Looks fun. (I had Lisha, McShane, my parents and my hubby in mind when I saw this!)

Head over to View Along The Way,

today's link up is living rooms

Here comes a photo dump!

It was a fun filled weekend for our little family of 3. However we did take time to sit as a family Sunday night and watch the 9-11 coverage feeling so grateful for our safety and for each other. We watched the special on first responders and I was so thankful that we have such an amazing country filled with selfless people willing to give their lives for their neighbor. As my brother prepares for his deployment to either Afghanistan or Pakistan, I pray for his safety and that he won’t experience the evil abroad that we saw here on 9-11. Here is Austin, dreaming of how proud he is of his Uncle Cory and all his friends/fellow Marines for protecting him and allowing him to sleep safe and sound.

Friday night we got to watch hot air balloons fly over the river and then enjoyed catching up with our ballooning friends Ken and Leigh at Fat Mama’s. They have always piloted our company balloon and this weekend they were here for a photo shoot for the balloon races so Mom and Dad helped crew the balloon and Zach, Austin and I watched from the bluff. Top the evening off with fabulous fall weather and you really couldn’t have planned a better night.

Saturday Austin attended his first birthday party however this was just the beginning of his very social lifestyle. I think I have mentioned it but Natchez became the “One Born Every Minute” TV show this year and I can’t count the number of new babies that boosted the Adam’s County population. Little Jane Carby turned 2 and had an adorable Circus themed party. It made the gears start turning in my head for Austin’s first birthday. I have a feeling it will entail lots of scrapbook paper, ModPodge, and Zach dressed up as some storybook character!

Zach and I spent the day with our little man watching college football, working on his neck control in the bumbo and napping on and off…everything weekends should be! Then Mom and I took to the town for the 2^nd Saturday festivities. Every 2^nd Saturday all the art galleries and shops stay open late and serve wine and food. We joined in the walking tour group led by MiMi Miller to learn the history of the buildings on Main Street and then shopped. Austin was showered with love by a lot of his “Adopted Grandmas”. Many of Randa’s close friends were out and we enjoyed discussing who Austin looked like and talking about how much Randa would have loved on him and paraded him around town if she were here.

Daddy teaching Austin bad cheers about Miss. State

Laughing in his Bumbo

Sunday night we hit a HUGE milestone with the little man. Since he turned 8 weeks this weekend we decided it was time to skip the 4am feeding and PRAY that he slept from his 9:30pm feeding to his 6:30am feeding. We have been following the principles of BabyWise (thank you Aunt Franny for introducing us!) and he has really adopted the schedule wonderfully. He always eats, sleeps, and is awake at the same times. It makes it so easy to plan eating out, running errands, and his days at Grandma daycare because he is pretty predictable. I fully expected last night to be a “cry it out night” and I even warned Zach we might not be getting much sleep but when he woke up for his 4am feeding I gave him a paci and he was back asleep immediately, no kidding. I LOVE YOU BABYWISE! He stayed asleep until his 6:30 feeding! Per the book, as the babies grow they wake up because they are still in the habit from their newborn weeks when their tummies were tiny and they needed to eat. Now that his tummy is bigger he is filling up at his night feeding and is waking due to habit, not hunger. Babywise tells you to give it 3-5 nights to break the habit and he should not wake up at all. I think life is about to change dramatically for me if I can get 8.5 hours of sleep every night. Oh happy thoughts!

And for those that aren't into the posts and just visit for pics...here you go. PHOTO DUMP:

Zeppelin groupie like Daddy

Bathtime for Bonzo

Chillin' with Gramma and my sisters

Laughing with my grandparents

Chatting with Yea Yea

Strolling on the Bluff

Mom, Dad and I took a pottery class

Dad's Birthday & homemade Pecan Pie (8/23/11)

Dad playing with his goodies

Austin discovered his feet

Our Growing Boy

Here is our little man Austin...oh wait that is a weed. But they are growing at about the same speed!

Here are the precious boys:

Mom, look how long I am!

Austin's stats:

Birth	8lbs 4oz (7lbs 8oz leaving hospital)	20.5 inches
1 week	8lbs 3oz	21 inches
2 weeks	?	22 inches
4 weeks	9lbs 8oz	23 inches
8 weeks	11lbs	24 inches

I know this is of no interest to most of you since all you want is pics of the little man but I am going to do a "lazy mom's baby book" at some point and turn some blog posts into a book so I want to make sure I document stuff like this :)

Colorful creations

So lately I have been getting really creative for party gifts. I think partly because the nesting has not worn off at all and partly because it's much easier for me to make something at home then to find time and a babysitter to go shopping.

2 weeks ago, mom and I joined forces and made burp clothes for a few of my new mommy friends and I got to blow the dust of my embroidery machine and put it back into action. We just took cloth diapers, patterned fabrics and some cute trims and voila! I found myself searching Austin's room for articles of clothing I could monogram but had to restrain myself so if we have another boy one day we won't have use the same initials just so he can wear all of Austin's clothes.

Here are some of the finished products:

This week I was pondering what to buy our friends sweet little girl who is turning two. She is an adorable towhead with lots of energy and a great imagination, not to mention she got a cute little play kitchen for Christmas. Sounds like a kid I once knew...or a kid I once was. I would play kitchen/restaurant/country store for HOURS at Grandma Marilyn and Papa Stan's house and I would go to the living room and take everyone's orders (thanks Uncle Tim for teaching me all the cool restaurant abbreviations from your waiter days...like H20 for water) then I would go to the back room and fill the orders. Oh how I loved it! Especially since Grandma and Papa's house had a half door that I used as the pick-up window and a dinner bell I used when the "order was up".

That leads me into my next creation: an apron! I took bright colored coordinating fabric in bold prints and made a sweet new accessory for Miss Jane. I just love mixing and matching bold patterns. If I had more time (and skill) I wanted to do a patchwork apron of all different patterns but that will have to come later in my more experienced sewing days.

Here is Jane's apron complete with a pocket for her crayon and her REAL order pad I snagged at Office Depot. Happy cooking. Oh and it's reversible in case she doesn't want to use to pocket.