In Another Month, Austin Will Be One!

This time last year, we were hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house.  I was about 32 weeks pregnant and just HUGE!  I was a waddler, I must admit.  We had my folks and brother over and Matt had his parents over, so it was the seven of us.  My Dad did most of the meal preparation, which he is very good at and Chris and Kirby brought pies and macaroni cheese (my request, yum!). 

Hello Austin! Thanksgiving 2010

Not sure if it was the excitement of it all but I ended up developing pregnancy hypertension and thus begun the watching and mandatory resting to make sure both you and I were safe and that you could stay in my belly for as long as possible.  The magic week to reach was week 38, if my blood pressure didn't go back down and allow Austin to stay in for a full 40 weeks.  

Well, we fell a little short.  I went in for my now bi-weekly checkup where my blood pressure was high and I was a little swollen in the face so they asked me to go ahead and check myself into the hospital.  That was Thursday,  December 16th.  Boy, I was nervous!  To be continued....

This last month, we did one of things that I had been looking forward to since you were born and that was to go to a pumpkin patch and a corn maze.  We went to Uncle Shucks Corn Maze in Dahlonega, GA and it was lots of fun.

The Maze

You really enjoy this vantage point!

It was hot this day!  In November!

Mommy, is this corn GMO?

We also visited with your cousins, Liann and Ellie @ Imagine It, Children's Museum.  It is more like a large play room but it has great props, like a John Deer tractor and a large, ball moving assembly for older children.  You mostly slid down slides and followed Daddy through a mole maze.  It was enough to tire you out!

Austin and Liann before the "smooch"!

We also dressed you up as one of the characters, "Sulley" of the movie, Monster's Inc.  You were very precious. "Sulley" didn't technically have one eye, but I didn't expect Old Navy to get it exactly right.  Nevertheless, it was a perfect costume for you, I must say.

Old Navy's version of "Sulley"

At eleven months, you are now walking behind objects as you push them around.  We have a large bucket that is the right height and you just push that around the living room.  You really love getting around that way and you look to us to make sure we are watching this amazing trick.  I created a "fort" in the living room for you to hide, play peek-a-boo or just crawl in and out of.  We often get on all four's with you and crawl in and out as well.  It is a great game and it delights you so.

The Fort

We are heading to California for Thanksgiving week to see your great-grandparents (Black side) and your grand parents (my folks) as well as some of our cousins.  Plane trip! By now you are a pro as this will be your third leg across the country!

Love, Mommy.