September - 6 months!

After getting back from the beach a few weeks ago, I headed out to Minneapolis for my annual Medtronic meeting.  When I got back, Austin had mastered (okay, mostly mastered) sitting up without extra support!!  A pretty major milestone that came on a week that the poor little guy was not feeling so well.  Sunday when we got back from the beach, he was super congested and started screaming and crying around 11pm.  We tried the humidifier and a hot steamy bathroom, neither of which worked.  So, after a call to the pediatrician on call we headed to the ER at 3am.  Turns out that he had croup - the classic barking cough, wheezy breathing, fever, etc.  The peditrician in the ER diagnosed him without even seeing him based on hearing him coughing down the hall.  They gave him an oral steroid and a vapor through a mask, which seemed to have a fairly quick effect.  Austin was even smiling and cooing while laying on the hospital bed. The next day was a blur.  I changed my flight and Mike and I took turns watching Austin while the other napped.  Grandma arrived that evening, which was a huge help - especially since I had to leave on Tuesday for Minneapolis.  The stuffy/runny nose and cough lasted pretty much all week (and I got it too!), which led to many rough nights.  I think we're finally in the clear.  We've even switched from Woombie to PJs so that his movement isn't so restricted, and we think he's actually sleeping better.  Its quite cute seeing him without a swaddle. He still wakes up coughing sometimes at night, but generally is able to put himself back to sleep.  We're hopeful that he gets better soon!

Since his sitting up skills are pretty good, and since lately he seems to grab at any food we have in our hands, we tried solid food again after taking a break for about a week.  This time - sweet potatoes.  It was a hit.  He cleaned off the spoon, swallowed, and pounded his fists on his high chair tray for more.  So, in an effort to make it a more regular part of his day I gave sweet potatoes to Pratima to feed him once a day.  He eats it around lunch time, and seems to take a nice long nap aferwards!  He's pretty much eating an entire jar.  So far this month we've done sweet potatoes, pears, and peaches.  It seems like a tricky transition, trying to figure out when to give a bottle and how much.  But, its really fun to watch him excited about real food!  We also realized that he can sit in a high chair out at restaurants, which makes it easier to go out these days.

Crabcake sandwich, mmm! 

While Grandma Ellen was in town, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to lunch in Georgetown and took a tourboat ride along the Potomac.

First boat ride!

Strolling along the Potomac...

Austin is definitely getting more interactive and his attention span for play is increasing. Its a very fun stage! 

Got my toes!

  We've found that Austin's attention span for play means that we need more toys!  We stopped by Ikea this month for a few classic toys that so far, seem to keep him pretty fascinated. 

This month we also got a surprise visit from Jeremy and Maria.  They've been wanting to visit for a while, but finally made the trip.  Austin really enjoyed hanging with Aunt Maria and Uncle Jeremy.  

We had a packed weekend of fun, starting with lunch on Saturday out on Kenty Island past Annapolis.  The next day we went hiking out at Sugarloaf Mountain, and tried our new hiking backpack.  Austin loved it!!  It opens up a whole new world of activities to do with him!

Ready to hike!

Made it to the top!

The way up was fun, but the way down was quite the challenge.  We totally forgot how steep the trail down to the parking lot was.  Mike had to be quite careful carrying Austin on his back!

We finished up the weekend with another trip to see the Nationals.  Austin enjoyed looking around at everything, but only made it to the 7th inning.  Thankfully he napped in the Ergo, so we were able to see the end of the game!

This month is also Austin's 6 month birthday.  As always, we snapped a pic at the pediatrician's office.  This time sitting up, with a toy.  He weighed in at 21 lbs and measured 27.5in....and, his head circumference is apparently nearly off the chart! 

 And that was pretty much the rest of our September!  Its been a busy month.  We are looking forward to Grandma and Grandpa's visit later this month!