Visiting Austin as a Family of Three

Collin made his first trip to Austin last weekend. We arrived on Friday, his second day of really walking, and suddenly he was forced to navigate hills. Pretty cruel, but he had lots of spotters.

Occasionally there was a crash, but luckily it was on the grass or bushes -

Directing his Great Aunt Cheryl -

He refused any help when on flat ground, but his arms were positioned for balance.

Austin is now one of Collin's favorite Texas get-away destinations too. He loved playing with Great Aunt Cheryl. She is so creative and artistic, as seen by the treasures in their walkway - marbles, keys, plastic toys, fossils, etc.

So much to explore -

And new items to taste -

Sometimes mean moms ruin all the fun, like running out into the street -

But thankfully there are super cool Great Uncles like Walter ready to distract-

When we woke up Saturday morning - after some blueberry pancakes compliments of Great Uncle Walter - we played more on their lovely, peaceful property.

That evening, Great Uncle Larry came over to baby-sit, and Cas and I attended one of his co-worker's weddings. It was an incredible wedding and nice to finally meet all of his co-workers, who have joked that I'm the phantom wife since I've never been up to his office.

With the drive to Austin lasting the exact length of a good nap for Collin, we expect many more visits in the future!

Splish Splash in the Dogs' Water

By the time I caught Collin, his upper body was already soaked. So we took advantage of the photo opp in the dog water bowl. We're quite a classy family.

I drew the line at some activities, like blowing bubbles -

He has a love-hate relationship with splashing -

After drawing the line again at crawling into the water bowl, I was met with this expression of disgust (see the wet knee) -

Though Collin took his first steps on Dec 23rd, it took him another 2 1/2 months to decide walking was the way to go. And then on Thursday, March 3rd, he decided to switch to walking. It was remarkable that one day he crawled everywhere, and the next day he walked. The nice part about him taking his cautious time was that he's got his balance pretty well set, even navigating small steps without falling. I think Collin has been calculating the moves for the past 10 weeks.

Here he is with the classic popper -

Some other development things of note . . . he's understanding SO MUCH MORE! When he was taking a bath last night, I could ask him to find his Noah figurine or the elephant and he'd grab the correct toys. He's not talking much yet, but can direct us quite well with his combination of pointing, grunting, and then screaming if we guess incorrectly.

And he's getting better at drinking from a cup. Here's his milk moustache and goatee -

Expending some Energy at the Park

Last Saturday morning, Grammy and GGB joined Collin and me at the park where Collin wore himself out exploring every piece of playground equipment. First to the slide where he convinced Grammy to join him -
Then over to the caterpillar.
He found his tongue amazing this particular morning, so many of my pictures look like this -

Walking back and forth . . . and back and forth . . . and back and forth over the bridge.

Once he figured out he could do it himself with support from the railings, he proudly refused any help.

Grammy & GGB cheered him on.

Then on to rocking on the animals in the toddler playground -

Giving the penguin a kiss goodbye. Can you see the banana residue on its beak?

The fire engine wheel was just out of reach -

But then he found a slide he could climb without any assistance -

Checking out the leaves -

Peering out at Grammy & GGB -

There's my mama -

As we were leaving, we grabbed the bottle of bubbles we brought but ignored. Collin found the string on the bubbles hilarious and giggled over them for several minutes. Grammy & GGB joined in the hysteria.

Worn out and getting cuddly -

Couldn't make it through lunch before crashing. His eyes wouldn't stay open even his favorite meal of yogurt.