Happy 3 Months to My Turkey!

Aaaahhh! Where did the time go?! My baby boy is already a quarter of a year old!! Oh, he is changing so much everyday, it makes me sad. He is just the light of our lives and is getting so big. And I'm so happy that he is on a great schedule and sleeping 10 hours at night. We are finally enjoying a full night sleep again.

I will be taking Austin on his first plane ride at the end of this month. We're going with my mom to fly to Boston to go visit my Nana (Austin's GiGi) for 4 days. I still have a little bit of time off left from work, so we thought we would take advantage of it. I really hope that he is a good baby during the flight so that everyone doesn't hate me at the end. But I'm definitely not looking forward to going through security, lugging a stroller and luggage, and a baby through airport security. But we'll manage. I'm excited to go up there to visit my mom's side of the family and introduce them all to Austin. It's going to be really cold up there though, which I hate. We're going to be bundled up for sure! Jordan has to work, so he'll be staying behind. But 4 days without a wife and baby can be kinda dangerous. He better behave in our absence

We had a pretty mellow Valentine's Day. I guess things really change once you have a baby. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Jordan brought me home red and white roses of course. We just ate Blackeyed Pea to go and chilled around the house that night. Then on Sunday my sis volunteered to watch Austin so that we could have some time to go out. We went to watch 'He's Just Not That Into You' and ate at a great Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a bucket of beer. It was a nice time and my baby boy was so glad to see me when we got back!

Face is better & Our boy is growing fast!

I thought it was time for another blog post. I've been sorta getting bored staying home so much lately. With my constant sinus infection, crooked face, and Austin having a cold, I haven't been out of the house much lately. To let you know how bored I was yesterday, I scooped two bags of dog shit in the backyard! Jordan knew I was bored, but was very proud of me. Anyways, my face has finally improved! I'd say it's back to 90% normal (well, for me anyways) again. I am so thankful that it cleared up so fast and that I didn't have any lasting effects from it. And there was no way I was going back to work looking like that! And I think I finally got my sinus infection under control after the second round of antibiotics. Geez, with all the meds I've been taking lately, I sure hope my birth control is working properly! I guess I'm just playing the odds since it took us so long to get pregnant the first time, hopefully it wouldn't happen on accident. But I guess that would be my luck. That would be just fine with me though. Jordan thinks I'm crazy for already talking about having our next baby. I can't help it, I'm just so in love with my chunky monkey!! Seriously though, we will probably wait til the beginning of 2010 before trying again.

So, my little man will be 3 months old next week.I totally cannot believe it! I had to take him to the pediatrician yesterday because he developed a cold and I wanted to get it checked out to make sure it wasn't RSV or anything serious. Nope, just a cold, so I've been lathering him with Vick's VapoRub like crazy. But he did get weighed at the doc and he is now 14lbs. 2oz. He is growing like a weed! Well, not up, but out, I guess. Austin has been so much fun these past few weeks. He is smiling so much and just cooing up a storm. He is definitely a morning person, and is always grinning from ear-to-ear at 7am. I guess I need to become more of a morning person for his sake. I bought him a Bumbo a few weeks ago, which he used to just flop over in. I put him in it last night and he just sat there like a big boy. He seemed to really like it, too. And he is doing so good at tummy time and can really hold his little head up pretty good. If only his cheeks weren't so big, they wouldn't weigh him down! Bathtime is one of his favorites, too. We have put his little bath in the big tub and fill both up so he can splash around. I honestly think he'd stay in there all night if we let him.

I have about two months left before I have to return to work. I am going to cherish every moment we have left together. My one project I am starting this weekend (and hopefully have it all finished before I return to work) is to decorate the children's retreat room in our house. This room has previously been used as Jordan's work-out room with the treadmill and weight set. But that stuff is getting moved upstairs to the gameroom this weekend for me to begin the transformation. I figured I needed to do something gender-neutral, in case we have a girl next go around. So, I decided to do a jungle theme. I am going to attempt painting a mural on the walls in there myself. I'm pretty crafty and I was a good art student in high school. I bought a little projector on eBay that will project a small pic on the wall for me to trace. I'm sure this will become a much bigger task than I anticipated, but it will be worth it. I had thought about paying a muralist to come paint, but they are super-expensive and I figured it would be more special if I did it. And I think I am going to get my step-dad to help build an indoor treehouse sort of thing in the corner of the room. It's going to be the best playroom ever!!

Here's a quick little clip of our little man.

What the hell is wrong with my face?!

It seems I always have to have some medical problem to make my life interesting. Today I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. Basically it's paralysis of one side of your face. Yesterday, all of a sudden I couldn't move the right side of my face! It completely freaked me out. My eye doesn't really blink or close all the way, when I try to smile nothing happens on that side, and even my taste buds on that side don't seem to be working. And my speech is also slurred, and eating and drinking on that side is quite difficult. I feel like I look like complete freak show, especially when I try to smile. I went to the doctor this afternoon and he confirmed the diagnosis I had already came up with from my great friend Google. But my doc is also sending me for a consult with a neurologist on Monday morning, just to be sure there isn't something else that he's missing.

Apparently, Bell's Palsy is inflammation of some nerve in the face that causes the paralysis. It can be caused by many many things like infections, viruses, colds, flu, and even pregnancy. He thinks it was probably triggered by the bad sinus infection I just got over. He said I should recover within 6 weeks, but maybe sooner or even later. WTF?! How am I supposed to go out in public like this? I got a steroid shot from the doc and some other meds that may speed up the recovery time, but who knows. Needless to say, I'm pretty freaked out about the whole thing and got really upset about it tonight. So, you all may see less of me in person until I get back to normal.; I'm just really self-conscious about the way I look and talk right now. :( Please say a prayer that this goes away; the sooner the better.

2 Months Old?!!? Time is flying by!

Happy 2-Month Birthday to Austin!!! I can't believe my baby is two months already; the time has just flown by. We took him this morning to the pediatrician for his checkup. He weighed 13lbs. 2oz. and was 22 1/2 inches long. What a little meatball we have!!! His weight was in the 90th percentile, but heighth was in the 40th percentile. But we knew from the get-go that this kiddo didn't stand a chance at being tall. He also had to get three shot vaccines and one oral vaccine. I made Jordan hold him while he got the shots. It broke my heart to see him scream like that. But the nurse was really fast about it and then I scooped him up in my arms and he quit crying just like that. What a champ!! All he needed was his momma. :)

He's been staying awake alot more during the day, which I love. We have plenty of time to play on the playmat, have tummy time, practice rolling over, etc. He has been smiling more and more each day and has been cooing alot. He definitely recognizes me and my voice. And of course, Jordan loves his morning time with him before work and usually races home in the evenings to see him. And we usually go have lunch with Daddy once a week, too. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is so helpful at taking care of Austin. Although, he does get kinda squeamish with some of the nasty diaper changes. ;)

We also went and enrolled Austin in daycare this week. It's so sad to think that I am going to have to leave him in two and half months. But I guess that's just a fact of life. Staying home is not really an option for me. We really liked this daycare and are confident that he will be in good hands. But geez, childcare is so expensive! Good thing we only have one kid right now; two just might break the bank!

I'm pretty sure we're related.....

So, the past few weeks, we've been trying to figure out who Austin looks more like, me or Jordan. Well, at birth, what can I say. He looked exactly like me when I was born. I think our pics are almost identical, even the hand placement under the chin is pretty crazy. But as the weeks have gone by, he looks more and more like Jordan did as a baby. We both had a head full of hair that stood straight up, but he looks so much like Jordan in this old pic that I found. I guess there's no denying that this kid is ours. Not to mention the fact that he did inherit Jordan's 'Fred Flinstone' little round toes. Poor kid. :)

Holiday Cheer!

Whew! The holidays are finally over and we are pooped! So many people to see, places to go, and taking care of a newborn. Thanksgiving was the week after we got home from the hospital, so we took it easy. Went for lunch at my mom's house and then just relaxed around the house. Then Jordan had to go back to work and I was left alone to take care of Austin, all day, all by myself. It's pretty exhausting! I feel like I am constantly feeding him, changing diapers, doing laundry, and washing bottles. But I wouldn't trade it for the world! I definitely look forward to when Jordan or Katrina get home in the evening to give me a little relief and to have some adult conversation. We had so many visitors those first few weeks after Austin was born, accompanied by many delicious meals from our friends and family. So, thank you all so very much!

I rushed around over the past few weeks to get all my Christmas shopping done. Geez, it's challenging pushing a stroller, carrying all your bags, and looking through clothes racks all at the same time at the mall. Luckily, Austin usually goes to sleep in his stroller, so he's well-behaved when I take him out. My Nana came in for two weeks for the holidays from New Hampshire. This was her first great-grandson, so she was pretty excited about seeing him. We spent Christmas Eve with Jordan's side of the family at his parents' house in Arlington. Then we did my family's gathering on Christmas Day at our house. I cooked the turkey and everything; it was quite a feast! Being that Austin was only 6 weeks old at Christmas, he didn't have a clue what was going on. But he did get lots of clothes and toys that he will enjoy soon enough! Jordan and I exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve like usual. But the best gift came from Santa.........Guitar Hero World Tour for our PS3. We have seriously been rocking out to it, with two guitars, drums, and a mic. I didn't think I would enjoy it this much.

Austin stayed the first night away from home the day after Christmas at my mom's. It wasn't intentional though. We had all gone to dinner for my sister's birthday, and then Jordan and I were going to join her at the bar afterwards for two drinks while my mom watched Austin. Well, having not drank since mid-March, two drinks turned into alot and we ended up staying for four hours. I missed him so much, but we had a much needed break and got to sleep in a bit (even though we still didn't get to bed until 4am).

We had planned on going to hang out with some friends on New Year's Eve and stay the night. We had it all worked out for Jordan's parents to come stay at our house to watch Austin. But the crazy Texas weather lately has gotten me pretty sick, so we had to cancel. I laid in bed most of the night, and I think Jordan had 3 bottles of wine. ;) So, it was a pretty mellow night.

The holidays are always so busy, so I'm kinda ready to get back to a normal schedule. Austin has been sleeping 6-6 1/2 hours at night this week, so we're pretty excited about that. I got the all-clear at my post-partum checkup this week. My blood pressure has finally returned to normal and my incision from the c-section has healed nicely. And Monday morning I'm starting back at the gym. It's been a year since I've been, so it's going to be tough I'm sure. But they have a daycare on site, so I can go during the day and they'll watch Austin for me. I can't believe he is already 7 weeks old! This week we took advantage of the warm TX weather and went for a walk around the neighborhood. (He got some super-cool sunglasses from his favorite Aunt Katrina, so of course he had to put them on!) He has gotten so much more alert and awake during the day lately. The time has just flown by. In the beginning it felt like I was going to be off work forever, but now I only have 3 more months with him. I am definitely going to cherish every moment together that I can!

Austin Jordan is Here!

Austin Jordan Hougham arrived via c-section on November 13, 2008 at 12:32pm. Although three weeks early, he was a healthy 8lbs. 3oz. and measured 19 1/4 inches long. My doc opted for a c-section due to my blood pressure still being pretty high and Austin's size. While we considered doing an induction, the doc thought we would still end up with a c-section at the end of the day. There was definitely no more room for that kiddo to grow. The surgery went well and Jordan was there with me when they finally managed to pull my big boy out.

Even with the c-section, they still had to use the vacuum and the forceps to get him out of there. Let me tell ya, being cut open is serious business! Standing straight up the next morning was excruciating. Jordan took great care of me during our stay though. We were in the hospital for 5 long days. Austin developed some jaundice, so they had to keep him under the Billi lights. But we got finally got the all-clear and brought our baby boy home.

We are so thankful that our little man is finally here. This pregnancy was a huge blessing. Our journey to get where we are has been difficult and frustrating. After taking a year to get pregnant, our first pregnancy ended in an early miscarriage last summer. We were completely devastated and I kinda went into a depression phase. After another eight months of trying we got pregnant with Austin. I was completely terrified in the beginning that something was going to happen again. But we just held onto our faith that everything would be fine. And here we are holding our special gift!

Being a mom has been one of the greatest blessings. Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to be a mom. Now here I am. But I'm still a wife, sister, friend, and auditor. How I will juggle all of these roles will definitely be a challenge. I have the next 4 months off from work to spend with Austin before I have to go back. It's going to be so tough; I don't even want to think about it yet. If any KPMGers are reading this, yes, I'll be back! ;)

Here are a few pics from Austin's first few weeks.....