Growing up!

New Beginnings!

2011-02-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Life has been quite busy over the past 6 months! Lots of changes & lots of new experiences. At the end of December we said "goodbye" to Texas & "hello" to New Orleans, Louisiana! We miss our family & friends back home, but are thankful for the new friendships we are developing out here in NOLA. We recently became members of Vintage Church- Metairie (vintagenola.org) & couldn't be more excited to get involved. The kids enjoy the church & their new friends. We have been blessed to have found a church so soon! This is one of the MANY prayers He's answered during this transition.

Austin & Sophie are doing great & growing like weeds! Austin is talking so much & is constantly surprising us with his development. He is growing up so fast, hard to believe he's already 2 years old. He has an amazing memory. He can remember peoples names & even gives us directions out of our neighborhood!

Sophie isn't too far behind. Her walking is steady & her communication skills are developing. Having a big brother to watch & learn from is a huge advantage. Austin is always teaching her new things, like how to climb chairs & tables (YIKES!!!). She's a big girl with a big personality!

They get along so well & love each other so much. They have their moments, but 99% of the time they are good buds. It's sweet to witness their relationship develop. At a recent doctors appointment another kid in the waiting room was picking on Sophie. The kids dad came up to him & corrected him, but before I could get involved Austin stuck his arm in front of Sophie, pushing her behind him to protect her! SUch a good big brother!!!! I was so proud. I called Matthew right away! =) He was proud too, of course.

Since we've moved out here we've been able to get them memberships at the children's museum, zoo & aquarium to keep us entertained. We've been trying to go on 2 outings each week. It's been fun & we especially like how close everything is located to us.

I really am going to try to post more often. I know I've said that in every other post, but hopefully this time I can follow through!

Here are a couple pictures of the kids taken by our friend Lindsey!
You should check out her website. She's an awesome RGV photographer!
http://www.fullofjoyphotography.com/

Austin's 2 year old photo shoot: (October 2010)

Sophie's 1 year photo shoot: (December 2010)

Sophie's 6 month photo session!

2010-07-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all!

This is the link to Sophie's 6 month pictures. I just can't get enough of them- can't stop looking at them. We just love our baby doll.

Enjoy!
http://www.suburbanchicphotography.com/assets%5Fd/7203/client%5Fftp/allison/

Go USA!

2010-06-26T10:50:00.003-07:00

He's ready for the game!

Hermann Park

2010-06-24T19:34:00.001-07:00

Fun at the park!!!

Sophie's gonna be a talker!

2010-03-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a short video of Sophie sitting up and talking up a storm! She's growning up so fast.

Yeehaw!

2010-03-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here a few picture of our little cowboy!

3 Months Old!

2010-03-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

Happy 3 Month Birthday Sweet, Sweet Sophie! Daddy, Mommy & Big Brother Love you very much!

Austin enjoying fresh air!

picture update!

2010-02-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

here a few recent pictures of Austin & Sophie!

Austin turned 16 months old on Feb. 21st & Sophie will be 3 months old on March 4th! Our littles are growing up so fast.

Baby Bunny

Baby Tigger

Toe-sies

Waking sister up!

cutie!

I love to stand up!

My babies!

2010-01-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

All is good in the Allison household!

Austin love his little sister so much. Anytime Sophie is within his reach he's in her face giving her lots of hugs and kisses. Sophie is great and love her bother just as much. I often catch her smiling while Austin is around her. Here are some recent pictures... ENJOY!!!

after his naptime!

Cowboy up!

caught you Austin!

my own personal shredder!

LOVE IT!

little doll!

precious baby girl

my handsome boys

Austin chillin in his playroom... Loves the disney channel!

He loves his little sister.

dolly!

He's always snacking on something!

Mommy & her princess

Sophie's newborn pictures!

2010-01-11T06:13:00.000-08:00

Austin & Sophie are doing GREAT! Last week was my first week at home alone with both kiddos and I must say... it wasn't bad at all.

OK, I wanted to post this link so that ya'll can look through SOPHIE'S newborn pictures taken when she was 2 weeks old!

http://www.suburbanchicphotography.com/assets%5Fd/7203/client%5Fftp/allison/

Enjoy! I am hoping to post another blog with more recent pictures SOON.

Hello Beautiful!

2009-12-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Sophie Elizabeth Allison. She was born on December 4, 2009 at 9:52am. She weighed in at 7lbs 14oz & was 20 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful.

At approximately 9:15ish on Thursday evening I began having contractions, but wasn't too certain whether they were "real" or not. I decided to take a shower and rest in bed to see if the pain would subside, but it never did. At that point (11p-ish) I decided to contact my doctors office to speak with the OB on call. Based on my response to some of his questions he end the call by saying he didn't think this was really "it." Some time around 12a I couldn't take the pain anymore. My contractions were approximately 3 to 5 minutes apart from one another & I was doing my best not to cry or breakdown. We called our neighbors and asked them to stay with Austin while we went to the hospital for an evaluation.

We arrived at the hospital at 1am, at this point we were still unsure as to whether or not Sophie would be joining within the next few hours. After checking my vitals they checked to see if I was progressing. The day before my doctor told me that I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced (I had be there for the past 3 weeks). When they checked me then, I was 5 cm dilated and almost fully effaced. I WAS IN LABOR!! Too cool!!! I was immediately admitted and continued on, but with an epidural. I was in labor for about 11 hours when the decision to have a c-section had been made. All along my doctors were concerned about her size/measurements, especially her abdominal area so the possibility of having a c-section had been discussed. Because of this, I was able to prepare myself mentally for a c-section. I ended up with a c-section because Sophie was measuring a bit large, after all she was born 2 weeks early. Had she gone full term she probably could've reached 9lbs or so.

Sophie and I are doing great. Praise the Lord!!! Sophie is incredibly healthy lungs were fully developed, developmentally- she was right on target for 38 weeks, hearing results were perfect, apgar scores were terrific and despite my issues with gestational diabetes, her blood sugar was perfect. As always, Matthew was such a great help. He has taken great care of us throughout the pregnancy, during delivery and now after. I am recovering well. I have the expected aches and pains, but thanks to my pain meds, i am doing great!

Thank you friends and family for all of your love, support, encouragement and PRAYERS!

Below is a video of Austin and Sophie meeting for the first time. Due to H1N1 our hospital did not allow visitors between the ages of 1 and 12, which meant Austin had to wait until Sophie got home to meet her. We had expected Austin to demonstrate a little jealousy, which he did, just not in the way we expected! He was jealous because he wasn't getting to hold Sophie, not because we weren't holding him.

Sophie's Room: (minus- window valance and 3 slot picture frame over her changing table.)

SEPTEMBER!!!

2009-09-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

The month of September has been a busy one for us. The first week of September Austin had a terrible stomach virus.
As soon as we walked into the doctors office Austin vomited all over Matthew.

He had a high fever and diahrrea, but hadn't vomited all day. Unfortunately, the first time he did vomit daddy was holding him. We didn't have an extra change of clothes... all we could find was this hoodie in the backseat of my truck. So he wandered around the office in his diaper and hoodie. So sad. Thankfully he was able to fight off by the end of the week.

We spent that weekend (Labor Day) in Weatherford with Matthew's family and had a blast. It is always fun to watch Austin and his cousin, Megan, play with one another. We definitely wish we lived closer to them.

The following week Austin got his first haircut. He did a great job- didn't shed a tear.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Last week was a rough week for all of us. On Monday, Matthew woke up around 2am vomiting & had diahrrea. Later that morning Austin also woke up vomiting. We took Matthew to the doctor at 9am and his doctor gave him a shot that knocked him out for nearly 5 hours along with some other meds. Austin continued to throw up until his doctor finally gave in and asked us to take him in for a check up. They tested for strep and the flu... both test were negative so they figured the vomiting and fever were just due to the stomach virus he had dealt with nearly two weeks before. Matthew returned to work on Wednesday morning, but Austin was still vomiting and by then he also had diahrrea. We decided to take him back to his old pediatricans office for a second opinion. The doctor who saw him was incredibly concerned so she requested a stool specimen. THANK GOD! Early Thurday morning I woke up vomiting and had intense body-aches. My doc recommended I make a visit to the ER in order to rule out the flu & to make sure that Sophie was doing well in my belly. I got some nausea meds & IV fluids. Totally helped! They figured it was also a stomach virus. Friday morning Austin's doc called and informed us that the stool sample came back positive for ROTATVIRUS. UGGGHH! Apparently we all had it. We ended up taking Austin to the ER on Saturday because he was still vomiting and had severe diahrrea. His Doc was worried he was dehydrated so off we went to the ER. They gave him IV fluids and nausea medicine too. As Matthew put it, "4 doctors visits, 2 ER visits, 5 medications, and lots of soup for the whole family: hundreds/thousands of dollars. Everyone still alive and finally doing better: priceless. Don't mess with the Rotavirus!" We all survived this darn virus. Matthew only worked 2 days that week- he stayed home for two days while he recovered and had to take care of Austin and I on Friday since I was sick. My mom flew in Friday evening and stayed thru Monday. It was nice to have her help. She took care of Austin while Matthew and I rested and took care of things around the house.

He had no energy/strength. Poor baby.

Today we are all doing much better. Praise the Lord for a healthy family.

We were able to see Sophie on Tuesday during our scheduled 3D/4D ultrasound (will post pictures soon). She is so cute!! It was neat to notice the minor differences between Austin's 3D/4D ultrasound & hers. Their lips and noses look different... I wish December was closer. 85 more days! My belly is measuring on target, I've gained 16 lbs, passed my Gestational Diabetes test & have been exercising regularly. Wish I had only gained this much when I was pregnant with Austin. I had probably gained about 30 lbs by point in my pregnancy him. =)

We are so glad everything is looking well for Sophie and I.

I will leave you with a few recent pictures of Austin! Enjoy!!!
Austin & Daddy at Ethan's party!

Austin sitting on the bench like a big boy!! (at the end on the right side... the little guy)

Austin with the birthday boy, ETHAN!

Austin hanging out with the big boys from our neighborhood.

Out for a walk with mommy & daddy.

Sporting his new camo hoodie!

Wlking to the mailbox.

Hanging out with dad.

Peek-a-boo!

caught you!

focused...

Austin & his buddy Timothy!

heartbroken

2009-09-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

This past week has been emotionally challenging for me as I found out a week ago from today that one of my former clients died in a car accident. This sweet little girl died on August 30th at the age of 3, 5 days short of her 4th birthday. She was such a jewel, a treasure to be around.

I began working with her family early 2008 and continued to do so until the day I resigned from my previous job to stay home with Austin. This family, consisting of a single mom and 3 children (1 boy & 2 girls), is incredibly dear and near to my heart. I worked with the mom and each child individually to help find solutions for various social needs. This is a family that understood the concept of self-determination, personal responsibility and hard work. Not once did they ever try to abuse the system, nor ask for more than what was needed. As a social worker, I live by the idea that I will only put forth as much effort and heart into each working relationship as the client puts into it. If they choose to work towards their goals whole-heartedly I will give them my time and effort whole-heartedly. This is exactly what I did with this amazing family.

This single mom works odd jobs in order to provide decent meals for her family and pay the bills. She cleans homes around the city and vacant apartments, as well as the laundry facilities throughout her apartment complex. Encouraging and teaching her to care for herself was a hard task for me. She was always on the move, mainly so that she could be home by the time her kids were out of school.

On Sunday, August 30th I received a message from her son informing me about the accident. I hadn't heard from them since I stopped working for the agency, so receiving this message was incredibly shocking. He told me about the accident and gave me their number so that I could call them. I waited a day before contacting the family. Longest day ever... I finally contacted the family on Tuesday after discussing this with my previous supervisor and getting the "go ahead."

HEARTBROKEN! I was speechless and still feel at loss for words to help describe this situation. It is hard to believe that such a young life has ended so quickly, so tragically. A quick reminder of how fragile life is.

I attended the viewing which was held in the family's home. Walking down the parking lot, up to their apartment felt eternal. I could see the casket way down the sidewalk and couldn't keep myself together. As a mother of one, soon to be two, the possibility of losing my children causes my legs to weaken and my heart to feel heavy. HOW COULD THIS BE!?!? I walked past the casket directly to mom's room and hugged her tightly. Again, I was speechless. What do you tell a mom who has so tragically lost her youngest daughter??? All I could do was hug her and listen to her sob and whisper softly into my ear, "How will I ever get through this, I love her and I need her." Listening is often the best medicine, the best response.

This precious baby girl could light up the room with her vibrant smile and grace. It didn't take much for a her to catch the attention of another. I have never experienced the death of a client, much less that of a child. Having worked so closely with this family & for so long, felt as if I was losing a family member. As a social worker, you get to experience life with your clients- the good, the bad and the ugly. You rejoice with them and you cry with them. Never did I imagine crying with a family for this particular reason. I am incredibly thankful for having the opportunity to work with this family, especially this sweet little girl.

Major PRAISE!!! God is good all the time! The family had to raise over $7000 to pay for the funeral costs; the money was raised in 4 days with the help of family, friends, classmates, and strangers. Praise God for his provision!!! The funeral was very special. The church was filled with family, friends and teachers.

RIP sweet girl.

Do keep this family in your thoughts and prayers as they work through the loss of a daughter, sister & friend.

So much too say!

2009-08-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to update this thing for the past month now, but everytime I would sit down to blog I'd get distracted by something else like facebook. =)

SO MUCH TOO SAY!!!
On July 21st, we found out that we are having GIRL! Her name will be Sophie Elizabeth Allison. Her due date is still set for December 19th! Our doctor said everything looks great and that she is right on track. We are scheduled to see Sophie again on September 22nd during her 3D/4D ultrasound- CAN'T WAIT!

Here's an ultrasound picture taken on July 21st.

Her daddy wouldn't let me post a picture of her revealing her gender to us. ME: "But we posted Austin's pictures?!?" Matthew: "Yes, but she's a girl. NO!"

Austin's Updates!
Our little Love Bug, aka: Buggie is incredible! He is full of energy and has the cutest personality. He definitely knows how to make us smile and laugh, especially when he is being disciplined. He began eating table foods at 9 months and loves it. He prefers feeding himself over being spoon fed. He'll eat anything with chicken. His favorite foods are: chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, cubed mango, green bean pieces, cheese crumbles, ritz crackers and chocolate chip cookies. Ok, maybe not the chocolate chip cookies, but I am sure if he could eat them he'd love them.

Austin is walking!! On July 14th he began taking up to 9 steps on his own, but insisted on holding onto our fingers as he walked around the house. As of August 17th, he began walking around our house from room to room on his own. He also likes walking beside us rather than riding in his stroller when we are out shopping or visiting with friends. Our little guy is growing up so fast.

Matthew and I are doing great! We recently painted our living room a light green color, added red curtians, red pillows and other wall decor in order to perk up our living space. Earlier this month, my parents spent a week visiting us and we got so much work done around out house. My dad cut our grass & steam cleaned our carpet, my mom and Matthew painted Sophie's room, we transformed our home office into a guest room, and we sorted through Austin's clothes while my dad and Matthew cleaned out the garage. Needless to say, it was a very productive week.

Matthew is looking very muscular and fit these days as he has completed the P90x workout program (a 90 day fitness and strength training program). I am putting on the weight that he is shedding! =) My pre-natal exercise classes will resume the second week of September and I can't wait to start working out with other pregnant mommas! I've also been volunteering once a week at pregnancy crisis center in our area and I am loving it! I recently completed all of my training criteria and have begun working with clients one-on-one. It sure is nice to continue practicing as a social worker. I feel so blessed to serve and counsel the women who come into our center.

Ok! OK! now for a cute video and fun pictures of Austin.

Austin likes climbing into our plasticware cabinet

Hanging out with Daddy's buddy, David

Relaxing while we take a walk around our neighborhood

He likes crawling underneath his exercauser

Climbing the ladder with Daddy

Helping daddy unscrew the light switch covers before painting our living room.

Staying cool in the summer sun

Playing in the water sprinkler with Grandma

Riding on Grandpa's shoulders!

love bug!

2009-07-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Austin is such a joy! I love spending each and every day with him! Whether we are in the car, sitting on the couch watching Sid the Science Kid, on the front porch in his swing, grocery shopping, doing anything, anywhere is just a blast with this little guy! Austin especially enjoys being chased around the house by his daddy. He'll crawl away from daddy as fast as he can, quickly turn back to see if he following behind and take off again with a giggle. His giggle is contagious. We can't help but laugh with him. Matthew and I absolutely adore him. He is just too cute for words!!!

We traveled to Birmingham last week and he did wonderfully both on the way out and back. 11 hours is a long ride for a little guy, but he was a good riding buddy. He had a great time visiting with his Granny, Grandaddy, Gran-Gran, Aunts, Uncles and his many cousins. We had a terrific time!

Austin will be 9 months on Monday, July 21st! He now has 4 teeth on top and two on the bottom. Since he began crawling he has developed a sense of bravery that encourages him to get up and go. The same week he started crawling, he was also pulling up on everything. He loves cruising along anything he can put his little hands on. Lately, he's been so brave as to let go and take a few steps on his own. He began with 5 steps on his own two days ago, today he took 10 steps on his own!!! He will be walking/running around before we know it.

Here a few of his most recent pictures!
With Grandma & Grandpa Cerda

With Grandma Belia

At the Houston Aquarium

With Grandpa & Daddy

4th of July

Playing with Daddy

With his buddy Micah at our block party

with his grandaddy Mike

With his grandparents and cousin Julia

Playing under the sink

First bath in a sink

pool time

Baby Blue

Rough, Tough, Mean Face

Cute, silly Face

"Naptime"

2009-07-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Austin was falling asleep while I was feeding him so I figured I ought to put him in his crib. About 30 minutes had past and I heard an odd sound coming through his montior, on that sounded similar to that of a person breathing a microphone. I rushed to his room thinking that he somehow managed to pull down the base of his monitor and was chewing it. Nope! I was wrong... check out this video.

8 Months Old TODAY!!!

2009-06-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Austin is growing, growing, growing!!! He turned 8 months old today. We made a visit to the doctor on Friday and returned with great reports. He is 17 lbs. 2 oz. & 27 inches long. He is a growing boy! His doctor was very impressed with how alert, focused, talkative and active he is. We also noticed that his two top teeth are coming in making feeding a little difficult these days. All he wants to do is chew on his spoon and bottle nipple.

BIG NEWS!!!
Austin started crawling on June 4th and has since forgotten how to sit still. He began crawling at a very quick pace. We often laugh, because Austin doesn't do anything slowly. He is a ball of fire. Austin has always been very curious, but now that he is able to get around on his own he has taken it to a whole new level. Nothing can stop him (except for mom & dad) from exploring every inch of our house. He gets into everything. Austin also enjoys pulling up on just about anything such as our sofas, his play table, exercauser, end tables, crib, toy chest, and much more. Austin also does a fantastic job transitioning from crawling to sitting as well as standing to sitting. Recently he has enjoyed pushing things around the house like books, shoes, DVDs, diaper packs, anything that slides around. Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQPE9tA0J98

Austin took his 7 month old pictures mid-May! Here is the link to his wonderful photo shoot. ENJOY!
http://www.suburbanchicphotography.com/assets_d/7203/client_ftp/allison3/

Here are few recent pictures we've taken of Austin.

Crawling at great grandma's house.

At Glady's Porter Zoo.

Alligator picture with Grandma.

Playing with our plasticware.

At the pool.

Playing at one of our neighborhood pools.

Picture with Daddy!

Wrinkled Toes!

It's been a while...

2009-05-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Many apologies for not keeping up with my blog. I guess I've been feeling rather lazy.

Austin is doing fantastic!

Austin is a ball of fire. He is incredibly active and always wanting to get into everything. If he could crawl or walk our house would be a wreck. Fortunate for us though, he can't get very far right now. Soon enough!!! Keeping up with him will definitely be a task. He loves for us to walk him around the house. If we try sitting him down to relax our backs, he is quick to throw a tantrum. It's actually quite funny, as soon as we put our hands out for him to hold & get back to walking it's as if nothing ever happened. Little boy does not like to sit still. As exhausting as it can be, we appreciate his energy.

Austin officially has 2 teeth. We first noticed his right tooth May 5th and 2 days later his left tooth was visible. He now has his 2 bottom teeth. Austin turned 7 months on May 21st and is growing fast. He visited his doctor last week and weighed in at 16lbs 5oz. He sure is putting on some weight- still a bit on the smaller side, but healthy.
Early Morning Smile! (you can see his bottom teeth!)

As for the baby in my belly, He/She is doing great. We had another ultrasound a few weeks ago and everything was looking good! We have our monthly visit on Friday and we are looking forward to hearing the heartbeat. I am surprised to see how quickly my stomach has grown this time around. I am trying to watch my weight. I am hoping to avoid gaining 48lbs again. NOT GOOD! I signed up for prenatal exercise classes at our local YMCA again. Totally looking forward to getting some healthy exercise 3 days a week (swimming, aerobics, light weights, yoga/pilates & more swimming!) I am very thankful that my morning sickness has been quite minimal in comparison to my pregnancy with Austin. I generally feel nauseous and exhausted around 6:30p & on. I am very thankful that I am not throwing up mulitiple times a day like a did with Austin. Many say each pregnancy is different- I have found this to be true! Our "itty bitty" is doing well. We can't wait to find out the gender. I am currently 10 weeks and 4 day along!

Matthew is doing very well! He is working hard and staying in shape. He recently started a new work out plan- P90x. It has been quite entertaining to see him jump around during plyometrics, get into strange positions during yoga & see his muscles bulge during legs, arms, shoulder and back workouts. What a stud! I am absolutely blessed to have such a wonderful husband! He is such a great father. Austin just adores his daddy! Everytime Matthew gets home from work Austin goes crazy when he lays eyes on him. He gets so giddy & is full of energy! Matthew has taught Austin how to throw the ball and he can do it for long periods of time. We thank the Lord daily for the blessings, grace, peace, strength and comfort He has given our family. What a beautiful thing it is to have such a loving God that forgives us and loves us despite our weaknesses. Thank you Jesus!

Here are some more pictures of our little man! (oldest to most recent)

Bath Time!

Matching Clothes! (Matthew's idea!)

Horsey Ride on Grandpa's Back

My parents!

Backyard fun!

Austin loves swimming!

Austin's New T-Shirt!

2009-04-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well here is a picture of Austin's new favorite t-shirt! Hope you all like it.

SURPRISE!!!!
Baby Allison #2 is due December 7th!

Praise God for His many blessings!

social butterfly!

2009-03-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love witnessing Austin's personality develop. He is such a social butterfly. He loves watching people & becomes extremely excited when he is in large crowds. I have such a difficult time feeding him out in public as he refuses to drink his milk, mainly because he is too occupied with watching people walk by.

My parents came up to Houston last weekend to visit and we had a blast. We took Austin to the Houston Rodeo on Friday and we had a so much fun. Austin thoroughly enjoyed his first trip to the rodeo. He was talking up a storm, squealing and squeaking the entire night. He never took a break. He was so excited that his arms were shaking. Sweet little guy had people smiling and laughing at his expressions & excitement. It was out of control! At the end of the night his little voice was hoarse. His squealing and squeaking came to an end, as it sounded scratchy and rough. We had so much fun with him.

Here are a few pictures of our trip to the Rodeo & fun with Grandma & Grandpa Cerda!
sleeping!

Grandpa carrying Austin in his exercauser! Silly grandpa!

using his neck rest as a headband.

Arriving at the Rodeo.

Picture with a longhorn. Hook em!

Houston Allisons

Me & Mateo.

Austin with Grandma & Grandpa at the Rodeo.

Me & my Momma!

My dad & I!

bunny ears!

kissing daddy.

loves his daddy's kisses.

posing for grandpa in his new baseball cap.

Gig 'em!

2009-03-17T07:22:00.001-07:00

I have anxiously been awaiting the arrival of this day, the day in which he would wear his first Aggie shirt!

My friend Jen bought this cute shirt for him while he was in my belly. Now here he is out of my belly & wearing it!

And here a couple others of him being cute!

Daddy's little boy!

2009-03-12T15:56:00.001-07:00

Austin did the sweetest thing today! When Matthew got home from work Austin was sitting in his bumbo. Matthew walked by, gave him a kiss, and went off to change out of his work clothes. Austin instantly became fussy so I decided to take him to Matthew and then it happened, the sweetest thing ever... Austin reached for his daddy with both arms. It was as if his daddy was a magnet & he couldn't resist. I then wanted to see if he'd do the same to me and he didn't. I did take him from Matthew, only to have Austin turn around and reach for his daddy yet again! He LOVES his DADDY! Witnessing this made my eyes water. We just adore our little boy.

Daddy look-a-like.

Loves his dad.

So Thirsty.

As big as his alligator. Thanks Christin!

Has lots of fun with his big green alligator!

Bath Time!

2009-03-09T19:24:00.001-07:00

Austin loves bath time!!

He has officially outgrown his whale tub. Every time we'd bathe him in his whale everything around him would get soaked. He loves splishing & splashing in the water. We recently began bathing him in his bathroom tub. Here are a couple pictures of our little fish!

Fun Times!

2009-03-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

Austin spent some time with his buddy Ethan yesterday so I decided to take a few pictures. This was my favorite!

Today Matthew and I took Austin out for a walk around a lake here in our community. He had such a good time. Here a few pictures of Austin after our walk.

Cool Dude!

2009-03-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

Austin got a new pair of shades this week. From now on when he goes out for a run with mommy &/or daddy he can keep the sun out of his eyes! We also had fun playing with some of his hats. We were surprised that he actually liked wearing them. He enjoyed playing on on his exercauser & jumperoo-horse with both his hat and sunglasses on. They didn't come off until mommy removed them.

What a COOL DUDE!

Precious Austin!

2009-02-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

Austin turned 4 months old on Saturday, Feb. 21st! I am amazed daily by his personality, abilities, attentiveness & of course cuteness!
We had his 4 month well baby check up last Thursday and were told that everything looks great. He weighed in at 13lbs. 15oz. & was 25.5 inches long. Our baby is growing up fast.

He began eating rice cereal nearly 3 weeks ago and drinks every last drop out of his bottle. We began feeding him with a spoon on Sunday (rice cereal) & today he ate sweet potatoes, they were a hit. He does a great job eating from his spoon. He made a few funny faces, but caught on quickly. I actually shed a few tears at babies r' us while selecting his first foods. I just can't believe how fast he is growing up. I absolutely enjoy spending each and every day with him. What a gift. He is such a happy baby. Of course he has his moments, but for the most part he is has a beautiful smile on his face. He giggles/laughs when tickled and/or when mommy & daddy make funny faces/noises. He is much more coordinated these days. He grabs onto his toys quite well and really concentrates when he playing on his mat, exercauser and his jumperoo. He is incredibly observant & attentive. He loves going out for walks & especially enjoys riding in his jogging stroller. He loves people... anytime he meets someone new he shrugs his shoulder and has the cutest smile on his face, also pretends to be shy.

Granny Carol, Grand-daddy Mike & Uncle David drove in from Alabama to visit us the first week of February. Austin's Uncle Justin, Aunt Rachel & cousin Megan also drove in from Weatherford to hangout. We had a great time laughing and catching up. Austin & Megan actually looked at each other and exchanged a few smiles here and there. They'll probably get to see each other again in April. We had a wonderful weekend with the Allison family!

This past weekend, we had two of my closest friends come visit us. Cara flew in from Virginia & Kelsey drove in from Austin. We had a blast. Matthew did a terrific job taking care of Austin. He truly is an amazing father. The girls kept reminding me to let him know how much they appreciated him. They were surprised at how well he handled the "high estrogen" levels floating through the house as we talked about relationships, make-up, exercise, clothes, etc. I love these girls. I totally wish we lived closer. Anyhow... Austin also had a great time with them. However, anytime we'd bring him near the girls or if one of them would play with him he'd become unbelievably quiet. Very much unlike him! It was so funny- he'd be talking up a storm with Matthew & I in the another room & as soon as we'd walk into the room with the girls he'd become very quiet. For those of you who have spent time with him, you'd know that he can talk your ear off. I guess he'd get shy around the pretty ladies.

I wish I was better at posting on a regular basis, but every time I try to sit down and post something new I get distracted with something else.
Annette=easily distracted!

Austin=model!
Well our photographer loved the pictures she took of Austin during his newborn photo shoot. She did a terrific job! We picked up the pictures we ordered last week and she had a little surprise in our package for us. Her business cards are actual pictures of her clients. Well, she just printed new business cards and out of her many clients she chose about 8 pictures to put on her cards and guess what??? Austin is on one of those. He is such a stud. This was certainly a cute surprise. She gave us about 10 of our own to keep and pass out! Earlier today we received and email from Jamie, our photographer, informing us that she was selected to be a featured photographer for this cute stationary company. They will be producing new professional photo cards and asked her for a portfolio. She titled her email "Austin is winning over hearts!" Too cute!!! She asked for permission to showcase his photos. Our gorgeous little guy is now a model for both our photographer & this stationary company! I'll make sure to post pictures or a link to the site that features his adorable pictures when they're available.

Well here are our some of our favorite pictures that were taken over the past month!
(click on thumbnail to view larger picture)
Dad's Team

Sunday Morning!

Austin's Buddies (Matthew's college friends boys! All born within 6 months of each other.)

Enjoys eating frog legs!

With his Cousin Megan!

Adorable!

After a run with Mom!

Cute Pouty face!

Taking a walk with Dad!

The Allisons

With Momma

Laughing!

HUH?

Eating Sweet Potatoes

Long over due!

2009-01-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Austin is 14 weeks old now! He turned 3 months old on Jan. 21st. It's hard to believe he's been with us for 3 months now. I apologize for not posting regularly. My excuses are: We were out of town visiting family for 2 weeks (Birmingham, AL & Mission, TX) & my computer wasn't working (Matthew fixed it!).

So much has happened since my last post. Austin is growing like a weed!
He:
-is incredibly alert
-started teething towards the end of December
-loves standing up- gets frustrated when we try to sit him down
-rolls over on his own
-loves lifting his legs up to his chest- nearly touching his face
-loves to smile- is flirt with the ladies
-holds on to his burp clothes like a his favorite blanket
-enjoys going out for walks in his umbrella stroller(he can see everything)
-is easily distracted by people, objects & TV
-is a people watcher
-is constantly being complimented on his stunning good looks
-is going bald
-loves taking pictures
-is PERFECT!!!

I absolutely adore my little boy!

Another major change for the Allison family has been our recent decision to have me stay home!!! I am not longer working. I am officially a stay-at-home-momma! I resigned from my job with Presbyterian Children's Homes & Services and my last day was Jan. 22nd. It was a difficult decision as I love what I do, but both mine & Matthew's hearts were not at peace with the idea of sending Austin to daycare. After much prayer and budgeting, we decided that this was the best thing for us to do as a family. Come on, who were we trying to kid... of course it would be difficult to part from such an adorable little boy! Hard to resist. Since then I have developed great interest in cooking! I love preparing my menu for the week and shopping for the needed ingredients.

I will do my best to sneak in cute pictures taken throughout the day!

Here are a some of our most recent pictures of Austin!

Austin loves his daddy!

Austin relaxing in his bumbo chair!

Austin with his buddy- Abuelito Pancho! (Thanks Tia Mari)

Happy 3 Month Birthday AUSTIN!!

Birthday Smile!!!

Such a cutie!!!

"This is my cookie grandpa Tony!"

So fresh & So clean!

Sneaky smile!

With Grandma Belia & Grandpa Tony!!!

7 weeks!

2008-12-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today Austin is 7 weeks old. It's hard to believe that he will be 2 months old next week. Our baby boy is growing up so fast.

He has been doing great!
Austin likes:
-for us to hold him face forward so he can see exactly what is going on in the world around him.
-laying on his back as we huddle around him watching him kick and swing his arms around as he smiles and talks to us. (We love hearing his little voice as it changes in pitch and tone with every kick.)
-staring at the Christmas lights on both our tree and garland over our fireplace.
-for us to walk him around the house, talking softly into his ear (especially with daddy).
-bath time... except for having water poured over his head.
-laying in his swing & staring at himself in the mirror attached to the mobile.
-LOVES eating!
-car rides
-laying on his daddy's chest.
-staring into his mommy's eyes.
-smiling at his daddy.
........ and the list goes on!

Austin is absolutely adorable. I daily stand amazed at the fact that he is my son! I am in awe of his beauty. God is so good! What a blessing it is to have a child. I am so thankful for our gift from God.

Here are some recent pictures of our precious baby!

6 Weeks Pictures!

7 Weeks Pictures!

p.s.
I am having minor surgery on Thursday. During the pregnancy I developed an umbilical hernia and now it needs to be repaired. My ob-gyn referred me to a general surgeon and was told that it should be taken care of as soon as possible. I am scheduled for surgery at 4pm, Thursday, Dec. 11th. Please keep me in your prayers, as well as the doctor who will perform the procedure. I am looking forward to having my belly button return to its pre-pregnancy form.

Lovely pictures

2008-11-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well here is the link to Austin's newborn pictures!
She did a great job at capturing how precious he is as well as his many faces...

Here is the link:
Austin's pictures!

p.s.
Matthew asked me to inform everyone that he is, indeed wearing jeans in his "topless" pictures!
what a hottie!

It's been 1 month!

2008-11-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER 21st!!!!
Today is Austin's 1 month birthday! Happy birthday baby boy!

As I've mentioned in other posts, time has flown by... I can't believe he is a month old. Life with Austin has been quite eventful since the last blog.

Last Sunday, my mother ran her second marathon in San Antonio and she did a great job- she improved her time and ran the 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 52 minutes. She zoomed through the half marathon in 2 hours and 12 minutes. Unfortunately we weren't able to cheer her on this year because it was way to soon to take Austin out, but we spent quite a bit of time calling my dad for updates as he drove from one place to another trying to catch her and cheer her on! Proud of you Mom! I am planning on running with her next year, but I'll have to wave goodbye as she leaves me behind at the half marathon turning point. I don't know how she does it, but there is no way I could make all 26.2 miles. Anyway, they drove to Houston after the marathon rather than driving home. We thought it was funny that they found it to be easier and quicker to drive to Houston rather than to the valley. Houston is 6 hrs. from their home & San Antonio is 4 hours. Major detour! Oh the crazy things grandparents do!

Back to work... before I went on maternity leave I had decided to return to work for a few days before Thanksgiving in order to make preparations and arrange Thanksgiving meals for my clients. Well the week has come and gone. I returned to work on Tuesday. Boy was I looking forward to Friday that early on in the week. My dad came returned to Houston Tuesday evening to help me take care of Austin while I was at work. Thankfully, I was able to have Austin with me in my office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We decided to leave him home with grandpa Cerda today because it was so cold here in Houston. It was great to catch up with my clients, but one things for sure... I am going to dread going back to work in January. My estimated reurn date has been scheduled for January 15th. January... please take your time to make your way around! =)

We took Austin to the doctor on Nov. 11th for a check up and we noticed he had two very small pimples. At that point the doctor mentioned how common it is for newborn to develop baby acne at around 3 weeks of age. I wasn't to concerned seeing as how there were only two pimples. Well, much to my surprise, by Thursday, the 13th he had broken out. I immediately started to search the web trying to read up on baby acne, how to treat it, causes and so on. Unfortunately I found very little as far as treatment, but did learn that it can last several months. As each day went by, I felt that it got worse and couldn't help myself... I took him to the doctor on Wednesday morning. Fun news was that Austin has gained weight! He was weighing a whopping 10 lbs. 3.5 oz.! Our little butterball likes to eat!!! The doctor just reminded me that, that is what we want... we need to make sure he continues gaining weight! He's a growing boy! The sad news was that he definitely has baby acne. Poor guy looks like a teenager at a month old. Austin's doctor informed us that the main cause for baby acne are the mothers hormones that were passed into his system during pregnancy. They develop acne in the process of their bodies working towards excreting them from their systems. Interesting, I think! There is really no treatment for baby acne. His doctor says that we just have to be patient and wait it out. We were instructed to wash his face 2 to 3 times a day with warm water and/or mild soap. So that is what I've been doing. Anyway, we were told that it could last anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months. I sure hope the duration of his acne stays closer to the 2 week range- at least that's what I am praying for. Good thing we got his newborn pictures our of the way the week before (link with pictures to be posted soon!).

Last Friday we bought Austin a new piece of furniture. We gave in and decided to buy him a baby swing. We just figured he's either in our arms, his bassinet, on the floor for tummy time or reclined on his boppy. We figured why not buy him a swing and we were glad we decided too. The swing is amazing. It has the ability to soothe him almost instantly. He enjoys staring at himself in the mirror attached to his mobile and also seems to enjoy the bee's on his mobile go round and round. We love his swing as much as he does!

Well that's about it for now... Check out Matthew's blog for a cute video of Austin.
NEW AUSTIN VIDEO!

This weeks pictures!

Another week!

2008-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Another week of fun with our sweet son.

Austin is 3 weeks today! He had his 3 week check up and it was exciting to see how much he has grown. Austin is up to 9lbs 7oz and is 21 3/4in long! (started off at 8lbs 4.5oz, 19 3/4in long). He is indeed a biggin! We were expecting to see some weight gain as he constantly seems to be eating. His doctor said he is ranging within the 55th percentile. He's on target, not to small, not to big! Physically everything looks fantastic. Our next visit won't be until he is 2 months, so more or less around Dec. 19th! I can only imagine how big he will be then! Until then, his doctor has encouraged us to read to him every opportunity we get, even if it's the newspaper. He also said that now would be the perfect time to speak to him in Spanish. He encouraged me to only speak in Spanish and have Matthew speak to him only in English. Let's see how well that works out!
This weeks highlights:

Thinks he can crawl:
Well for quite sometime now Austin has managed to work his way up Matthew's torso by crawling his way up. We actually find it to be quite entertaining, as well as amazing. He has some strong legs. The doctor reminded us today of how impressed he is with Austin's strength as he can hold his head up very well, his grip is quite tight & his legs are very strong. Makes me proud! But anyhow, as I was saying... Austin enjoys crawling his way up Matthew's chest until his head hits the the sofa cushion and he can't go any further.

Bath Time:
We have chosen to bathe Austin every other day now that his circumcision has healed and his umbilical cord stump has fallen off. Our first bath time experience was a nightmare for Austin. He screamed and cried at the top of his lungs as if we were torturing him. Well, that was the last time we've had such an experience during bath time with him. He seems to enjoy it these days. He just lays there looking around as we clean him off. Instead of starting with his head, we changed our method to starting with his feet and working our way up. Either this works better or he just enjoys bath time now. It will be interesting and probably a lot more fun for him once he begins splashing around! I'm sure this will come before we know it!

His 1st Photo Shoot:
Austin took his newborn pictures on Sunday and we are so excited to get the proofs in. Our photographer took some really fun pictures of him including some naked pictures which were quite a trip. I was told to hold Austin without his diaper on for our family picture... knowing that he could possibly pee or poop on me, I figured what the heck- we're at home, if there's an accident I can just change. He had done so well in earlier naked pictures that I kinda figured we wouldn't have a problem this time around. Well, much to my surprise as we were changing positions I felt a warm sensation trickle down my arm and sure enough Austin had done a number on me. There was a huge wet spot on our bed and I had yellow streaks on my shirt. We continued taking pictures and I just hid the streaks! Anyhow... after our photo shoot was done we decided to grab some lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Los Cucos! However, it wasn't until we were out of our neighborhood that I realized I had never changed clothes. Too late! We decided to keep going. The good thing was that it was mustard yellow and we just figured people would assume that I was a messy eater and just smeared mustard on my shirt and pants! Whatever the case, I just hope nobody noticed. Needless to say, Austin left his mark on many things that day- photographers pretty white blanket, our bed spread, our sofa's, my shirt and jeans and our carpet. Oh well!!! Anyhow, we can't wait to show off his pictures. As soon as we get the link I'll post them!

Here are a few more pictures of Austin!

Austin as Dwight (The Office)

Bath Time!

Two week B-day!

2008-11-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

Two weeks... Two incredible weeks! Austin celebrated his two week birthday on Tuesday and I can't believe how quickly week 3 is creeping up on us.

Austin is doing great! We have had so much fun with him and can't believe it's only been two weeks. Austin has a huge appetite, burps like a man, farts like his father, has the strength of his mother =), sleeps as if he's never slept before, has strong, healthy lungs and above all has the ability to make our hearts melt. I don't think I have ever used the word "cute" as often as I do now. He is just so darn CUTE! I can't believe how much he's changed in just two weeks. I can't even imagine how different he'll look at 4 weeks. Sweet little guy is just precious. I could stare at him all day long.

Ok well that's enough of my ranting on how handsome and perfect he is!
Here are a few pictures of Austin's many faces that I think you all might enjoy!

Happy Two week Birthday Austin!

Austin has arrived!

2008-10-21T17:18:00.001-07:00

Our sweet Austin has arrived!

Austin was born on October 21, 2008 at 11:40am. He weighed 8lbs. 4.5oz. & was 19 3/4in. long. He is absolutely precious!

I was in labor for 26 hours, but the actual delivery only lasted an hour. Because I was in labor for so long, I developed a high fever and was immediately placed on antibiotics following my delivery and Austin was placed in the NICU to be monitored closely due to my fever. Sweet little guy was on antibiotics and had all sorts of monitors attached to him. He was a trooper. As for the delivery, my doctor was incredible and made the experience much more enjoyable, if you can imagine that! Not saying it didn't hurt, it sure did, but she certainly lightened the mood. We had music playing in the background- 80's music, & we were able to laugh and joke quite a bit. That hour seriously flew by... it was nothing compared to the previous 25 hours. I was anxious and worn out by the time my doctor asked me if I was ready to PUSH! But every excruciating contraction and ache was quickly forgotten the moment Austin arrived. The feelings felt the moment I saw him are indescribable. Matthew did such a great job at encouraging me and coaching me through the processes as well. He was the lucky one who got to cut Austin's umbilical cord!

I am going to take a minute to brag about my husband. He has played such a key role in every aspect of this pregnancy... you're probably thinking "well of course!" He has been absolutely supportive, tender, caring, understanding, focused, every positive quality I could imagine wanting during my pregnancy he gave it! He's been terrific! My sweet husband kicked it into high gear the last few days before our due date. He cleaned up the entire house. He washed clothes, dishes, organized paperwork, set up last minute items for Austin, you name it he did it! I love my husband. He is my best friend. In addition to the pre-baby preparations, Matthew has done such a great job at taking care of his baby boy! It is so sweet to see him swaddle him, change his diaper, whisper things into his ear, feed him, EVERYTHING... he is not afraid to do it. I must admit... I didn't change Austin's diapers for the first few days. I was being lazy... Matthew would do it before I could even realize Austin needed to be changed. Let me tell you, Matthew is GREAT. I thank God for granting me the privilege of spending the rest of my life by his side. Austin is blessed to have a daddy like him!

Alright... well I hope you enjoy the cute pictures I posted of our little guy!

Countdown!

2008-10-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

ONLY 3 more days!!!

can't wait... My parents and in-laws will be coming in on Sunday.
I'm looking forward to posting pictures of little guy as soon as I can.

Please continue praying for us as we prepare for his arrival.
We serve and awesome God and is sure is sweet to know that He is above all things and in control of every aspect of our lives.

I'll try to posts pictures of Austin's room before he comes!

OH YA!!! Today's my last day of work... only a few more hours to tie everything up!

UPDATE on DUE DATE!!!

2008-10-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Big news!

Well... as I mentioned in the previous blog, we had a scheduled visit to see our doctor today and received some exciting news! Our doctor has decided to induce labor on Monday, October 20, 2008!!! Matthew was actually hoping for tomorrow, but the doctor said NO!!!

The ultrasound showed Austin weighing approximately 8lbs 3oz, so he gained about 1lb. I must admit, I am a little nervous and incredibly anxious... I am sure Monday won't get here soon enough.

As we prepare for this big day we do have few prayer requests...
Even though we are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 20th, we are on standby, meaning that we will be admitted as soon as a room is available. Our doctor feels quite certain that they will get us in, but we are still hoping and praying that they can get us in early morning or afternoon. Both my parents and Matthew's parents will be traveling to Houston on Sunday in order to be here for the big day. So, Prayer request #1) that a room will be available for us early Monday morning. Another prayer is that my cervix will begin to dilate. I have yet to experience one contraction. Without contractions there will be no dilation. We were told that I am still not dilated which is somewhat frustrating since the doctor is planning on inducing soon. There are medications that she plans on using in order to soften my cervix prior to administering the pitocin which will increase contractions, but ideally I’d be somewhat dilated when I enter the hospital to make things a little easier. She encourage us to walk regularly, which is something we have been doing and of course some other suggestions that will remain unmentioned... might be inappropriate! =) Prayer request #2) is that my cervix will dilate at least 1cm to 2cm by Monday! And our last Prayer request #3) is that my labor and delivery process will be a smooth and quick experience. Inductions can take longer than usually and on top of that, many first time moms are in labor longer than those on their second or third child.

I am feeling a little nervous and of course anxious, so I am praying that I will enjoy these last few days and soak up the excitement! Praise the Lord for His blessings!

Matthew is so excited! I've really enjoyed listening to him share stories of how he daydreams of all the fun things he and Austin will do together. He's going to be such a wonderful father. It's also been sweet to watch him assemble all of the baby furniture and equipment as soon as it is purchased and/or arrives.

Anyway... I think this is all for my Oct. 14th update! My last day of work is on Friday so I am hoping and praying that I will get everything wrapped up and taken care of by the end of the work day.

COUNTDOWN: 6 more days!!!

too long...

2008-10-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

So I must admit... I'm the worst blogger ever! I apologize for not posting any sooner...

Things are coming along well and Austin is growing, growing, growing. We have about 14 more days to go- give or take. We have our final ultrasound this Tuesday, Oct. 14th! At this point they will determine whether or not they'd like to induce. About 3 weeks ago we had another ultrasound and we were told that we've got a big kid coming along. His estimated weight was between 7lbs. and 7lbs. 4oz. YUP... He's a biggin! Because of this the doctor has mentioned possibly inducing labor so that he won't come out weighing over 9lbs. =) Unfortunately we were told that I am still not dilated at our last appointment, but the doctor kept reminding me that there is no need to worry... it will happen! OF COURSE! Matthew and I have been walking about 2 miles every other day with hopes that it will help speed up the process! Needless to say, these past few weeks have brought on quite a bit of anxiety! We just can't wait for him to make his appearance!

Things at work are coming together, but have also been quite hectic. Being away for 3 months requires a lot of preparation, especially with the end of the year coming quickly! Among my list of things to do, few of the major tasks I must complete before Austin arrives includes: putting together my board report (June-Oct.), Monthly report (Oct.), preparing packets with all the community resources available for my clients to tap into if the need arises, arranging and preparing Thanksgiving meals for 9 of the families I work with and lastly organizing Christmas gifts and meals that I will be providing my families with mid-Dec. Am I stressing??? just a little bit! HAHA. Although I began this preparation back at the beginning of September things just don't seem to be getting done as quickly as I'd like... Social work requires a lot of flexibility and sometimes too much! I just have to keep reminding myself that it will get done... I KNOW IT WILL!!! God is good and He always provides the time!

Anyhow... Enough about work!!!

I wanted to pass along a link of the maternity pictures that were taken at at 37 weeks (about a week ago)!
We love our photographer!
TAKE LOOK:
Maternity Pictures!!!

I will post more info later this week when we find out more about our actual due date!!! Austin David Allison will be here before we know it!!!

God bless!

Look at ME!!!

2008-08-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today we had our 4D ultrasound appointment and it sure was fun! Austin would not cooperate with us for the first 15 minutes or so- he kept covering his face with his little arm. The tech kept poking at him with hopes of getting him to move arm out of the way, but he just wouldn't budge. It was actually quite entertaining to watch him tease us. He'd move his hand and as soon as the technician would click to save the shot he would swing his hand back up to his face. What a tease... pretty stubborn too. I wonder who he gets it from? yup, probably me!

It was such a special experience. Thank you inventor of the 4D ultrasound!!! I wish I owned one of these ultrasound machines so I could see him everyday. So anxious!!! Only 11 more weeks!!! Seeing his sweet little features and trying to figure out who he may look like was a blast. He is absolutely precious!!! He stuck his tongue out at us a few times and we got to see him yawn. Austin also made sure to show off his arm muscles letting us know that he will be a strong one just like his daddy! A few times the tech caught him scrunching his face and wrinkling his eyebrows... appearing somewhat stressed and annoyed by her poking at him. Too cute! Anyway... we hope you enjoy Austin's 4D pictures! We sure love them!!!

View Album

Get your own

See-the-do!!!

2008-07-10T16:57:00.001-07:00

So I decided to get a haircut and I ended up cutting 7+ inches off! Yeah... I couldn't believe it myself. The last time I had short hair was when I was a freshman at A&M, nearly 7 years ago.

Anyway!!! I am really enjoying my new hair-do!!!. I am definitely looking forward to avoiding a ponytail for the rest of the summer!

Austin's first pair of shoes!

2008-06-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

So what do ya think?
We went to the Vans store yesterday to buy Matthew a new pair of slip on vans and we ended up leaving with a pair for Austin too! We just couldn't resist. Aren't they just adorable?!?!?

keeping up...

2008-06-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

So I figured I would give this blogging business a try. I am not sure how often I will post considering that I do a poor job at responding to my emails, but hey its worth a shot!

To get you all up to date I will start by sharing that... we have officially lived in Houston for a little over a year and we've settled in quite well. So here is a brief summary of all the major changes we've experienced! We moved to Houston May '07, started our new jobs, got married in October, joined a great church in November, bought a house in January, found out we were pregnant in February, bought a new car in March and now we are awaiting the arrival of our baby boy- Austin David Allison. This year definitely flew by and has brought in some amazing changes.

Anyhow... I hope to keep you all up to date as I come across something that interests me or have some exciting news to share!

aca