Roll, playing

Hey, Michael here. Just wanted to fill you in on the wonderful week we're enjoying with me on paternity leave.

What, more leave? Indeed. Us dads get six weeks, and I had two left over after the first go-round. With my new role at the Register (USC beat reporter) starting in late July and Sarah's family coming for July 4th weekend, we figured it was the perfect time for further bonding with Austin.

The week started off in spectacular fashion, with Austin rolling over ... on camera! He had rolled over when he was only about a week old, but since we had no proof, no one believed us. Thanks to Sarah and our new Canon PowerShot, we have it on video:

Other developments included Austin discovering the existence of his hands and feet, which have become endless sources of fascination, and improved hand-eye coordination, as you can see from this shot of him batting a rattle around on his play mat:



We took Austin outside to the courtyard behind our house, principally to get some shots with better light than in our dark living room. Here's one, featuring a clearly in-love Austin gazing up into his mother's eyes:



The next day Sarah took Austin to Disneyland, taking advantage of her annual pass before it expires. Austin's too young to remember any of it, and he slept most of the time, but he did get to meet Pluto and try on some way-too-big Mickey Mouse ears:



Austin donned his "Dad's team" baseball uniform for a trip to watch his old man play softball in Torrance. Despite the little fella rooting us on -- he's a big fan of "Da-da-da-da-da-da ... charge!" -- we lost our fourth in a row. But he was by far the cutest spectator:

On Friday, we took Austin for his first picnic, at the site of our Sunday softball league, Hart Park in Orange. We camped in a shady spot under a big tree behind the backstop and enjoyed turkey and peanut-butter sandwiches, fruit salad, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and root beer. Austin enjoyed tummy time on top of his daddy and a nice, breezy diaper change after his mom-supplied lunch:

Austin's first two months

After years and years of writing about test scores and education, I can't believe I'm still writing about percentile rankings.

But these new marks aren't about schools. They are about my son.

We got Austin's first percentile rankings this week when he had his two-month doctor visit. He's in the 75th percentile in weight at 12 pounds 8 ounces. He's in the 50th percentile ranking in height -- almost 22 7/8 inches. And his head circumference is in the 25th percentile. So much for that big head that wouldn't come out.

Overall, I guess that makes Austin average. Not that WE think he's average. We think he's exceptional.

Austin turned two months on Thursday. He's making great progress, tracking mobile objects with his eyes and staring at his moving feet. He's also continuing to coo and smile, especially when Daddy comes home. Austin's also not crying quite as much, or at least we can usually tell WHY he's crying. Often it's because we're not giving him enough attention.

Last night, Austin attended his first sporting event: Daddy's softball game. He didn't see much of it, though. We took a walk around the park first. And he was eating through much of the rest of the game. I'm sure it's only the first of many.

Father's Day

When I asked Michael what he wanted to do for Father's Day, he only wanted to do one thing:

Watch the U.S. Open.

That made it pretty easy for me.

I also made chorizo and bran muffins for breakfast at his request. But during part of the meal, I was bouncing the baby on his side and sticking a pacifier in his mouth. Such is life as a parent. I eventually got Austin to go to sleep with his "froggy" pacifier -- a new binky with a stuffed frog attached to it. This little device has been a lifesaver lately. The stuffed animal keeps the pacifier in place somewhat so he isn't constantly spitting out his binky. Austin has also started sucking on the animal itself. Here he is holding the froggy while wearing his froggy outfit after a nap.

Michael is willing to watch sports with the baby in his lap, which gives me a good break. Unfortunately for me, Austin slept through most of the tournament, which meant he was up later when Michael was working. They did watch part of it together in Austin's signature pose. However, this position won't last for much longer. Austin is getting to be too long and too "kicky" to stay here, as you can see. We'll find out just how long he is when we go to the doctor on Wednesday.

Videos of Austin

We finally got a video camera, so we thought we'd post some videos. That way, you can see Austin in action. Granted, he can't do much yet -- just coo, smile and hold a rattle. But we, as his parents, think his progress is remarkable. Don't feel obligated to watch the whole thing, but do take a look at how cute he is:

Cooing with Grandpa:





Dancing with Grandma and smiling at Mommy:



Talking to Daddy:



Here are a couple of still pictures:

In his new sunglasses. See Grandpa taking the picture in the reflection:

Holding a rattle:

Hanging out on the quilt on the floor:

Baby - sits

They say that people make progress in baby steps. Yesterday, Austin's progress was more like baby - sits.

(I know, bad pun. Bear with me.)

For the first time, Austin sat in the big-boy high chair. We found that Austin didn't like sitting in his baby papasan chair on the floor while we ate. So, we propped him up on his chair attached to a dining room chair. He liked it a lot more because we could interact with him more easily. He's commanding more attention these days.

Austin also sat in the Baby Bjorn. Yes, I know he's probably technically too small to be facing outward. But his head is pretty strong for a little guy and he likes to look around, even if it's straight up. Also, the carrier helps keep in his binky. Here, he fell asleep while I walked around doing chores, including straightening my hair. Yeah, that's probably dangerous, too.

Austin also had his first baby sitter. Aunt Pat came to take care of Austin while we went to LA to see Flight of the Conchords. Despite how this looks, Austin reportedly did very well. Maybe Aunt Pat was just trying to make us feel better. But he was fast asleep when we got home around midnight and stayed asleep until almost 3 a.m. Good job!

-Sarah