Playdate?

Austin had his second playdate last week.

But we can't say that it was much of a playdate. Maven Ding and Austin still aren't quite acknowledging each other:

After they didn't look at each other on the chair, we tried to put them face-to-face. That didn't work much either. But they sure looked cute.

Sedona, however, was trying to interact with both her little sister and Austin. She gladly held Austin for a picture. And she even pointed to him, saying, "Austin, friend."

Even though Austin didn't "play" with the girls, he had fun on Maven's bouncy seat and Bumbo chair while Maven napped. Read more about the playdate from Maven's perspective on the Ding family blog.

Austin also got to visit with a few friends this week. We met with Ellyn for lunch at GardenWalk so Ellyn can get a taste of a baby before she has her own. Austin was pretty good for most of the lunch, but he started getting fussy toward the end. I thought he was just tired, but he smiled at Ellyn when I picked him up. He's playing me already. Celeste came over for lunch on Friday. And Courtney paid us a visit. Sorry, I only got a picture of Courtney:

Austin has been practicing some new skills/activities this week. We're trying to do more reading, as you can see. Austin has learned to flip pages on bubble books. I've been reading "Goodnight Moon" to him before bed.

Austin's strength continues to amaze us. He's on the verge of rolling from back to stomach. For now, he can just roll onto his side. I was surprised that he fell asleep on his side while playing on the playmat the other day:

Austin loves to do a new trick that Daddy has dubbed "upsies." He goes from sitting or lying down to standing up with our help, of course. He pulls up his head to lurch forward in anticipation of us pulling him up. His legs are strong!

For more recent photos of Austin, check out the photo links of June/July photos.

-Sarah

Wonder and Awe-stin

Yes, Aunt Laura came up with this pun, too.

But it's true because Austin is in "wonder and awe" of a whole bunch of new things as he approaches his three-month birthday. He discovered his amazing hands, which have emerged from their previously clenched state. He loves tugging on the stuffed lion on his play mat to make music. He is suddenly fascinated by nursery rhymes. His favorites: "It's raining, it's pouring" (he likes when we make the snoring noise); "There was a little girl..." (a favorite of mommy's when she was a little girl); "Row your boat" (we rock him back and forth), and "Humpty Dumpty" (he falls down.) Aunt Laura even saw him suck on his toe.

Aunt Laura's visit, which lasted longer than Grandma and Grandpa's, was a godsend. Laura offered to babysit for our anniversary:

Laura also took care of me and Austin when I got sick during the last few days. Aunt and nephew got a lot of alone bonding time, so we didn't get many pictures of her except this one before she left for the airport.

A few days later, my cousin, Gina, came to meet Austin. When we were teen-agers, Gina and I would spend our summers meeting rock stars in Hawaii, flirting with boys in Puerto Vallarta and slurping tropical drinks in the Bahamas. This time, we spent our days taking the stroller out, going to the mall and shopping at Trader Joes. Quite a difference from our youth. Still, we had fun. Gina was happy to get out of taking her daughter to 5 a.m. soccer practice, as well as the chance to play with a cute baby. Gina offered to babysit one night, so Michael and I went out for our first sushi dinner in a year. I was thrilled to have help with the baby.

After Gina left, we took Austin to his first concert. No, it wasn't some cool indie fest. It was just a concert in the park in Orange. Still, at least we got him out for some entertainment. Here are some pictures from our outing:

'Red, white and cute'

Not even fatherhood -- which often turns me into a blabbering goofball -- could produce a pun as corny as that one. All the credit must go to Aunt Laura, who's visiting Austin for the first time and participated in his first Fourth of July along with Grandma Judy, Grandpa Phil and Great Grandma Mary.

Here's the inspiration for "red, white and cute," the onesie courtesy of Grandma Judy, the socks from Sarah's friend Charis:

It was great to have Great Grandma Mary in town. She's in her mid-80s and doesn't travel much, but she came from Tucson to attend our wedding two years ago and this weekend to see Austin. The two clearly hit it off:

Mary's special-guest-star appearance enabled us to capture four generations in one shot:

Aunt Laura came from even farther away -- Lawrence, Kansas, where she very recently relocated from Durham, N.C.

This weekend marked her third consecutive Independence Day spent with us in SoCal -- but her first with her new pal and nephew:

Austin received A LOT of attention while his grandparents were here, with Aunt Laura joining in the fun:

When the gals went away to get their nails done on Saturday afternoon, Austin hung out with his dad and granddad and watched the Yankees-Red Sox game. Here Austin not only exhibits great interest in baseball but demonstrates his newfound ability to turn his head to further observe the world around him:

Besides being a doting grandpa, Phil is a skilled photographer, as this priceless bath picture illustrates:

After his bath, Austin melted in Grandma Judy's warm, protective arms:

No one is happier to see Austin than Grandma ...

... or sadder to say goodbye, as you can see in this shot from the grandparents' previous visit:

But it's almost entirely good times for Austin these days, including his second trip to the pool. Here's how the chubby little boy looks in his dinosaur swimsuit:

Austin has shown rapidly improving motor skills lately, and he did splendidly in the pool, where the water has a calming effect on him. I swear he could float on his back if I just released him -- studies support this as well -- but there's just no way I could let him go!