Austen Famous Rodey

Austen is just starting to say "Da" and "Mahhh" -- and even "Earl," according to Grandpa Earl.

For Mommy's birthday, Austen, Mommy and Grandpa Earl went to Johnson Park in Piscataway, located across the river from New Brunswick, where Austen was born. At the petting zoo, there was a beautiful cayote along with lots of colorful birds. Austen liked the goat because it looked like a large-sized cat.


"Side-saddle," as described by Grandpa Earl:

Last night, Austen's sniffles took a turn for the worse and she began vomiting phlegm. We took her to the doctor who said she had an Upper Respiratory Infection that had perhaps develped into a sinus infection (or some sort of bacterial infection). When we got her home, she had a fever of 101.5. For the rest of the day and night, Mommy and Daddy struggled to get Austen to drink ... anything. Austen was very fussy, particularly when having medicine (tylenol and antibiotics) squirted into her mouth. She hardly played at all, sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's arms most of the day. Austen had never before not wanted to eat. She'd never had a fever. And she'd never slept all day.

When Mommy tries to type e-mail while holding Austen on her lap, Austen reliably grabs for the keyboard -- often managing to erase half of what Mommy has written. When Mommy pushes the keyboard away from Austen's reach, Austen goes for the mouse. Mommy then moves the mouse away. When Mommy pulls the keyboard a little closer so she can resume typing, the whole process repeats itself. Eventually Austen gets fussy and starts to complain because everything keeps being moved out of reach. It's as if Mommy's playing games with her. Austen's crankiness with Mommy suggests that she recognizes Mommy's intentional action.

During a playdate at Barnes and Nobles kids' section, Austen did the downward dog yoga position while playing on the carpet with the other babies. There's a picture of Morgan doing this position at around the same age as Austen.

For weeks now, Austen has been reaching her arms wide when she wants to be picked up -- the gesture is usually combined with a grunting "Uhh, Uhh, Uhh." Mommy read today that this is a normal behavior for babies at nine months.

Over the past two weeks Mommy has been performing clapping songs for Austen -- such as Grandma Judi's favorite "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands ..." and "Pease Porridge hot, Pease Porridge cold ..." Today Austen did some clapping of her own at Gymboree. She doesn't clap on demand or when the song calls for it but whenever the spirit moves her, usually after everyone else stops clapping.

Also, Austen has started attempting to wave "Hi!"

Mommy and Daddy will try to capture video but Uncle Rin can confirm Austen's new clapping skill.

Thanks, Uncle Rin, for picking out this Rocawear outfit.

Austen is becoming proficient at moving from sitting position to all-fours crawling position -- although she doesn't do much crawling while in crawling postion, just looks around and reaches for things.



At her new Leap Frog Table, Austen pulls herself to standing, then falls usually.


In memory of Grandma Judi (today marks one year since we lost her), Mommy and Daddy ate crab cakes, sang songs to Austen, and said encouraging, optimistic things to each other. It was a great "family-oriented" day.

Surrounded by the adults playing their own game, Devan & Austen entertain themselves.



Here’s Austen laughing and partying it up.


(Video - be patient while it loads.)

The dessert table:



Davinder and the "little tykes":



Check out all the party pics.

Game Night guest list: Daljit, Kimball, Angie, Sumita, Wayne, Pricilla, and nine-year-old Ian

Austen ate carrots this evening. This was her first solid food after rice cereal. She acted like it was no big deal, like she does it everyday. There's video proof. [Daddy, add the video, please]

This afternoon, when Austen said, "Aha," Mommy repeated the expression over and over, and then they began a laughing competition, seeing who could laugh the loudest and longest. Austen won.

Mommy set up Austen's Leap Frog play table, like cousin Grace's which Mommy admired while in Maryland.

Unfortunately, Austen had her first major throw-up incident today after Mommy fed her a large quantity of formula followed by milk (about 5 ounces total). [Previously, she's only spit up tiny amounts of liquid.] Perhaps mixing both milk and formula during a single feeding was the problem. In the past few weeks, Austen has begun to get about 3-4 bottles of formula per day, mostly at night and in the early morning. She seems to like the milk-based formula and hasn't had digestion problems, only more frequent dirty diapers. During today’s full-scale vomiting incident, Austen barely seemed to notice what had happened and didn’t seem bothered by it; she immediately returned to smiling and playing.

Before Austen was born, Mommy and Daddy decided to try breastfeeding for 6 months. But now they’ve decided to continue to give Austen milk each day to protect her from viral infections. Over the next six months, they want to reduce the burden on Mommy by gradually moving Austen to solid foods and formula.

Austen is still having napping problems. She starts to rub her eyes and whine and flail about, grabbing for anything in reach, instead of letting herself drift off to sleep. This happens despite the fact she’s clearly exhausted. Rocking and swinging and riding in the car seem to help.

A very cute thing about Austen is her reaction to new toys. She completely stops moving, furrows her brow and studies the new object, reaching for it and then almost immediately shoving it into her mouth for some serious chewing. Play and smiles follow.

Austen sat and played with toys by herself on the carpet in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom while Mommy took a shower. This was a first, usually Mommy has to bring Austen into the master bath and set up a playmat for her on the floor.

In her Exersaucer, Austen squealed and almost seemed to jump to reach the dangling toys, all the while doing her trademark big-mouth smile.

Mommy and Austen went to Kids World (exit 13A, across from Ikea) to buy some toys and supplies. On the ride home, Austen started complaining about being strapped into her car seat but when Mommy gave her a rattle to shake she calmed down.

At night, Austen was very tired and thus very fussy and unable to calm herself down. Daddy rocked her to sleep.

Note: This picture was NOT staged. Austen got into this position all by herself.

On the last day at the farm in Maryland, Mommy had trouble waking in the morning but Austen was raring to go. She posed for photographs with Grandpa Earl on his tractor, even took the wheel. [See separate blog entry] Then she visited Cousin Grace and Cousin Susan at their white window-filled home on top of the breezy hill where Mommy used to go sled-riding.



Out back under the deck, Austen tried the infant swing and gave it a big open-mouth smile.



Mommy will soon be ordering her the highly-recommended Dophin Swing. Also visiting were Daddy, Tod, Holly, Morgan, Mark, Jen, Emma, Erin, Earl, Heather, Zack, Mike and Jonathan.

Austen and Emma on Jeff’s three-wheeler:



After Mommy and Daddy tell Emma that Austen’s going to eat her – Austen has a tendency to open her mouth very wide:



Just before leaving the farm for home, Austen sat with Aunt Margaret and Uncle James, who commented on her new sunnier disposition and talked about Jeffrey and Jonathan’s first skiing experience. Austen can’t wait to become a Ski Wee herself.

Back home, Austen did some Wee Exercise, successfully rising to a standing position from a seated position on Mommy’s leg. She was able to stand, without holding onto anything, for about 3 seconds, and then toppled over.

Video. It's worth the wait. Six-month-old Austen grabs for the wheel of Grandpa Earl's tractor.

First Column (top to bottom): Cousin Zack Gross, Aunt Jennifer Famous, Cousin Erin Famous
Second Column: Great Aunt Heather Lloyd (Grandma Judi's sister), Great Aunt Janet Lloyd (Grandma Judi's sister), Uncle Mark Famous, Cousin Emma Famous
Third Column: Daddy
Fourth Column: Mommy and Austen
Fifth Column: Grandpa Earl Famous
Sixth Column: Aunt Holly Anderson, Cousin Morgan Famous
Seventh Column: Uncle Tod Famous

Friday:

Long day of packing for Mommy and Austen. Smooth drive to the Famous Farm in Maryland. Grandpa Earl greets Austen, who’s half asleep in her car seat.

Saturday:

Morning visit with Reverend Benjamin who is so impressed with Austen’s friendliness that he tells Mrs. Benjamin she has to come over and see baby Austen. She brings with her a beautiful cake.



Susan, Grace and Jeff visit.

Mommy, Daddy and Austen go to pick up pizzas and shop at Klein’s (Uncle Mark’s alma mater).

Party at Grandpa Earl’s house with the Bairs and Morrises and Grandma Judi’s former students. Aunt Gloria and Uncle John stop by.

At Abby West’s Thomas-the-Train-Engine-themed birthday party …



Austen meets Daisy …



… and stands on her own in Abby’s pink jeep.



Daddy needs to buy Austen a battery-powered jeep:







More partygoing at Grandpa Earl’s, hanging out with Aunt Janet, Aunt Heather, Mark, Jen, Emma, Erin, Tod, Holly, Morgan.

Sunday:

Special service at Emory. Austen manages to smile at every single member the Emory congregation. Afterward, Austen lays flowers at Grandma Judi’s grave. (See separate blog entry.)

Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra concert dedicated to the memory of Judith Lloyd Famous. [Scan program] Austen dresses in her beaded silk gown from India and gold jewelry from Grandma and Grandpa Rodey. Grandpa Earl is astonished at how Austen entertains herself with a board book on cows for 20 minutes and even enjoys the music, focusing on the section of the orchestra making the most sound. There’s no crying or shouting thanks to strategic use of the pacifier. Daddy and Mommy don’t want to press their luck, so Austen spends the second half of the concert in the hall napping in Daddy’s arms.

A dinner and awards reception follows. Grandma Judi is given a lifetime achievement award from the SSO.

The family reassembles at the Famous Farm to hang out with the babies. Morgan resists the “Da cuddle.” You’ll have to ask her about this someday, Austen.

Monday:

(See separate blog entry.)

This is an announcement that Mommy helped Grandma Judi write when she donated the piano:

On December 10th, Judith Famous, along with her family, donated a [insert type] piano to Emory United Methodist Church. Placed in the sanctuary of the church, the piano is meant to serve as a memorial to her mother, Emma Lloyd. As a doting grandmother of Judi’s children Mark, Tod and Lucinda, Emma was a regular visitor to Mill Green and embraced the entire Famous clan. While in the neighborhood, Emma became a part of the Emory congregation and enthusiastically participated in services… she was often “caught” singing with the Emory Choir.

Emma grew up in a small row house in Southwest Philadelphia, which was shared by three generations of her family. For the family of recent immigrants, German was the primary language spoken and music was always present through song. As a child, Emma longed to learn to play the piano. With limited funds, this was not possible. Emma attended West Philadelphia High School where she received many honors, especially in business courses. From childhood until her recent death, she was a member of the Woodland Avenue Presbyterian Church and even met her husband-to-be, John Lloyd (“Jack”), at the church’s youth fellowship. Emma’s husband served the U.S. in World War II. As soon as he returned from the war, he and Emma started a family. Emma worked most of her life doing bookkeeping for ice cream companies. Her grandchildren’s earliest memories include the smoking, dried ice packages loaded with Abbott’s Ice Cream that she and her husband brought down to the Famous farm on almost every visit.

Emma’s daughters, Judith, Janet and June (“Heather”), were always surrounded by music. Records, songs and free concerts were a part of their daily lives. Funds were still limited but luckily for the girls there was an instrumental music program at their school that provided free lessons and the opportunity to purchase instruments through regular payments. It was through a pastor’s wife that Emma was finally able to get piano music in her life. Her daughter, Judi, was given access to a piano and lessons in exchange for babysitting. Over the years, Judi became a competent piano player. It took Emma 40 years, but she finally got a piano! Her lifelong love of the instrument has been passed down to her children and grandchildren, as well as many others whom she influenced and supported.

Throughout Emma’s life, the church was a powerful force. She served it in every capacity possible: as deacon, as teacher and, of course, as loyal choir member. She planned her evenings and weekends around church activities. Emma gave freely of her time and talents to the church.

It is because of her love of piano music and devotion to the Christian church that a piano given to the Emory community was chosen as a memorial to her. Hopefully, Emma will live on through the music the piano provides in the worship of God.

Thanks to Cousin Grace and Cousin Susan for the gorgeous dress and hat.

click here to view the original post on Uncle Rin's Blog

Austen’s been sitting without support since she was five months old, but by her six-month birthday, she sits for long periods of time and plays with her toys in a sitting position – only once in a while falling over or doing a “nose dive.” Trying to stand while being held is still her favorite activity, yet Austen also started swimming this month. The kicking and splashing were right up her ally. She needs help tiring herself out because she’s quite restless, never holding still, squirming and reaching for everything in sight.



At around 5 ½ months, Austen started playing with 6 month toys.




“Uhh.” “Ahh.” “Hahhh.” “Agoo.” These are the sounds Austen makes … often and loudly … along with throaty grunts. Sometimes she hits some high-pitched notes, higher than any Mommy can hit. These are hard on the ears but Daddy finds them all amusing and encourages louder repeats.

Austen constantly drools from teething, going through up to three bibs an hour! The front of her shirt is almost always damp.

We now get diapers with green poopies thanks to the rice cereal and supplementary milk-based formula Austen’s been trying to digest. Breastmilk is still the staple of Austen’s diet.

Austen is continuing to sleep in her bassinet next to Mommy and Daddy’s bed, although she often doesn’t sleep well, getting up every few hours for food or comforting. Daddy does his best to help her find her pacifier and put it back in her mouth, but sometimes he can’t find it because it’s hidden under her, the blanket or Daddy’s just too groggy to search properly. Since time is of the essence, Daddy regularly stocks the bassinet with multiple pacifiers. The hope is that Austen will begin to find her own pacifier and put it back in her mouth (this isn’t going as well since Austen’s too sleepy to search around). The pediatrician says Mommy and Daddy shouldn’t respond promptly to Austen’s crying at night, but Mommy and Daddy are not convinced this is the correct approach. She gets fussier when her crying is ignored, even for 5-10 minutes.

The last week of month five, Austen started having some attachment issues, such as crying as Mommy walked out of sight. Fortunately, she spends a lot of time in a lot of different arms. Austen’s social skills are quite advanced for her age. She engages people, looking them right in the eye, enjoying their company. She initiates interactions with people, often smiling first and eliciting exclamations of, “Look, she smiled at me! What a happy baby!” She recognizes her close relatives and gets excited to see them, flailing her arms and grinning wildly.

When naming Austen, Mommy and Daddy had no idea what sort of personality she would have. But they secretly hoped she’d be something like Jane Austen’s most famous heroine, Elizabeth Bennet,* with her sparkling wit and vivacity. At six months of age, Austen is showing signs of living up to her name. Or maybe she has Grandma’s Judi’s love of people and Daddy’s joie de vivre.

*Jane Austen wrote about Elizabeth Bennet, "I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.” In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is described as having a "lively playful disposition." The following is an exchange between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, the hero of the story:

"Certainly," replied Elizabeth -- "…I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. -- But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without."

"Perhaps that is not possible for any one. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."

"Such as vanity and pride."

"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride -- where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile.

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