Back to Work

The dreaded day has arrived and I returned to work today.  I was actually promoted while I was out on maternity leave so it gave me something to look forward to when coming back, but still not a second went by where I didn't wish I still spent my whole day doting on Kara.  All in all the transition back went pretty smoothly, although I have over 5,000 emails to sort through.  The in-laws were still in town so Kara didn't miss me that much as she spent the day in the loving arms of her grandparents.  Now if only I could convince Susan to stay and be her Nanny, she really is the baby whisperer ;)

Game Day

What better way to spend a Sunday Funday than with Family & Football! 

 

UT vs Kansas

It's shocking but we got this Buckeye fan to wear some burnt orange finally ;) 

Round 3 - Meet the Grandparents

Steve & Susan arrived just in time to celebrate Halloween with us.  It was so great to have family in town for Kara's first holiday!

Snuggles for Susan

Papa & Grandma

Trick or Treat

Snuggle Bunnies

10 Weeks

I know Kara isn't even 3 months yet but I'm calling it now, we're going to have an early walker.  This morning when I was changing her diaper and getting her dressed she pushed up with her legs and stood straight up, I was shocked!  And look at these pictures, she's already trying to sit up on her own?!?!

Happy Halloween

I found some skeletons hiding in my closet ;)

Reunited with the Richards

We finally got the Richards back in Austin, it may of only been for a weekend but we'll take what we can get!  Kara had the best time with her new buddies and was such a trooper and just rolled with the punches.  We toted her along to the Beer Garden, Top Golf, & Halloween Shopping.  She is proving to be a pretty easy and versatile baby that can take naps on the go, so that makes things a lot simpler on us.  We'll see how long that lasts?!?!

Sunday Funday

Smiling at Sara

Top Golf

Cloudy with a Chance of...Austin

Good Morning

Shaun & I race to the crib in the mornings as this is what is waiting for us...

9 Weeks

Kara had her two month doctor's appointment last week and Dr. Thorstad was super impressed with her neck control.  She said she would have expected to see that level of strength and control at her four month appointment, so Kara is setting the bar high! 

Sleeping Beauty

Kara slept through the night last night!  This definitely calls for celebration as I got my first long stretch of sleep since she was born, 7 consecutive hours!!!

Crusin

It's the end of bat season but what trip to Austin is complete without seeing the largest bat colony.  Therefore, we ended Ross & Mere's visit with a Sunday Funday on the water. 

 

Pflugerville Pfall Pfest

For two years Shaun has been dying to enter the Pfall Chili Pfest and this year we finally had time to do it, or so we thought.  Who knew how much time it would take to make 10 lbs of chili, thanks to Ross who came to the rescue.  Friday night the boys spent the evening cooking and chopping away while Meredith and I escaped to hit the town and have a girls night out.  The boys had a really long day preparing for the cook-off which was followed by an even longer one to execute.  The day started off at 6:45am as the boys had to cook the chili on-site and get everything set-up for the festivities.  Once again Meredith and I took a different route and showed up at noon for the start of the contest ;)  We did our best to pimp Kara and boost sales but once again Ross came to the rescue with his salesman technique, slogans, and swagger.  The event was a blast and we definitely picked up several lessons learned for next year.  We're coming back and gunning for a trophy!



Set-Up

Show Time

Chefs

Marketing Team

Team Czech

Three Best Friends

We've added some new additions to our "Three Best Friends" crew.  Obviously we have a plus one now with Kara but Meredith also has a plus one with her new beau, Ross.  They made the trip down to Austin this weekend and Kara definitely approves, she kept gooing and gaaing over him ;)

8 Weeks

Kara amazes us, she's getting stronger and more active with each passing day.  She's recently started grabbing for things and of course the first thing she pulled was Mommy's hair ;)

Little Longhorn

We have a Longhorn in Training!  This weekend was the Red River Rivalry, UT vs OU, so we made sure Kara was up to speed on the UT traditions and sporting her school spirit ;)

7 Weeks

Kara just keeps growing and growing.  We've upgraded from the newborn diapers to size 1.  Mommy is trying to hang on to some of her adorable newborn clothes but has to face reality and start dressing her in clothes that fit better ;) 

Pumpkin Patch

We love to decorate the house and celebrate all of the fall/winter holidays but this year we're seeing it in a whole new light, through the eye's of a child and it makes it that much more special!  So we decided to kickoff the season with a trip out to Elgin, TX to enjoy one of the larger pumpkin patches in the area.  They offer various kids activities and events but little Miss Kara is too young for most of them.  Regardless we enjoyed the scenery and her first hayride. 

6 Weeks

These pictures say it all, Kara has gotten very talkative over the last week.  She loves to chat and is full of smiles ;)

Chillin in the Crib

It sounds like an episode of MTV Cribs but its just our excitement over Kara upgrading from the Bassinet to her Crib.  We moved her to the nursery last night and she slept for two five hour stretches in a row.  I would definitely say the transition was a success and now all of us can enjoy some extra sleep!

Friends

Erika came to visit for a long weekend and we had a blast!  It was just what I needed, some good old fashion girl time and reassurance from my friend.  Kara had just as much fun, she loved cuddling with Erika and even better yet her perfect swaddle skills ;)

Thanks to the world's best hubby, we enjoyed Girls Night on Friday and dined at the delicious Uchiko.  Then on Saturday we enjoyed some Family Fun time and headed downtown for the Oktoberfest at Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden.  It was very fun & entertaining, especially the sausage eating contest.  This was Kara's first festival in Austin, one of thousands to come I'm sure.

The weekend was perfect, I couldn't have asked for anything more.  However, Erika had plenty more in store for us.   She babysat so we could have a much needed night out and also stocked our freezer with dinners for the week.  Now that is what I call a good friend!!!  We tried to convince her to stay to be our Nanny but no such luck ;)

5 Weeks

Kara is growning like a weed!  We had her 1 month checkup and she's gained almost a whole pound in two weeks.  And she seems to be growing into her head as well ;)

STATS:
Weight - 30%
Height - 60%
Head - 75%

You Have a Baby...

In a Bar.  That is my favorite quote from the movie Sweet Home Alabama and today that was us.  We headed down to Gruene, TX to enjoy their Market Days but couldn't pass up the opportunity to show Shaun's Mom Gruene Hall.  It's the oldest dance hall in Texas and they always have the best acts playing music day or night.  So yes, at 4 weeks old Kara was in her first bar ;) 

Strike a Pose

Forget Gisele, we have our own model in this house!  When Kara was only seven days old we scheduled a newborn photo shoot and she nailed it, which means she slept like an angel through the whole thing.  Of course we had to go a through a few accidents, Daddy got pooped on and Mommy got pucked on, but we survived and the pictures came out great!