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: