Eat my shorts Bugs Bunny

That's right, we have started to introduce the fun stuff. Peas were first, my logic was start with the worst stuff possible and it can only get better. Needless to say we won't be going back to peas anytime soon. This week we are on to carrots. I would like to say that Austin loved them and can't wait for more but I really don't know who I would be fooling with that statement. I must admit though, carrots were like a double whammy, they were eaqually exciting coming out of both ends. :-)

Austin ROCKS!!!

First and foremost we need to thank Zachary C. for hooking Austin up with the authentic "Austin Rocks" t-shirt from none other then Austin, TX. This weekend Austin really did rock. We went with his buddy Xochitl to a blues festival in Shaver Lake, CA. Austin had a great time watching Xochtil make her parents chase her around ALL DAY LONG!! I just hope he didn't get any crazy ideas from her.

A Barba get together

Two weekends ago Austin officially became a Barba. This was his first Barba family gathering. This meant it was Grandma Sally's official job to tote this handsome little guy around and brag to all of her relatives how much cuter her grandson is than theirs. As you can also see the official dress code for any Barba gathering requires a Hawaiian shirt.

A hard day's night

Okay, so on Thursday's and Friday's it's Daddy Day care at our house. That means Austin, Adrian and Raumi are left to their own devices. This past Thursday I came home to Austin napping in his swing and these two clearly over worked and taking a nap of their own. I think I want a refund on my "guard dog". ;-)

Sweet Child O' Mine

Okay, so you might say I am stuck in the 90's, but I was a die hard Gun's & Roses fan. I had almost the same shirt that a friend brought me from one of their concerts. I guess these two pictures of Austin demonstrate even though we dress him straight off of Gap's clearance rack I am still a metal head at heart. Happy four month Austin.

Go Dogs!!!

If you are going to have any Jenkins blood flowing through you, then you are required to be a Fresno State Bulldog fan (unless you went to SDSU then your loyalty can waiver). Anyhow, Austin got to watch his first FSU game this past weekend in his full Red Wave attire including his foam finger. (and for anyone who may work for CPS, no we don't leave him on the counter in his Bumbo chair...but we do let him play with plastic bags :-)

Prime Rib for Babies

That's right, Austin was intoduced to his first dose of soggy cardboard....er, us I meant to say Rice cereal. I would like to say that it has had this amazing effect on his diet, sleeping habits and our fomula bill each month but we are still trying to figure out the logistics of this whole spoon thing. It is amazing to see his look of rejection when we put the spoon to his mouth especially since he seems to think that EVERYTHING else belongs in his mouth. Next week we will be having pureed New York steak. That way he will be ready for his next journey to Brawley.

Tia Andrea

Austin's Aunt Andrea had been working at a Fitness camp all summer long, by the time she got back I think she wanted Austin to be one of her recruits for next summer. We keep telling him that those rolls on his thighs are only going to be cute for so long :-)

Chester CHEEEZ!!!!

I love these pictures. Austin, Raumi and I had just come back from a walk and Austin was kicking out smiles left and right. Needless to say, he loves his walks and he doesn't care if it is 114degrees and high noon, the boy still wants to be outside and preferably walking around in his Bjorn.

Bass Lake

Does anyone remember playing the game, "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?" I feel like this summer we played a game of, where in the world is Austin Garcia. He has seen the ocean up and down the California coast line, he has been in swimming pools, he has been to the desert, of course he has been to Target 437 times, and now he has made his way to the lake and mountains of Bass Lake, CA. Austin was able to go on his first boat ride and he even proved to be a little chic magnet with the older ladies. He is pictured here in the boat, of course, and with our friends daughter, Justine, who is almost three years old (craddle robber). As usual, our little water baby loved being in and near the water and he of course enjoyed watching a toddler run around. Forget Baby Einstein you just need to hire a toddler to entertain your infants. :-)

Milestones

Okay, let's just get down to the nuts and bolts of things.
Austin is 13 weeks old today
weighs about 14lbs
23 1/2 inches long
lifts his head regularly
has rolled over twice
and as you can tell from the photo he is ready to conquer the world.

Grandpa Ross

With Austin's middle name, Ross, being the namesake of three prior generations of Jenkins men my father has decided to completely forgoe the use of the name Austin and just call him A-Ross (you know just like our favorite Yankee, A-Rod). We all thought this was cute and fun, until we made a trip to Brawley and some of his friends were surprised to learn what Austin's real name was. He had been brainwashing anyone who would lend and ear to a boastful grandfather, and for those of you who know my father realize that he knows someone in every nook and cranny of the continental US...that's a lot of brainwashing.

Mr. Giggles

As mentioned before, we relish in our morning smiles. He is getting much more generous with them and even throws in some chit chat here and there just to keep us on our toes. I am still hoping it is quite a while before he figures out how to say "NO!!"

Sunset in So. Cal.

Austin has made it clear to us that he much prefers the beaches of Southern California to those of the Central Coast. We spent a week with our family in Oceanside with my family and I think my own mother thinks I am a liar when I tell her he doesn't let us sleep and he cries. He was a perfect Angel the entire trip.

Grammy of the year

In order to win awards in our family you have to be a master multi-tasker. This years recipient is shown in the attached picture. Not only is she baby sitting, puppy sitting, and protecting them from the evil hands that lurk in the pool, but she is also the local life guard on duty (Baywatch is calling). Way to go Grandma Sally!!

Body by Similac

After spending hours at the gym and a strict diet of Advanced Similac with Iron Austin decided to make his big debut for the cover of the Swimsuit edition of "Sports Illustrated - Baby". You'll notice modeling classes have paid off in the second picture where he gives an aloof yet coy look, away from the camera. You know Austin, he doesn't want to look too camera greedy.

Dress Up

Unlike some of our friends who have specific rules about babies wearing pants in the Texas heat we at the Garcia house have a different philosophy. Through rain, sleet, snow, hail, or heat we like to doll our boy up. The hat lasted on his head for at least three minutes and the shorts came off after the first diaper change. But hey, at least we got a cute picture out of it.

Rebelling already?

Okay, so we all know about how we challenged our own parents patience as teenagers and I am sure that my own parents can't wait to see what curve balls my own child will be throwing me in the years to come. Nobody however expects to see the blatant rebellion we are seeing in our two month old. If you look carefully at the picture you will notice that our little miracle is already giving his parents the "bird", if this is what we get at 8 weeks I am scared to see what we get at 15 or 16 years old.

The family that plays together, stays together.

For those of you who are germaphobic please do not continue to read. You see since we brought Austin home our wonderful corgi has had to do some serious adjusting. She went from being an only child that got all of our attention to a distant second place. As you can see in the picture Raumi has decided to make a peace offering. That's right, that nasty, drool infested red thing drapped across our baby boy is none other than Raumi's favorite toy. I think her logic was that if she shared her toys with him, he would in turn have to share all his cool little toys that rattle, shake, sing and squeak. I am not a gambling woman but I am willing to bet that there is going to be a lot of toy & food sharing in the future whether we want it or not.

The Joker

Every now and then Austin can tell that his Mom is getting tired of hearing the same ol' crying day in and day out so he will toss me a "bone" and smile for me just to make it all worth while. He is 8 weeks old and a smiling fool, but you have to catch him in the morning to really get him going!