Ruth Louise Johnson Austin

Before I continue with more posts about Katie, I wanted to write one for my grandmother, Louise Austin.  She passed away on Feb. 17, 2011, one day after Katie was born.  It was a very emotional and bittersweet week!  This was one of the reasons I was so stressed out the night before bringing Katie home.  I was sad about not being able to go to my grandma's funeral, but my grandpa understood.  Mam-ma, as we called her, had been sick for a few months, so we were somewhat prepared, but it was still hard to hear that she was gone. 

I want to share a few memories I have of her.  We grew up seeing my grandparents for holidays, birthdays, and other occasions since we lived only 3 1/2 hours from their house in Evansville, Indiana.  I will remember Mam-ma as a lively, happy woman who was always laughing and bringing joy to others.  She loved her family with all her heart and enjoyed spending time with them.  She also had a fiesty side and let her opinions be heard, but we loved that about her. 

Some of her hobbies were traveling, reading, and decorating her house for the holidays.  We loved looking at and listening to her collection of music boxes.  I now own a few of those that I can pass on to my children.  She loved country music (guess that's where I get it from).  I remember the summer before 7th grade when Jana, Will, and I went to visit her and Pap-pa for a week, and I got sick with mononucleosis.  I probably could've had my parents come get me, but I stayed and Mam-ma took good care of me all week.   She loved to spoil her grandchildren, and she and Pap-pa would come laden with gifts whenever they visited us.  She was always giving us girls things from Avon like lotion, lip gloss, and shampoo.  Every time I eat Pringles chips I think of Mam-ma and Pap-pa because when we ate at their house we would eat the chips with our sandwiches.  We spent hours in their backyard playing, exploring, and going on many Easter egg hunts. 

When I was a teenager I enjoyed listening to Mam-ma tell stories from her childhood.  She was born March 10, 1927.  When she was 17 she had a job working at a drugstore as a soda jerk and a waitress where she got paid $25 a week.  She met my grandpa there when he was a young sailor and had stopped in with some friends to eat.  He said when he saw her, "It was love at first sight.  I knew that's the one I wanted; I didn't need to look anymore. "  Isn't that so sweet? :)  They were married March 21, 1945 and would have celebrated their 66th anniversary this year {wow!!}.  They have 2 sons, 8 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. 

In high school, I was able to interview my grandparents to find out more about their lives since they never kept journals.  Here are a few of my favorite things that Mam-ma said: 

What is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to you?  "Getting married and having my two children."

What is your secret for good health? "Having fun and laughing; people need to laugh more.  Just be happy."

What is your personal secret for happiness?  "Being kind and nice to everybody."

One word on how to live successfully: "Love."

Laughter and love really do sum up my thoughts about my grandma.  I miss her and am sad I didn't get to say goodbye.  I know I'll see her again someday, and I look forward to that reunion.  I love you Mam-ma!!

Her obituary - the funeral home had it laminated as a beautiful bookmark  (Sorry it's a scan and hard to read.  Mostly I wanted to show a picture of her when she was young.)

A few pictures of my grandparents as a young family.  (Also scanned from copies so they are poor quality.)  I absolutely love the one of them hugging in front of the car.  I believe that was around the time they got married.  (My dad is William Glenn, Jr. or Billy in these.)

These next few are from Dec. 2008, the last time I saw Mam-ma.

I am so happy we took these pictures!!

still so in love :)

The Nursery

Before we knew we'd be bringing home a girl, this is what Katie's room looked like: (You can go ahead and laugh; I do when I see these.)

Here's the outfit we were planning on bringing little James Austin home in (on the left).  I guess we are going to have to wait a little longer until baby James comes. :) 

And now here's Katie's room!  I was so happy we didn't have to repaint and thankful that we picked a neutral color for the walls.  That was one of the first things people asked me when I told them we were bringing home a girl instead of a boy. 

I still need to put pictures of Katie in those frames and I want to get her name in vinyl to put on the wall above her crib.  Other than that the room is ready for her as soon as she outgrows her bassinet. 

Here's another picture of our sweet little surprise. 

Katie and daddy

Jacob has been such a big help with taking care of her!  It's so fun to see him with Katie and watch him be a father.  We both love our little girl so much!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

This was my first holiday to dress up Katie.  I can't believe she was a month old on Wednesday!  That month just flew by.  It was fun to dress her in this onesie from her Aunt Jana and bow made by Aunt ShayNiel.  I also made corned beef and cabbage with potatoes, carrots, and onions again.  This was our third year to have this dinner.  Here's a link to last year for a picture of the food (it didn't look picture worthy this year although it still tasted really good).  

Our little leprechaun

She makes the funniest expressions. :)

Mommy & Katie

Jacob said she's the "fighting Irish" in this picture.

What did y'all do to celebrate? 

Favorite Moments

The last few weeks have been wonderful, surprising, exhausting, and good.  We are adjusting well to having Katie in our home and I love the time I am able to spend with her.  Of course there have been some rough nights, especially right at first, but it's getting easier every day with Katie eating more and sleeping a little longer in between feedings.  We've also had lots of family visiting and helping out.  I'll do another post about all the visitors we've had.  Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite moments so far since bringing Katie home. 

We took Katie to see her pediatrician for her newborn check-up when she was five days old.  The nurse started by asking questions about Katie's weight and length at birth, if she was breastfeeding or bottle feeding, what kind of formula she eats, etc.  I also informed the nurse that Katie is adopted.  After I said that, the nurse kind of looked me up and down and said, "Oh, that's good to hear, because I was going to hate you for being so skinny right after giving birth!"  Jacob and I just laughed while the nurse complained about still trying to lose her baby weight from years ago.  And then I told her thanks for the compliment. :)

Another great moment was yesterday while I was at church (Jacob stayed home with Katie) and I was talking with a woman who recently moved to our area.  We chatted for a while getting to know each other and then came the question I've heard so many times before. . .  

"Do you have children?"

I just sat there for a bit and realized I could finally say yes! 

I'm surprised I didn't shout it out.  I told her all about my beautiful daughter while I smiled the whole time.  This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but to someone who's gone through years of wanting children or infertility, it was a beautiful moment for me.  Now I don't have to deal with the looks of pity or endless questions about why we don't have children yet, blah, blah, blah.  Isn't that awesome?!!  It's truly a joyful feeling!

Ok, enough of my blabbing.  I'm sure y'all just want to see pictures of sweet baby Katie.  I know I do.  Here are some of my faves over the last several weeks.

This one is on her birth day.

in her coming home outfit

More favorite moments: watching her sleep or holding her while she sleeps.  It's the best!

She sleeps like daddy with her arms up by her head. :)

It's so fun to put her in dresses and bows!  Isn't she so pretty?

After seeing these, I realized I need to get more pictures of her while she's awake!  We did have professional pictures taken a couple of weeks ago.  It will be about one more week until I see the edited images.  But here is a link if you want to see a sneak peek.  You'll have to scroll down a bit to see Katie's pic.  My friend Katie took the pictures and I can't wait to see all of them.