The Baby Blog

Patty here, bringing you babies galore. When I first got to Austin last May, I was fortunate enough to snag an internship that allowed me to continue fully pursuing music. That job has since ended, and for the past six months or so I’ve been supplementing my music career by nanny-ing and babysitting. I’ve found some pretty cool families to work with, solely based on personal recommendations. They’re full of musicians, artists, graphic designers and people with good taste in music. And all of their kids are adorable. Don’t ask me if I have a favorite because it would be impossible to choose. And if I ever did choose, I’d never tell you.

My very first baby was Emerson, an outgoing energetic infant. Emy for short. He stole my heart at first burp. Though, nothing about him today resembles an infant. He’s walking everywhere and getting into everything. I have to say, it’s kind of crazy watching a human growing up in front of you. Emy loves busses. Every time a bus drives down their street, he will look for it in the window before it arrives. Cheese and beans are a few of his favorite things on the menu, and apparently he’s ordering a lot of it. See, Emy isn’t what you’d call petite. He’s not small and thin like his parents either. No, Emy, the husky and extremely mobile one year-old is quite the handful…..of cheer of course. One look at his bright blue eyes, and blonde curls and you’d fall in love too.

But he isn’t the only bright-eyed heartthrob. This is Zoe, the extremely photogenic one, as you can plainly see. I think she poses for every picture I take. She’s not far behind Emy in the mobility department. Just the other day I saw her take a few steps when she thought I wasn’t looking. Whenever I try to coax her into walking, she plops down on the floor, gorgeous AND humble. She makes the cutest faces and funniest noises you’ve ever heard. She absolutely loves being outside and she’s got a slew of little talents up her sleeve. Waving, clapping, lip smacking; She even says “ahhh” after taking a sip from her sippy cup. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s snapping and whistling by the age of three. Below is a video that her dad made of pictures from her first year of life. Everyone should make a video like this! In case you want to know, the song is “Dream Awake” by The Mosquitoes.

Haaaaaaave you met Kai? I haven’t seen this guy in a while, but the last time I was at their house he was cruising on all fours. I couldn’t take my eyes off him for three seconds or he was half way through the doggie-door. And he was pulling up on everything, preferably the trashcan, or the bookshelf, where he would proceed to fling every book to the floor. He’s probably walking by now. I can’t wait to see what he’s getting into these days.

Meet Lydia, the bottomless pit. I don’t think she ever gets full. Pre-made baby food is not in her diet. She’s spoiled with delicious homemade meals prepared by Daddy. Her laugh is infectious, and she’s mastered the pointing finger. When most kids fight bedtime like it’s the end of the world, she will quite literally point to the crib when she’s ready to go down. That blew me away. What can I say, she’s a girl who knows what she wants. Daddy, before you know it she’ll be pointing to a Mercedes Benz. Watch out!

Then there’s Ada, the wide-eyed dark-haired angel. With a nickname like “Scoots,” you better believe she lives up to it. She just started waving too! She loves taking walks and playing peek-a-boo, but what baby doesn’t? Her favorite thing to eat might be grass, but we try to limit that intake as best we can. She lives just down the road from Emy and we like to get them together whenever we can.

If the next two knew I included them in ‘The Baby Blog’ I’m sure they’d correct me. So, let the record show that Jackson and Evan are big boys. Not long ago, the three of us had a little weekend of fun while Dad was working and Mom was partying in Vegas. On one of the days, we went to the Austin Children's Museum and explored until we were too hungry to go on. I’m not sure how nourishing McDonald’s lunch was, but they inhaled those nuggets and we were on to the next activity. The weather was beautiful that day, so I let the boys run around Zilker Park. Kids were lining up in front of a creepy clown with dollar bills in their pockets, and outrageous balloon wishes in their heads. Jackson got a hammer, which I popper before we even got to the car. Evan got a Spiderman, only because the clown couldn't make Superman. Psh! What kind of creepy balloon clown can't make a Superman? Anyway, they opted out of the kiddy train because it was too hot. So to cool off, we grabbed some shaved ice on South Congress. On our way to the Big Top candy shop, we passed by the fire station. An actual firefighter invited the boys into the truck! That was pretty cool. At Big Top, I could tell the boys were getting tired, so I decided that this would be our last stop before heading home. It was an exhausting day, but I'm sure the boys slept well that night.

Mia is the youngest of the bunch. She’s about 5 months now, and the happiest little munchkin ever. Seriously, she’s always smiling. I took this picture just seconds after she opened her eyes from a mid-afternoon nap. She just started rolling over from her belly to her back, and eating rice cereal. Her new highchair makes her look like she’s about to take off in a space ship. I spend two full days a week with her so we’ve become good friends. I can’t wait until summer is here so I can put her in a bathing suit with ruffles and bows.

I realize this entire entry sounds corny, but it’s hard not to be when you’re talking about babies. It's been pretty cool watching these little personalities develop into big ones. I have learned so much from this experience that whenever it is time for me to become a parent, I’ll know what to expect. If you think having just one child is any less than a full-time job, you're really kidding yourself. I love all of these kids so much, but I love just as much being able to hand them off and say, “see you next week!" There are no signs of settling down anytime soon because it's still, well...all happening.