Couture Trio: August 2008

Finally, a summer update!

We’re happy to report that everyone in the Couture household is having a great summer. We’ve made several successful trips to Cape Cod to visit Grammy, Grandpa, Auntie Kerry, Uncle Dave and our new niece Rhiannon. We also visited Nana, Pop, Auntie Michele, Uncle Bill and cousin Sierra in New Jersey. The boys did great on each trip but the car rides can’t end fast enough. They behave but c’mon, even adults don’t like to sit still for that long! Other adventures have included a petting zoo, blueberry picking and the beach.

Because so many of our friends have become parents or added another child to their family this summer, we've also had some fun play dates. Let's just say our circle of friends has made a hefty contribution to the class of 2026. So far, the boys have played with Hannah, Nate, Conner, Drew and Sammy. There's only one missing from the bunch and that's Hallie who lives in D.C. Eventually they will meet as well.

Since our last post, so much has happened including the further definition of Austin and Chase’s individuality. So, to honor that exciting development, I will update all of you on each child separately (in alphabetical order of course!).

Austin is a love. He is laid back, extremely happy and very sweet. His attention to detail is overwhelming and he has a fantastic attention span for such a young baby. He loves to play with Chase but can be very content entertaining himself as well. Austin enjoyed solids from the moment they were introduced in late June. He got the hang of the spoon very quickly and has loved everything from peas to sweet potato to banana. After months of some serious drooling, two teeth appeared on July 16. And with that addition, along came some fierce diaper rash. Between the new food, teeth, the heat and some long car rides, it took a while to get those buns back to normal. But through it all, Austin never complained. He also didn’t seem to mind the ear infection our pediatrician found at his 9-mos. well check. He certainly is a tough little guy. Austin’s disposition and happiness is never more evident than when his Daddy comes home from work at night. It’s a sight to see when he realizes that his favorite toy has returned home for yet another evening of play. In addition to Daddy, Austin loves his baseball game and chasing plastic stacking cups on the kitchen floor.

Chase…where do I begin? What a character! His new nickname is “brut” since he’s like a bull in a china shop with his toys and his brother Austin. Watch out if you’re in his way, because he’ll plow right through to whatever he has his eyes on. He’d rather stand than crawl and I fear he’ll be our bumps and bruises baby given his impulsivity. Chase is very engaged and observant but he does get bored a bit easier than Austin does. A talkative little guy, he takes a little while to settle down to sleep sometimes, but once he does, he’s out cold. In addition to his bottom teeth that he got on July 6, Chase also has a top tooth that arrived without much discomfort besides more diaper rash. Chase is hard to miss with the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen. His baldness is slowly being replaced with light brown fuzz (and he finally has more hair than someone...Uncle Hough!)

and those cheeks have finally given way to a chin and neck that I never thought we’d see. Now, Austin giggles and gets very silly, but Chase takes the cake with belly laughing at his Daddy. He thinks everything Dan does is hysterical. Our friends call it “Dan TV” and it really is a fitting description of the animated display he puts on for the kids. Chase’s laugh is music to our ears and his energy is enough to light up a room. His favorite toy is his piano and the two fuzzy gray things that live with us. Chase them through the kitchen is a sight to see!

So, to sum up other milestones, the boys had their 9 month (6 month corrected) well check on August 14. They are both 17 lbs., 4 oz. and almost 28” long. Austin is a little bit taller, which may make him look leaner (a.k.a. making Chase look chubbier) but I think they are simply built differently. Such different babies! But, they both officially crawled on Sunday, August 17 and are sitting up on their own. We’ve added a second solid feed (well, it’s really pureed) throughout the day and we still haven’t found anything the boys WON’T eat. Unbelievable! We’re at 32 oz. of formula a day (nursing officially ended a month ago) and looking for that to slowly decrease over the next few months. We’ll start cheerios and some other finger foods at 7 months and protein at 8 months.

For those of you who we haven’t caught up with yet this summer, we hope it was a good one for you. We’re very much looking forward to more adventures in the fall, which will definitely include a visit to apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Best to you and yours and enjoy the pictures below!

Look, it's our great-grandmother! Can you believe she has her own set of twins and triplets, plus three other children??? Unbelievable!

Grammy helping Austin shade his delicate baby blues. And Chase showing off his new found mobility (Amy, take note that the shirts still fit - crazy, huh?)