The Big 11!

Austin is 11 months old today and only 30 days away from the big numero uno! I have thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow up right before my eyes, but I'm sad he'll soon be leaving those baby days behind him and be an official toddler in only a few short weeks. He'll always be my baby though, even when he's my age!

Austin is such a happy, smart and easy-going little guy. He loves to dance and wiggle and be-bop around the house to any and every kind of music he happens to hear. He LOVES music and especially that State Farm commercial that plays "Ill be there" by the Jackson 5...it absolutely puts him in a trance every time he hears it! A few of his other favorites are The Wiggle Song, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Skid-a-ma-rink, and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. He also loves to play Pat-a-cake and This Little Piggy.

Peek-a-boo is Austin's favorite game and he will literally play it for as long as we will continue to say "peek-a-boo" everytime he jumps up from behind the coffee table. Sometimes he tricks us by staying hidden for and extra long time and will then sloowwly emerge to make sure we're still there watching. He also loves for mommy to hide and jump out as well.

Waving Bye-bye is also a lot of fun and we always wave to the animals before nap time and bed. As soon as we start heading up those stairs his hands start going and he doesn't stop until we sit down in the glider. He also waves bye-bye to daddy when he leaves for work in the morning or anytime he hears us say "bye-bye" or "goodnight."

Pat the Bunny, Puppy Love and The Hungry Little Caterpillar are Austin's favorite books and we read them everyday. He loves to feel daddy's scratchy face and read Judy's Book in Pat the Bunny, he kisses Bella's fur and likes to scratch Spot's basket in Puppy Love and adores sticking his fingers in the tiny caterpillar holes in Hungry Little Caterpillar.

I don't have official measurements, but Austin seems to be gettting taller and leaner around the middle with the same chubby little arms and legs and those precious pinchable chipmunk cheeks. He's wearing 12-18 month clothes and still has room to grow in his size 4 diapers. He has 3 bottles a day and 3 meals with a little juice and snack thrown in after his afternoon nap.

Austin's favorite time of day is when daddy gets home in the evenings and bath time. He gets SO excited when he hears the front door open and takes off straight to see his dada (who loves coming home everyday to such a nice welcome). He also loves to take his nightly bath and splash and play in the tub. He's learned to turn the water on and off and thinks it's really fun. I have to restrict access to the Hot so he doesn't burn himself though.

Finally, Austin is getting a little braver and standing on his own a lot and even taking a few steps. He's so good at crawling that he's not that interested in walking but the fact that I get so excited when he starts to walk makes him want to keep trying. I can't wait to get a better video to share. What a huge and exciting accomplishment for my little man!!