15 Months!

Last Friday, Austin turned 15 months old! His personality is really starting to emerge and he's starting to lose that baby look and turn into one adorable little toddler! He's as active as ever and learning new things daily. Here are some facts about 15 months:

-Lets start off with the stats: Austin is 27 lbs. which puts him in the 80th percentile for weight. This is up from 23.5 lbs. and 65th percentile at 12 months. No, I haven't been overfeeding my child these past 3 months...listen to this...he is 32.75 inches tall and in the 91st percentile for height!! That is NOT a typo....MY baby boy is taller than 91% of other baby boys his age...this is unreal to me as his mother is shorter than 95% of women her age. Austin grew 2 inches in 3 months...unbelievable. At this rate he will outgrow me by the time he's 5. I couldn't be happier though as my height (or lack of) is one of the traits I did NOT especially want to pass on to a little boy...

-Austin's hear circumference puts him in the 92nd percentile...looks like he got his height and big noggin from his daddy! :)

-Due to this growth spurt, Austin is now tall enough to climb on the couch unassisted. On one hand it's great because he now loves to climb on the couch with me, get in my lap, cuddle and watch tv or drink his juice. On the other hand, I can no longer keep him off the couch...or the adjacent end table which used to house all the stuff we didn't want him to touch...like remotes, the telephone, a picture frame and opened canned drinks.

-Austin knows how to work the TV...and the Directv box. He turns the tv on when he wants and he can turn it off just as easily...like in the final seconds of a close basketball game. He also records random shows on the DVR, and has interrupted the recording of several of our favorite shows. Thank goodness for Hulu.com!!

-Austin knows his eyes, nose, mouth, teeth and tongue and can point to/show you them all. If you ask him to show you your eyes...he will drop whatever he's doing, run to your side, dig his finger into your eyeball and shout "iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" at the top of his lungs. Painful, but hilarious!

-Speaking of painful, Austin has learned to throw things. Sometimes instead of letting go and throwing an object, he keeps it in his hand and just pegs you with it. He hit Ryan in the back of the head with a book last night. I guess that's one way of letting us know he wants to be read to!!

- While he doesn't say a whole lot yet, he does have a few favorite words like bye, eye, nana or na (banana), ball, book, no (no and nose), all done, that, mama, and dada. He says "bye-bye dada" in the mornings when Ryan leaves for work.

-He calls Lucy "ba-da" and we can't figure out why. Maybe he's heard us call her a bad dog so often that it's stuck...

-When asked what the sheep says he will say "ba," when asked what the tiger or lion says he will say "rah," and when asked what the horse says he says "neigh." He seems to be way more interested in making animal noises than saying actual words. Maybe they're easier or maybe they're just way more fun...who knows!! :)

-Austin's favorite "toy" is Lucy. He loves to pet her (while yelling "ba-da") and to grab her chew toys and run around the living room with her chasing behind him. He thinks she is hilarious....Lucy finds him to be a nuisance at best.

-Since he started walking at 11 months, I knew it wouldn't be long, but Austin is now running....and fast! He seriously has two speeds....stop and run. This has caused for quite a few tumbles as his feet sometimes go faster than the rest of him....but the rest is catching on pretty fast.

-A few weeks ago we finally turned Austin's car seat forward facing. We would have kept it rear facing for longer (due to safety reasons) but his legs have gotten so long that they were all crammed up against the seat. He likes to sit forward and I like that I can turn around and see him with ease. However, he now kicks the seat in front of him and is able to pull the sunshade off the window.

-Even though he doesn't say much, Austin understands an enormous amount. He watches and learns and figures things out well on his own or with a little help. He will go get a specific book or toy when asked, he will bring objects to Ryan and I when we ask for them, he will go to his mat when I say he needs a diaper change, to the stairs when I say it's time for night-night and to the bath tub when I say it's bath time. He will also take his clothes off on command (or try to), give hugs and kisses and will (usually) stop doing something when we tell him no.

Austin is such a wonderful, smart, healthy, happy and active child and I am so blessed that he is mine! Yeah, he can throw a tantrum with the best of 'em and has a bit of a temper, but I love him more than I ever could have imagined just the way he is!!