Just like His Brother

I've noticed Austin has begun pulling stuffed animals out of the basket at the end of the crib and into bed with him.  He'll do this usually after he wakes up and is playing in his bed, but this particular evening, after I put him down for the night, I watched him crawl over to the basket and pull this teddy bear into his bed.  This is how he fell asleep...

Check out this post about Cooper doing the same thing...plus a little more.

Austin: 8 Months

Eight months?  Really??  Eight?!

Dear Time,

Please stop.

Love,
A Mom Trying to Absorb Every Baby Moment

At eight months, Austin:

• Is getting faster and faster at crawling around.  His crawl has been called "the Spiderman Crawl" and "the Crab Crawl."  Either way, it's so cute to watch him stick that little left leg out and swing it around as he makes his way around the house!
• Enjoys exploring the house and is almost always content when he's put down.  At home, he usually heads straight for the buda statue, the plants, Drake's water bowl, or to the kitty door to find Mocha.
• Is already doing a great job at entertaining himself.  I can put him down in the living room with some toys, while I make lunch in the kitchen and each time I poke my head over the counter, he's content just checking out his toys and everything around him.
• Loves to jump!  At least once a day I put him in the doorway jumper and he goes to town!  We borrowed one of those when Cooper was little, but he never really took to it.  Austin...loves it!!
• Doesn't mind getting dirty.  On our park trips these days, I let Austin play in the dirt or the rocks near where Cooper is playing.  He won't crawl around on it, but he'll sit there and inspect everything around him, digging in the rocks, playing in the dirt.  I end up walking home with two filthy little ones and we head straight for the pool or the bath!
• Is starting to get vocal if Coop is too rough or takes a toy from him.  I noticed the other day that as Coop started to take a toy out of Austin's hand, Austin's grip tightened on the toy and he let out a loud "AAAAHHHHH!!"  I took that opportunity to talk to Cooper about Austin's noises and what it means when he makes a sound like that.  Before Coop knows it, Austin will be fighting back with more than grunts!
• Absolutely hates to have his face wiped off after he eats.  He tosses his head side to side and uses both of his little hands to try to grab the wash cloth out of my hand all while getting more and more vocal.
• Loves to swing, just like his brother.  (Yea!)  Instead of putting his legs through the leg holes in the bucket swing, he sits in a little ball in the swing, with his knees against his chest or with one leg resting on the top of the swing.  So cute!! 
• Loves the water--the bath or the pool, doesn't matter.  He loves to splash and kick his feet, and he's even put his face in the water a few times!
• Thinks Itsy Bitsy Spider is the best song around.  It can stop tears as much as it can bring out giggles.
• Is happy, content, inquisitive, focused, curious, determined, mild mannered, cuddly, and absolutely perfect.

This is his "Jungle Book" pose.  Every time he gets in this position, Coop and I start singing the 'Walk Like You' song from Jungle Book and Austin gives us the biggest grin.

Austin is full of smiles and laughter.  And one of my favorite things to do with him right now is to have a little giggle fest.  All I have to do is start laughing and look directly at him, and he quickly begins laughing, too.  He laughs, giggles, squeals and squishes up his face.  We can go back and forth laughing for a good 15 or 20 minutes, and it is pure joy to me.

I love the way he smells and the way his soft skin feels.  I love his noises and grunts and big yawns and little sneezes.  I love his little fingers and chubby little feet.  I love that he still has a little roll in each thigh.  I love his kissable cheeks and dimply tushi.  I love that he squishes up his entire face, wrinkles his nose, and closes his eyes when he smiles really big.  I love and adore HIM!

Where's Austin?

Now that my little guy is crawling, I never know where I'll find him...

Today 07/02/2012

Today I loved pulling both boys in the wagon up and down the sidewalk, looking for a fire.  Then, we stopped at the fire hydrant, set out all of our cones (to alert people of the emergency) and then worked on attaching our "hoses" to the hydrant.

Today I loved watching Cooper protect Austin while riding in the wagon.  When we went over a big bump, he put his hand on Austin to help steady him and when I stepped away from the wagon to grab our waters, Cooper put his hand on Austin's back to make sure he didn't lean over the edge too far.

Today I loved seeing Austin crawl with passion and enthusiasm to get whatever it was he focused on--Drake's orange ball, Mocha's tail, Cooper's dinosaurs, any of the several balls laying around.

Today I loved that Cooper told me over and over that I smelled like flowers.  (Even though we were stinky and sweaty from playing outside for a couple of hours.)

Today I loved that while grocery shopping, Austin did not stop moving and babbling/squealing during our entire trip.  I was wearing him, and he bounced his legs up and down, flailed his arms up and down, and babbled up a storm, with several happy squeals thrown in.  We were the most popular people in the store, I assure you.  

Bathtub Full of Toys

Did you know one of the funniest things on earth is when Big Brother fills your entire bath tub with ALL of the bath toys?  According to Austin, it's pretty awesome.

Cooper, April 2009, seven months

Austin, June 2012, eight months

Check out this similar post of Cooper when he was only seven months old!

My Little Gardeners

After a long walk/run for Mama, lots of swinging, some play time in the pool, and chasing Cooper around the backyard with the water hose, the boys settled in the grass to help me with some gardening.  Oh, and who says you have to wear clothes to garden?

Cooper was so sweet and protective of Austin, watching out to make sure he didn't put anything in his mouth that was dangerous.  I kept hearing him say, "No, no Austin Buddy.  That's dangerous.  That's only for big boys.  You have to be careful on construction sites."  Makes my heart smile.

Austin: 7 Months

How are we at seven months already?!

At seven months, so far, Austin:

• Loves, loves, loves, loves solid food!  This little guy can eat!
• Sleeping?  We're still working on long stretches on night.  Needless to say, I'm tired of still only "napping" at night.
• Just figured out how to clap, and is so proud of himself!
• Every couple of days, he will make a new noise.  Sometimes it's a grunt; sometimes it's a growl; sometimes it's a gurgle.  He'll make the noise over and over for several days before moving on to a new noise.  Whatever the sound, I think he likes them because they tickle his throat, and I love to hear them.
• He is full of babbles and chatter!  And makes the cutest faces as he gets louder and louder.
• Started going from laying down to sitting up a few weeks ago.
• A professional wiggler when it comes to getting his diaper changed.  I have to pull out every distraction I can think of to keep him still and even that only lasts about 3 seconds.  Needless to say, I've had to learn how to put a diaper on him while he lays on his tummy.
• Loves his blankie.  I've noticed on the monitor several times when he's sleeping or falling asleep and scoots his hands around his crib looking for his blankie.  The second he finds it, he tucks it under his arm and settles in to sleep.  
• He's sweet, cuddly, content, easy going, and starting to show signs of interest and intrigue in everyday items (bowls, spoons, cups).

Also at seven months, Austin loves to show off the biggest, best, happiest, squishy face smile I've ever seen.  He does this all day long, everywhere we go.  When people say hello to him while we're out, his sweet little face transforms into this smile and he buries his head into my shoulder.  So stinkin cute.

05.18.2012