Austin at 11 months old

Almost a year. He’s almost a year and I don’t know where it’s gone, but it’s probably taken my sanity with it.

Oh he’s just the cutest little thing. Austin is such a peanut. I’m looking forward to his well-child check next month to see how long he is. Because while he’s a bitty peanut, he’s definitely long. Or, tall rather. When he’s a teenager I’ll have two men around the house to reach things on high shelves for me.

Stats

Nicknames: Little man (Let’s be honest, I haven’t really come up with any good nicknames since Pokemon)

Weight: ??

Length: ??

Diaper size: 2

Clothing size: 6-12, 12 months

Teeth: 6

Eating

Austin is at this perfect age now where he’ll eat anything and everything you put in front of him. He loves eating scrambled eggs, strawberries, plain Greek yogurt, pizza crust, corn on the cob, peanut butter toast, grilled cheese, peas, ravioli, garlic bread, French onion soup, Cheerios, puffs, and yogurt drops. He also loves his baby wafers that I initially had him try when he was about 7 months and could barely munch on them. Now he bites into them like chips, earning lots of laughs from Olivia and me.

He just loves to sample foods, even if he’s not a fan. I love this age.

But the mess? Oy. The mess. I’m sure it’s because this is my third baby who I clean up after, but oh man. The mess is a SLOG to clean up. Especially yogurt. But even something as simple as scrambled eggs can just break into a zillion small pieces that go everywhere.

He’s been doing pretty good taking bottles for Chris when I’m out working and even taking sippy cups. There are a few sippies he struggles with, probably because they may be better suited for him when he’s a bit older.

He’s still nursing once at night, and then every few hours throughout the day. He’s settled down a bit where he’s not so crazy when he nurses, but he still loves to frantically switch sides as fast as can, sometimes after a few seconds. Oh, and he loves pinching and raking his sharp little nails down my skin, so that’s fun. And let’s not forget the biting. That started this month and has been a special kind of hell. I know he isn’t meaning to do it, but when he does he’s immediately cut off. He’s made me cry a few times. This better not continue.

Sleeping

This month has gotten better with sleeping than last month. He occasionally woke around 11 or midnight, but even when he did that, he usually slept through the rest of the night. Mostly, he wakes around 3 to 5:00 am to nurse and then goes back to bed. Sometimes, if it’s early in the morning, he’ll fuss around and Chris will get him up for the day before 7:00. But sometimes he’ll sleep in like a teeny tiny baby sleepyhead until 9.

He’s on his two naps a day, but especially loves to skip his afternoon naps. Sometimes he just refuses to sleep and babbles in his crib until we get him up again.

Milestones

Austin started cruising about 3 weeks ago. He was so proud of himself. I can’t figure out if he’s really going to walk by a year. He’s getting there. But Olivia walked a week before her first birthday and at this age, she was standing on her own for a few seconds at a time.

He’s cruising around like a champ and practicing letting go of whatever he’s holding onto with one hand, trying out his balance.

Then today (technically, a day after he turned 11 months old), he started walking with his walker by himself! He had been so steady cruising along the couch, and I thought I would see if he’d walk with the push walker. It took a few tries to get it, but oh man. He was proud of himself.

We got it on video and showed the girls after school. Olivia loves asking if Austin did anything new or funny when she was in school all day, so she was especially tickled pink when I said he walked with the walker.

Otherwise, he’s been sort of getting the hang of reaching up his arms to be picked up, and loves playing patty cake, but hasn’t figured out waving yet. He loves sitting in his room quietly looking at his books, and loves being read to. He also thinks it’s hilarious when his sisters build him block towers he can knock down.

And he’s babbling like crazy. His favorite thing is saying, “Mmmmom. Mah. Mom!” But also some gahs, and dahs, ggggi guhs!

Personality

He has his moments when he’s tired or angry (he looooves screeching at the top of his lungs right before the food is placed in front of him to immediately shove in his pie-hole), but for the most part, he’s super happy and smiley.

Oh that picture above? Well sometimes he has this face when he’s uncertain like being at the park watching a whole bunch of kids running around. But other than that? Happy.

Health

Austin picks up respiratory viruses from his sisters constantly it seems, but I guess this is all good for when he starts daycare in the fall. But besides the occasional coughs and runny noses, he’s been doing well.

We’ve had to give him a few doses of ibuprofen some nights from what we assume is teething pain. But overall, he’s been healthy.

Likes

He loves going outside on walks. He does this thing where his tiny hands can now reach to hold onto the tray and it’s so stinking cute.

He loves baths, eating, his rubber ducky and new boats he got from his grandma for his baths, playing with his books, musical toys, being held, playing with his sisters, the vacuum, touch and feel books, being tickled, being kissed.

Dislikes

Being put down when he doesn’t want to be, being put in the pack-in-play (He’s always hated being put in there, probably because we hardly have him in there), and he’s still not the biggest fan of sleeping.

Undecided about

Dogs, apparently. We went to my sister-in-law’s for Easter and she has two dogs. And one he was kind of okay with and the other he was utterly terrified of. It was kind of heartbreaking but also a little funny.

Looking forward to

Watching his sisters play at the park makes me look forward to him someday running around with them. Which I know won’t be for awhile. But he’s turning one soon, and I’m having my last (very very last) first birthday party for my baby. It’s going to be low-key, just family, but man. I’m going to have a one-year-old soon.

I just can’t believe he’s going to be one. It just doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since I was pregnant with him. And I STILL have yet to write down his birth story. My lord. Now I need to make it my goal to write this down before he turns a year.

See also:

Austin at 10 months

Austin at 9 months

Austin at 8 months

Austin at 7 months

Austin at 6 months

Austin at 5 months

Austin at 4 months

Austin at 3 months

Austin at 2 months

Austin at 1 month