Austin // 1 YEAR

We celebrated this little man's first birthday today. Oh goodness, I can't believe that my bouncy baby boy has been with us for one whole year! I was always a little nervous to have a boy, but I LOVE him. Love love love him, so very much. He's my rolly polly Austin bud!

For his birthday, he got to play at a park and in the leaves in the backyard, ate tons of samples at Costco, and sat through his very first car wash. He was so silent and wide-eyed the whole time. He got to eat some favorite foods, open presents, and his smash cake was a big, messy hit! I love how "into it" he got. Clearly, he loved it too!

Some tidbits about Austin at one year old:

+ He isn't walking yet, but he's a master at cruising and occasionally ventures to take a step or two while holding on with only one hand. I'm estimating we have another 1 1/2 months until he's officially walking. Meanwhile, he loves to push around the mini grocery cart, baby walker, laundry baskets, chairs, the stroller... anything he can hold onto and push while he walks.

+ He loves to reach up and plink on the piano keys. Future musician!

+ He's (still) a big eater who eats anything and everything.

+ He loves to clap.

+ I love seeing his problem solving skills develop. Yesterday, Doug put an unopened food pouch on the floor. After examining it for a while, Austin picked it up, brought it over to Doug, and handed it to him so that Doug could open it for him. I love seeing little moments like that!

+ He likes to share his food with me, the little cutie. (But only when he's eaten most of it first!)

+ He enjoys playing with a cup/spoon combo (or anything he can pretend is a cup and spoon) and use the spoon to eat imaginary food out of the cup, and to mix the food in the cup. Nicole had the same fascination when she was this age!

+ He started waving a few weeks back, and initially his waving style was to move his whole arm up and down and let his hand flop around with it. Recently, though, he has transitioned to the typical baby wave where they open and close their hands. He sometimes does both hands at once. Double waves!

+ He still loves to snuggle, which makes my mama heart happy. Still has the very best belly laugh. Still loves baths. I'm pretty sure that the sound of running bath water is one of his favorite sounds in the whole world because he knows it means BATH TIME!!!

+ I've been working on gradually weaning him over the past month, so right now we're down to one big nursing session first thing in the morning. I'm going to gradually shorten that session over the next week and then we'll be done! So bittersweet. I love breastfeeding, but I'm ready to feel like myself again and let my hormones/body take a break for a little while.

+ He tries to "sing" along to the songs on Nicole's Disney playlist. So adorable.

+ He's still napping twice a day, hallelujah. Nicole was down to one nap by this point. Austin loves his naps and starts drifting off the moment I take him in his room, pull the curtains, and turn his noise machine on.

+ He wants learn to talk so badly! He chatters and babbles a lot, and he repeats words and short phrases all the time (and occasionally says them out of the blue and surprises us) but usually only when we've said the word/phrase ourselves and he repeats it right away. Does that make sense? For example (as I mentioned on Facebook) I asked him to pick which frosting he wanted for his cake, and after saying the options out loud - " Do you want chocolate or vanilla?" - he screeched "Choc!!!!" and lunged for the chocolate frosting... but that's the only time he's ever "said" chocolate. Ya follow? He repeats things, but doesn't use the words regularly. Anyways. The only words he consistently says on his own are Mama, Dada, and yes, but I'm pretty sure he knows the word for "shoes" too.

**Edited to add: He loves cats, but he's terrified of them at the same time. He starts kicking and smiling and babbling when our neighbor's cat comes over to us, but if the cat gets close enough to touch him, he starts shaking and nearly freaking out. It's so cute and funny.

At one year, Austin has:

• Been in 4 states
• Flown on 2 airplanes
• Had 1 cold (and it might have actually been seasonal allergies...)
• Cut 8 teeth
• Watched his first theatrical production ("Frozen" Live at the Hyperion)
• Gained about 14 lbs and grown 9 inches (we'll find out for sure at his appointment)
• Gone on his first Disney vacation (more about that in an upcoming post!

Austin is a cheerful, easy-going soul. He loves people, enjoys solo play, has the cutest little hip-swinging dance move he does when he hears a good tune, and his heart beats for food. I'm so pumped for the coming months because the toddler days are when their personality starts exploding out of their little bodies. I'm so glad that I get to be this boy's mama, and to see him learn and grow. We love you, Austin James! Happy birthday!