Big Boy

Austin has been changing a lot over the past few months. He seems to be growing up before our eyes ... both figuratively and literally. Austin has been going through a major growth spurt. I feel like I am feeding a teenager lately with the amount of food that he has been consuming as of late. The child never seems to stop eating! Other than the obvious physical signs of growth, Austin has been growing up in other ways as well.

• Austin has decided that he would much prefer to eat like a "big boy". He no longer wants to sit in booster seats at restaurants and prefers a big cup when drinking water. He also now insists on his apples being whole instead of cut up.
• Austin likes to wait until I have left the room and help himself to a snack. (He is always hungry!!) Luckily he has pretty healthy cravings for the most part. I often find him with carrots, an apple or goldfish. The one that made me laugh was the day I caught him chowing down on a bowl of dry Fiber One cereal that he had poured for himself.
• Austin has suddenly begun flushing the toilet with his feet. I am not sure why...he must have picked it up by watching me in public restrooms. It is pretty humorous to watch considering that the handle is almost as high as his head.


• Austin can identify and recite his ABC's as well as count to 10! We have suspected that this was knowledge he possessed for a while now, but his verbal speech has finally caught up enough to allow him to communicate that knowledge.


• Austin has begun expressing his opinion concerning what he wears. As a result, he wears a certain pair of blue sweatpants quite frequently and has gone to church and several stores wearing the train conductor hat that his Nonna and Papa got him for Christmas.


• Austin is becoming quite the gentleman when it comes to watching out for me. When we are out and about he always opens the door for me...he even insists on opening the closed door next to a door that has already been opened for me by someone else. ;-) He loves to make his fake grunting/straining noise to make sure I know that he is manly and putting lots of effort into the task. ;-) Austin has also noticed that it is difficult for me to get up off of the floor these days. When it is time to get up from playing, he either helps me up or goes and gets Walker and instructs him to help me.


• Austin has grown rather attached to my old Cabbage Patch kid that we have been using as the Practice Baby. He is so sweet and loving with it. He makes sure to tuck it into bed next to him and have us both kiss it goodnight. Of course, he also makes the baby do some pretty amazing daredevil stunts, so I will definitely have to keep on my toes once the real baby arrives. ;-)
• Austin has been in speech therapy for 6 months now and has made some huge strides in overcoming the childhood Apraxia during the past few months. He still seems to be a little self conscious in public and therefore reserves most of his talking for when he is home with Walker and I. It has been amazing to hear his vocabulary increase and language skills improving. I just love the look of pride in his eyes when he communicates his wants or feelings using his "big boy words".