Austin's Seventh Month

Wow, another month older already!!  It really is amazing how much he has continued to develop this past month.  A month ago he could sit up if he was propped against something and kept toppling over, now he has found his balance and loves to sit up and play!  He is also able to lean over to grab something and then sit back up.  He is now rolling frequently and uses that to get himself around; he is trying to get into anything and everything around him, and I'm sure that will only increase as he becomes more mobile!  The other night while I was getting him ready for bed he rolled away from me and rolled right under his crib!  Austin is working on learning to crawl and has started pushing his legs up under himself, though does not have the hang of it yet.  He is very curious about everything and loves to figure out how things work.  He has a shape ball that he's been playing with and he was able to figure out how to remove the bottom on his own (it has to be turned and then you can remove it).  Austin has also figured out that he does not have to sleep on his back and has started experimenting with sleeping on his stomach and his side.  He has also just started waving and is so proud of himself whenever he does it!  Austin is improving his communication skills by signing back to us now.  It's so adorable how excited and proud he gets when we understand what he's asking for and respond accordingly.  His first sign was "eat", which is exactly what this guy loves to do!  The new foods he's tried this past month include: zucchini, butternut squash, acorn squash, pears, chicken, brown rice, tilapia, parsnips, mashed potatoes, egg yolks, and also the following spices: rosemary, cumin, parsley, and Italian seasoning.  Austin continues to enjoy everything he's tried so far and has not had any problems.  He also has had his first teeth show up this month, he is looking more and more like a little boy instead of a baby!  It is really unbelievable how much this guy grows and changes every month! 

 

 

 

Easter

Austin enjoyed his first Easter!  The Easter bunny came and had eggs hidden in the couch for him to find and also brought him a basket filled with goodies. 

Looking for the Easter eggs...

Opening his Easter basket...

Austin's Sixth Month

Oh my goodness, Austin has been here for half a year already!!  It's amazing how fast the time has been flying by!  He is currently in the middle of his six month growth spurt, and man, this kid can EAT!!  We started him on solid foods a little over two weeks ago and had just been giving him a little bit at a time.  Well, this past week his appetite seemed like it was increasing so we started giving him more solids and he just gobbled them up!  Austin has always been a great eater, though he kicked off this growth spurt with such a ravenous appetite, it was unbelievable.  He nursed for 45 minutes, then ate 1/4 cup of rice cereal, 3 tablespoons of sweet potatoes, and acted like he hadn't eaten ANYTHING, so I nursed him again and he ate for another 40 minutes!!  The past few days it feels like most of my day has been spent feeding him.  Austin is really loving solid foods and has enjoyed everything he's tried so far, including bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, and rice cereal.  I've also been adding some spices to his foods and so far he has tried cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, and garlic powder.  And since he has been doing so well with all of the foods so far, I even decided to try giving him some pureed corned beef and cabbage I made last night for St. Patrick's Day and the little Irish boy LOVED it and was excited to have leftovers again today.  I hope his adventurous appetite continues!  Austin has also become more communicative about when he's hungry, he has started smacking his lips and saying "mmmm", it's so cute!  Speaking of communication, he said his first word this past month... dada!  He gets so excited and will repeat dada, dada.  He is so proud to say dada and have Byron respond to him; he loves playing with daddy!  Austin has also been playing in his jumparoo and has figured out how to make himself jump.  His leg muscles are getting stronger and he loves to be propped up to stand, he actually prefers standing to sitting.  He is getting close to sitting up unsupported, though he still topples over.  Austin has discovered his feet and loves to play with them.  He has also found his fingers and stares at his hand as he moves his fingers around.  It is so amazing to watch him discover things and be completely fascinated by them.  Austin has been enjoying his playgroup and interacting with the other babies, he has even started to reach out to hug them sometimes!  We have his six month checkup coming up soon, though his unofficial weigh-in at home is 18.2 pounds.  He is already outgrowing his nine month clothing and some of the twelve month stuff barely fits him!  This little baby is growing up so fast, I squeeze him every day and tell him that I love how he fits in my arms now because he will never be that small again!