10 Months

Austin is 10 months old, which means.... I almost have a 1 year old! It always hits me at 10 months that we are almost done with the first year. I think because he follows so close behind Ida I feel like he hits these mile stones so quickly. As soon as Ida gets out of a phase Austin is getting into it without a real break in between.  Austin has become pretty difficult to take pictures of... this photo session took a loooong time. As soon as you sit him down he starts rolling around and won't look at the camera. We did finally get one good picture though. :) With moving and the craziness we didn't make it to Austin's 9 month doctor appointment so we did it this month instead. He is 18 pounds 10 ounces and 28 1/2 inches tall. He is wearing size 3 diapers, size three shoes and 9 month clothes. He seems to have brown eyes which makes me so excited because he is the first of my kids to actually have an eye color by this age!

This past week or so Austin has hit a big mental developmental jump! He is so much more aware of what is going on around him and involving himself in what's going on. He has realized he has the ability to get reactions from what he does and if he notices that he is doing something that causes a reaction, like laughter, he will continue to do whatever he is doing. This stage is so fun because their personalities really start to peek through. Austin definitely likes company. He does not like being left in a room alone and if he discovers that everyone has left him he will immediately go on a search around the house until he finds someone. Sometimes I feel like he is more of a handful when I have him alone then when his siblings are around because his siblings entertain him and give him company and when they are gone the full responsibility falls on me. haha He loves to be played with and tries to involve himself anytime mom and dad are on the ground rolling around with the kids. He also loves being chased but instead of running away he tends to just run towards you. :)

Some fun things Austin is doing right now is clicking his tongue, clapping his hands, pointing with his finger at things and dancing. He has started sticking out his tongue to the left side of his mouth all the time! He also can do all the actions to pat-a-cake by himself and likes playing pick-a-boo. It's fun because in the car if he has a blanket he will cover and uncover his face with it and wants you to say "Where's Ausitn?" We can also start singing pat-a-cake in the car and it works as a great distraction! One of my favorite things Austin is doing right now is giving hugs when I ask for them. All I have to say is "Hugs Austin" and he will lean into my shoulder and lay his head down. It's the cutest! He has started pushing cars around all over the place and makes a cute vroom sound while he does it. :

Austin really likes to transfer objects from one place to another. Some example.... He will transfer all the food on his tray to the table and then back to his tray again while he is eating. Or he will dump out a box of toys or something and then transfer them all (one by one I might add) back into the box and then out again. It is really helpful when it's time to clean up the toys and he jumps right in putting all the toys in the box! He also seems to really like the TV... already... If it is on he zones in on it pretty intensely. He has done this for awhile now. I fear we might have another TV lover on our hands. He also likes using the table legs and chair legs around the table as a jungle gym. He crawls around and around under the table crawling over, under or around all the wrung of the chair and table legs. It's pretty funny. He is also getting a bit more adventurous at climbing things. He does not like however, not getting his way or anything being taken away from him and will throw a nice fit, rolling all over the floor, if either of these things happen. Again... Pretty funny to watch.

I think Austin might beat the rest of my kids with walking. Just a couple days ago he he stood up in the middle of the floor from sitting! And he has gotten really good at walking around when you are holding one of his hands. He also learned how to go down the stairs by himself.. One of my personal favorites, although he can't turn around at the top of the stairs yet so I still have to go rescue him and turn him around so he can go down. Very soon though he will have stairs mastered and I won't have to worry about them anymore!

Austin is still eating pretty well although he has started to become a little more picky with food. I'm hoping it's just a phase and he will be back to eating most foods soon. I have started giving him a sippy cup with water during meals and although I feel like it took him awhile, he can now drink from it pretty well although he still wont hold it by himself. Nursing is going pretty good. I've had a few phases here and there where my milk supply and let down have been a little low and slow so we have had some problems with that. But thankfully it has always bounced back. I feed him on demand but demand is becoming more like 3 to 4 hours apart with the occasional 2 hour.

Austin is still getting up 1 to 3 times a night although he has slept through the whole night 2 or 3 times! I feel like his sleeping has never really been consistent but I feel like us traveling so much affects that as well. He doesn't sleep the greatest when we travel and usually the first night is the hardest. Then when we get back we kind of have to figure things out again. I also feel like every couple weeks he tries to start waking up every couple hours again and we have to do another cry it out session. It's kind of frustrating. But we manage. He is going to bed between 8 and 9 and waking up between 7 and 8 and has officially gone down to 2 naps a day. All in all it's going pretty well. Sleeping will get there.

9 Months

Siblings!!!!

Austin is now 18 pounds 2 ounces and 27 inches tall. I think he weighs a little more than Jacob did but is shorter than Jacob was. He is wearing size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes. Seriously... This kid with his smile is the greatest! How can you not just love it! 

Austin has defiantly become more comfortable with the stairs and can now go up them without any problem! He has also started to become more adventurous and standing on his own! For a few seconds anyways... :) If he is standing next to the couch he will occasionally let go for a couple seconds or if he is holding something and I stand him in the middle of the floor he can stand for a few seconds. But he is starting to do it more often. He has also finally started to walk along the furniture. I don't know why but I feel like it took forever for him to start doing this. He likes to play with the cupboard doors and can now open and close them and finds it to be very entertaining. Surprisingly he doesn't play with the stuff inside the cupboards very often...

Austin loves to sit and look at books. All the time I walk in on him sitting on the floor with a couple books around him looking through the books. I think it's really cute! He also really likes being "chased" up the stairs and gets a kick out of it! He has also started getting really good at the walker and can pretty much maneuver it anywhere he likes. Although I'm trying not to put him in it as much because I feel like it is throwing off his walking because he always tries to lean way to far forward.

Austin got his second tooth this past month. His bottom left and now has both his front bottom teeth. He also started clapping his hands and clicking his tongue. He does not like it when you take anything away from him. And he has got a mean grip... I'm pretty sure this is because Ida tries to take things from him all the time and he has discovered his only way of keeping it is to not let go... ever... In a tug of war match between Austin and Ida, Austin wins 90% of the time. I have seen Ida drag him across the floor trying to get something from his and he will not let go. He also doesn't like swimming... We took him for the first time this past month and he clung to me the whole 2 hours we were there.  We at least got a small little smile out of him :)

Austin is pretty much eating all table foods now and is my best eater! Although he doesn't really like banana's and like the rest of my kids, veggies. He eats veggies better if they are whole and not mashed or pureed at all. Austin does not like wearing bibs though and it drives me crazy. He rips them off pretty quickly but I am very persistent. He has gotten better at keeping them on but still will eventually always rip them off. Nursing is going well. Our biggest struggle is distraction. And with two older siblings there are lots to be distracted with. I have started trying to nurse him right before he goes down for sleeping and right when he wakes up when we are alone to avoid distractions.

Since letting Austin cry it out sleeping has become so much better! He will sleep 6 to 7 hour stretches regularly and only gets up 1-2 times a night to nurse. So much better then what we were dealing with! I actually have more energy as well because I'm sleeping more! Crying it out was the best thing we could have done. It has helped his sleeping so much! And I don't typically like the method, but some kids it is the best option. He is going to bed between 8 and 9 and waking up between 7 and 8. He is taking two naps a day, although sometimes he struggles taking naps and takes really short ones so we'll have to do the occasional 3 naps a day. 

8 Months

This past month I have caught myself a lot watching Austin and thinking, "You shouldn't be doing that yet." In reality... I think Austin really should be doing all that he is doing, he just has grown up so fast that in my mind he should only be 5 months old still. I sometimes feel like I'm missing it all! Austin is now 17 lbs 6 ounces and 26 3/4 inches tall. He is right in the middle of Jacob and Ida for height. He is wearing 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

I feel like Austin's personality has started to come out. He really loves trying to involve himself when Dad is playing with Jacob or Ida. Especially rough housing. Austin really enjoys rough housing. There have been many times when I think Jacob is being to rough with Austin but he is just laughing and laughing and laughing so I just let him keep doing it. Ida has also started playing with Austin more as well and she can get him to laugh probably the best of anyone. I don't know what it is. But she knows how to get him laughing hard. It is so fun to watch! Austin really loves company. He does not like being left in any room by himself. He also likes being held and will crawl to mom or dad so we will pick him up. He does NOT like being in any kind of pain and he is a drama king. He is so full of drama. Way more than my other two. When he gets hurt you have to wait a minute or two to see if he's actually hurt or if he is just being dramatic. Because initially they both sound the same.

Austin started crawling a few days after turning 7 months and it took him about a week after that before he was crawling all over the house. You will often times see him one leg crawling. With one leg walking and the other crawling. He has also been getting better at the Moglie crawl on all fours. Also the week following him turning 7 months he learned to walk while holding onto someones hands, sit on his knees and walk forward in the walker. It was a really busy couple weeks for him then. Shortly after he learned how to pull himself up next to the furniture and stand in his  crib. Then about a week before turning 8 months he taught himself how to gracefully get down from standing. I was sitting next to him while he was playing next to his activity table when I noticed he kept getting down then standing back up over and over. He did it like 10 times in a row. He can now get down from standing without falling. He also got his first tooth about a week ago (bottom right)! So this month has been full of fun new learning things!

Austin has joined the rest of his siblings with screaming. His is probably the worst of all though. It is the definition of an ear splitting scream. High pitched and all. He does it when he is really really upset or really frustrated. Sometimes when he is playing with one of his toys he will just randomly let one out. Probably from frustration. Also when he is really upset he will start hitting and swinging his head around. You want to make sure you are out of the way. Some other things he's doing right now are chewing on his thumb when he is bored, slapping the table while he is eating and covering his eyes when you are trying to feed him. He randomly decided he likes baths now, with his siblings and all. But doesn't like getting his clothes changed or diaper changed. Sometimes if he is really upset it's like impossible to change his diaper. Other times he will sit nicely. So it really is just kind of hit and miss.

Austin had a first this month, moving to a new house. I feel like he adjusted normally. Pretty fussy the first couple weeks but have adjusted pretty well now. He likes being in his walker now and having a huge tile floor to walk all around now. He also still likes being in the jumper and I'll put him in there usually when I'm cooking dinner. He also still really likes being tickled. :) Austin first tried to venture out on the stairs a few weeks ago but I really don't think he likes them. He isn't very good at doing them and has fallen on the bottom one or two steps a couple times which I think has scared him of them. So he pretty much avoids them for the most part, but every once in awhile will try them out again and go up a step or two. He also is starting to learn how to walk along the furniture although I don't think he realizes he is doing it when he does it.

Once we got moved out here to Springville I started eating everything I had cut from my diet and Austin seems to be doing great with it. I also really started him on food but pretty much went straight into table foods. Besides the fact that I don't really like purees at all, neither does Austin. And he really struggles to eat them. He just can't figure it out. haha.
It is actually quite funny to watch him try. He does really really well with regular food and likes them much more. So that's what we do. Or I'll dice up fruits and veggies for him. He will hardly eat anything that's been pureed but will eat pretty much anything if it is diced or mashed. So that is what we do. He can also self feed and we break up food for him to feed himself. But beware. He will not eat anything that he doesn't like and if you try to feed him something he doesn't like he will quickly and suddenly hit the spoon with his hands so before he even know what happened the spoon and food are all over the wall and floor. He will take the feeder with purees in it so I will sometimes bring that with me for something easy. I just have to feed it to him like I'm giving him a bottle. :) He pretty much nurses just whenever he wants to. So anywhere from a hour and a half to 3 hours.

Austin's sleeping has pretty much been the struggle of our whole life. After getting to Springville I also decided I really had to get his sleeping better. 8 months is just about 3 to 4 months to long fore me to be getting up every 1 to 2 hours with him every single night. So I really focused on not letting him eat unless it had been 4 hours. Sometimes if he woke up I'd just let him cry himself back to sleep. Other times I would go in and try to pat his stomach. But let me tell you. Trying to teach an 8 month old to go to sleep on their own is hard. Trying to teach an 8 month old to go to sleep on their own who can stand up in their crib is nearly impossible. So after he started standing up I would go in and
 hold him down so he couldn't roll over to get up and stroke his head. The good news is it only took a few days for him to stop waking up every hour till 1 or 2 in the morning. The bad news is he pretty much stopped going to sleep at all unless I nursing him. The day after he turned 8 months old I was I was so frustrated and so over it all. I sat next to his crib where he couldn't see him and watched him stand up. I then watched him get down on his own and that's when I decided it was time that I just left him in there to scream and I went to the computer and pulled up "Crying it out". As I read and researched how to let your baby cry it out Austin lay in the other room screaming. He cried for 25 minutes before he went to sleep. Not bad. For once I felt like Austin was following the same pattern that most babies follow. The second night was not so easy. I was not frustrated and Austin was super happy and smiley. When I lay him down he started screaming. I was so sad to make his sad after being so happy. The screaming continued for 40 minutes. It. Was. The. Worst! I was so sad! Most cry it out methods say 3 days. 3 days for the baby to figure it out. On the third day I didn't want to lay him down. I didn't want to know that he was up in his room screaming. But! He only cried, not screamed, for 3 minutes, fussed off and on for another 7. Then was asleep. I was so HAPPY!!!!! Now for the first time in his life I feel like he is on some kind of regular pattern for sleeping! He has been going to bed between 8:30 and 10. Getting up to eat at 2 and 5. Then getting up for the day between 7:30 and 8:30. I am finally getting more then a two hour stretch of sleep and it feels great! And he is finally getting more than a two hour stretch which is great for him! He will go anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. I just really hope it sticks. I think it will. Especially if we are firm. I know find him all over the crib when I check on him and in all different kinds of positions. He still isn't overly attached to his pacifier at night and will often go to sleep without it.

Sibling Love

 

7 Months

I just love that wide open mouthed grin this boy has! He seriously has the best smile. Austin is now 16 lbs 6 ounces and 26 1/4 inches tall. He is about an inch shorter than Jacob was at this age and weighs about the same. He is wearing size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes. I think the time is going by so fast! I can't believe Austin is already 7 months old. Life has just been so busy I look back and feel like I haven't been able to enjoy his at all. I feel like I missed out on his infantcy. But then I think how hard and challenging it has been and I'm glad we are where we are. I think I'm ready for life to slow down a bit though. I don't want to miss him growing up. Life just needs to slow down a little!

Austin has really taken off learning to work his body the past week and a half... It all started when I decided I was going to re-teach him how to roll over from his back to his stomach. He used to do it but then stopped. Well.. It took like an hour before he was doing it on his own and he didn't stop after that. Every day he got better at working his body and can now get up on his hands and knees, transition from sitting to hands and knees and can get himself back up into a sitting position from the ground. He is so so close to crawling and I know as soon as he figures it out he is going to be off! I really think it will be within the next week. He seems to be happier, especially now that he can get himself back up to a sitting position if he falls over. He has also gotten up onto his feet a few times on lower objects. So I don't think it will be long before he is pulling himself up next to the couch either.

This boy is a mama's boy. I have gotten to the point that I avoid the area he is in because if he is happy and sees me he will automatically get upset because he wants me and if he is already upset then he gets really angry if he sees me and I don't pick him up. I know I should love it, but it kind of drives me crazy. The reason I don't think I enjoy it as much is because even when I do pick him up he isn't content to just be with me. It's like he can't get close enough to me and acts like he is trying to absorb himself into me body! He also tries to eat me and is pretty uncontent even when I hold him. I know most of his behavior is because he isn't feeling well in some way but it can still get frustrating. Every once in awhile he will just sit contently with me and cuddle with me and that I do very much enjoy! He is our little cuddle bug and I think as he gets older he will start cuddling more and more. And he is still the best cry/smiler I know! Even when he is upset you can usually get a good smile out of him and if your really good a cry/laugh out of him. Even though he tries to be angry he just can't help but be happy. Although he's a mama's boy, he still goes to anyone just fine and smiles at everyone. It's cute because when I'm holding him and others talk to him or smile at him he usually will turn to me and give me this look like, "Is it ok if I smile at them?" Then turns to them with a big grin. He will also get all shy sometimes and when anyone talks to him he leans his head onto my shoulder. Yes. I do think it's adorable!

Some fun things Austin is doing right now is suck on his top and bottom lip, fake cough, shoving all his fingers in his mouth and gagging on them, and when he is angry, blow raspberries with his mouth and rotate his hands in a circle while opening and closing his fingers. He loves attention and being played with and tickled. Usually all Scott or I have to do is lay on the floor and let him crawl all over me and that will make him pretty happy. He also seems to enjoy changing his diaper and will calm down as soon as I start changing it. Then as soon as I'm done he usually starts crying again. Sometimes while I'm changing his diaper he will clasp his hands over his chest and I think it's really cute. Austin is getting better at working the walker but still hasn't quite learned how to move forward in it. He also spends a lot of time in the jumper still and will stay pretty content as long as I'm right there next to him. It's usually where he hangs out while I'm cooking dinner. Austin still doesn't love baths and still seems to have a fear of it. So I still want to work on that.

Sometimes with Austin I feel like we take 2 steps forward, 1 step back. He was doing so good and seemed to be so happy a month ago and this past month I feel like he has gone back to being pretty fussy most of the day. I know he doesn't handle pain and discomfort well but sometimes I feel like it doesn't matter what I do or don't do or what I'm cutting out of my diet he still seems to be in discomfort or unhappy the majority of the time. I really think his digestive system is immature or hasn't quite figured things out yet and that is why I have to be careful with what I'm eating. We've done allergy testing and everything has come back normal. So I really think I just have to wait it out until his body can figure out how to handle food better.

About a week ago we did start Austin on solids and I probably should have been more careful with how I started him but he just loves food so much, and I hate the whole feeding process so much, that it was just easier to feed him table food. Well after about 5 days he got very fussy and pretty much stopped pooping so I stopped solids. Again, I think his digestive system is pretty sensitive still so it just upset his stomach and intestines. I'm going to take a break and let him body get back to normal then I'm going to start into solids again much slower. It's just hard because he just loves food and wants to eat everything! I had started him on some finger foods as well but stopped then before he really figured out how to do it. We are still nursing every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Every once in awhile a 3 hour stretch, usually in the morning because he doesn't usually want to eat right after he wakes up or if he takes a long nap. He has started playing with his feet while he nurses and I just think it's really cute.

This past month I really started focusing in a Austin's sleeping. I was so tired of him being up till 11 or midnight. But with lots of hard work we have now moved his bedtime up to between 9 and 10! YAY!!! We still have to be careful and really watch his evening nap... But we have done pretty good. He is still getting up anywhere from 3 to 5 times a night. Most nights it's just every 2 hours. And I feed him because he goes to sleep so much faster if I just nurse him back to sleep and I'm too tired to take the time to rock/bounce him. And he gets up between 8 and 8:30. I also have spent some time trying to teach Austin how to fall asleep on his own and a couple weeks ago he started doing it really well! ..... For about three days....
And I thought it was funny because when he started putting himself to sleep and I just had to lay him in his crib and leave, A) I just felt like I had so much more time because I wasn't spending a huge chunk of my day putting him to sleep, and B) I surprisingly felt kind of sad because I felt like Austin didn't need me anymore and that he was growing up. I guess good thing he only did it for a few days! Haha. He has been taking good naps though. He takes 3 to 4 naps a day and will usually have one or two long ones. We'll figure this whole sleeping thing out someday.... I would really love if he started sleeping longer then 1-2 hour stretches. As well as put himself to sleep.

Austin was sporting a nice bruise across his forehead for a few days. Jacob wanted to hold him and then while he was holding him decided he wanted to take off with him. Unfortunatly for Austin, while he was walking he got top heavy then kind of started running, then ended up falling on top of Austin hitting Austin's head on the wood edge of the recliner. :( He felt really bad. But of course, even after a hit like that Austin comes right back around to sport his new bruise with his smile.