6 Months Old!!

Austin turned 6 months old while we were in Destin, FL visiting my parents! I look at his newborn pictures and can't believe he is already halfway to his first birthday! Here are a few new things:

*Austin loves watching our cat, Max. I notice him searching the room for Max & then smiling at him a LOT once he eyes him!

*He is eating really well (like you couldn't tell from the pics, right?) For breakfast he has oatmeal and fruit (we've done applesauce, bananas, & pears), and in the evenings he does rice cereal and a veggie (we've done squash & sweet peas.) He typically doesn't like a new veggie when we first try it (and makes some hilarious faces), but then he gradually starts to enjoy it more. He also loves eating grapes in that net thing where he can just bite on them & get the juice!

*Austin still hates tummy time. I'm not sure if he will ever crawl. Shane is convinced that he is going to go straight to walking. But he's starting doing this thing when he's sitting up- where he rocks back and forth and scoots forwards on the floor.

*He is still a wonderful sleeper. He is also much easier to put to sleep now & we can put him down in minutes (and he sometimes falls asleep on his own.) Oh, and he still likes to be swaddled. His schedule changes daily, but usually it's something like this:
10:30pm-8:30am: sleeping
9:30am-12:00pm: morning nap
1:30pm-2:30pm: afternoon nap
4:30pm-5:00pm: evening nap
8:30pm-9:00pm: 2nd evening nap

*Austin loves the water. Whether it's the bathtub or the swimming pool (which he experienced for the first time during our trip to FL.) He loves to splash with his hands, kick his feet, lay on his belly, and even go under the water!

*He giggles and smiles a lot! He laughs at me sometimes, but Shane can really get him going!

*Austin is hot natured like his Mommy. We can have the AC on 68 in the car, an he is still hot (which in turn makes him mad.) So heat=grumpy... again, just like Mommy!

*He loves to jump! When we hold him up standing he constantly squats down and then jumps up.. over and over... and over. Yes, it gets very tiring on our backs!

*Austin has a little temper. It's more like when he wants something, he wants it NOW. And he lets you know exactly how he is feeling. Shane likes to say that he has my personality... nice.

*He recognizes his name when anyone calls it. He also recognizes Shane & I in pictures and will smile and touch them. For a while he's been recognizing our voices, but I notice it a lot more now. He will stop what he's doing and look for us until he finds Mommy or Daddy.

*Austin plays hard like a boy! He is very strong. When he gets excited he puts a toy into his LEFT hand and just slings it around really rough- I'm always afraid he will hurt himself! He started off using his right hand more, but now he has the tendency to use his left, like Daddy.

*He is VERY predictable. Austin has a schedule and seems to like a routine. The times are not always the same everyday, but the order of his activities are! And it is easy to tell when he is hungry, sleepy, bored. etc.

*Austin is mesmerized by movement and sounds outside (esp trees.) We especially noticed it in Destin with all of the palm trees. He will just stop what he is doing and stare- it's hilarious! I promise I don't keep him locked in the basement or anything at home.

*He sits up very well on his own- I noticed a huge difference just in the one week that we were visiting my parents!

*Austin cries for me! My mom pointed it out a few days ago when she & Shane had been with him all morning while I packed. He kept fussing when I'd walk by & not acknowledge him. Then he could see me in the other room packing and just cried until I came and held him- so sweet!

His 6 month appointment had to be pushed back to the beginning of October, so we'll post his stats then. But I'll tell you now that he's a BIG boy... if you hadn't noticed.

I'll post about our trip to the beach soon!