YOU'RE 13 MONTHS TODAY!

Happy 13 months Austin! I can't believe you are over a year old. Time definitely is going by too fast for mommy. I can't get over how independent you are and how fast you are learning new things. I am so proud of you!

• You are talking all the time mostly jabber, but you do get in a few words. (I guess you get that honestly!) You can say, Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, Nonna, more, bite, Elmo, no, ball, go, bye, hey, hey there, cheese, nose, moo, kitty-kitty, nana (banana) and ruff. What a strong vocabulary! You try to make any sound that Mommy and Daddy make and we love you imitating us. We think it's very cute! As for signing, you can sign "more" and that's about it. You have no interest to sign to me. Yesterday at your Nana's house you floored your mommy when I said to Emily lets say the blessing and YOU PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER ALL BY YOURSELF. What a big accomplishment that is! I was so surprised that I almost fell out of my chair.
• You really enjoy listening to music and sometimes you sing songs all by yourself. I'm not sure what you're singing, but I have an idea it's "If your happy and you know it" or "Patty Cake" because you usually clap your hands. If you hear music playing no matter where we are you stop and clap your hands to the beat. I think it's so cute that I still get tickled every time. In the car you'll pat your leg to the beat and then clap your hands. You enjoy playing your music instruments such as: your drum sticks as you tap them together, play your drum and sing your Indian song and shake bells. You also like to hear mommy sing nursery rhymes. I feel sorry for you because I can't carry a tune, but it makes you happy so that's what we do at home and in public. :o)
• You are taking steps with your Tonka truck and anything else that will move. You like to take steps to different things. Your favorite is going from the sofa to the coffee table from the coffee table to the recliner. We are so proud that you are starting to stand for a few seconds by yourself. You always turn and look at me to see if I'm watching you. I guess you know I am going to cheer for you. I will always be your cheerleader!
• The past few months your independent skill have really taken off! You love to feed yourself especially with a spoon or fork. Mommy sometimes takes off your shirt (if it's some thing that will stain your clothes) because we're always messy, and messy is always fun, right? You like to put food in your hair and you also rub your ears with messy hands. You like to drink milk, water and juice. You like to brush your hair with mommy's hairbrush. Brushing your teeth has really become a task for mommy because you like to do it yourself and you don't want mommy to help, but we're working on it. You are taking two naps a day, but you're really fighting the first nap. Soon you'll be down to one nap a day, but you nor Mommy are ready for that just yet.
• You eat anything we give you and thank goodness you're not a picky eater. Your favorite foods are: pasta, CHEESE, yogurt, bananas, pancakes, carrots, broccoli, cheerios, sandwiches, chicken, spaghetti, ice cream, nuggets, oranges, peaches, pears, cheerio cereal, mashed potatoes and baked potatoes with a little ranch dressing (Mommy made the mistake by letting you try mine with ranch dressing. Now, you're hooked!) You eat so much that I feel like you are a bottomless pit.
• I love how you're all boy! You enjoy being outside, playing with other children, walking Max in your big red car, watching daddy do big boy things and watching airplanes go by. When we go for walks in your big red car you wave to neighbors and talk to them. If you only knew how happy that makes them and mommy. You are a very friendly baby. I think that is so precious!
• You like to give LOVE especially to mommy and daddy. My heart melts every time you love on me. It just makes me enjoy being a parent so much more, and it shows how much you love us.