Austin Update

Austin is still my little bundle of joy, even though he's grown too tall for us to both fit comfortably in the rocking chair. He's tall and thin - just over 3 feet and 32 lbs. He has a lot of his own opinions now, very independent and clearly knows what he does and does not want to do. So, I'm learning more patience and improving my toddler strategy daily. But he is still my sweet little "Bear" who loves affection and is generally mild mannered and loves to make you laugh.

Let's see, a few of my favorites:

He's a total exhibitionist. I can't keep clothes on this kid. The minute he wakes up or we get home from somewhere he strips off all his clothes and races around in his undies. Not really surprised I guess. The kid is a heat source. I can't put him in footy jammies at bedtime because he sweats so bad and develops athlete's foot! I usually find him stripped down jumping off the couch into a huge pile of pillows and blankets. He's recently been encouraging his friends to go all natural as well and trying to strip down at more public affairs. We're trying to nip this behavior in the bud before he's a teenager!

Speaking of athlete's foot, Austin is a total sports nut just like his daddy. Forget trucks, he's obsessed with anything that has to do with a ball; basketball, football, golf, baseball, soccer. It really started developing after we let him watch the movie Sandlot (forgot about a couple 4-letter words in that show, but nonetheless). He mimics sliding into base, throwing the ball after a hit, spitting, etc, etc. Even the other day he wanted just a pair of shorts on with no shirt so he could be like the shirt/skins basketball players that he saw at the YMCA. He even persuaded me to let him "suit up" at his friend Tyler's house. And watch out, plastic golf clubs are flyin' already folks!

He's started to develop friendships with other kids his age at church, but his best buds continue to be his cousins, Jakob and Aaron. He and Jakob seem to always be in some sort of love/hate brawl, making each other cry over some toy or action, but continue to want to play with each other all the time. When they're together "mine" seems to be the word of the day. I'm sure they'll figure out sharing and working together some day when they're not toddlers. Aaron unfortunately gets the brunt of bad behavior most times but still continues to look up to both boys and follow their every move.

Sleep over!
Austin is a bit...no, a lot...obsessive right now. He'll cling to something during the day and drive me crazy with it. Today it happens to be his water guns. Yesterday and many other days it's bubble gum. And the obsession always comes in multiples. He can't have just one. And I must also have one too. I'm sure its a normal 2 1/2 year old thing to teach parents the virtue of patience and unconditional love. :-)

And, he loves a good bouncy house and foam pit like most boys his age. There's a place called "Bounce" that has about 10 bounce houses and he loves it there. He lights up like the 4th of July when we walk in. We also take advantage of a local gymnastics studio's open play day. He gets to jump around on all the equipment, including the trampolines and bars, and launches himself into the giant foam pit!

His little brain absorbs so much every day. He amazes me with his memory, his love for books and singing songs, and his inquisitiveness. He will definitely be ready for preschool in the fall!