Austin is 2!

Last Sunday, this little boy turned 2! Caleb tells me frequently that he thinks Austin is the cutest toddler ever. His speech has picked up a ton these last few months, and it has been so fun!

He has been my hardest kid in terms of attachment to Mommy and being so needy all the time. The hours after his afternoon nap, when I'm teaching piano (only on 2 days) and typically prepping dinner, he is the most cranky. Since he can talk up a storm now, it has improved some since he can communicate better his needs/desires.

He has also been the most difficult in terms of eating. He is a very picky eater and doesn't like to try new foods that I put in front of him. Often he will take one pinch of a bite, put it in his mouth, and immediately spit it out saying, "Disgusting!" His favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, broccoli (yay!), popsicles, and cereal (Cheerios and Rice Krispies). He's not a big milk drinker--when I offered it to him after quitting nursing, he refused to drink it.

Austin's favorite activities: 

Swinging!

Wagon rides

Playing with/holding babies

(This is his new cousin, Benson)

And helping Mommy in the kitchen

Another favorite activity of Austin's is reading stories. We read lots of stories every day!

Austin opening his birthday presents:

He got this chick that hops out of an egg from Grandma and Grandpa. The chick makes pecking noises until it pops out. Austin loves to scream, "Yes! Yes!" when the chick comes out. He's had a lot of fun with it.

Austin also got this turtle that crawls on the ground and can go in the bathtub as well as a Nemo fish that will swim in the bathtub as well.

Blowing out his two candles

At his 2 year check-up, Austin continues to measure very small for his age. He is under the 20th percentile for his height, so he is going to be short and small like all my other boys (except maybe Carter who tends to favor me the most).  One continued painful problem since he was an infant is his bowel movements. He has a difficult time and always comes up to me and says "Bum hurts. I need medicine." (I will rub some diaper rash cream as a placebo.) It is kind of heart-wrenching every time. We've started adding Metamucil to a beverage every day per the doctor's suggestion to see if that helps.

After a careful examination of his teeth the other day, what I thought was a lateral tooth is actually a 3rd front tooth,  just like Bryson. :(

Lately, when Austin is trying to get my attention and I don't respond right away, he will switch from calling me Mommy to Mrs. Haley, which is what the preschool kids call me. It's really funny. Austin is getting better during preschool; he's also been my toughest in this area as well. He is starting to sit on a carpet and do the activities with the kids, which helps a lot!

When you ask Austin for a kiss, he will lean his head forward so you can kiss his head. He loves his older brothers and copies their words and behaviors. Sometimes the boys like to have too much fun with that. He loves to give hugs. If anyone gets hurt, he likes to run over and give them a hug. He also likes to "hug" animals or people in books.

Austin sleeps and naps really well. He is my first child that will wake up and stay content in his crib for awhile. How nice this is! Due to our previous baseball schedule, he goes to bed at 8 pm every night and wakes up around 7:30 am every day. He takes an awesome 3 hour nap most days in the afternoon. That helps me gear up for the crankiness when he wakes up!

Despite any challenging moments, we are all in love with Austin and so glad he's a part of our family!