Austen enjoys driving her ride-on toys even more now that she has learned how to use her feet for movement. She can go forwards & backwards but gets upset when she backs into a wall which uncooperatively refuses to get out of her way.
Austen has been climbing up stairs and crawling down stairs for ages but can now WALK down stairs by herself but to be safe Mommy always holds her hand. New climbing includes climbing onto and off of Mommy & Daddy’s king-sized bed and the sofas and chairs throughout the house. What does she do once on top? Jump! Dive! Dance! Run! You didn’t expect her to just sit or lie there, did you?
Austen likes to climb inside toy baskets.
After watching Mommy and Daddy cleaning up after her, Austen goes through the motions. She’ll rub a napkin on the floor, carpet, herself and even other people’s face sometimes.
While wearing jeans, Daddy showed Austen how to put a little baby ID card into her pocket. She was amazed and repeatedly took it out and put it back in. Well, she tried to put it back in but sometimes couldn’t find the pocket because her shirt covered it or it wouldn’t accept the ID card.
As Austen prepares for bedtime, during her usual cuddle time with Dada, she occasionally goes through any verbal excercise she can think of, almost as if she wants to stay awake a little longer. For example, sometimes she’ll start repeating “up, down!” several times, singing “eee-up!,” meaning clean up, and go through various animal sounds such as “moooo,” “baaaa,” “meow” and her famous deep-voiced “quack-quack!” She also sometimes starts saying “Boo” to Dada, which elicits a giggle despite Dada’s best efforts to ignore her. This leads to laughing and even loud debates when Dada tries to convince Austen that water is comprised of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, which Austen attempts to refute with unintelligle babble. In the end, she calms down and off to bed she goes.
Dancing continues to be a favorite activity. In addition to the standard butt-shaking dance, Austen has expanded her repoirtoire to include twist movements, waving her arms up and down and sometimes bobbing her head back and forth. Music with a strong beat is still her favorite but even sounds from her musical toys can help get the party started.
She’s burning up for me and that’s a fact!
Austen is becomming more aware of her friends’ reactions. When one of her friends wants her drinking cup and then starts to cry because his mommy won’t let him take it, Austen sometimes offers the cup. The awareness hasn’t extended into playtime with friends. She and they usually play ndependently but near each other, often going after the toy the other is playing with since that’s the most interesting one.
Most frequently used words of the month: “Wass daaaat?!”
It’s now entirely possible to communicate with Austen. Her behavior shows that she understands many things that are said to her. You ask her to sit, and if she’s of a mind to, she sits. When Mommy tells her that she needs her nose wiped, she runs away because she doesn’t like to have her nose wiped (and attempts to wipe it herself with her sleeve). She ways “Meee” when, yes, indeed, she wants some milk. When you tell her it’s time to brush her teeth, she runs to the sink and waits for Mommy to prepare her Elmo toothbrush. When Dada tells her to give something to Mama, she goes over and offers it to Mama, although she doesn’t always complete the hand off. In everything she does, Austen acts with enthusiasm and running.
Austen can identify more of her body parts now. No, we’re not talking about private parts, Morgan. She knows head, toes, belly button, ears, mouth, nose and knees.
She’s even cuter when she shares her toys!
Austen demands quality time with Dada each and everyday.