September

Some new words we noticed Austin using this month were rain, wet, walk, step, mine, elbow and knee. He loves to show you where his elbow and knees are once Justin taught him that. Out of those words though, “mine” is definitely my least favorite. It has opened up an entirely new can of worms! I know it is a stage and that every child goes through the “mine” phase, wow, it can be so annoying.

Telling us “no” has also continued to be a problem. Sometimes he even says no when he really means yes! I think he’s just realized the power of the word and likes to use it whenever he can. We’re working on it though, and sometimes I have to turn my face away from him when he says it because he just says it in such a cute way that I can’t help but smile and laugh!

He still loves to tell us “no bite” when we are putting our mouth on him when we tickle or give kisses. I guess he just got so used to hearing it that it is his automatic reaction when your mouth is anywhere near his skin! I can’t say that I blame him though. As much as he was used as a chew toy at his old school, I’d probably be the same way.

I’m amazed every day at his vocabulary. I honestly can’t even keep up with his new words anymore because he is constantly saying new ones and surprising me with them. He is now doing really well with using three word sentences (his first was “no bite Daddy!”). The things he can come up with are hysterical at times, and it’s funny how Justin and I can understand him and typically know what he’s trying to say, even if he isn’t saying it properly or clearly.

He’s obsessed with playing in our room for some reason, so when we come home in the afternoons, one of the first things he says is “Momma’s room” (which totally offends Justin :)). Then when we get there, he says “TV on” and then “Mickey” typically follows that.

He LOVES him some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It is really the only thing he’s ever “watched”, and we have always had it on in the background while we were getting ready in the mornings pretty much since he was born. I guess because even when he didn’t watch it, he could hear it, so it is just something he has grown accustomed to. Now he knows the characters, he says “Oh Tootles” when they tell you to say it (the first time he did it I thought I would melt it was so cute. The way he says “tootles” is adorable) and it is the only thing he actually requests to watch. We’ve always been reluctant about letting him watch TV/cartoons, so we limit how much he can watch. He really only sees about 10-20 minutes in the mornings and if he watches it in the afternoons at all, it is only while he is in the highchair eating. We definitely don’t let him watch it whenever he wants, and honestly the amount he does watch already concerns me! But, I’m sure I watched cartoons at his age and I turned out okay (I think!).

We had a couple of nights this month where Austin was waking up constantly throughout the night and would be in a puddle of drool. He would be moaning as if he were in pain, so we assumed that he was going through a bad teething spell. We never got any teeth out of it, but it was a rough few nights and I felt terrible for him.

We started football season (finally) and luckily our team is off to a great start! Justin turned the big 3-1, we had a get together at our house for the Arkansas game with friends and we got to go to Tuscaloosa (our true home) to see Panic at the brand new amphitheater that is right on the river. We went with a group of friends and had a really fun time. Overall, September was a great month that FLEW by! Hard to believe Austin is 20 months old. Time to start planning ANOTHER birthday party!!!