Austin - 1.5 years

 

 

 

The littlest Perry is now a year and a half! (Actually now he's almost 20 months, but better late than never right?) Here's a little bit about our Aus now. Writing things down makes me feel like I'm more in control of the passing time than I actually am. :)

Luke calls him "Aust." I call him "Aus," "Aussie" or "Aussie Sauce" or "Boo," among several other annoying pet names. Justin is completely enamored by him.



First trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in March

He loves to sit with me and read books. He'll point to the chair and say "book book book." After we sit down I'll grab a book and he'll say "yaaaay" and snuggle back against me so we can read. He has a similar move where if I'm sitting on the ground he'll pick up a book and back it up toward me until he is sitting in my lap. You'd have to see it to understand how cute it is.

First day of "school" back in September.

 

Austin loves "school." He goes two days a week and his teachers are the sweetest young women. A couple of months ago, his teacher told me they were out on the playground and found a ladybug. She said the other kids we either uninterested or wanted to stomp on it, but not Austin. He was really into examining it and letting it crawl on him. They had a similar experience with a beetle recently. I've noticed when we are outside that he really wants to bend down and examine the twigs and rocks as we walk. It's hard to be patient and let him explore, but I try to give him that freedom as much as I can when we're together. He also has a little school buddy, which is kind of hilarious to me. Apparently the other day a kid was being mean to Austin's friend and Austin stood up for him. I'm not sure exactly what that looks like in a room of 15-20month olds, but it sounded pretty sweet. I just hope he stays on the "defender" side of things his whole life.

Examining the flowers

Austin has always seemed like a thinker, even as a baby he looked like he was absorbing things around him and I think this still defines him. He also knows how to push big brother's buttons  - and he isn't afraid to do so. He doesn't let Luke railroad over him, he stands his own.

This happy guy

Austin still sucks his thumb - mostly when he is sleepy or unsure about a situation. He still holds my hand as he falls asleep and likes to have me hold his foot while we drive (because I can't reach his hand.) He'll take his shoes and socks off and grunt or cry until I realize that he is thrusting his foot in my direction and take hold. I wondered why my right arm had a perpetual knot in it...

First haircut, back in November. There were tears and the thumb was needed.

Even though he was shaggy before the haircut, he was still so cute.

 

He says things like "ready-set-goooooo!" and "flip flops" and "thank you." He is my snuggle bear and will randomly grab one of our hands, put his thumb in his mouth and put his head down to the side. It's the cutest. It's like he just wants to let us know that he's there and share a little love.

The other day he went over to the shelving brackets in his room and pretended to be picking something and then came back and "shared" it with Luke and me. Even though this isn't my first rodeo when it comes to having a toddler, the imaginations of these little guys always catch me off guard.

I love you Austin Tyler! Onward to two in a few short months! (But let's not rush it.)