Stephens' Stories: ONE YEAR!

Better late than never. Austin turned ONE on August 9. It is crazy how fast the year has flown by. This year has been filled with so many new memories. I wish I had it all on video but that is why we have pictures and this blog - to document as much as possible and to embarrass Austin when he turns 16.

At 12 months you are not yet walking. You can travel between pieces of furniture and stand holding on with just one hand. You can also use your walker toy and push it but are still pretty wobbly. You are pulling up on everything, including climbing stairs. You don't know how to get down the stairs safely so this is a safety issue. You will learn eventually. Your favorite toys are your fridge farm (magnets that go on the fridge, from DiDi), your wooden train, your green ball, and the empty aquaphor tub (simple things). You enjoy putting things in buckets or tubs. You really enjoy brushing your teeth, especially since I bought you non-flouride fruity toothpaste. You like baths and usually try to drink the soapy water. You like it when Daddy tickles you - you laugh so hard. You don't like having your diaper changed or putting clothes on. You just don't like being still for that. I can usually keep you still by handing you the aquaphor container. So funny!

Your favorite foods are cheerios, cheese (especially the yellow squares), strawberries, apple sauce, broccoli, avocado, hamburger meat with cheese melted in it, and mac 'n cheese. We first gave you Annie's brand organic mac 'n cheese for your 1st birthday dinner. You loved it! I am thankful that you eat healthy things like broccoli, avocado, butternut squash, and strawberries. Keep it up (no need to inherit your father's eating habits). You have 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth and are getting better at chewing your food using these chompers. On your first birthday we introduced you to whole cow's milk. You didn't like it at first. So for the first week or so we mixed it with formula or breastmilk. We tried to get you to drink it out of a sippy cup or open cup and just get rid of the bottle completely. That has proven to be much harder than I thought it would be. You will only drink milk out of a sippy if you are really thirsty. You prefer milk in a bottle. But I know that you will not be drinking out of a bottle when you are 7, so we will get there. You are still nursing, usually just before bedtime. We started weaning right when you turned 1 and did just twice a day for a couple of weeks and now you are down to night-time only. Our most recent discovery is that you have an allergy - to PEANUTS. On August 11, just a few days after your appointment with Dr Lisa (who said you could try peanut butter), I gave you peanut butter on some bread for a snack. You immediately broke out in hives on your face and started itching. I panicked slightly, washed you off and called the pediatrician's office to talk to the on-call doctor. You were not having any breathing problems, thankfully. The doctor said to give you a dose of benadryl and a bath to be sure it was off of your skin. You were okay for the rest of the evening. We made an allergist appointment for this past Friday. They did a skin test (pricks with a toothpick-like device) on your back of the following foods: eggs, soy, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cows' milk, and PEANUTS. Everything else came back negative except for peanuts...bummer. I am thankful we identified this allergy early and that your reaction was not worse. Now we just have to be careful. It is not super severe; you can be around peanuts/peanut products and would not react if it were in the air. It will cause a reaction if it touches your skin or if you accidentally consume it. We have an EpiPen to keep with us at all times in case you have an anaphylactic reaction. I hope to never need that. It is very odd because I ate peanut butter often during pregnancy and have eaten it about 5 days a week ever since you were born. The allergist says there is not really a rhyme or reason to it. Interesting.

You are still sleeping like a champ at night - about 7:30/8 to 6/6:30. You are starting to need a little less napping. I have started letting you nap in the car or stroller during the morning if we are out and about (30-45 min) and then you take a longer afternoon nap from about 1-3pm. Eventually we will get to one long afternoon nap since that is what you will need to do at your new school in Houston, most likely.

You are such a fun little guy. Your first official word, right around turning 1, is Uh-oh. You are so cute when you say it and will even say it when you have your thumb in your mouth. Yes, you still suck your thumb - too often. It's okay for now but someday it will need to go :) You still think it's a game to find Savannah's water and food bowls. If I forget to close the baby gate which separates the kitchen from the living room, you bee-line it to the kitchen and peek around the fridge where Savannah's bowls are. You look back at me and crack up laughing. You think it's a game even though I usually catch you before your hand goes in. It's gross, but so funny. It's so hard to get mad at that.

Austin, I can't believe you have been with us for a whole year. I can't really remember life without you. You bring us so much joy and many smiles. Sometimes it is stressful (like when you get sick or bump your head and cry) but overall you are such an easy-going, fun little guy. I pray that God keeps you healthy and safe and that you grow to know Jesus. He loves you and so do your mommy and daddy. Happy (belated) birthday, little buddy.