Stephens' Stories: November

We have been busy this month. Austin took 6 swim lessons at Memorial Athletic Club's indoor pool. His teacher was Casey. He enjoyed them, sometimes. Casey was really good about singing songs and making everything a game. Austin definitely has a ways to go before he can even try to stay afloat by himself but he is not scared of the water. We will try lessons again in the spring or early summer. Austin got another haircut, which was NOT fun for him. He cried the whole time even with a lollipop and animal crackers. David and I left Austin behind in Houston while we drove to Austin for the UT vs OKState game. It was a 2:30 game so it worked well to go for the day. Aunt Carrie so kindly babysat in the morning and MiMi in the afternoon until we got home that evening. It was a terrible loss for the Horns but we had fun tailgating, visiting with my Dad who shared his tickets with us, and also got to see friends Doug and Tory at the game. We even made a special stop to see Amanda, Stephen and baby Paige at their house before the game.

Austin is boldly expressing his desire for independence. He wants to do EVERYTHING by himself even if it is impossible for him to. "My do it" is the phrase he uses. They say this is a good thing and important for development but, man, it is tough for the parents. Hopefully he will get passed the "tantrum every time he doesn't get what he wants stage" soon. Or is this a long-term thing? We will see. He is saying so many things now and really starting to string words together. I can tell he just absorbs everything like a sponge. We better watch out what we say and do because this boy picks up on everything. Although he can be tough at times, he is a busy, curious boy who is keeping us on our toes.