Eight Months

The eighth month has been a good one. The kid cracks us up. He sleeps! We can eat together as a family. His little personality is blooming. He has likes and dislikes (and we know what a few of them are). He continues to fine-tune some basic motor skills which is really cool to see. Watching him go from grabbing a cheerio with his entire fist and missing it 75% of the time to focusing wholeheartedly on the cheerio while his pointer finger and thumb slowly move towards it and then pinch it and move it towards his mouth...so cool! I love kicking back and watching him do these things that for me are so simple, basic, easy, but for him, it's new, exciting and fulfilling. Who knew that it could be so rewarding to observe a baby make changes to his ways of eating. I just love seeing those wheels turn as his brain chugs right along! (and I see it as I watch him eat cheerios, or reach for a toy or move his foot towards something he wants to move towards while standing. So simple! So great!)

At 8 months Shae:

~Pulls himself up on everything and has just recently started to let go. He'll stay standing for just a second or two before falling on his bum and then pulling himself right back up to do it again.

~Loves playing with bowls, big spoons, bottles and cell phones. Basically, anything other than actual toys.

~Loves Elmo's World. Call me awful for letting him watch it every now and again but I think it's oober cute how excited he gets about it and bounces around with Mr. Noodle.

~Sits and stands in the crib (this made/makes going to sleep slightly more complicated. But I must say, it sure is one of our favorite things to see him sitting/standing with a huge grin on his face when we walk in to get him).

~Won't take a bottle or sippy cup AT ALL which has been a little frustrating. (And weird since he took a bottle just fine while I was working in UT. I guess 3 months of mom has made him forget...)

~Has discovered outlets and the springy things behind the doors and seems to think that they are the coolest things ever.

~Loves just about any food we give him but cheese and banana are definite favorites.

~Although he loves playing with daddy, he has started to become a bit of a mommy-clingy-baby (can you blame him? He's with me ALL day). As long as he doesn't notice me leave the house/room, he's usually fine.

~Loves chasing his toys around the bathtub and trying to climb up the walls.

~Hates getting dressed or having his diaper changed. 

~Has the best consistent sleep that he has ever had. Still wakes around 10/11pm for one last feeding and then he usually sleeps until around 6 and occasionally...7! (a lot of nights he'll still wake around 3/4am but that has become a quick pacy trip for one us and he'll usually go right back down).

~Has been in between 2 and 3 naps all month. Seems to be making the transition to only needing 2 naps (depending on the day really).

~Reaches out for us which I think is just about one of the cutest things ever!

Photo courtesy of Philip Kretchman.