All things baby [8m]

Baby J is growing up quick, right before our eyes.  Just as every parent we have ever known warned!  He is 8 1/2 months old, full of personality and energy!
His current stats:
Weight 17lbs. - 25th percentile
Height 28 inches - 80th percentile
1 Tooth - This was the newest milestone to be reached; with a tooth on the bottom pushing through in the last few days. 
From birth he has been a laid-back and happy baby and thankfully his attitude has not changed.  He is a self entertainer, but loves interaction especially if it includes clapping!  He is currently obsessed with clapping.  Even when he is fussy.   If someone starts clapping he will probably continue to fuss, but with a smile on his face!
 

Speaking of smiles, Baby J has a great big one!  MM (Medical Man aka my husband/baby daddy) and I still catch ourselves saying, "Awww" aloud when we see his big gummy smile.  It never loses it's heart melting power.

Besides smiling, another common facial expression is the bottom-lip-out pouty look.  He does it all the time, no sadness needed.  It's just one of his normal expressions.  If sadness does occur the pout just grows a little.

non-sad pout

A couple months ago we started the baby food phase of life.  He eats a good serving every evening, and we are currently trying to get him to eat a 2nd serving mid-day.  This week being the first week he has cooperated.  He is a great eater once he gets started.  Sometimes we have to be a little forceful with the first spoonful of the meal, but soon he is opening up before we can get the next spoonful ready.  [Inside joke: "Like a fish after the bangominnow"]  On days when eating is off to a slow start, it's nothing a few claps and cheers won't fix!  Again with the love of claps!

prunes + apples

He has tried many fruits, vegetables, and combinations.  Only once did he absolutely refuse something and that was a spinach, peas, and carrots mix... too many vegetables at once for him I suppose.  In his defense it did smell pretty awful!  His favorite food seems to be sweet potatoes, he gobbles them up fast each and every time.

He loves to jump!  And is developing some very strong legs!  This bouncer is worth every penny our friends spent on it (fab shower gift idea).  I love it as much as Baby J loves it.  It gives me a chance to get things done around the house without worrying about what the baby is doing, or better yet what the dogs are doing to the baby.  Holding him can be more difficult now as he wants to bounce constantly giving my arms a workout.  Even when he is sitting on my hip his legs are kicking non-stop.

He is at the everything goes straight into the mouth phase of life.  Needless to say this is a house of slobber.  And when I say everything goes into his mouth, I mean everything including any body part of mine or daddy's that he can manage to get a hold of, such as (but not limited to) noses, shoulders, fingers, chins, cheeks, collarbones, etc.  The kid actually gave me a hickey the other day!  When he gets a good latch he likes to shake his head back and forth, we call this the "Shark Attack"!  With the new addition of a tooth this game is going to be retired. 

feet make the best chew toys

He has started "talking".  While the jibber-jabber has been around for awhile, recently he has started making recognizable sounds such as "da da da da" and "ma ma ma ma" and once even "na na na na".  Of course "da da da da" is the most used sound (because it's the easiest to make) and his Dada is loving it.  I'm starting to think that he might actually be figuring out the connection between the "da da da da " sound and his Daddy.  The few times I have heard him make the "ma ma ma" noise has been a joyful experience even though I know it's just noises and there is no connection being made to me... YET!  Now when I try to coax him into saying "momma" he grins real big and then says "da da da da".  He also enjoys yelling.  Not in an upset manner, just in a did you know my voice could get this loud?  I just made this discovery and it is fun! manner.  

hanging out with his DaDa

He loves the dogs!!  I think he used to be confused about the small furry creatures that roamed the house, but now I'm pretty sure he believes they exist simply for his entertainment!  I am grateful that Wrigley & Ruby are very patient dogs because he has learned to grab their fur and hold on tight!  The first time this happened Baby J was laying on the couch and Ruby was hovering over him.  When I yelled for her to get down she tried jumping off the couch, but he had her floppy ear in his chubby-fingered grasp.  She shrieked and is now a little leery of getting so close.  If he does manage to grab one of the dog's fur, they freeze (silently willing J to let go).  The dogs run back and forth through the house playing and chasing one another and Baby J just watches and laughs.  While he is in his bouncer Wrigley likes to lay underneath and attempt to lick his feet while Ruby prefers to stand up against it and attempt to lick his face.
He makes a single "duh" sound when the dogs come around.  It's a different sound from "da da", which uses the A sound and tends to be multiple syllables.  So I wonder if he is learning the word dog, which I repeat over and over and over throughout the day. 

GAMES.  Peekaboo is fun.  I hide behind pillows or cabinets or my hands and then pop out and J always giggles without fail.  Stinky Feet is also a popular game.  I grab his feet and put them to my nose then yell "phew-ehhh stinky feet!!" while shaking his feet in the air, that one always gets a good laugh too.  Big-Strong-Baby (BSB) and Don't-Shake-The-Baby (DSTB) are the other everyday games we play.  BSB is played by him laying down on his back while he grabs my fingers and I pull him up to the standing position with one quick motion while cheering "big strong baby!" and DSTB is simply me shaking him a little while signing "don't shake the baby".    
He is ultra ticklish, which shouldn't surprise me too much because so am I.  The slightest poke to his rib cage or squeeze of his thigh and he is in a fit of laughter sometimes laughing so hard he gets choked up.      

He can roll from his stomach to his back with ease.  And although we know he can roll from his back to his stomach, he Very Rarely does.  He still gets his arm caught when rolling that direction and it makes him mad so he just won't do it.  I'll put him on his hands and knees and he can hold himself up really well, but when he tries to make a move he plops down on his belly and kicks his feet, gets annoyed, and rolls over to his back.  He can sit up all by himself now!  This is such a helpful milestone for him to have reached!  And because of it he can ride in grocery carts without his car seat and he can sit in restaurant high chairs. 

 

1st time in a high chair @ Mellow Mushroom, Columbia, SC

He is an avid reader.  Big Rex and Squishy Turtle are his top picks.  

Other Tidbits...

• He puts himself to sleep.  Yay-Parental high five!  We have been training him to go to sleep in his crib instead of letting him fall asleep on us and then laying him down in bed.  I would say 85% of the time he is put into bed awake.
• Pretty sure he prefers to sleep in the big bed with Momma and Daddy, but we try to limit this to early morning only.  He tends to wake between 5-6am, wants a little milk and then goes right back to sleep until 7ish.  At this time we will let him lay between us in our bed.  We also partake in Family Naps all together, usually on Sunday afternoons.  
• He loves bath time.  The splashing, the chewing on the rubber toys, the trying to drink the water.  Induces great sleep as well.
• He enjoys being outdoors.  We sit on blankets outside to play in the fresh air when it's not too hot.  And he likes going on walks, rarely complains when being pushed in his stroller.  If running with him in his stroller he always falls asleep. 
• Favors his left hand when picking up toys, not sure if that means anything at this early of an age, but it's an observation we have made.  His grandpa is left-handed. 
• "Healthy as a horse!"  He is right on track with his physical and mental development, it's easy to take this for granted.  We are so thankful for it.