8 Months

Shad is getting more and more fun.  We can easily get him to smile and squeal, though giggles still take significant effort.    

Shad can crawl pretty fast now!  It is so funny to watch him try and go faster when he really wants something.  His hands slap or bat the ground and he kinda side steps, almost going sideways but still going straight. 

He loves crawling up the stairs and has gotten very good at it.  He doesn't have to pause on each stair- he can just go straight up!  He'll climb up and play on the wrong side of the baby gate any chance he gets.

He also loves holding objects in his hands as he crawls around; i.e. Dominos, baby spoons, remotes, etc.   

He can pull himself up to anything and really likes to reach and step between close objects.  He is also starting to walk around furniture, and does really well when we hold his hands.

We think he recognizes more words than we realize.  We just barely started asking him if he wants his "bottle" instead of asking if he's "hungry" and he already knows what it means.  Every morning when I pick him up out of his crib I ask him where his "bink" is and he always turns and looks down and around in his crib, and if I lean him over he'll reach down and grab it!
He also is quickly learning what "no" means.  He tests his limits often.  He loves playing with the trash can and will always go near it, stand up next to it, and then look at you to see if you're watching or if you're going to tell him no.  So funny.

His bottom two teeth are very prominent, and this past week we've wondered if he may be starting to get his two top teeth!  He hasn't had a runny nose like he did with the bottom two, but we think his top gums have been hurting him a bit and he's had a few rougher nights.  We'll see if anything happens soon or not! 

He still loves bath time.  It's definitely getting more and more difficult for us though as he likes to roll over and crawl around in the tub, and tries to stand up to the side or play with the faucet.  Kind of nerve-wracking for me when he slips!

He is babbling more.  You know he is trying so hard to say something.  He mostly just makes the "ba ba blah blah" sounds as well as the normal squeals and coos.   

He's finally starting to be able to feed himself things like goldfish.  Granted we haven't given him much a chance to figure it out since we usually just put it in his mouth ourselves.  But his fine motor skills are definitely improving.

Solid foods are still a struggle.  I am SOOO ready to be done pumping but he still won't eat enough to make up a meal and will still drink most of a bottle after eating baby food.  He definitely likes food with a texture MUCH better than the pureed baby food, but still won't eat enough of it.  15 kernels of corn and 8 goldfish just doesn't cut it.

The foods he does like and will eat bits of are graham crackers, goldfish, the Gerber puffed grain things, corn, noodles, bread/rolls, and rice.  He also LOVES trying to drink water from our cups.  Even if he chokes on it or half of it ends up on his shirt, he still comes back for more.  We've tried sippy cups and he hasn't figured out to use them.  He just chews on them...

On that note, he loved getting bits of water out of our straws at a restaurant the other night:

He is very straight faced and inexpressive when we are in crowds or around anyone besides Jeff and I.  But at home or once he warms up he is very expressive and is always moving his eyebrows and lips.  He still smacks his lips and recently has started blowing bubbles, seemingly on purpose.  He also imitates us when we purse our lips, as if trying to plug your nose with your lips, and then breath in and out of your nose real fast.  It's so funny. 

Build up to a smacking face:

Imitating Jeff with the breathing through the nose pursed lips face:

He even occasionally  makes the fish face when he's smacking:

He also still squints a lot, though it seems more random now...
 He does it in the beginning of this video but he'll often do it over and over, and usually more when he's happy.

His hair is getting longer, slowly but surely.  

 

He is enjoying books a little more.  If his arms are swaddled he likes to sit in our laps while we read.  I think he mostly just likes looking at the pictures, but he is a lot less interested if we aren't reading so I think he likes our voices too.  If his arms aren't swaddled though he just wants to play with the book, drop it, tear the pages, etc.   

Favorites this month:

Whoever said boys aren't fun to dress was lying!  He may not need all the headbands and accessories, but he still has so many cute outfits and I love these little hiking shoes!  Too bad he'll probably grow out of them by the time he's ready to use the tread...

Twice this month he has been playing in the play pen and doing his tired fuss and then suddenly just curled over and fell fast asleep!  The first time I thought he was going to roll over onto his back, and then he didn't.  So funny. He looks so uncomfortable!

Almost every night Shad ends up with his face smashed in one of the corners of his crib bumper.  I'm not sure why, but he always moves into a corner and stays there.  

Shad fast asleep while trying to burp:

My boys falling asleep together at bedtime:

This is one of our favorite games.  I don't know why the obnoxious breathing sound makes him so excited, but it does.  I LOVE how he squeals, wiggles, slaps his hands or stomps his feet when he's excited: