nine months

Whelp, that escalated quickly. Last time I sat down to do this, I had an army crawler who couldn't quite sit himself up. Ha. Now, getting a monthly photo of you is a two-person job. 

About a week after you hit 8 months, you figured out it was much faster to crawl on your hands and knees...and you haven't looked back. You were crawling for a hot minute before you realized that was simply the gateway to pulling up and climbing. Needless to say, you are all over the place now. In the last couple of days, you've even been taking little steps with your walker. I know it won't be long before I'm chasing after you. Lord help us. 

This month, we decided to go 2/2 on the sickness front - following up last month's virus with a new virus of the month. This one started as we were walking out the door for Kindermusik. You threw up all over both of us. I've definitely earned my mom card now....as if the grocery store diaper blowout incident wasn't enough. You followed the same pattern as your last virus - completely pitiful, lethargic and sleepy on day one; fussy, clingy and impossible to please on days two and three. Sandwiched in between were two nights of terrible sleep for all parties involved. But once it was over, you went back to being your content self.

The good news is that when you aren't sick or teething, you are still a good sleeper - either sleeping through the night or waking up between 5-6 a.m. for a snack. You get up for the day between 7:00-8:00 - usually closer to 8:00. Sometimes I have to wake you up around 8:15 or later! You nap at 9:00 or 9:30 until 11:00, and then again from 2:00-3:30 or 4:00. Bedtime is 7:00 p.m. I like routine. You like routine. Everyone likes this routine. 

Now that you are mobile, it takes you a little while to settle down for sleep, but after whining, standing, sitting and rolling around for 10-15 minutes, you usually fall asleep. As soon as we lay you down, you search around for your lovey - a little giraffe blanket that you've been sleeping with for a few months. We had to get soft covers for your crib rails after we discovered you'd been chewing on them. One morning, I went in to get you and your aquarium was on. I had forgotten to put it in the off position and you'd turned it on and were laying there watching the fish swim by. Later that day during a nap, I checked the monitor to find you sitting in your crib pushing the button over and over again. You couldn't figure out why it wouldn't turn on - alas, mom had wised up. [Why they would put an on/off switch within reach of baby is beyond me].

We finally moved you out of your baby bath tub. You didn't really fit in it anymore, and all you wanted to do was climb out. It's big boy baths for you now. You like to roam around the tub splashing, playing with toys, removing the spout cover, and, of course, climbing up the sides. 

Your eating is out of control. There is not much you won't eat, and the scale proves it. At your appointment this week, you weighed 20 lbs 10 oz, which puts you in the 68th percentile for weight (you are in the 85% for height). Now, that may not seem too crazy, but you've ALWAYS been somewhere in the 20-25th percentile for weight. My long and lean baby no more. This comes as no surprise. You ate an entire 6-inch sub sandwich the other day. You've devoured a lemon slice with nary a raised eyebrow. You waste no time shoveling food, and you don't stop until I cut you off. I'm not sure there is anything you don't like to eat - maybe sweet potatoes, but even then you'll eat them if that's all that is left on your tray. We've tried everything from sushi to a small bite of ice cream this month. We've also had some sippy cup success - you like the ones with straws. 

Speaking of straws, they top the list of things you love right now. Starbucks, aka the land of straws, is a big hit. I'm not sure what you'll do when it's cold outside and Mom is no longer ordering iced lattes. You love the Dyson fan/heater in your room. You love pushing anything back and forth - toy cars, the fireplace screen, office chairs, anything else sitting on the floor. You love driving your car toy. It's loud and obnoxious so naturally it's one of your favorites. You sit there shifting gears with great delight. You still love music. We listen to your Kindermusik songs in the car if you are getting fussy. They always calm you down. 

If something is stacked, it must be knocked down. Even when you were sick and pitiful, you heard me stacking your giraffe toy. You couldn't let him win so you mustered the energy to scoot over and knock him down. If a toy is already knocked down, it must be eaten. If it can't be eaten, it must be banged on the floor. If it can't be banged on the floor, it must be climbed, and so on and so on. You love pulling books off the shelf upstairs and pulling cookbooks off the kitchen island. Said books will all be relocated soon. 

Making you laugh is still the best. You love singing funny songs, peekaboo, finger games, tick tock, silly faces, dancing, tickles, etc. The best is when you laugh at videos of yourself laughing. You get especially tickled when you are sitting in your high chair. I don't know if it's just because you love eating so much or because you are a captive audience (probably both!) but we like to make you giggle over meals. You laughed and laughed and laughed for a few days while reading one particular book with pictures hidden under flaps.

True to form, you smile, laugh and babble all day at home, but you put on your game face when we are out and about. People comment on your focused gaze all the time. Your pediatrician said that you were staring so intently at her that she might start on fire. Someday we'll have to learn that it's not polite to stare. 

You hate startling noises. It's not so much the volume as it is the surprise element. You've lost it a few times at baseball games when the crowd spontaneously cheered - good thing we always have your baby headphones on hand. You got upset while mom and Schmeema were watching the Packers first game of the season. We had to damper our cheering until you went down for your nap. You fuss when we strap you into your car seat, but you are fine once you're all buckled in. You sometimes go through spells where all you want to do is make a very loud, high-pitched screech. These are not my favorite days. You have quite the grip - I'll probably never be able to wear my hair down again. 

It's fun to watch you make associations - both good and bad. For example, you often fuss during diaper changes now because you know it means nap/bed time is coming. When you hear Mom's phone ringing, you get excited because it means someone wants to FaceTime with you. When you heard that sound on the TV the other day, you turned to look thinking someone was calling you. You smile when you hear Dad's voice on the phone. If Dad whistles, you try to imitate that sound. When the number and letter of the day songs come on Sesame street, you light up and stop whatever you are doing to watch. You get excited when we use the sign language for "more" at dinner time. We are working on learning "more", "water/drink", and "all done."

You are more aware of our presence and relation to you every day. Of course this also means you can sometimes become more upset when we leave the room. But nothing is better than the huge smile on your face every time we come into view. Let's make a deal - I'll keep coming around if you keep smiling like that when I do.

waking up is fun

So you saw what happens when I have to wake Charlie up. It's an entirely different story when Charlie wakes up on his own - especially now that he's learned how to sit up on his own.

I walked in after a nap one morning this week to see him sitting up in his crib beaming with pride. It startled me, but my goodness if that smile didn't melt my heart.

Here's the video of the moment via our monitor cam. I love this video because it captures how excited he got as I started to open the door. I thought his big smile was all his delight over learning he could sit up in his crib, but turns out, you can see how he starts to smile and excitedly flap his arms as I open the door. This boy sure does know how to make me feel like a million bucks.

waking up is hard

Whoever said "Never wake a sleeping baby" has obviously never dealt with a nap schedule. Sometimes, waking a sleeping baby just can't be avoided. This is what happens in our house when a sleeping baby must be woken.

I can't wait until he is a teenager.

eight months

*We are a couple of days late on this one, and this photo...don't even ask. I blame teething. It's real, and it's not fun.*

Whelp, here we are again. It doesn't feel like it's been a minute over a day since I was writing your 7-month recap. I'm losing the fight - whether I like it or not, you are growing up way. too. fast.

There were lots of firsts this month, some of them good, some of them not so good. In the not-so-great category was your first illness. I'm so grateful we made it 7+ months without getting sick, but man, did we fall hard this month. Dad brought back strep throat from his work trip. He was sick first, then you got a virus of some kind (thankfully not strep), and then last, but not least, Mom went down with strep. Sick Charlie was just pitiful. It hurt my heart to see you so miserable. Sometimes I wish you could talk so you could tell me what's wrong because nothing seemed to make it better. We had a long few days of little sleep, many tears and lots of cuddling. We spent a lot of time driving around because that's the only way we could get you to nap. Thank goodness you were much better before I got sick or we would have really been in trouble!

A much more exciting first this month was crawling! I'd say your first good scoot happened at mommy & me pilates one morning as you ventured off your blanket to grab a toy. It was quickly followed by some serious army crawling, and you've been on the move ever since. You haven't graduated beyond army crawling yet, but you are getting pretty quick - especially when you really want to get somewhere. You made a beeline for the laptop the other day while Mom was streaming Olympic gymnastics online. You have also figured out how to get into a seated position on your own. You will prop up onto your hands and knees for several seconds before dropping to your stomach to crawl. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you master hands & knees crawling.  

Of course, with crawling comes the ability to go where you want and get into what you want. You have been thrilled with your new discoveries. Favorites include the fireplace screen and floor lamp, which you have figured out how to turn on/off, and the desk chair - you love pushing it back and forth. You also like to pull up the corners of rugs - just to make sure nothing fun is hiding underneath. At first, you stayed within a relatively small square radius, but you are branching out now. The other day, you managed to circumnavigate the couch to surprise me in the kitchen while I was cleaning up after breakfast. You've also started trying to climb a few things - the jumperoo pole, living room side table or me. Good thing baby-proofing is scheduled for later this week!

Last, but not least in the new-this-month bucket, your first tooth! Showing up just in time to be included in this updated, it literally popped through overnight on your 8-month birthday. Your gums have been swollen for a couple of weeks now (at first, I thought your virus symptoms were all due to teething, but nope, you were really sick), but things really ramped up on Friday. It was like someone turned on your drool faucet. By that night, you had a fever and were downright miserable. Saturday and Sunday were pretty cranky (although you somehow managed to behave perfectly fine for the babysitter and church nursery workers....clearly you saved all your crank for us), and sleep was up and down, but we survived. One tooth down, the other close behind....and then a whole lot more after that. Lord have mercy. 

In sleep news, we just transitioned from 3 to 2 naps. It caused a few hiccups as we figured things out, but it was a largely painless process. Teething or illness aside, you now take two good 1.5-2 hour naps. Bedtime is still 7:00-7:15 p.m. You've pushed your morning feeding back to 5-6 a.m. I'd rather not start my day that early so luckily, once you've had a quick snack, you will go back to sleep until 7 or 8. A few times you have slept all the way through from 7pm-7:30am, and I know you'll eventually do it consistently. You are a great napper, and generally go to sleep without any fuss or fanfare so I'm perfectly content with our current arrangement. Word on the playground from other moms is that it could be so much worse! 

This month we started Kindermusik classes. We go weekly on Friday mornings. You like song time at the library, but you LOVE kindermusik. It helps that they offer you fun instruments, scarves, and toys. When the teacher pulled out a parachute that was used to play a game during one song, you practically toppled over with glee. It was a huge public display of emotion for you. Based on your enjoyment factor, I think there will be many more Kindermusik classes in your future.

You have really taken off in regards to eating solids. Somedays you are more interested than others, but I'm amazed at how many times you've cleaned your plate. One day, when it was all gone, you just started licking your plate. Avacado was a big hit this month. You also like pears and chicken. I'll hand you a whole drumstick and you just nibble away until all the meat is gone. You insist on doing everything by yourself, and oddly enough, usually with just one hand. If I try to feed you with a spoon, you will demand to hold the spoon. I have to load it for you, let you navigate it into your mouth, and then quickly reclaim the spoon before it gets thrown overboard. Every now and then you'll make a face like you aren't enjoying something (greek yogurt comes to mind), but then you always just go right back for more.

We have been working on using a sippy cup, but with far less success. You have been more interested in chewing the handles than actually drinking from the cup. Of course, you'll readily drink dirty bath water from the cup I use to wash you hair, and you were lapping up stanky public pool water last week when we went swimming, but fresh, clean, filtered water from your sippy? Forget about it.

You continue to be fascinated by the world around you. It's so amusing to watch a tiny human try to understand things. I can imagine the world is very confusing to you - I'm afraid that feeling never fully goes away. You were fascinated by the groceries moving down the conveyor belt the other day. In fact, you are pretty much fascinated by all things at the grocery store or Target. You love riding in the cart darting your head all around. I can tell it's *almost* more than you can handle.

You make friends wherever we go. It might be the mouth-open-head-turned-sideways-furrowed-brow look that draws people in. Or perhaps it's the way you intently stare people down - never smiling, of course. I also think your red hair attracts admirers. I never tire of people telling me how adorable you are. I know I'm completely biased, but I believe everything strangers tell me. :)

You have started to show a lot of interest in figuring out your toys - taking the balls in and out of the basket, stacking rings, pulling the lever on your car, etc. You've never really been into mirrors, but they became a lot more interesting (and confusing!) when you realized you could touch them. Books are big fun these days - especially when Dad makes funny voices and sounds. Armpit tickles, belly raspberries and silly games/songs all make you laugh. It's still my most favorite sound.

and off we go

Lord help us....

give me all the ribs, mom

The worst thing about solids is the mess, but the best thing about solids is that it keeps baby occupied. I will not lie, I have definitely used food to keep my baby happy on car rides, at baseball games, in restaurants, etc.

Last night, we tried a new BBQ restaurant. After Charlie had his fill of teething crackers from the diaper bag, I handed him a rib bone. Jon raised an eyebrow, but I assured him the baby-lead weaning bible said it was ok. Charlie confirmed this fact. It was more than ok; he was in heaven. I half expected him to not be able to even hold it, but he happily gnawed on that thing for several minutes - much to the delight of the waitstaff and other patrons who had apparently never seen a baby eat ribs. :)

Hmmmmm, what is this?

Ok, I'll try it.

I think I like it.

Ok, I LOVE it. Can we eat this every day, mom?

seventh months

When we were at Charlie's six month appointment, I told our pediatrician how much fun we were having at that age. She said if we thought that was fun, we were going to be beside ourselves over the next few months. She wasn't lying. I completely underestimated how much fun it is to watch your child have fun.

This past month was full of summer adventures - you've basically splashed your way through July. When it's not too hot, we've enjoyed al fresco dining, a baseball game, stroller walks, swinging, and lots and lots of swimming. You are eating solids, moving as much as possible without actually crawling, and generally just loving baby life right now.

Sleep is back to status quo. You take three naps a day usually without much fuss, and you go to bed easily around 7:15 - often waking up once in the early morning (4:00 am-ish) for a quick snack. I should be desperate for uninterrupted sleep, but call me crazy, I've actually been a little sad the handful of times you've strung together a few nights of no wake-ups. 1) Because it means you wake up at 6 a.m. instead of between 7-8. And 2) because I missed my snuggles. Those early morning feeds are so quiet and peaceful. After nursing, I pick you up, and you wrap your little arms around me and rest your sleepy little head on my shoulder. I like to linger just a minute with you tucked in my arms. You are such a wiggle worm that it's the only time I get to hold you like this, and I know I won't get to do it forever.

We transitioned out of your magic sleep suite - no more nighttime space adventures! You are now in a wearable blanket that allows for more movement. You've taken full advantage by tossing, turning and rolling at will. It's made for some cute monitor spying, but luckily hasn't disrupted your sleep.

You eat supper with us, and you've made so much progress in just one month. So far, the only food you outright rejected was broccoli. You couldn't figure out how to spit it out so you just started angrily rubbing your eyes. Since you don't have teeth or a pincer grasp yet, you can't do much damage with all foods, but you give everything on your plate your best shot. Your favorite foods seem to be the ones you can most easily eat - bananas, peaches, toast with peanut butter, strawberries, and squash. You will take bottles of breastmilk from dad or the babysitter when mom is away. Word on the street is that you insist on holding your own bottle and you take it out and look at it when it's all gone.

You are still a most serious baby. You are so intent on studying every little thing. You scrutinize your toys and fixate on the littlest details. Perhaps your greatest day was when I put the toy bucket in front of you instead of fishing out a few toys for you to play with. You spent several minutes happily sorting through the bin carefully picking out your toys one by one.

You are always trying to figure things out. This is never more true than when we are out of the house, and you are presented with all kinds of new things to explore. Of course, this means you don't have any time to exchange pleasantries with the world at large. You are far too busy taking it all in.

I secretly love that you save most of your smiles and giggles for us at home. Stuffed animal tickle attacks, playing tick tock or peekaboo, or just repeating words and phrases in silly voices - hi, hello, big bertha (inspired by Dad's new work case), and poop (I'll let you guess which parent uses that one) are all favorites to get you laughing. And once you start, you laugh and laugh and laugh some more. The best is when you laugh again while watching a video of yourself laughing. That's not narcissistic at all.

You give us big ol' smiles when we get you up in the morning and after naps. You also love when Daddy gets home and comes over to pick you up. He whisks you upstairs for what he has termed a "pants party," which means a change out of work clothes for him, maybe a diaper change for you, and lots of singing and laughing.

Whenever Sesame Street comes on, you break out into a HUGE smile. You love Grover and Elmo. You love being in the water and splashing. Bath time, your kiddie pool at home or floating around in a big pool - doesn't matter, you love it all. You love your monkey basketball set, and you've learned how to take the balls out of the hoop. Chewing on stuffed animals (shark and mr. penguin especially) and banging toys are favorite activities. Grabbing faces or anything else within reach will do when toys are not present.

You have learned how to scream, usually in delight, but much to the chagrin of my ears. You've made a lot of new sounds this month - "baaaaa," a raspberry sound, and this cute "pfffft" sound like you are scoffing at us. It's only cute because I know you aren't actually sneering at us....right?

But life is not all fun and games. You have started to get upset sometimes when we walk away from you. You stare longingly at the food you've dropped on the floor. [I know, buddy, I get sad when the food is all gone too. I can't imagine how it must feel to know it's all gone because you threw it on the floor. The regret is palpable.] You also threw an absolute fit when you went to the chiropractor with mom. You clearly did not like that strange man adjusting your mom's back and neck. It was actually pretty adorable - my little protector.

It's been an awesome month. Can I hit pause? If so, I would, but then I would be sad about missing all the fun that's coming next...I *almost* can't wait.