Friday, November 29, 2013

8 Months





I'm 8 months old! 

... and I'm mobile! Beginning of this month, I started to "inch-worm" around with great speed. I quickly learned to move my knees, but it took a while to master the hand/knee coordination of the crawl just yet, so crawling went kind of like this: up on all fours, move knees, fall forward, up on all fours, move knees, fall forward, repeat. Then, at about 7 3/4 months, I started going further and further without my belly touching the ground! I got better and better at the hand/knee coordination too, and now I'm super fast!

This month was a big month for TEETHING. I have two bottom teeth but you can never see them because I put my tongue over them.  I had lots of really fussy days, and a few flat-out MISERABLE/crying days. I woke up a LOT after going to bed (for several nights in a row), crying from teething pain.

Also this month, I had two terrible puking episodes. Both were after sweet potatoes, and although I've had sweet potatoes before, these were from the same batch. They weren't organic and I don't know how much Mommy scrubbed them. Going forward, all potatoes will be organic AND scrubbed in a water/vinegar solution.

Lastly, this month marked the first time I was away from Mommy for multiple days. Mommy had to go to Terre Haute, Indiana for work for 2.5 days. I was ok, but Mommy was a wreck. She learned very quickly that the pump does NOT expel all the milk like I do nursing. Normally this is not a problem because Mommy pumps only at work and I nurse at night. But for 2.5 days... AND Mommy only was able to pump a few times a day because she was so busy... it was a disaster. When she came home, I proably gulped down 20 oz in a sitting. NO MORE TRAVEL FOR MOMMY!



Weight: 19.8 lbs (scale guestimate)

Clothing Size: Still 12 months in Carter's one-piece clothing and GAP 6-12 months separates.

Diaper Size: Size 4

Feeding: Cheerios!  I love the pick up the cheerios one at a time in my pincher fingers.  I get so excited for every single cheerios!

Other than cheerios, I eat a variety of blended fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, corn, squash, prunes, carrots, etc. Pears and mangoes are still a top favorite. I still enjoy cut up fruit in my Kidsme Food Feeder, but cheerios have replaced the feeder as my snacking. I nurse when Mommy is home and take a bottle/sippy cup when she's not. Mommy and Daddy still haven't removed all bottles (they are so convenient for pumping and storing), but I do get a sippy cup at least every few days so they know I'm willing to take it.

My routine: (same as last month)
 
6:30am: Nurse in bed (left side)
7:15am: Nurse (right side)
8:30am: 2-3 oz solids
9:30am: 4 oz bottle
Noon: 5 oz bottle (or nurse if Mommy has class that night)
Mid-afternoon: 2-4 oz solids
3:00pm: 4 oz bottle
5:00pm: Nurse when mommy gets home from work (both sides) (or 3 oz bottle if Mommy has class)
5:30pm: 2-3 oz solids
7:00pm Bedtime: Nurse(both sides) (or 5 oz bottle if Mommy has class)

Weekend: Just as before, the schedule goes out the window and Mommy nurses me whenever.

Sleep:
I generally slept 7pm-6:30am, but this was a ROUGH month with teething. Lots of tylenol before bedtime.

In fact, one night in particular marked my worst night of sleep since being brought home from the hospital! I went to bed at 7pm, woke up screaming at 8:30, demanding only boobs, didn't go back to sleep until 11pm, slept half an hour, woke up again, and then only slept 4 hours after, then slept off-and-on with screaming/nursing until 7pm. UGH!

There were also a lot of rough naps, some with tylenol, but oddly enough the worst nights didn't coordinate with the worst nap days.  I had orajel once, but even a little bit was so numbing that I had trouble taking the bottle so the Orajel got tossed. Then I had Hyland's Teething Tablets which did much better (and is safer than Orajel).

Also, Mommy and Daddy packed away the swing after I disassembled the little awning on the back while strapped into the swing! I nap exclusively in my crib, about twice a day. My naps are usually around an hour to an hour 20 minutes.

Milestones:
I'm CRAWLING!

Loves: My favorite things are toys that aren't toys. Mommy could do an entire istagram collection using hashtag #toysthatarenttoys.
 
  • Nalgene - Mommy's water bottle from college is an absolute favorite



  • Basement Cat Door - (from previous owners). Some day I'll pinch my fingers but until then, well, live and learn. :)



  • Empty Boxes - Diapers boxes. Zappos boxes. Shoe boxes. Brownie boxes.  You name it. It's true what they say - babies love empty boxes!



  • Banging on trays and tables
  • Hair - I now love to wrap Mommy's hair around my fingers while nursing. Sometimes its sweet and sometimes it HURTS.
  • Grocery Store Checkout - The scanning beep of the items is fascinating
  • Attention from anyone - I'm nowhere near "Stranger danger" mode. I reward random strangers with smiles and giggles as long as they smile and interact with me!
  • Any fruit - pears, mango, peaches, blueberries, fruit blends, etc


  • Dislikes:
    • Getting into my Halo sleepsack - I know it's naptime and I DON'T WANNA!
    • Peas - EW EW EW. I make faces, turn my head, and rip off my bib in protest



    8 Month Favorites:
    1. Doorway Jumper - I have finally figured out how to jump in my jumper and I LOVE it! This is perfect for keeping me in one place while Mommy and Daddy shower, get ready, etc.
    2. Lift-the-flap Books - I am FASCINATED by simple life-the-flap books. Ones like "Where Is Baby's Belly Button?" and "Who's Hiding?" are the best.
    3. Seahorse - I love to play with this seahorse as it lights up and sings hymns (many of which Mommy remembers from when her grandmother would play them on the organ at church).
    4. Cheerios - I just love me some cheerios. It takes me so much time to pinch between my fingers and get to my mouth, its hysterical to watch. "Puffs" are all the rage, but Puffs are less healthy (more sugar, less fiber, less protein, less vitamins) and more expensive.
    5. Jogging Stroller - I LOVE jogging with Mommy on Saturday/Sunday mornings! Mommy doesn't have a "real" jogging stroller, but she uses the Graco Trekko , which has a locking front wheel and is extremely easy to push. It's not designed for running, but Mommy doesn't run that fast anyway.
     
     
    Also, this month was IMPOSSIBLE to take 8-month photo shoot. 
     
    Mommy got a lot more pictures like this...
     
     
    And this...
     
     
     
    And this...
     
     
    Than this...
     
     
    But she loves me anyway!  :)