Today Isaac turns 8 months old! Like last month, I will give an overview and share some highlights from this past month.
Growth:
Again, not much growth to report. Up until this week, he hadn't gained any pounds or inches. However, a couple of days ago (after swearing he was much heavier to carry around this week), I weighed him and he almost weighs 17 pounds! So he's gained almost 2 pounds this month, but has packed them on recently. He still seems to be at about 27 inches tall, wearing mostly 9 month clothing with some 6 month and some 12 month sizes thrown in there.
Milestones/ Skills mastered:
He finally mastered sitting up on his own this month! He enjoys playing while sitting - no more Bumbo for him!
He's moving more and more. He's on the verge of crawling any day now. He's become what I refer to as quite the scooter this month, where he sort of moves his arms and legs and drags himself across the floor. This past week he did a mini crawl marathon from the middle of the living room floor to the front door (probably 8 feet or so). He enjoys crawling to doorstops (have to watch out because he can disassemble them!) and to any object that fascinates him (like cell phones, wiggling toes, a carpet, or a toy).
He's continuing to add more flavors to his diet. He's still breastfed, but he's also getting a couple of feedings a day of baby food I'm making (I feel very accomplished in this!). He's added some veggies like green beans and sweet peas as well as some fruits like apples this month. He still absolutely LOVES eating. He has yet to reject anything offered to him. But because of that and his sensitive system I have to limit how much he eats. He has some added water with a touch of apple juice with his foods to help him digest, and he has yet to have an allergic reaction to anything (yay!).
Also, baby babble increased this month. Today I sweat he said "mama" - well he did, it just didn't have meaning attached to it. :)
Practicing
We've tried having him sit in the shopping cart seat a couple of times and he does okay for short periods. But boy does he love having a new way of reaching out and exploring the world (literally). For the most part he still chills in his carseat when I'm grocery shopping though.
We've also tried having him sit in a high chair when we go out to restaurants. The first time didn't go so well (probably because he was tired and hadn't mastered sitting up on his own yet). The second time he had mastered sitting and he had a blast in his high chair. So I think it's safe to say he's probably good to go with hanging out in a high chair when we go out...
He's continuing to use the nursery at church... He was doing fine, but now I guess he's still "practicing" being separated from mom and dad and having to play independently in a nursery. He's been to two different church nurseries and two different on post childcare nurseries and lately he just does not have a good track record... The poor guy just wants someone to pay attention to him and play with him, but there tends to be other babies who receive the attention over him. And I have to admit, it breaks my heart every time I pick him up and I find he's crying. Also experiencing frustrations with some places not understanding his no food/ no drink thing... but that's another long story for another time... So let's just say, we're still working on the whole childcare/ nursery thing...
Schedule:
Isaac was fairly predictable this month. Much to my delight he sleeps through the night or wakes once. For the most part he's up around 7am but sometimes it's as early as 6am. He still nurses, hangs out in a little chair he's strapped into while I get ready, then he moves to his swing while I finish getting ready, then we go downstairs and he plays while I eat. He generally takes his first morning nap between 9 and 10am. He then nurses and eats some breakfast, afterwards he plays. His next nap is usually between 12 and 1pm. Then he repeats the same schedule. His last nap of the day is usually between 4 and 5pm. We start bedtime routine around 7:20: books, bath, nursing, and bed. He's still falling asleep around 8pm. We usually spend one of the first awake periods going on a morning jog (he loves the jogging stroller and Opie does so well with us! I really enjoy this time together outside of the house). If we have errands to run, I usually do them in the late afternoon when he's awake the longest. He still loves going out and smiling at people.
New to the nap time routine is watching Praise Baby DVDs beforehand. He will lean back on my lap and suck his fingers and watch for about 10-15 minutes before he really gets sleepy. His sleepy signs are a little harder to catch lately, but as soon as he starts to rub his eyes or turns his body into me or rubs his face against me, I know he's ready.
Favorite activities/toys:
He definitely likes being outside and taking rides in the stroller. This month he went to a playground for the first time and got to try out the baby swing - he loved it! :) He also enjoyed his first Easter egg hunt (actually he was a little unsure of the whole thing once he sat in the grass...).
His past favorite toys really aren't favorites anymore. Sock monkey and his red wubba nub dog haven't seen much action this month...
He's starting to get frustrated with toys if they don't do what they want and he's become very good at trying to disassemble toys. He especially gets frustrated with the toys attached to his jumperoo - he wants to pull them in his mouth and some of them just won't budge! ;)
He still likes his:
Camera, car/steering wheel toy, v-tech sit/stand/walk toy thingy (don't you love how specific my names for the toys are?), his giant stuffed animal Caterpillar, and his jumperoo.
New toys he likes: Ring stacker, balls, baby photo book, this little construction toy set Uncle Matt bought him...
He loves watching Praise Baby DVDs. I mean loves it. He will watch for up to 20 minutes while he sits in my lap and sucks on his fingers. He will even giggle and smile at the various kids or animals on the screen. He's so relaxed and happy while watching - and extra snuggly. :)
And of course, his favorite thing is still his dog brother, Opie. :)
New ways to get baby giggles:
"Throwing" him up in the air (and catching him of course)
When he lays on his back and an object like a blanket looks like it's going to fall on him (he loves this).
Playing peek-a-boo behind the dining room pillar.
Favorite part of this month:
Definitely the times before he goes down for a nap when we watch Praise Baby together. At first it was amazing to me that he'd be so still and calm and just sit with me and relax, then it became completely awesome as it actually become a cuddle time. I love cuddling him and kissing him as he leans back onto me. Sometimes towards the end of Praise Baby time I stand up with him and hold him against my chest while he watches and I sway to the music. Just recently he started leaning his head against my shoulder during this time, which was and is one of the best feelings of my entire life.
My thoughts:
Every month really seems to be getting more and more fun as I watch him explore, learn, and develop and as I interact with him. This month I just kept thinking that he needs to stop growing! He's almost out of the baby stage, and I know I'm going to miss it so! Soon he's going to be crawling, then walking, and before I know he'll be off to college! Hehe but no, it really does go by fast and I just love the stage and size he is now so I am savoring the moments before he goes from my baby boy to my little man. I also can't get over how handsome he is with his long lashes, beautiful deep blue eyes, and his gorgeous smile with those dimples! He melts my heart. I just love him...
This month it's clear that he's become my world. With my "job" being a stay at home mom and Josh being gone so much for training, it's no wonder he's my world... but this month I've started wondering if he's become an idol in my life, something I have to be careful not to let him become, as it was a hard lesson I had to learn with Hailey, doesn't mean I love him any less, just have to remember how God wants me to love him and lead him as his parent. And there is not doubt about it, I love my baby boy with all my heart, and it is my dream to be the best mom for him that I can be.
