Eight months, big boy

Luc Gabriel,

Baby, you are eight months old today. You are changing from an infant to a toddler right before our eyes! What a wonderful age! You are having a blast! With a smart combination of cruising and crawling, you can go anywhere now, all by yourself. It's wonderful to watch you just go, go, go (and follow, follow, follow)!

It's so amazing to watch you navigate your way around a room, touching and feeling and exploring (and tasting) everything. I look at pictures from a few months ago and I'm awestruck at how fast you are growing, and all that you're able to do these days!

You are very confident in your movements now, hardly falling down, and when you do, you are usually able to throw your weight forward and land on your bottom. This has meant fewer head bumps, and thank goodness for that. We were starting to get worried about the number of points you had knocked off your IQ score! Kidding, really.
You are such a little monkey! You are just like your daddy!

You are finally "talking"! It's awesome! You started vocalizing this month, first with your hand in your mouth, kind of working it back and forth to make variations in yayayayayayaya. And you say a lot now. Sometimes even pausing your activity to have a quick conversation with us. And when you are really focused on something, you suck in and blow out your breath through your teeth, making a kind of fast, excited shhheshhheeshhesshhesshheeshh sound.

You still grunt a lot. Especially when you are angry/ bored/ frustrated. Wow, do you ever have a short temper! We're working on teaching you patience. There's still a little bit of screaming. Every so often when you are really excited (sometimes when I arrive to pick you up after work, or when you see daddy come home- which is really cool), or occasionally when you are upset.

And the crying. Oh my, the crying. You now cry sometimes when we leave the room. It's really awful. Especially in the mornings when I head out to pack up the car and leave you in your crib or in your jumper, you can't even see the front door, but when you hear the squeeeeak, you know I'm going outside and you get really upset! You've also figured out how to use crying to communicate with us.

Speaking of communicating, I think you might have used the sign for milk a few times this month, but I can't be sure. I'm still using the sign at almost every feeding, and your face just lights up when you see it.

I am still nursing you and you still prefer breastmilk. And that's okay with me. Sometimes you look at us from your tabletop high chair (especially when I'm on the other end of the spoon) like we're torturing you, holding the milk hostage while we shove a parade of nasty mush in your face. Sometimes it's really not that bad. But honestly, sometimes it is. This month we only introduced a few new foods. Peaches and avocado, and just a few days ago, peas. By far, peaches are your favorite (we mix the peach puree with your rice cereal).

You are a pro with a sippy cup. You know exactly what to do when you see one, grabbing it by the handles and tipping it up (Granny taught you that- how, I have no idea). You seem to enjoy quenching your thirst with water, playing with the spout, and occasionally getting soaked in the process.

You got your very first (and second) tooth this month!! You now have two on the bottom, and boy are they cute. You seem to be aware of them and haven't bitten me while nursing (yet). And so far (knock on wood) you have had a pretty easy time with teething (though I hear the worst is yet to come).

Your social calendar was booked solid this month! You visited Ethan in Philadelphia. You played with Niko twice, including a trip to the zoo on Mother's Day. You went to the playground with Sydney and her cousin Michael and you went out to dinner with Kemper last week.We lowered the mattress in your crib this month, and took down the cosleeper bassinet and made it into a play yard, and just in the nick of time too. I was so afraid I'd wake up and find you on the floor. And you were getting close to being able to climb over the edge (especially of your bassinet). You haven't been sleeping especially well for the last couple of weeks, and that's made for one tired mama some days. I know it's just a phase, probably related to the crawling and cruising, and possibly due in part to teething (and most definitely that you don't sleep as well in the play yard- though I don't know why), but phew... it's rough. You are sleeping very lightly, and when you wake you tend to cry, toss and turn, or actually wake up (which you've never done before). We're still cosleeping, more now than ever, and just waiting for this phase to pass.

This month has brought a new word into our vocabulary: no. I try not to say it too often, instead I like to phrase things in a positive way like Luc, please sit down instead of just plain no (standing in the bathtub/ on the changing table/ while I'm trying to buckle you into your car seat). I also try to explain to you why you shouldn't do these things, standing in the bathtub is dangerous, it's very slippery and I don't want you to fall. But there have been a few times, usually related to putting your mouth on something you shouldn't be (like Kelly's tail- yuck!), that I've had to tell you no. And almost always, it makes you cry. You are such a sensitive little guy.

You just keep getting cuter (a totally non-biased opinion)! Your hair is getting really long! It comes down almost to your eyebrows and curls up at your ears just a little. And you are finally starting to grow some hair in the back. And it makes you look like such a big boy. People are always surprised when we tell them that you're only eight months old.
I am treasuring every day (Wednesdays) that I get to WAH with you. In fact, you really truly crawled for the first time on a Wednesday this month. And it was another Wednesday this month that I discovered your first tooth! It's so hard to be away from you, although I'm thankful that you are able to be with Granny. Yesterday she took you to the beach for the first time (your first time ever)! I am so happy that you will have the opportunity to experience so many neat things this summer (the pool, the beach, the playground), but it makes me sad that I won't be there to share those things with you.

And speaking of crawling, you are now full-fledged crawling, and you are quick! You no longer want to walk around holding onto our hands. No, no. You are much too grown up for that now that you have your very own mode of transport... hands and knees!
You can stand and balance all by yourself now, for a few seconds at a time, and only until you realize you're doing it (then you quickly reach out for a hand hold). And a few times in the last couple of days you've pushed off forward, toward me (or once toward Kelly), not holding onto anything. You usually reach your destination without moving your feet forward, but it's only a matter of time before that big leap becomes your first step. It's coming soon. Let's put that on the calendar for a Wednesday, shall we?
Your relationship with Kelly is even stronger now. She is wonderful with you, letting you climb on her head or crawl over her (while I referee of course). Every once in a while she gets slightly annoyed, usually after she's moved from one spot to another to another with you right on her heels. More often, she wants to play with you, getting down to your level and turning over onto her back so that you can pull up on her fur. Also, when you grab onto her (and kind of try to climb her- it's really funny) she doesn't walk away now. She stands straight and still, like she knows she is supporting you. Sometimes she licks you like you like you were her puppy (she's only allowed to do that right before bathtime), and I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but Kelly has never ever licked anyone, ever, except a little bit when I was pregnant with you. She sure does love you!

And so does your mama, little one. My heart is so full with love for you! This month we celebrated our first official Mother's Day together (last year I was about 5 months pregnant with you), and it was a wonderful feeling. But I'm truly thankful for each and every day.

xoxo,
Mommy