Official 8 Month Photo:
Physical Development:
Weight: 15 1/2 ish lbs (relying on our not-so-accurate bathroom scale here)
Height: Bad mama - didn't get one this month! We'll remedy that at 9 mths.
So, Google informs me that not all babies feel compelled to ever learn a "proper" crawl. Our guy might be one of them, as at 8(+) months (and over a month in), he's still doing the army variant. Though he's certainly mastered this approach, as he can tear around like nobody's business. And, lemme tell ya, it's an effective litmus test for determining when it's time to clean the floor. *nods*
He's getting a preliminary handle on stairs. He can now climb onto the upstairs landing by himself, and can climb multiple stairs with assistance (and an incentive - like one of S' small, chokable toys which he never does end up getting, of course. Curses!!).
Although he can now (finally) sit unassisted, he definitely prefers being on his tummy, hands & knees or on his feet. He's not quite pulling up on things himself, but when placed on his feet with an interesting activity (e.g. his beepy flashy activity table) he'll stay there supporting himself for a good several minutes.
He's currently fond of doing this amusing full-body wiggle thing when picked up that I call his "dolphin kick". And then there's its grumpy cousin, the back arch, which likes to surface during changes or when we try to restrain him somewhere when he wants to be getting into sh!t....
....which is pretty much all the time. Everything's interesting to him now - doorstops, grates, step stools, carpet specks and, yes, dresser door knobs. Aaaand, of course, he's fully entrenched in the dropping-toys-off-highchair-for-funsies phase. Why doesn't more kids' stuff come with suction cups, darn it?
He's doing some serious bouncing in the jumperoo these days. We're talking whiplash potential. But - so far he seems to be weathering things OK!
He's also loving our trips to the playground! He's utterly fascinated by the pebbles (though, strangely, hasn't shown an interest in putting them in his mouth) and giggles profusely on the bucket swing. Though he was a little less sure of this variant!
And while he can't quite climb all the cool contraptions, he certainly digs chilling out on them.
In terms of fine motor stuffs, we've been encouraging his pincer grip with little bits of food on his tray, but he's not quite there yet and usually ends up sucking on his whole hand and/or swiping the morsels onto the floor. Practice makes perfect!
Oh almost forgot! First tooth popped at just over 7 1/2 months - his bottom right central incisor. No sign of the left one yet.
Cognitive, Social & Emotional Development:
Hard to tell what exactly's going through that little head, but CJ's definitely focusing on items more intently and for longer periods of time these days! (Usually coupled with various ways of physically manipulating said items, as alluded to above.)
His babbling's beginning to have some meaning. For example, nananana or mamama tends to come out when he's peeved and/or hungry. Dada is a favourite when he's happy, and I have to admit, there does seem to be a correlation between its use and the proximity of his own Dada. Finally, he has started doing this awesome battle cry thing when he gets excited - usually when big sis is around to spur him on!
Overall, still a happy li'l camper - but when he's less than thrilled with a situation, he'll let you know. :)
Sleep:
Night sleep continues to be 8-9 PM to 7-8 AM with one feed in the 4-6 AM range. Naps *were* going well, but we've been having some recent troubles with his afternoon nap. I'm going to try the "2-3-4" advice (keep him up a little longer after his first nap) and see how that goes.
Food:
By month's end, we started introducing chunkier purees, finger food samples, new items like lentils and egg, and, in some cases, small amounts of what the rest of us were eating (e.g. he had a few bites of sausage quinoa veggie soup the other day). I must say, little d00d's a champion eater - just like his sister! (Well like she *was* at least. She's been much picker as of late, which is hopefully just a phase - but I digress!) He eagerly slurps up just about anything we serve, and lots of it! Correspondly, he's nursing a bit less now - down to about 5-6 times per day. His heartiest and longest session is definitely the early morning one, with others tending to be "snackier" (and often more distracted too. He's prone to popping off and grinning milkily at me, which is adorable, but gets a bit old when he's done it for the 14th time during a single session!)
He's had a wide variety of foods by now so we're not as concerned with potential allergies, though we are going to hold off on the "biggies" (namely strawberries and peanuts) until 1 year.
Aaaand saving the best for last - the 8 Month Highlights Reel!
It's lovely to see him growing and developing :) It brings back fond memories of my little guy (and no so fond ones of the on-off-on-off nursing stuff!)
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