Eight Months Old

So, eight months old and cruising! In the past couple of weeks you have started to move really quick and in the past couple of days you have become an expert at pulling yourself to a stand using anything as a crutch: a chair, an upside down laundry basket, kitchen drawers, or even the cat if he will sit still long enough. This is a far cry from your attempts to stand last week: you would crawl to the edge of the coffee table, clamp your hands on to the edge and muscle your way to standing - shaking and grunting the whole time - or collapse half way through and be hanging Superman style from the edge of the table. Now you just pop right up!

You want to eat everything we are eating - and always surprise us when we feed you something we think you won't like (like salmon or broccoli) and you come back for more and more. It appears you will not be a fussy eater unless we try to feed you proper baby food. When I feed you finger food like Cheerios and pieces of cheese you snap them up and cram them into your mouth as fast as you can now so I can only give you a few at a time.

We went to see Dr. Shoichet this week for your "six month well-baby visit" a couple of months late...whoops...but the doctor said you didn't even really need to come in for a visit because you are doing so well. He was glad that we came though and spent most of the appointment blowing raspberries on your belly and making you laugh! You are 28.5 inches tall and weigh 23 lbs. and 5 oz. What a big boy!

You look almost as big as your Auntie Tracy! You become more vocal everyday - especially to express your dislikes and frustrations. Every time you scowl at something me and your dad laugh at how serious you are and think that it is awesome that you know how to be grumpy - you look cute even when you are miserable - which is not very often.

It has become very entertaining to take you places because you are so excited by everything you see now. Grocery shopping, the park, the bottle depot or visiting Uncle Andrew with Grandpa Chris at the fire hall like the picture above. When we are somewhere new you concentrate very hard on taking in your surroundings - you want to touch everything - and when you get a hold of something your grip becomes vice-like and you twist it around to see it from all angles...and then have a taste.

Your favorite snack right now is "kitty". I'm not sure why Oscar still comes close to you - I imagine it is because he is attention starved and he will take whatever he can get. You are so rough with him... your little fists clamp on to him and you use him to balance so you can stand up or you dive on him and pin him like a pro-wrestler. He is a glutton for punishment and your favourite thing in the world right now. The dog is wise and keeps his distance except for stealth like maneuvers to gobble up soggy discarded finger food - to him you are a snack dispenser and he will only make contact to clean your face. I'm sure you'll be friends once you are less grabby.

You are the highlight of every day. You throw up on me every day. You are full of charm and humour. You make me crazy sometimes (when you squirm and squirm and whine and kick when I try to change your clothes on the change table - but I don't let you know it). You are unbelievably cute and squeezable and BUSY. I love you and you have made your Dad and me so happy (especially since you sleep all night now). I want you to know that after we sigh with relief having put you to bed at the end of a long day, your Daddy and I spend the next ten minutes talking about how smart, silly, and wonderful you are.

Love always,

Mama