It was another big month for James. I think I will be saying this all the way until he is actually walking. Developmentally, James learned how to get himself into a sitting position from lying on the floor, get up on his knees, which then led to him pulling up and standing on some objects all by himself. He did some MAJOR (which translates to lots and lots of sleepless nights) teething this past month. He finally cut through his top two central teeth, at the SAME TIME! Poor guy, no wonder why he was having such a hard time sleeping.
This month also brought out is will. He is no longer the compliant little baby who just goes with the flow and does everything you say. He is still very easy. He is just a lot more vocal now. If you take something away that he wants or was enjoying, he starts to give a little squeal to express his disapproval. He no longer likes to have a hat on his head and will pull it off the second you put it on. He also seems to be scared of certain things now. He does not like loud noises and he can tell when his brother is being too rough, he lets out a little cry and starts to crawl away. If he really wants me, he will crawl through the whole house to find me and come climbing up my leg. This month James discovered the fireplace, which he tries to touch quite often, which led to him learning the word 'no.' He also loves the stairs. He hasn't figured out how to crawl up them yet, but enjoys hanging out on the bottom step on his knees or standing.
James is still the sweet little boy he has always been. His smile lights up the whole room. The way he belly laughs when he is chasing after his brother or his daddy is tickling him with his facial hair is infectious. He really is a mellow baby is just goes with the flow. He enjoys going to the park, being outside, playing in the water, going grocery shopping, and playing with his big brother. It's so hard to believe that he is already 8 months old. I might need to start birthday planning soon! ;)
Eat
Eating has been my biggest struggle with James so far. I knew that he was teething, so I am really hoping that all of our struggles stem from that and that now his teeth have cut through, that he will start to enjoy real food. He was not the biggest fan of purees or being spoon fed. Any time I held a spoon up, he closed his mouth really tight and I felt like I was force feeding him, which was not pleasant. We then moved onto the mesh feeder. He loved it the first night. I put peaches in it and he was smacking his little lips together with pleasure. But, after a few bites, he started having a reaction to the peaches and I had to stop giving them to him. So now he has had some type of reaction to apples and peaches. I have tried other foods in the mesh feeder but he still didn't seem to interested. One night my sister (the pediatric nurse!) gave him a piece of pizza crust to gnaw on and he loved it. He was so angry when we took it away. We thought that he probably just wants to the real deal, so now we are on to Baby Led Weaning (BLW). He has been doing ok with BLW. He actually picks up the food (which is a big step for him). Now that his teeth have cut through, he is definitely putting the food more in his mouth and experimenting. This little boy loves his carbs. His favorite things have been Baby Mum Mum crackers and toasted wheat bread. I gave him watermelon a couple days ago and he was somewhat interested in it. I also bought him a sippy cup and have introduced it to him so that he can explore, play and get used to it. He has not really figured out how to drink out of it yet.
James' main food source and all his calories are still through nursing. He nurses 4 times a day and he has also increased his nighttime feedings to 2 (thumbs down.) Since he was teething, I nursed him more for comfort during the night.
New foods: yellow squash, zucchini, oatmeal, mango, plums, broccoli, wheat spiral noodles, toasted wheat bread, watermelon, mum mums.
Sleep
Sleep this month has been great in terms of naps, bad in terms of nighttime. James still is napping two times a day. He goes down for his first nap around 9:00 and his second nap around 1:30/2:00. His naps are usually anywhere from 30 minutes to 2+ hours. His first nap used to be the longest nap and I was really struggling with an only 30 minute afternoon nap. His afternoon naps have gotten longer! Hallelujah! I love it because they are at the same time as his big brother's nap which equals a little break for mom! Sometimes the afternoon naps are 30 minutes, but most of the time they are 1-2 hours. It is so wonderful. I really cannot stress how nice it is to have a break. His morning nap is usually around 1-2 hours.
Nighttime has been a whole new struggle. With teething, this poor little guy has had some rough nights. He has been waking up at least 2, sometimes 3 times per night. James goes to sleep between 6:30-7:00. He was waking up around midnight every night. And then every 3-4 hours after that. It really started to wear me down, only getting 2-3 hour increments of sleep every night. What was this- the newborn stage all over again? Justin and I had worked out that if James wakes up in the night, I tend to him, and if Zach wakes up or gets up early, Justin tends to him. After a week or two of getting up so many times during the night, I broke down and needed reinforcements, so Justin helped out. James however did not love that because he just wanted to be nursed, so after 30 minutes or so, Justin would end up bringing him to me. Justin actually said that trying to put James back to sleep was like wrestling an angry badger. I am praying that he starts getting back to sleeping better now that his teeth cut through. If he keeps this up, sorry little man, but you may be sleep trained really soon.
Play
It is so fun to see James explore the world around him. And since he is very mobile, it is fun to see what he voluntarily goes to and wants to play with. He really enjoys playing with a lot of his big brother's toys. I'm not sure if it is because it is what his brother is playing with and he wants to join in on the fun or if it is because those toys are actually more appealing than his little rattles. James likes taking the puzzle pieces off of the puzzle, playing peek-a-boo, stacking rings, the train table, cars, crawling over to the dishwasher and taking off the magnets (specifically the snow globe magnet), wrestling and playing 'catch me' with his brother. James likes music and likes hitting the drum or taking the tambourine or other musical instruments out of the drum and playing with them, the xylophone. He likes having some one hold him and dance to music. His little arms and legs kick like crazy! Non-toy items, he is really interested in wires, the lights on the internet box, the stairs and the fireplace.
He really likes to be outside, feeling the grass, watching the leaves blow in the wind. He has started swinging at the park and likes to swing alongside his brother. It will only been a short while before he is actually crawling and going on the playground with his big brother! He also loves water and loves taking baths or going in the little kiddie pool in the backyard.
James is still army crawling all over the place. He gets up on his hand and knees quite often, but just hasn't figured out how to stay up there and move his hands. He will pull himself up to his knees or in a standing position and grab toys out of the toy box. He likes to crawl over to the stairs and hang out. I think he is secretly trying to figure them out and is studying them :) I have started putting small books and toys in his crib. Before he falls asleep and when he wakes up, he plays with them.
Likes: Baby mum mums, being outside, water, swinging, pulling up on the train table and taking apart the tracks, hitting toys on hard surfaces, the stairs, wires, ribbons, wrestling/ chasing after his big brother, magnets.
Dislikes: getting nose wiped, being tired, being left out, teething, getting diaper changed/ changed, getting face wiped off after eating.
Size:
Weight: 20.6 lbs [estimate according to bathroom scale]
Height: 28.5 inches.
Diapers: Size 3
Clothing: Tops- 9/ 12 month, Bottoms- 6-12/ 9 month, Pajamas- 12 month or 9 month onesies.
Nicknames: Little love bug, Jamesy, Jamesy boy, Pumpkin Spiced Latte (daddy), angry badger (from daddy when he's hungry at night and not sleeping), Sweet Pie (nana)
Number of teeth: 4
Milestones:
Sat in shopping cart [8.4.15]
Get to sitting position by himself [8.12.15]
Get up on knees [8.10.15]
Object Permanence
Standing holding onto things [8.27.15]
Third tooth- Top left central incisor [8.29.15]
Fourth tooth- Top right central incisor [8.29.15]
Note from Mom:
My sweet little boy, I just looked through a bunch of pictures of you from when you were born to your first few months with us. It is so amazing how much you have grown in just a few months. You are infinitely made our lives so much greater and full of joy. Even though we have had some rough nights this past month, I keep reminding myself that you will not always be this little, and to cherish the nighttime snuggles. Pretty soon you won't want to snuggle with me, and so I will take what I can get! I love seeing you explore the world and trying to keep up with your brother. He is an active one! I can already get glimpses of what your relationship is going to look like with Zach in the future. You two may not always get along, and may be a little rough with each other, but you sure do like to spend time with each other and can really get each other laughing. James, you are so loved. I thank the Lord everyday for the gift that you are.
Eight Month Pictures:
