We now have an EIGHT month old!

I have had this blog saved as a "draft" for weeks because I haven't had a chance to post the pictures to go along. Total failure on my part because now gunner will be NINE months in a few short days! Luckily I did write this & take the pictures weeks ago.. but it's been a little hectic and I haven't had a chance to click that little orange "submit" button until now. (totally going to work on this I promise)

Anywho - Here is your EIGHT month blog little one<3

My little boy Gunner. You are growing into QUITE the little man these days.

As you can see - it is getting harder to take these photos just because you are ALWAYS on the move. I literally chased you around the house for a good 20 minutes before I could just get one of you sitting down in your cut "8 month" tie.

 

- you are extremely vocal now. all day and all night you are yelling, laughing & talking up a STORM! even when we put you down for bed I hear you talking to your toys until you fall asleep. I absolutely love it. now our house is (literally) filled with the sounds of your voice and there's nothing sweeter.

 

- you are crazy fast now! I can barely catch up with you these days because you are just all over the place crawling as fast as you can. you can even catch up to grizzly sometimes!

 

- you are trying desperately hard to stand. you can pull yourself up against the couches and your little play table and all day long you try to stand on your own but you're not quite there yet. you are very close though.

 

- you love your new independence and being able to do what you want now. you love nothing more than playing with your toys and dragging them around the house with you. you just go back and forth all day long and are standing up or crawling everywhere you can! it's so fun to watch you - it seriously still blows my mind though.

 

- you are quite the little eater these days! you are either going through a growth spurt or you have finally just taken over your mommy's genes for my LOVE of food. either way - it makes me so happy to see you eating so much all the time. I'm sure you pediatrician will be happy to see you have gained some weight at your next checkup. no more underweight babies for us ;)

 

- speaking of food: you are now onto level 3 foods! it definitely pays off having so many teeth so young because you can enjoy all the yummy new foods that level 3 has to offer you!

so far you love: all fruits, alone or mixed with other fruits, anything with oatmeal, cinnamon, or ceral mixed into it you will pretty much devour. your favorite dinners are (level 2) mac & cheese, chicken & rice, & turkey & veggies. you can't eat level 3 dinners yet just because the pieces of meat are too big.. 

you HATE: veggies alone (I'm working on that now) you'll have veggies mixed with things, but not straight veggies. you hate beef anything and any "soup". chicken noodle soup got spit out on dad a few weeks ago - so at least you're very vocal with your food choices as well. lol.

 

- you have now progressed into your big boy bottles. we've packed up most the small 4 oz dr brown bottles for your sister - and you have advanced into the 8 oz bottles because you can drink about 6-8 ounces in one sitting now, and that mixed with your baby food - you have become a great sleeper!

 

- you're on a great sleep schedule now and we could NOT be more thankful for that. you take 2 naps a day and go to bed around 10 and wake up around 8-9. you sometimes wake up for a bottle during the night, but fall right back asleep till morning. as sad as I was to not have you in our bed or not have to rock you to sleep during the night - I feel like a whole new person getting 6-7 hours of sleep straight (that's if your sister allows it).

 

- you are now into all your six month clothes! they are still a little big (you're pretty petite) but you can wear them! and you're slowly losing more and more of your 3 month clothes. but i have YET to get rid or give away a single article of clothing. I just can't let them go yet.

 

- we introduced juices to you this month! you love apple and pear the most (watered down) but nothing comes close to your formula and water.

 

- with your independence, comes the downside that now you are not a fan of your carseat for long periods of time. you get pretty fussy if you have to be in there for a long time so we are shortening our long car trips more and more just because you are not a fan of being cooped up in the carseat (i can't blame ya!)

 

- you sit in high chairs now at restaraunts! they are still HUGE for you, but i tuck in the blankets around you and bring your baby food to keep you occupied when we go out to eat. (which is also becoming less frequent right now just because you get real stir-crazy after awhile. but that's fine because as soon as we get back home you are as happy as a clam being with all your toys and crawling around the house playing.

That quality time is always really special to me too :)

 

- you have a new found love for your pack & play (thank goodness) it has become a life savor for us when we need to clean the house real fast or get ready to leave - as long as you can see us - you are fine playing in there with your toys or (most the time) you just stand up and talk to us the whole time while you're in there.

my most favorite thing is when I pull it to the bathroom and you talk to me the whole time I get ready for work or to go somewhere. it's adorable.

 

- you are still a daddys boy through & through. but you've started becoming VERY cuddly with mommy. you crawl to me JUST to sit on my lap and lay down with me, or when your sleepy or upset you crawl to me just to cuddle up next to me. I wish those moments would last forever.

 

- last but not least, you have found your thumb! you started sucking it randomly the other day and now when you're sad you just start sucking away. you don't do it too much though and it's really not a problem just because you're learning how to self sooth.  you also have a couple MORE teeth (unreal, right?) coming in, so i think it's just helping your gums feel better to chew on your little thumb.

------------------

 

 

Well buddy. in a couple short weeks we are having your NINE month photos taken and then after that your NINE month checkup. I think that next month I'll have to start planning your birthday. As fast as time is going by, I really can't complain just because every day you are growing into your own little person and everyday you learn something new. And there's never been anything more special than watching you grow more each day. I can't wait to see what I have for updates next month.

 

Love always, mom.