8 Months Old!

If you read my other updates on message boards and facebook etc this is all probably old news to you, but I think its needs to make it into my blog as well!

Benjamin is 8 months old!

Mobility: He has been crawling for almost two weeks now! He is pulling up like crazy, he can sit up on his knees without holding onto anything. He has climbed two stairs (and promptly turned around to dive back off them, lucky we watch closely!). He pulls up on the couch (and uses his mouth to help him up?), he pulls up on us, he pulls up on the entertainment center, on the steps, on his toy box. He can stand with one hand on something quite easily. Its crazy!

Food: He continues to eat great for us! He occasionally has an "off" night, but in general is all about the mealtime experience. In the last week or so he has increased the % of food that makes it into his mouth and stomach rather than onto the floor significantly. He really likes meat, we have moved into cutting it into nice big pieces he could mainly chew on into small pieces he can actually gum and eat. He loves strawberries. He likes pancakes and crackers. This evening we tried cottage cheese and plums for the first time and he loved both, especially the cottage cheese. We have tried so many foods I can't even try to list them. If we eat it, he gets to eat it with very few exceptions.

Additionally, the eating has done leaps and bounds for his fine motor skills. He is quite adept now at maneuvering objects, both large and small, into his mouth. He does not have a pincer grip strictly speaking but he has something close enough that he can pick up small objects.

Speech: We have had a veritable explosion of sounds the past week or so. "G" is his new favorite letter. We also hear an occasional B, and a much wider range of vowels, as well as a air rushing noise that I think could turn into "H" eventually

Sleep: Nothing really to report. He started to improve, but the past two nights have been very rough. I am kinda sick of telling people about it because I do not really want advice or pity. It is what it is, and this too shall pass. Tonight is the first night with a noise machine (currently set to rain after wind and ocean failed to do the trick). He is napping better at daycare at least!

Toys: He likes toys that roll, especially if we show him how they roll. He likes books, mostly to chew on, but if you start reading a book he will come over to you and get it. We have made it through 1-2 books recently without him wanting to eat it. These are typically the touch and feel variety. We just got him a Vulli teether (company that does Sophie the Giraffe), and he seems to love it. He loves to pull DVDs off of the entertainment center.

Health: He had a fever over the weekend, but nothing serious. He seems to finally be over the cold that both of us were fighting for most of August, but he still coughs occasionally. He cut his nose with his fingernail but its healing fine. I have given up on guessing when he is teething. It is a running joke between DH and I now that whenever he is fussy or his behavior changes "he must be teething". I have been guessing he was teething since 4m and he still has not cut a single tooth. The biggest health concern at the moment is some increased skin problems, probably eczema. He will go to the doctor later this week to see if there is something we should be doing about it.

Other: He is just a really cheerful baby. In the morning he sleeps in his boppy. When he begins to wake up he whines a little and tries to sit up but his eyes are still closed. I grab his hands and help him into a sitting position. He sits there groggily, maybe flops to the side a bit, looks for his pacifier, and then after 30-60 seconds, gives us a big smile. It is awesome. He likes daycare, he always is scoping out what toys are out or what kids are there when we arrive in the morning now. He likes people in general I would say, watching them in stores, or when we are talking, or whatever. He likes stroller rides. He likes riding in the cart in the store (and watching watching watching!). His eyes are still pretty blue, but greyer than they were when he was born. We love him, a whole lot!