8 Months Old!

Gosh, you're becoming such a big boy, AJ! At eight months old, you're now:

- Trying so very hard to crawl! You can move backward, but we think you'll figure it out soon!

- Expressing very clear frustration at having something taken away from you! You sure do know how to get your point across!

- Reaching for us to pick you up. I love when you do this, especially when it's right after you wake up and you seem extra happy to see me. You even do it - one-armed - when you're on your hands and knees!

- In twelve month clothing almost exclusively. What?! I can't even begin to wrap my mind around that...

- You've had turkey, cranberry sauce, and peas.

- Your bottom left tooth broke through today! We can't see it yet, but we can sure feel it! I do hope you'll be nice to your mama while you're nursing...

- In two days you'll have been in cloth diapers for one month. It seemed a little daunting before we started, but now we love it. It's amazing how easy cloth diapering is!

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of anything else. We should know how much you weigh on Monday when you go in for your second flu shot; I'm betting you're about 20 pounds!

Happy Eight Months, sweet boy. Please slow down and stop growing up so fast!

7 - SEVEN! - Months Old

You are seven months old today. How is this possible, Mister Man?

Here's what you are up to:

- As of yesterday, you are 26-3/4 inches long and weigh 19 pounds 5 ounces.

- You've begun lunging forward from sitting onto your hands and knees. Maybe you'll be mobile sooner than we thought!

- In the last couple of days you've started pulling yourself to standing, mostly when you're sitting next to either Daddy or me.

- You've already outgrown a nine month outfit! Slow down, dude!

- You blow raspberries all of the time now, and it never fails to crack Daddy and me up.

- You had a couple of terrible nursing days this past weekend. Daddy and I thought that your bottom teeth might be trying to come through, but yesterday the doctor said she thought it might still be awhile.

- Speaking of nursing, you're incredibly distractable these days. I try hard not to conversate while you're nursing, but now that you nurse for longer periods again, it can be a challenge. Also, you make it very clear when you've had enough, arching your back and turning your head.

- You've gotten pretty good at feeding yourself with a spoon. We're taking it slow with solids, but so far you've had sweet potato, banana, peach, butternut squash, strawberry, blueberry, watermelon, and carrot.

- You also really enjoy drinking out of a cup, particularly if it has ice water in it. (In a pinch, shower water will do just fine.)

That's all I can think of for now, Bub. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, though. In any case, your daddy and I can't believe how quickly you're growing and how very much we love you. You are the sunshine in our every day, sweet boy. Happy seven months!

Carrots and Storytime

Tonight at dinner, AJ tried jarred carrots for the first time. He's getting really good at handling a preloaded spoon! Of course, he still makes a mess, but he gets that spoon in his mouth every time. He really seemed to enjoy them, don't you think?











After a shower with Daddy, it was time for pjs and a story. Someone was just beside himself about not getting to hold the book!





Finally, time for bed... Goodnight, sweet boy!

Florida Adventure

AJ and I were invited to drive to southern Florida with our wonderful friend and her two girls. Luckily for the grownups, the sixteen hour drive with three kiddos under three wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Of course, the driving was the hard part. Once we got there, it was all about the fun! Sea World (which we got downpoured out of!), swimming, playing, and relaxing were what the week was about. AJ got to try a few new foods while we were there, too: strawberry (a huge hit!), blueberry (quite the opposite), and watermelon (a close second!).

Thank goodness for babywearing!

First bite of watermelon:

My poor little monkey was exhausted by the time we left!

Time for another nap!

Ready for a big boy bath!

Happy Halloween!

Well, our Halloween picture taking was almost a giant fail. Fortunately, AJ was still awake and pretty happy when we got home from trick or treating around his cousins' neighborhood. So, we've got one "during" shot (boy does this kid like to eat stuff off the ground!):


And a few "afters":






Happy Halloween!