8 months

The tenth really creeped up on me this month. Where did this 8th month go?

The perfect expression of a child forced to sit still; momentarily

This last month has held a lot of milestones and accomplishments for Cutter (and if we're keeping track - me too I suppose).

At 8 months Cutter is:

- Weighing in at 18.5 pounds
- Measuring 28 inches long
- Wearing 6-9 clothes but they are getting tight, some 9 month outfits
- Wearing size 3 diapers during the day and size 4 at night
- We added green beans, chicken, and prunes to the menu. We are working on adding more foods – for a few weeks he was very picky about his vegetables so I wasn’t able to introduce as much as I would have liked. All in good time. He is eating oatmeal or rice cereal and 2 oz of fruit at breakfast, 3-4 oz of vegetables and protein and 2-3 oz of fruit at lunch, 3-4 oz of vegetables and protein, 2-3 oz of fruits, and oatmeal or rice cereal again for dinner.
- Taking 4 bottles a day
- Working on introducing more finger foods; he really only has eaten puffs and some pieces of cooked fruit and avocado, but he is showing MUCH more interest in "helping" me feed him
- Really babbling and quite loudly, “ba-ba, da-da, ra-ra”
- Working on some more teeth
- Crawling all over the place. In just two days he finally mastered crawling on all fours and has not looked back for a second. He is determined.
- Standing and pulling up on everything – everytime he wakes up from a nap now he is standing in the crib
- Experimenting with walking behind his Dinosaur walker (thank you Poppy and Grandma Susan!)

I was looking over a milestone chart and realized there are quite a few that he has been doing for awhile, but I did not realize they were developmental milestones. He has been passing an object from hand to hand for quite some time, he loves to bang things together, and enjoys putting objects in containers. We’re working on pointing at something and indicating a want with something other than a cry. We still use sign language with him whenever possible for the basics (more, thank you, please, I love you, Mommy, Daddy, etc.).

Firsts this month: First visit to Washington D.C., Cutter has had three family dogs pass away during his short life time, first real swing at the park, watched his first Disney movie (Beauty and the Beast)

This last month has been quick! Each skill he has obtained this month took him no less than one day of experimentation, and the following day he was an expert. It didn’t leave me much time to process all of the changes! He has changed the most this month, without a doubt. He is mobile now – truly mobile – and has begun to jabber consistently and aggressively. He is a typical boy; moving from one thing to the next, making big messes, expressing great joy over construction vehicles, trucks, chainsaws, and the like. His smiles remain my constant joy and simultaneous weakness. He has a great admiration for the men in his life and I am grateful beyond belief for the multiple generations of love that surround him daily.

Video of his latest; Declaring himself King over all and gleefully banging his blocks together - oh to be 8 months again!