nathan james: 8 months

It amazes me how quickly these little babies change right before our eyes!  Trying to take our monthly pictures quickly showed us how much Nathan is "on the move".  Usually I take them alone, but this time I definitely needed Daniel's hand because our little bug wanted to climb, yes climb, all over the chair and attempt to jump off.  

Growing// Nathan is right around 22 pounds, and I think he went through a growth spurt this month because all of a sudden he seems so much bigger to me.  I remember thinking how long it would be until I could throw him up on my hip and walk around because his body was so loose.  Now he fits perfectly on my hip, and loves to hold.  He also cut his first tooth on the bottom!  

Development was huge this month.  Nathan is doing his own variation of crawling, which includes lots of upward dogs and pushing off the floors with his belly to go forward.  I think that rolling is his favorite way to get where he wants to go.  He also is easily moving from sitting to crawling without face planting.  I caught him in the bathtub the other night trying to climb!  Yikes!  A ducky was up on the ledge, and he was so close at getting his leg underneath him to help him reach it.  I about died.  Nathan loves to clap, and he is very close at waving.  Right now it's more like an arm flap, but it's super adorable.  He's also noticing when mama is around and wants to be held more often, so he puts his hands out to be picked up.  I think I'm going to be an enabler parent.  Oh dear!  

Eating & Sleeping// We don't have a picky eater on our hands, which is a huge blessing!  This month we stopped feeding Nathan purees and he is now eating fruits and veggies that are steamed or soft enough while raw.  He wants to feed himself when you're not using a spoon, so eating has become quite messy, which causes me to freak out a tad bit inside.  We tried out oatmeal again and he didn't gag on it like he had previously.  Right now his main diet consists of bananas, avocado, watermelon, sweet potato, apple sauce, zucchini, and carrots.  He's nursing five times a day, and I've surprisingly been able to keep up my supply while working full time.  At nighttime I've noticed my supply is the lowest, which is a newer development, and I'm worried he's not getting enough while causes him to wake up 1-2 times still in the middle of the night.  

This month his sleep was all over the place!  Some nights were great, but a majority of them included lots and lots of screaming in the middle of the night.  At one point I crawled into the crib with him because he just would not fall back asleep.  I'm sure it has to do with his teething, but it has been rough!  His naps are finally become more and more routine, and when he is at home he will sleep for about 45 minutes in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.  Now he goes to a home daycare three days a week, and luckily he's been taking a nice long afternoon nap there as well.  When we are out and about, it's game over.  

Loving// Lately he loves to be held, which has been a bit of a challenge, but I'm learning to soak up this time with him.  He also loves his stroller!  I've noticed in the afternoons he can be a bit fussy, so I'll throw him into the stroller and go for a walk or run.  It works like a charm!  Nathan loves playing peek-a-boo, crawling towards you, taking baths, and having all the attention on him.  His laugh is the cutest thing ever! Nathan loves his daddy and can't get enough of him when he gets thrown way up into the air. 

Loathing// Right now this kid does not like sleeping in his crib, ah!  He will be completely asleep in our arms, and the minute we put him in his crib he wakes up screaming.  I've decided it's okay to rock him to sleep since that's my time with him, but I'm worried bad habits are forming and am not quite sure what to do.  He's also not a fan of getting his face washed off after eating, or when you're taking too long to get his next bit to him.