8 Months Old

Photo shoot = Over.  I'm playing now.

I think it is safe to say that we have witnessed the most change in Ben in the last month.  He seems so much more aware of his surroundings and so determined to DO more!

Ben is now crawling.  I am confident when I say this, even though his crawling is not necessary always a straight line from A to B :)  He is almost constantly up on all fours and will see something/someone and go after it - even if that means a few face plants into the carpet, or a few breaks to sit down and reassess his strategy.

He also will routinely pull himself up to stand in his crib.  The other night, while I was taking a bath, Ben "walked" all around the edge of his crib (on the inside) to try to get closer to the bathroom door where he could see me.  Yesterday, he pulled himself up to stand at the ottoman.  Since it is a soft, plush ottoman, he used his mouth to steady himself as he got his hands into position.  Smart!

Naps and bedtime have been a bit of a nightmare over the past couple weeks.  I say "nightmare" fully aware that it could be a LOT worse, however, we both sort of think that Ben is making up for being such a rad sleeper as a newborn.  Maybe it is teething, or maybe it is his newly discovered abilities, but we are averaging 2-3 "wake-ups" throughout the night lately.  Once Ben (finally) falls asleep, it is only a matter of time that he wakes himself up, pushes himself onto hands and knees, sits down, and just cries.  I can tell he is frustrated and tired, but dude won't just give in and lay down.  We Greg attempts the "cry it out" method, but we also will go in and rock him to sleep if it goes on too long.  And then often times, the second we put him down, he wakes up and repeats the cycle.  So, that's fun. 

Ben has 3 teeth, and we can see the other top tooth about to surface.  He looks so different with teeth - and it's crazy to think that only more will come in from here!

Ben is currently wearing 9-12 month clothing.  It amazes me how quickly he is moving through each size.  It makes me want to never buy him anything that I like TOO much, as he will be too big for it before too long.

I bought Ben his first pair of shoes this week, with the intention of him being able to grow into them for awhile.  For now, they are just for show, but the sales guy told me that as he starts to walk (oh man) they have the appropriate soft bottom he will need.  (He is a size 3.5, btw).

In terms of food, Ben is coming along.  He likes oatmeal and most pureed fruits.  He was into peas, too.  He continues to love his mum-mums and other little dried fruit puffs he can feed himself.  It kind of stresses me out when I consider expanding what he is eating.  I don't want to give him the wrong foods, so I basically give him the same things each day.  It is going to really stress me out when he is no longer nursing, because at least I know that right now, what he consumes is 100% nutritious.  Callie volunteered (or perhaps I volunteered her?) to start trying different foods that she is feeding the girls on the days that Ben is with her (8-month old appropriate foods, that is).  I am eager to hear how that goes.  (Man I sound like a lazy mom)!

Ben loves when we repetitively surprise him.  He laughs every time and will continue to look at us (and squeal) for more! 

So many of his behaviors just seem "boy-like".  He still loves to bang toys together, move toys back and forth across the floor (to me, it seems like he is "driving" them like cars), and knock over the towers I make with his stacking cups.

Finally, and this is probably my favorite thing ever, the look on Ben's face when Greg walks in the door after work is indescribable.  His mouth opens WIDE and he just stares at him with the happiest face.  No matter what kind of day he has had, this moment will cheer Greg up in an instant.

Love you Benny-boo!