8 Months Old!

In just 4 short months, Cael will be celebrating his first birthday. You have no idea how upset that makes me. This means that he is now 8 months old. The last 8 months have flown by - or at least it feels like they did. I feel like I have so much to write about regarding Cael, that I'm going to break everything down into groups.

Mobility 
Cael is becoming much faster at crawling. And he's realized that by crawling, he can go where he wants, when he wants. For instance, if I walk into another room, or across the room, he figured out that he can follow me if he crawls. Of course, lately, he'll cry while crawling because I'm not holding him, and he's desperate for me to pick him up.

He can also easily pull himself up on anything and everything - couches, toys, chairs, and even his Pack n' Play. He's still pulling himself up by pushing off both feet at the same time - as opposed to putting one foot forward and pushing up with that foot. He'll roll his ankles inward at the same time in order to stand. It looks very uncomfortable, actually, and I'm surprised he is able to do it that way. He's been standing up like that for weeks now, so I attribute it to his ankles not being quite strong enough to support the weight of him standing.

He has started doing one new thing, though. He can now put himself into a sitting position. Whether he's crawling or laying on his belly, he's able to get himself sitting up. So now, I consider him very mobile. I figured it was only a matter of time before he started doing this. His balance is MUCH better. He's less wobbly while sitting, and also less wobbly while standing. In addition, because his balance is better, he can also bend over while standing. He's figured out how to get from a standing position, down to the floor. He usually bends over and reaches for the floor while holding onto whatever, and then he lets go and lands on his butt. He's become very good at doing this, and I'm less nervous watching him do it. I barely flinch when I see him doing it.

Food/Eating

Cael has figured out how to "chew" his food. He's not doing much chewing, since he has only 2 teeth, and they're not even fully out yet, but he's got the motions down. If he gets a puff, cheerio or chunks of food, he'll gum/chew it, and move it all around his mouth. It makes me feel a little better about him eating chunkier foods, because he knows he has to move it around his mouth, and chew it before he tries to swallow it.

This past week, we tried giving Cael pieces of chicken. I cut them up small, a little smaller than pea-sized, and put them on his tray. He's now fully capable of feeding himself, so anything we put on his tray in front of him is game. If it's something he really enjoys, like puffs, he'll ravenously grab them and shove them in his mouth. There's no doubt he's got that motor skill down!

So as of now, the list of food that Cael has had includes: peas, carrots, sweet potato, potato, zucchini, pear, apple, mango, avocado, butternut squash, plums, prunes (HATED), bananas, watermelon, puffs, cheerios, chicken, asparagus (only small pieces), cous-cous, pasta, yogurt, and egg yolk. There's still so much more that I want to try. I have broccoli already made, and I have a cantaloupe that I'm waiting to get ripe. I also can't wait to try beans and spinach.

Sleep

I think we've finally figured out a sleep schedule that works for Cael. He's been consistently going to bed around 8pm, and waking between 4:30am-5am to eat. During the day, he'll take 2 naps, and we're still following the 2-3-4 nap schedule. It's been working wonderfully, and I look forward to his nap times during the day so I can get things done, shower, and/or have "me time". It's also nice having him in bed kind of early, because then Matt and I have time with each other. His bed time used to be 9pm, and then we'd have only a half hour together to converse, watch tv, etc. It's much better with Cael having an earlier bed time.

Personality
I think he's going to be a goofy kid. He's very into everything around him, and any noise, flash of light or movement distracts him, and he has to investigate it. Especially while nursing. I've taken to nursing at night in the bedroom as to limit the distractions. He screeches with excitement while he's playing, and has started actually playing with his toys. He enjoys pushing his trucks around, and banging everything to make noise. Then he'll look up at you with this smile, where his lower lip is sucked in, and give a little giggle. He'll suck on his pacifier backwards, and crawl around with it like that as if it's normal. I'm really enjoying seeing his personality starting to come out.