Toby: 8 Months!

This past month has been BUSY.  Toby is officially mobile and all over the freaking place.  We have baby-proofed like crazy, which entailed putting a lot of stuff away.  Even though we deemed the living room the “safe” room and gated it off, I still re-organized the entire kitchen so we could decide which cabinets really needed to be locked up.  All cleaning supplies are now in the cabinets above our washer/dryer, anything breakable and little enough to be a choking hazard are also away.  So really he’s only allowed on the floor in the kitchen/dining room when we are right there with him instead of roaming all over.  This is actually a good thing now since the dining room entrance is constantly gross from sand and dirt with the snow from outside.  At least I really only have to worry about the living room being super clean!  We also gated his room and are in the process of putting things away in there.  I’m thinking we need to attach the tall wardrobe closet to the wall even though he hasn’t tried to get into it yet.  Sigh, so many things to consider.  Now it’s more up to him and seeing what he gets into.  He loves the lamp in his room but I have no idea how you would proof it so that he can’t pull it over.  We put a cabinet lock on the fireplace but he still likes going over to it to touch the handles and glass doors.  I tell him “No” sternly, and he’ll pull his hand away and look at me, then smile.  Then he will touch the door again and look back at me.  I think we are in trouble!

Classes are going well – he fits in pretty well with the big kids in yoga now and I have to admit, it makes me a little sad!  This past week he was crawling and exploring the room, going over to other parents and kids, using the walls to help himself stand up.  When the instructor took out a basket filled with fake flowers (we use them for a smelling exercise), he went right over to grab one.  I was able to go to his swimming “lesson” this past week and he seems to really like it.  I view from the waiting room while Hubby goes in the pool with him.  I guess the instructors this past week were a little over ambitious with what they wanted the kids to do, but at least Toby’s getting used to the water and being with other people outside the house.  That’s what I think is most important for these early age classes.

Weight: I weighed him with me this morning and got 19 pounds even.  I know that’s not very accurate, but I’m assuming he has to be at least 18 pounds now?

Height: I was going to attempt to measure him but he is refusing to lay on his back.  Guessing around 28 inches?

Medical Issues: Skin has been doing pretty well except for his hands and face.  They are ALWAYS chapped, mostly because he sucks on his hands a lot and also drools all over his chin (and somehow reaches his cheeks).  I try to give him teethers to chew on when I notice him eating his hands but it doesn’t always work.  We just try to layer lotion on a couple times a day and do Vaseline at night to help heal.  Hopefully it gets better when the weather becomes a little warmer.  Other than that he’s good – he hasn’t been sick at all since he was born.  I’ve had two colds and the flu this past winter and he’s caught nothing…knock on wood it stays that way!

Sleep: Still great – goes down by 7:45PM and sleeps straight through until 6:30AMish.  There were a couple nights in the past month where he did wake up suddenly and needed to be held and rocked back to sleep.  Not sure if it was teething or just bad dreams.  Naps in the AM usually for 90 minutes (9AM-10:30AM) and then again in the afternoon for 90 minutes (1:30PM-3PM).  These times definitely aren’t exact and we can be off a half hour some days but for the most part he’s put himself on this schedule.  A few times each week he will only sleep for 45 minutes instead of 90.  Will still fall asleep in the car in the late afternoons if he’s tired enough.  Typically fusses for a couple minutes before falling asleep.  Unfortunately singing the ABC’s don’t have the same calming effect like they used to.  I’ve been considering letting him sleep with a small “lovey” (maybe one of his stuffed animal teethers) as I think he’s old enough now (though I guess the recommendations are still that he sleeps with nothing until a year old).

Clothes/Diapers: Wearing 6-9 months, 6-12 months.  Can still squeeze into a few 6 month pieces (mostly Circo brand from Target, they fit big).  Wearing 3’s for day diapers, 4’s in overnight diapers. 

Diet: Hasn’t had much of an appetite this past month.  Was eating four 7oz bottles plus two solid feedings of 3-4oz each.  Now we’re lucky if we can get him to finish a 6oz bottle and 2oz at a solid feeding.  It’s gotten a little better in the past week but he can still get very distracted during bottle feedings.  Sometimes he will finish 4oz right away and then refuse to drink the rest, so we will stop and take a break, let him play for a half hour and then try to get him to drink the rest of the bottle.  I figure if it’s within an hour of making the bottle, it’s fine this way.  Schedule is typically 7AM bottle (6oz), 8:30AM oatmeal, fruit puree, or yogurt (2-3oz), 11AM bottle (6oz), 3PM bottle (6oz), 5PM veggie or meat puree (3-4oz), 7:15PM bottle (7oz).  This week I’m planning to add in lunch around noon to give a third solid feeding.  And we need to work on adding in finger foods.  I’ve been so hesitant mostly because I’m afraid of the choking factor but since he’s crawling with his belly off the ground, he’s probably ready.  New foods he’s tried in the past month: mango and kiwi (pureed with apples), vanilla yogurt (had blueberry previously), beef (pureed with veggies), macaroni and cheese (pureed with veggies), brown rice (pureed with veggies), cherries, cranberries, tomato puree.

Baby Love Gear: Still loves reading – board books are definitely his favorite toys right now.  Also still enjoys the jumper.  Uses his activity walker and play table on a daily basis.

Milestones/Firsts: Started sitting up in the crib on his own on 1/27 (we caught him on the video monitor and we were like “ohhhh nooooooo.”  Luckily he laid himself back down to sleep after 5 minutes).  He then started to pull himself up from laying to sitting later on that same day in the living room.  Started army crawling long distances on 1/28.  Started crawling on knees with belly off the floor a few days after that.  Started pulling himself up first week of February – can now pull up on the ottoman, stuffed coffee table, couch, walkers and sometimes even the walls if he leans the right way. Caught him standing up in the crib on 2/13.  Started talking more “gibberish” in late January – can’t distinguish any particular consonants yet, though.

Likes: Exploring.  Reading. Crawling over to his toy bin in the living room and pulling stuff out.  Chasing the kitties and attempting to grab their tails.  Playing with kitchen utensils (wooden spoon and spatula, whisk, bowls).  Playing with my necklaces if I wear one (he gently touches them and hasn’t been too rough with pulling yet).  Playing peekaboo – especially when you drape a blanket or burp cloth over his face.  He likes to take it off himself and then hear you say “Peekaboo!”

Dislikes: Sitting in his car seat (I think we will be installing the convertible one this month and officially switching over).  Being put down for naps/sleep.  Getting lotion applied at night and being changed into pj’s.  Can also be picky about sitting in the shopping cart and high chair – would just rather be held sometimes.

Things I don’t want to forget:  I opened up his activity walker from Christmas he hadn’t played with yet – he touched the cow after a few minutes and started crying after it mooed.  At first I wasn’t sure why he was crying but then realized he HATED the cow’s noises.  Luckily that only lasted a few days and now he’s used to it.  How when I read him a story sometimes, he will look up at me to watch me talking and then look back at the page again.  How he started giggling when me and Auntie face-timed a week after she moved out – he definitely recognized her.  How excited he gets in the morning when he hears me open his door.  He’s always sitting up, ready and happy to start the day.  How he will crawl over to me while I’m sitting on the floor and climb up onto my lap.  Or will wait for me to show him my hands so he can use them to pull himself up and “dance”.

So after today’s photoshoot, I quickly realized how my goal of doing these until he’s 2 is not very realistic.  I’ll be lucky lasting until 12 months.  As you can see, we had to give him toys and books to distract him long enough to get a few pictures.  And the picture above pretty much sums up his thoughts towards the whole process.  Frustrated.  No interest in sitting still, he needed to explore NOW!