8 Months Old!

Where on earth has the time gone? Mr. Ben is 8 months old today. I really can't believe it and I really can't imagine our family without the little guy!

Here are some highlights:

Vital Statistics
Weight: 17lbs 9oz (20th percentile)
Height: 28 3/4" (75th percentile)

Accomplishments
Moving a moving fool!!! Ben started crawling on 7/15, one day before he was 7 months old. The week before that, he figured out how to push up to a sitting position, though he wasn't very good at sitting yet! It was kind of funny! He would do his little tri-pod/lounge sit, but unfortunately he fell over quite a lot. After he started crawling, he got the sitting figured out. Then, about 2 weeks ago, he started pulling up all of the time and unfortunately falling over all of the time. Last week, he decided to be a little more cautious with the pulling up and he is getting much better. Towards the end of last week, he did his first cruising along the couch. He is very cautious (which I appreciate!) but he can go a good few steps before falling over. I am dreading Ben becoming a walker!!! I don't know how I'm going to chase them both in different directions. With our luck, I'm sure Ben will start walking right before we move into our townhouse! There are definitely worse things, but this will just add to the chaos of the move, I'm sure.

Other random tidbits about Ben
He sits up in a high chair well when we go out to eat. At home he still eats in his Bumbo chair, but the end of that is nearing... If we weren't moving so soon, we would have switched him to the high chair by now.



He is a great eater. He still nurses many times each day but eats lunch and dinner with the family. He likes baby fruit and veggies and is starting to eat more finger foods each day. Of course he loves puffs and cheerios. Last week, the pediatrician encouraged us to be more "creative" with Ben's finger foods, so we have tried bananas, peaches, watermelon, and peas, all of which have been received very well by Ben! Please feel free to contribute more finger food ideas in the comments. I need to get out Owen's baby book for some ideas!

Ben is sleeping great, which I am SOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY to report. You may or may not know, but the little guy was sleeping fantastically until about 3.5 mos, at which time he started getting up every two hours. This lasted for 3 months until we finally moved Ben out of our bedroom and into his new bedroom: the hallway! Poor second child, sleeping in the hallway. Since his first night in the hallway, he has slept great! And, he is so much happier! It is amazing what a change it has made in his personality!

He also LOVES the water. He is a little froggy in the pool and the bath tub! I can't wait until I can put the boys in the tub together... I think we're getting close!

Ben continues to become more interactive each day. He is very smiley and giggly. He talks all of the time. He says ma-ma and bbbb. He waves his arms when he gets excited. He loves to play with toys. We can't wait until we get all moved so we can get out all of our baby toys for him to check out! Also, he might either do the baby sign for milk or wave. We're not quite sure which it is supposed to be, but at about 7.5 mos he started doing one or the other (or maybe it's both!)

Owen continues to be a fantastic big brother, though we have noticed a little sibling rivalry since Ben started moving. Owen is coping well, but I don't know how many times each day I have to remind him to play with his toys that he doesn't want Ben to share up on the table. Owen is Ben's favorite, without a doubt! It is so sweet!