Ben: 8 months

Happy 8 months Benjamin!

If I could sum up this month as a two-word phrase, it would be: Ear Infection? (with a question mark because the whole month we wondered on and off if he had one). Ben started the month off with one, it went away, and then came back with a vengeance after a 2 a.m. trip to the ER. In the middle of the night, Ben wasn't happy doing anything--sitting up, laying down, being held, being rocked, being nursed, being walked around--so I took him in and sure enough it was a double ear infection. We are done with antibiotics now and hopefully we won't be having a three-peat. And speaking of the antibiotics, that lead to a raging diaper rash which was almost worse dealing with than the ear infection itself. With the help of some Tucks (yup-hemorrhoid pads) to wipe him with and some Lotrimin (yup-Athlete's Foot cream), we got it all cleared up. Whew!

Ben is certainly moving around more now! He can go from his belly to his butt, so we had to lower his crib mattress down. He can also crawl backwards. When he attempts a forward crawl, he ends up flopping on his belly. He makes up for it by being able to wiggle and stretch himself forward if the object he wants is close enough. He tries to pull up on couches and other things as well. He is quite strong and surprises me with what he can pull down and drag. When he's taking a bath he tries to climb out of the tub (or climb the walls). Colin's always saying, "How'd Benny get way over there?"

He seeks out the tiniest things to pick up. A tiny rock, a tiny scrap of paper, a tiny seed...whatever. He's got his eagle eye peeled for it and he will try to pick it up! He also likes to pick grass and pull this fuzz stuff off from under the couch. He plays with purpose and deliberation. I don't know quite how to explain it, but, for instance, he'll be playing with the Little People barn and tip it over and put Farmer Jed into the barn, pick up the barn, and notice that oops! Farmer Jed is now on the floor. And then he'll carefully try to put a window/door of the barn over him so as not to smash him.

Benny's personality is starting to show now. He's super sweet and loves to give hugs and slobbery kisses. He loves to play peek a boo with a blanket. He's quick to smile and has an infectious laugh.

He has upgraded from a stroller to the push car when we go for walks. He steers and chillaxes as he takes in the sights. He makes a lot of funny noises with his mouth :)

Ben slept through the night 5 nights in a row a few weeks ago. But now he's back to waking up once during the night, and then again at 5:something in the morning.

Ben loves to eat table food. He's doing really well at picking up those big chunks and eating them. His pincer grasp is getting better too. He can pick up Puffs without a problem now. His newest food loves are toast, blueberries, chicken, cheese, and baked beans. He still loves milk though :)

 

I already know that he'll be cutting teeth this month. The first ones are right under his gums. And maybe this month he'll figure out the forward crawling thing.

And for the record, he weighs 29 lbs 12 oz and has moved to 24 month/2T sized clothes.