Eight Months

In honor of his eight month birthday, Xander decided he wanted lots of together time. So he was up every three hours through the night. He chose 5 a.m. as the perfect time for us to get up for the day. Once I put my glasses on I could see why: the boy had the runniest nose. Ever.

There is something rather sad (and, truthfully, quite amazing) about such a tiny nose producing such a prolific amount of snot. He clearly didn't feel good. Which means he wants to cling. Which is okay, except for I did something painful to my back and it's at times difficult to stand.

So I'd occasionally have to put him down, and he'd cry, thereby creating yet even more snot. Sawyer was playing with him and kept me updated by such helpful comments as "Mommy! He has boogers running down his nose! And into his mouth! And onto the floor!" Needless to say I got quite the workout chasing him down with kleenex.

See, X does not sit still. He pulls up on everything. The door. The stairs. The vacuum cleaner. One of his favorites is the shoe basket, because then he can reach in and extract a flip flop or sneaker to gnaw on.



He's been babbling for awhile, but now he likes to do it back and forth with his siblings. He hasn't advanced past bababa but he now likes to do it louder. Sometimes he follows me around when I'm busy getting stuff for the other kids, and I'll hear "Mmm mmm mmm mmm" as he frantically tries to get my attention so I will...wait for it...pick him up.

The thing that's so cool about him is that, generally, he's a happy little dude (except he is now starting to cry when you take something he's crawled all the way across the room to stick in his mouth - like a Bionicle piece or a Polly Pockets shoe - away from him).

Otherwise, he smiles at everyone. When David is holding him and he sees me coming, his face explodes into a grin and he bounces up and down and flaps his arms. I think the only one happier to see me is one of my dogs when I start scooping out the kibble.

He likes to be where his big brother and sister are, and is beyond thrilled when they roll a ball or crawl next to him. And he is totally into the Leapster.



He is still eating the same stuff: sweet potato, pear and apple, along with a little ground turkey. He's also eating cheerio-type ceral that is made from oats, and he seems okay with it. I've been gradually adding a little wheat into my diet and he's been okay so far (cross fingers). Of course, I hope this runny nose isn't an allergic reaction to it.

My neighbor has a son who is six days younger than X. She was feeding him his first graham cracker yesterday. I couldn't help but be envious. What must it be like to not worry about what you feed your baby? I've never known it.

But just like with Sawyer, I focus on what he CAN have. And what he can do. Which is fill us up with his cuteness.