Gabriel is 8 Months Old!

He is getting so BIG, so fast. Too fast! 

Stats
Weight: 21 pounds according to our home scale
Length: 28 inches according to our {best} measurement

Likes:
-Exploring more & more and looking at objects from all angles
-Pressing switches to turn "lights on" & "lights off"
-Listening to us read books {although his attention span is short} and holding/chewing on them
-Sitting or standing, no more laying or holding him on his back {unless he's really sleepy, of course}
-Everything from his 6-Month and 7-Month posts

Dislikes:
-Mommy or Daddy leaving the room... separation anxiety is starting
-Being told "no"
-Being confined in the ExerSaucer/jumper/walker for too long {he would much rather be out & moving!}

New skills:
-Crawling!! {He's not efficient yet, but has started moving on his hands & knees!}
-Pulling up!! This makes him seem so grown.
-Flipping from the sitting position to crawling on his belly AND pushing up from crawling to sitting!
-Drinking water from a beginner sippy cup
-Giving a hi-five to Daddy!
-Sucking his thumb
-Sort of waving
-Babbling a lot

Clothes/Diapers:
For the first time ever (at 31 weeks old), I had to change Gabe's crib sheet in the middle of the night. His diaper leaked through his jammies twice, once his whole side was soaked from armpit to knee, then once just a small amount... He was peeing so much more than usual! No change from size 3 diapers. We can still squeeze him into some 6-month clothes (bottoms) but he's wearing mostly 9- or 12-month tops/onesies and sleep 'n plays.

Eating:
He is nursing about every 4 hours now. He has tried a few new pureed foods: avocado, apples, yellow squash. He liked them all, but his facial expressions with the avocado were entertaining :) I didn't mash it up smooth so the little chunks ended up being pushed out on his lips. At 34 weeks we let him eat a "cracker"! Last month we tried it but got scared when a piece broke off in his mouth because he was not yet showing signs of chewing. Now, he is able to eat small pieces as they quickly start to dissolve while he's figuring out what to do with his gums & tongue! A few days before & after his 8-month birthday he did not want to eat solids. We never could determine a reason, but weren't overly concerned because he was nursing fine. No teeth yet.

Sleeping:
Gabe's sleep schedule isn't consistent, but he continues to be ready for a morning nap ~2 hours (3 max) after waking up. I like that at least that is predictable! He naps for 1-2 1/2 hours twice a day. Sometimes he'll be up at 6:00am then go right back to sleep until 10:00am, other times he'll wake up for the day before 8:00am, usually after nursing around 3:00 or 4:00am. He is still waking up 1-3 times in the middle of the night. Most times he nurses well and goes back to sleep, but I think some of the times he just wants comforting from being held and barely nurses. I will probably start seeing if he can get himself back to sleep... Perry lowered his crib to the lowest setting on his 8-Month birthday. He is very good at pulling up to stand on anything he can reach, and we don't want him tumbling over the side of his crib! We also chose to put the bumpers back in- he is able to move well enough now that the risk of suffocation has decreased and he hits his head a lot!

Hair & Eyes:
This month I am convinced his eyes will be brown. His hair color hasn't changed much, still a medium brown color & fine. Perry gave him another trim (his 3rd).

Randoms:
-He was sick for the first time on Labor Day weekend. More on that scary time to be posted...
-His eczema is almost all gone! I only notice faint, small patches on his thighs after I bathe him. At its worst, I changed soap and lotion (from a fragrant, bedtime set to the basic, gentle Johnson's head-to-toe baby wash); that may have helped, but I think he just outgrew it. Yay!
-He says "Mama" a LOT! Be still, my heart ♥ He is working hard at saying the "d" sound for "Da da"
-Our coffee table is now in the attic for an undetermined length of time. It was glass. And dangerous. I rearranged the living room a little so the padded storage ottoman is now in front of the couch.
-This boy is ticklish! In the same spots as me, according to Perry.
-He gives the sweetest, drooly open-mouth kisses.

Gabriel is 7 Months Old!

Stats
Weight: 20 pounds according to our home scale. No Peds appointment until 9 months!

Unhappy... All better!

So big sitting without the Boppy!

SILLY BOY! LOOOOVE HIM!!!

We always make time to play!

Likes:

-Exploring new areas of the house

-"Swimming" in the pool

-Swinging at the playground

-Everything from his 6 Month update

Dislikes:

-When we take a toy away from him {or the remote control if he gets his hands on it!}

New skills:

-Sitting independently {although he will still topple back every once in a while}

-Army-crawling!! He started on 7/27 at 28 weeks old

-Getting up on his hands & knees and rocking! He started this around 29 weeks old

-Holding 2 toys, one in each hand, and hitting them together

-Giving a hi-five (only sometimes and only to Daddy)!

-Sort of drinking out of a beginner sippy cup 

-Combining two syllables like "ah-ba"

Clothes/Diapers:

No significant change from his 6 Month update, just a lot more 9-month clothes, a couple 12-month outfits, and very few 6-month ones. He is still wearing size 3 Luvs diapers when in disposable- at night and when the cloth dipes are in the wash.

Eating:

He has tried a few more new foods: zucchini, peaches, plums, mango, parsnips, oatmeal cereal. He loves zucchini but hates plums. I also tried making different green beans (frozen cut ones instead of fresh whole) but the response was the same- "blahh" and a few gags! I caved and bought Gerber green beans to try. He didn't mind them but I did not find the taste appealing! A funny story is that one night, Perry thought my homemade green beans were peas... and Gabe ate them! We joke that he thought they were peas, too, since that's what Daddy told him! We gave him a Baby Mum-Mum (rice cracker) at 28 weeks but took it away immediately & finger-swept in his mouth when a piece broke off! We'll save them for later when he chews and/or has teeth. Just after his 6-month birthday, we gave him water in a bottle for the first time {Perry was so excited about this!}. Another time we tried it in a beginner sippy cup! He still nurses every ~3 hours. On days I work *since I work 11a-11p now!!*, he nurses first thing in the morning, again at 10:00 before I leave, then goes through approximately 4-5 six ounce (6oz) bottles with Perry. He still wakes up around midnight-1:00am and then again sometime in the middle of the night at which times I nurse him. The other 4 days of the week when I'm off, he nurses ~6x a day and 1-2x in the middle of the night. He seemed to want a lot more milk and less food for a week or two when we thought he might have some teeth breaking through, but nothing!

Sleeping:

The length of Gabe's naps has gotten better, usually 1-2 hours. He is still ready for a morning nap 2 hours after waking up, and takes another nap in the afternoon. Everything else remains the same from his 6-Month post. He still wakes up in the middle of the night. *big sigh* Every time, he nurses and falls right back to sleep. We always lay him down on his back in the center of his crib but he usually turns onto his side right away. Within a few hours, he will turn on his belly.

Hair & Eyes:
His hair is still fine and brown. We don't expect the color to change. His eyes are looking more brown but still have a slight greenish tint, so we're eager to see if his will be brown (like Daddy) or hazel (like Mommy)!

Perry's 28th Birthday!

HAPPY 28th BIRTHDAY PERRY aka "DADDY"!!! WE L♥VE YOU SO MUCH!!!

*Note: I am writing this in April 2014. I don't have any distinct memories of Perry's birthday other than we had a low-key night at home with our son (and that fireball of a cake!)

Pool Time!

Late-July was Gabriel's 1st time going swimming... isn't he adorable in his swim shirt & trunks?!! Mom & Dad W lent us the access card for their neighborhood pool since we don't live in a subdivision. Gabe liked it! Sadly we only went once last year, but are definitely looking forward to going more this coming summer since Gabriel will be 1 1/2!

Gabriel is 6 MONTHS OLD!!!

I don't like that I had to make a new label for this post! Our baby is half a year old already?!! He is growing up so fast. And getting cuter by the hour :)

We took Gabe to his Pediatrician on his half birthday, Friday the 13th. This video was staged, but he tore up the paper on the exam table while we were waiting.

As we suspected, he does have eczema; over the past several weeks we have noticed more dry, red patches on his body- on his thighs and smaller ones on his chin and back. I learned the hard way that Googling "infant eczema" is a very bad idea. Thankfully his is very mild and he doesn't seem bothered by it, so we're just watching it. I took this picture of the back of his thigh/butt last night after his bath; it looks the worst then (maybe the heat?).

He cried so hard after his shots. Breaks our hearts. We were able to soothe him in just a couple minutes, but later that evening from 6p-1a, he was gruuuumpy. Everything else checked out just fine at the appointment! His development is right on track. Thank God for our happy, healthy little guy!

Stats
Weight: 18 pounds, 8 ounces (70%)
Length: 27 1/2 inches (84%)
Head circumference: 44cm (58%)

He decided he had enough of the photo shoot (bottom left!) and it was time to play with Daddy!!

Likes:

-Standing up and "walking" with assistance

-Sucking on his fingers or hooking himself like a fish

-Watching our dogs, in awe

-Bath time (in the big boy tub) and massage with baby lotion afterwards

-Playing Peek-a-boo or any game that involves a repeating "surprise" element {like saying 'ouchie!' or just popping out from around the corner with a smile}

-His Johnny Jump Up

-Riding in the car

-The nasal aspirator {it might be a stretch to say he likes it, but he doesn't dispise it anymore! He gets really still and just watches with big, curious eyes}

Dislikes:

-Being left "alone" for too long while playing on the floor

New skills:

-Almost sitting up all by himself {still topples over to the side or falls back sometimes}
-Rolling from one side of the room to the other!

-Holding his bottle in place while drinking
-Blowing spit bubbles

-Screeching!
-Almost waves {holds his arm out but doesn't move it}
-Reaching for Mommy or Daddy ♥
-Searching for a hidden toy
-Throws toys off his highchair

Clothes/Diapers:
Gabriel is wearing both 6 and 9 month clothes; his 6-month sleep 'n plays & onesies are getting stretched tight so he is much more comfortable in 9-month ones because of the length. His cloth diapers add a lot of "bulk" on his bottom, too. I'd guess he wears cloth 75% of the time. He is in size 3 diapers when we use disposables. We used Pampers Swaddlers on his sensitive little newborn butt, then switched to Pampers BabyDry around 2 or 3 months old (I'm guessing, it was whenever we ran out of diapers that we received as gifts!). We also tried a pack of Huggies Naturals early on but did not like the fit or durability. Just recently we picked up a small pack of Luvs for a trial run... there is a major price difference. We like them just as much, so we stocked up with a huge box (204 diapers) from BJ's for $29.99!! For reference, a pack of 222 Pampers is $44.99 at Target. He poops once a day on average. Perry added that he generally poops the color of food he eats :)

Eating:

Continues to eat ~every 3 hours. I am still breastfeeding- hooray, we made it 1/2 a year, at least!! He has this new thing- when he nurses, he reaches his right arm up, grabs a handful of his hair & pulls! Over and over again. Ouch. A side note: I dropped 1 pump time at work so I'm doing it twice a shift now, usually around 10:30pm and 3:30am. Usually I'm home and nursing Gabe by 8:00-8:15am. {Major change regarding my job- I'm working 11a-11p, not on night shift anymore!}

I haven't blogged this yet {surprise, surprise} but we started Gabriel on solids when he was 18 weeks old!! First was rice cereal. I went with Happy Bellies organic brown rice cereal, purchased at Target. Then at 20 weeks he tried, in order: bananas, peas, pears, sweet potato, green beans, carrots, (back to pears for a day because we thought he was constipated), and butternut squash. Oh, and one packet of dried apples from my friend Katie's new baby food company. More on that later. I think his favorites are butternut squash & sweet potato and his least favorite is without a doubt green beans. I am making all of his baby food by either steaming or baking and blending it up really well with my Ninja! He eats solids once a day, usually between 2:00-5:00pm (occasionally twice a day for breakfast and dinner). He's now only sitting in his highchair- he is so over the Bumbo.

Sleeping:

He has been sleeping on his side (mostly his left) but now has started settling on his stomach. As Perry said, he gets it honest! Gabe wakes up around 8:00 every morning. Most nights he is down around 9:30pm but is not sleeping straight through the night anymore. *sigh*... On nights I work, I still nurse him right before leaving, then he eats 1 or 2 6-ounce bottles for Perry before going down for the night. Often times he will wake up at midnight and eats again. Sometimes he will be hungry by 4:00am, other times not until 6:00am. Or other times he will skip the midnight feeding and wake up at 2:00am and then up for the day at 8:00am. His naps last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours! He takes a morning nap 2 hours after waking up, almost like clockwork. His afternoon nap time varies. Basically, each day & night is different.

Hair & Eyes:

His hair seems a lighter brown to me this month. His eyes are golden brown closest to the pupil, then change to greenish-brown and then bluish-grey moving out towards the edge of the iris.

Randoms:

-Gabriel is still such a happy baby!!
-He likes to give slobbery, open-mouth "kisses" ♥
-He & our dog Autumn have something in common: everything gets tasted, licked or chewed!
-He talks mostly to himself or the dogs in one syllables like "ba", "ah" and "ma" {getting close to "Mama" I hope!}

4th of July

We skipped going to see fireworks on the 4th of July last year since Gabriel was too little {gotta protect those delicate baby ears!}. Thanks to the Futrell family (my friend Esther, Jonathan and their baby boy Liam), we didn't miss the chance to dress him up, though! After Gabe went to bed, Perry and I played with leftover sparklers from our wedding while Perry took pictures. You will see only my best attempt at "writing" the letter "G"! It's incredible how much our lives had changed from July 4, 2011 (watching fireworks with some of my cousins in NY as we were visiting to announce the news of my pregnancy @ just 11 weeks) to July 4, 2012 (spending the night at home with our almost 6-month old!).

Visiting Virginia

Our weekend at Papa & Nana's

Checking out their new piece of property and the farm house on it

Perry's photography!