8-month update

At 8 months, Iver:

- weighs around 16.5-17 lbs and is in 6-9-month clothing

- is still on all breastmilk and has become a pretty good (and fast!) eater.  Solids have become less of a fight. His favorites are peaches and carrots which we blend at home with a food processor. A recent trial of chickpeas was a major fail, and cottage cheese gave him facial hives (advice on when to re-challenge him with dairy is welcome!), but he will eat most veggies, mixed with cereal and alternating bites with something fruity. He loves Little Yum teething biscuits and will even pick up cheerios! He has short patience with his high chair unless eating and simultaneously playing, but we try to have him sit there when we eat dinner.

- is still toothless!

- is in cloth diapers during the day (with flushable liners) and size 3 Pampers at night (usually with one change after the 2 am feeding), otherwise we sometimes end up with a wet bed

- is still a pretty regular pooper (i.e. usually at least 3x per day), and does pretty well on the potty chair which we have been doing at least 3 times per day!

- has really become a mover. He started crawling around 7 1/4 months and now is crawling everywhere--quickly! He loves to crawl to a sitting position, and waves his arms around like a conductor. He has figured out how to pull up to stand on furniture and in his crib, so we've had to lower the mattress. He is just about cruising... I wonder when he'll take his first steps!  He is still very squirmy.  Changing his diaper requires about three people!

- sleeps in his crib/own room at night (although one of us [Kelvin, for the first shift] is often on the futon next to him at times) and is doing much better in the sleep department (hooray!). He still goes to bed pretty easily between 7:30 and 8 p.m. after a routine of nursing/patting/Goodnight Moon-reading/lullaby-listening, and being put down by daddy. He sometimes wakes briefly around 11pm, but, after doing some cry-it-out training (K finally agreed to try this!), has been able to soothe himself back to sleep at that time, meaning that he does one longer stretch until about 2 am before eating and then getting a diaper change!  This means that, if I actually went to bed when he did, instead of having "me time," I could theoretically get 6 hours of sleep. After nursing around 2-3 am, he sometimes wakes at 5, but sometimes makes it until 6 am or so, when he's up for the day. This means that we are almost down to "one waking [requiring intervention]" between 8 and 6 am, which is a miracle and makes a BIG difference in terms of my ability to feel rested during the day.

- naps twice, usually for 1-1.5 hours in the late morning (1000-ish) and mid-afternoon although he gave us a 3-hour marathon nap today!

- gets bathed about once per week on Sunday nights (sooner prn blowouts), and is not a huge fan of being submerged

- loves walks and runs in the stroller/BOB, and swinging at the neighborhood park. He loves being carried forward-facing in the Bjorn or my newest carrier, the Lillebaby (which has more waist support and strains the back minimally!)

- is incredibly smiley and vocal, saying some things like "da," "ba," and "mum-mum-mum." I've been trying to sign to him (mom, dad, potty, change diaper, milk, more, all done) but have yet to see him sign back. He has a great personality and is so fun to be around these days!

Sitting well!

crawling/climbing

pulling up

standing!

reading

 Exhausted from a busy day of gettin' around!

Superbaby and Superdad!

 

Here is our little conductor!

 

It's been so great to have family in town this weekend-- more pictures of the 8-month cousins will follow!