8 Months!!--April 5, 2009

Jack is getting to be a very big boy!!





We learned cause and effect this month!! Jack knows how to push his button to make the music sing!! :) He has learned to sit up on his own and plays with his toys everyday...and I happened to catch his first clapping of the hands on camera!!
Here is our update to the agency for the 8th month:

Jack is very excited about it being April because that means he gets to be outside even more with all the spring weather! Jack weighs about 22 pounds now, and is about 28 inches long…based on mommy’s estimates . Jack was very healthy most of the month, but he did get a deep cough and a small fever, so we took him to the pediatrician. She gave us some amoxicillin and ear drops for a small ear infection. She also had to clean out a bunch of wax again! Looks like our baby is going to be a waxy boy!! Jack will turn turned 8 months old on Sunday, April 5^th, and Tuesday, April 7^th, will mark eight months since placement!

Jack continues to reach new milestones every time we turn around. He is able to roll over in either direction now without any help. However, we have noticed that he much prefers laying, sitting, or standing to very much movement! I guess he is content to be still! Wonder how long that will last??!! Jack is sitting up all the time now, and has finally learned the important lesson of “OUCH!” when he leans back too far. We had several big “thuds” this month when Jack would decide to look at the ceiling fan while sitting up…or if he tried to look behind him….or if he just decided to lay down. It is interesting to see him flinch any time he starts to rock backwards. He is doing a great job at catching himself now!! Jack still loves to be outside. However, we have had a few bug bites! I guess even the mosquitoes think Jack is very sweet!! Jack has four big, white teeth now. He loves it when mommy brushes them. He thinks it is very funny when he tries to bite her finger off!! We were surely glad when those top teeth finally came through! Those were some hard days for Jack. Now if we could just teach him not to grind those four teeth together…..! Another big milestone for Jack was pulling up! (Sort of!) One day when he was sitting in mommy’s lap on the floor, he reached up with one arm (!), grabbed hold of the changing table shelf, and pulled himself up to a standing position! Now, Jack has always loved to stand…but he has never stood without mommy or daddy holding his hands! This was a big moment…and he knew it! He turned around, grinned, laughed his deep throaty laugh, and fell back in mommy’s lap. But he got right back up again! This time he spent no time reveling in his victory, he began to explore immediately!

Jack’s eating habits and sleeping habits have changed some this month! Jack still loves to eat, but he is starting to drink less formula everyday. We are not sure why, but he is still within a healthy range, so we are not at all worried. Plus, he is still quite a big boy!! He has really began to love finger foods like Cheerios, Rice Chex, and Gerber Puffs. He even begged for a spinach leaf out of mommy’s salad bowl! To our surprise, he ate it!! Jack still prefers oatmeal, prunes, sweet potatoes, and carrots to all other food! Jack is beginning to sleep a bit later every morning, and he is really only taking two good naps during the day. He stays awake in the car more, and is staying awake longer between naps. It is funny how everyday is a little bit different than the one before. We never quite figure this boy out! (And I’m sure he loves that!!)

Activity-wise, Jack still loves his Baby Einstein Jumper! He has learned to press all the buttons, pull on all the hanging toys, and how to make the whole thing jump and turn! We are thinking about getting the Johnny-Jump-Up out for him too this next month! Jack still loves looking at books. He gets really excited about the “Peek-a-Boo” book with all the lifting flaps! Jack still likes the the family picture book I made for him that we started looking at last month. He still smiles big when he sees his mommy and daddy, and he likes to see all the other people he recognizes, but now when we get to Jessica’s page, he grins really big and tries to grab the book! He has done this two different times!! It made us smile to see him enjoy her page so much. We still play peek-a-boo, tickle him constantly, and love to cuddle with Jack everyday! This next month we are going to be working on hand clapping…so stay tuned!