8 Months!

8 MONTHS OF FUN!

I thought I was going to be able to make a great, thorough post today while Tristan napped, but as soon as I got to the computer to get to it, he woke up from his (much too short) nap. Story of my life with my non-napper! So, I'll give a quick recap of our amazing little man at 8 months and hope to post more pics when if he takes an afternoon snooze. :)

AT 8 MONTHS, TRISTAN...

...has officially moved out of the infant room at daycare. (They called it a "promotion", I called it a reason to sob.) Goodbye Turtles, hello Ducks!

...is almost walking. Unbelievable, and we are so not ready!

...crawls, climbs, stands, dances. If it's a form of movement, he's doing it nonstop! Not much different than his life in utero, it all makes sense now!

...has ONE TOOTH! And it's a sharp little sucker. It seems as though more are not far behind!

..."talks" a lot! "Uh uh uh" is his go-to phrase, but he does say "mamamama" a lot, too. I, of course, think he's saying it to me, Ian thinks it's a coincidence.

...still LOVES his auntie kitty, Lexi. And really loves pulling her bed off the couch and onto the floor, even if she's in it.

...is getting much better at sleeping through the night (teething nights aside, but those still aren't bad), yay!

...is not winning any nap champion titles. Cat naps are his favorite.

...weighs in at approximately 21 pounds and measures about 27 inches (informal measurements, don't quote them).

...eats like a hungry, hungry hippo. He's had all his fruits, veggies, oatmeal, puffs, mum-mums, Ritz crackers and Nilla Wafers. Luckily, the milk consumption has gone day a little, less pressure on working/pumping mama!

...is awesome at giving high-fives, and gets the biggest kick out of it, too!

...has a heart-melting smile on his face all the time (and if he's not smiling, he's usually making some sort of hilarious facial expression with his amazing eyebrows).

...laughs with the best belly-laugh in the world!

...loves to grab the remote and video game controller to be like daddy.

...still loves bath time, but wants to stand up and make it difficult!

...has crazy hair, doesn't care! And is quite the blonde boy, so unlike mama!

...loves to play with his toys more than ever, especially the musical ones.

...blows kisses! (Still a ladies man flirt!)

...still looks like his daddy, but often matches his mama. :)

...has his own Instagram account to feed Baba & Papa's #Cube. (@365daysoftmax if you want to see more photos, much quicker to post them there than on the blog these days!)

...is growing up WAY TO FAST, but makes each day better than the last!!

And a few videos to end the post with a smile:

Laughter is contagious.

He pulls left.

Hollly, Jolly 7 Month Old!

 Oh, by golly, we have a holly, jolly 7-month old this year!

 
 

I am in utter disbelief that my little baby is now closer to being a 1 yr old than he is to being a newborn. That revelation is both terrifying (how are the days, weeks and months flying by so quickly!?) and exciting (he learns something new each day and is so full of personality, we never know what tomorrow will have in store!) Words truly cannot explain how amazing, fantastic and awesome these past 7 months have been (or should we say 6, the first month's learning curve was steep and life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, it was hard work...but still totally awesome and totally worth it). 

Love is simply not a big enough word to describe how I feel about this little boy. I often think my smile is going to swallow my entire face, my heart is going to leap out of my chest into his chubby little hands, and my arms are going to scoop him up, squeeze him and never let go. His face melts my heart like nothing else can and his smile sends tingles of pure love and adoration throughout my entire being. It's one of those feelings that despite there being millions of mothers and fathers in the world, I cannot fathom anyone loving their child as much as I do. (I realize this is totally not true, but it's that kind of love....you think to yourself, surely no one else in the world can feel the way I do!) And I now wonder if this is how my parents look at me?? Surely they don't, right? It's insane, that's the only way I can describe it. I am insanely in love.

While I long for the days of him fitting snugly in the crook of my arm and sleeping so soundly on my chest, I anxiously greet each day with wonder of what he'll do to make my life even more complete. For instance, the smile he greets me with each time I open his car door now is such that I would stand there for days on end, just opening and closing that door with him. That smile of recognition and joy did not exist on that tiny baby I enjoyed back in June, and that's what makes me more excited for the future than too nostalgic about the past. As the saying goes, the best is yet to come. But what's come and gone is pretty fantastic, too. With that said, here's what's gone down since last month:

AT 7 MONTHS, TRISTAN... 

...has perfected crawling.

....pulls himself up on just about anything he can.

...gets SO proud of himself for standing up!

...absolutely loves "Bath Time!" (both the book and the actual time in the bath)

...has eaten rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, carrots, green beans, squash and sweet potatoes.

...does not like green beans! 

...survived (and rocked) his first airplane ride to Vegas.

...weighs about 20 lbs. 

...is a big fan of his furry siblings.

...walks along the stairs while holding on, impressive!

...has started sleeping through the night, 5 in a row is our record!

...is still working on getting that first tooth (which will likely derail the accomplishment above!)

...has his daddy's hazel-green eyes.

...is turning into a blondie, and the mullet is filling in!

...thinks fish-face is very entertaining.

...loves musical toys and things that make noise.

...is a mama's boy, but is quite fond of daddy too.

...makes the world a better place by being in it. :-)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!