Milestones Age: 8 months

Happy Day, you're 8 months today, despite wearing 12 month clothes! Enjoy all these monthly celebrations, Monsterino!

You Can:

• look to make sure someone is paying attention to your antics.
• roll all over.
• sit well unassisted.
• go well from sitting to laying.
• rock while enroute to laying on your tummy, crawling is around the corner...yikes!
  
• almost pick up small things with your thumb and finger.
• hold both of your feet in both of your hands and clap or suck your toes (many people wish for this amount of flexibility).
• push up assisted to standing.
• stand and play holding onto surfaces.
• clap objects.
• slap.
• give occasional "5's".
• play for extended time on your tummy, though you still complain.
• Communicate with sound, non-verbally.
  
• follow where I point.
  
• know the words "cat/kitty", "Daddy", and "Mommy" when said to you.
• babble m, n, l, d, and g words. You're starting to put consonants at the end of your vowel sounds, like "add" which will easily become Dad:).
  
• turn lights off, and sometimes on.
• almost drink from a cup.
• make sounds while you inhale.
  
• pounce on your toys.
  
• look for interesting toys, people, or animals when they make noise out of sight.
  
• stand without anyone holding you for a couple of seconds (this is your favorite game now).
  
• still love most your first toys, the jingle rattles! But you also really enjoy paper, paper tubes, bags and boxes.
  
• cough/make other sounds to get others to look at or imitate you.
• show separation anxiety, but I'm never too far away!
• try to use a spoon and tooth brush, though mommy helps with the spoon as it is usually full of food!

*Red developmental actions are more commonly seen closer to 12 months.

With your 2 teeth you eat cereal, banana, peach, broccoli, squash of many varieties, avocado, bread, and cheerios (just got one in your mouth by yourself!) though most days you choose not to, despite my persistence. You have also tasted water, watermelon, pickles, Popsicles, juice and beer, and enjoy every one of them. Mostly you're still drinking milk and you still have that darn allergy (Mommy really wants a slice of pizza!!!).

You have a battery of scientific tests for everything...first you observe, then bend in for a closer look. Next you pick up the object, wave it, tap it, clap it, and lick it, not necessarily in that order. The licking is my favorite part because it isn't just a general suck, but rather a little taste with the tip of your tongue, then you think and make a face based on the taste, and perhaps give another little taste before moving on to the next test.

The Cambridge House was your first "eating out" experience. We were there when you were around 4 months, for a few minutes and you were great. Then, after summer camp, you Dad and I went for appetizers and a beer. Everyone loved you!

You have been taking music classes all summer. First we did some Peek-a-Boo I Love You, which now you're favorite song. Then came Sign and Sing. You still don't sign, but I hope you'll show us some soon! Also, you've been attending all my FVB and Torrington Symphony concerts. They are less fun for you since I'm in the band and not with you and they all occur right at your super fussy bed time.

You take 2 naps a day, on average, some days it's 1, others it's 3...most of which you go down for without much fussing- it's wonderful. After you wake and eat, we play blocks/toys, go swimming, play outside, go for walks on the trail or in parks around here.

A couple of weeks ago, you were hanging with the older kids at summer camp, and you taught classes with Mommy:). When you were sad, the kids would sing to you. When you napped, they tiptoed around the class and whispered. Everyone had fun watching you hold the recorder and suck on the end, or play with cheerios. You were very well behaved the whole two weeks!! Mommy is excited you did so well since we will be teaching Kindermusik together in the fall.

PS I have been compiling all this information for a couple of weeks...it has been a lot. Just when I finish adding information for the day, I shut down the computer, and realize I forgot 3 more things, some of which you weren't even doing when I started writing this. I find it amazing how quickly you change and grow. As I type, you're going through a growth spurt...constantly eating (OMG when will you get my supply up and calm this down!), sleeping weird hours (yesterday an almost 4 hour nap!), and your behavior is on a roller coaster this past week- a good one with mostly ups, actually.