8 Months

Sam Binsen (as Avery calls you), how in the world are you 8 months old already?  It is impossible for me to believe that in 4 short months we'll be celebrating your first year of life.  The days are flying by and becoming more sweeter, and busier, by the minute.  We'll add some pictures once we have nice, sunny light to capture your sunny self.

You continue to grow and grow and often look almost as big as your sister when sitting side by side.  About a week and a half ago, you were over 19 pounds, just 8 pounds shy of Avery!  You seem longer and longer each day.  You are still wearing 9 month clothing, but you pants seem to be getting a little tight and a little short.  Pajamas are also getting a little snug.  Buying clothes for you is a bit of a challenge, as your two Christmas outfits (both size 12 months) differed in length by about 2 inches.  You are still wearing a size 3 diaper and wear a 3 and a 4 at night.  I have needed to measure your feet all week to order your first few pair of soft shoes but have not.

You eating schedule has remained the same with the exception of one small change.  You now take 4 7 oz bottles a day and have dropped your 2 oz bottle with breakfast.  You eat when you wake up and then at 11 a.m, 3 p.m. and bedtime.  You eat 1 stage 2 container of baby food for breakfast and dinner.  You usually have some type of breakfast variety and at dinner have 2 types of fruit, vegetables, or meat.  The only table food we've tried is puffs.  You enjoy them but only occasionally get them to your mouth.  We are also working on the sippy cup and you seem to like it much more than your sister.  You have 5 teeth now with 3 more looking like they'll emerge any time.

You continue to wake normally between 6-6:30 a.m., nap at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. for an hour or 2, then go to bed at 7 p.m. or a little before.  Your third nap has disappeared for the most part.  If we're home and your afternoon nap is short, you take a 3rd nap  You no longer sleep on the way home from Jennifer's and I usually don't try to put you down once we get home.

For someone not crawling, you certainly are everywhere!  You roll, pivot, reach and inch forward and backward to get what you need or get where you need to go.  You are most happy if you can roll around and get into a variety of things that you should and should not.  You always roll to your back to inspect your treasures.  You are sitting up completely on your own now but will lunge forward if you see something that interests you.  You like to pass things from hand to hand, turn them around, and shake them to see what they do.  Luckily, Avery doesn't mind too much if you get into her things and is pretty good about sharing with you.  The bouncer still contains you and keeps you happy, but your days in that are numbered.  The exersaucer is fun for 10-15 minutes at a time.  You like to interact with your sister, although I can sometimes tell in the car that you are not interacting in the way she thinks you should.

You are still usually as happy as can be.  We got into a period of fussiness about 2 weeks ago and headed to the doctor.  In addition to lots of teeth trying to make their way through, you had a glassy looking ear.  We gave it a few days, but when the fussiness continued we started an antibiotic and you've been as good as new.  Strangers do not seem to bother you too much yet, although we aren't leaving you much either.  Sometimes you still fuss when I leave the room.  You do have a pretty funny mad face and yell, and since it's not frequent, it's cute to see you trying to show how you feel (or get attention).

Sam, you are such a joy in our lives and we are so thankful for you.  You bring such a happiness to our home and have been the perfect addition to our family.  We love you.

Mommy and Daddy