Here we are, 8 months! Personally, I’m pretty impressed that I’ve kept my goal of writing you these letters for every month of your first year, like I did for your big brother. I am all too familiar with the jokes about how subsequent children after the first tend to “get less,” and time is literally non-existent to do stuff like this, but I am here to prove it’s possible! You deserve to have this precious time documented too.
So much has happened this past month! You began to sit up all on your own…unsupported! At first, it was for a minute at a time, but now, you’re a pro! You’ve also been able to stand (albeit, briefly) holding on to something for support and balance. Keep working those little baby leg muscles! You celebrated your first Thanksgiving, although you were not able to partake in any of the turkey. You also experienced not only your first, but also second, ear infection. Two in one month! The joys of winter. And perhaps one of the biggest milestones of the month, you went on your first vacation and took your first flight!!! You were a champ and did better than we could have expected, especially fighting a double ear infection. Mommy and daddy were so proud of you. You met your cousins, uncle and aunt, your parental grandparents, and a slew of other family members who were beyond excited to finally meet you.
This past month you became a really good sleeper too (#bless)! We’ve established a bedtime routine that has been working pretty well, and now you consistently sleep from 7:30pm to 7:30-8:00am, only getting up once in between to eat. We are so thankful for longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep!
Some things you’re currently loving:
Bath time (still squeezing you in that infant tub)
Sitting in your stroller without the carseat
Chasing and playing with your big bro
Watching TV (usually whatever your big bro is watching; you’re not picky)
Standing and bouncing/jumping
Putting anything you can get your hands on in your mouth
Pulling your socks off and inevitably losing one
You finally saw an allergist last week and after nearly 8 months of avoiding dairy at any cost so that you could have dairy-free breast milk, you have no food allergies. (At least none that they tested for.) You did, however, test positive for an allergy to dog hair/dander, just like your big bro. Cool. We’ll keep you and Kyle separated as much as possible, but big brother seems to have been doing fine. We will continue to run the air purifiers like we have stock in Honeywell. All joking aside, it’s a relief to know food allergies aren’t an issue.
Still no teeth, but we think you’re “teething” as you always have something in your mouth (hand, foot, sock, paci, toys, etc.). And you are trying to crawl, but are a much better roller instead. We’ll just keep practicing!
As we approach your very first Christmas, I could not picture it being any more perfect. I feel so truly blessed that you’re here to complete our family this year, and we get to share this memorable time with you. Your daddy, big bro, and I are beyond lucky to have you. We all love you to the moon and stars.