8 Months

Lucas is now 8 months old -- 2/3rds of a year! He is growing big and learning new things every day. He weighed in at 22.6 lbs, which keeps him in the 90th percentile. I don't have a new height, but he is tall! He is wearing 12 month clothes, but needs 18 month sleepers due to his length. He can say several sounds, but Ma-ma and Da-da are our favorites.

Luke still hasn't shown any signs of wanting to crawl. He is quite content with the things in his immediate surroundings and doesn't seem interested in exploring what is out of arms reach. His newest trick in the last week is clapping. I didn't know that such a simple thing would make me smile so much.

Luke still loves to eat! He now eats solids 3 times a day (stage 2 foods). For breakfast he eats oatmeal and fruit on most days, but thinks it is a special treat when he gets yogurt! He eats 1/2 of a fruit and 1/2 of a veggie at lunch and we change it up with some sort of a meat with veggies +/- a fruit for dinner. We stopped giving him a bottle with dinner and he drinks diluted apple or pear juice instead. Luke's diet is ever changing and the thing that I have been the most surprised about is that there is nothing out there telling you what you should be feeding your kid! I am so thankful to have friends to guide me through it all.

The latest challenge in parenting Luke is learning how to deal with his separation anxiety. He is starting to recognize when Andy drops him off in the morning -- let the crying begin! He keeps close tabs on me (and Grandma/Gigi) and does not want me to leave his sight. We are doing our best to assure him that we will be right back or that we are just around the corner, but I don't think that he is buying it! I am pretty sure that this is just a phase, but it breaks my heart to hear him cry :(

The one thing that I can say is that his smiles far outweigh his tears and I look forward to his eyes squinching up and his 2 little teeth making an appearance. I never knew I could have so much love for such a little guy!