Extraordinary Eight

I can't believe it's that time again! Max is eight months old! He is such a wonderful baby and more full of personality everyday! Here are some things we are doing/ seeing/ learning now:

-Max reaches for everything! He is intensely interested in what things feel and taste like. As a teacher I am very keen on sensory experiences to learn so I let him touch a lot! We just have to be careful to make sure things are clean and safe. He is particularly interested in touching drinking glasses (while we're drinking!), any kind of remote, and couches (especially when being burped). A few weeks ago I didn't know how controlled and motivated Max was to touch things so we had a little shopping moment: I showed him (in what I thought was out of his reach) a crinkly Winnie the Pooh book. He grabbed it and promptly stuck it in his mouth! No!!! That's not ours and I didn't sanitize it! Eeeek! I was equally parts charmed by his zeal and appalled that I enabled his exposure to germs. I have learned my lesson! (And yes, I bought the book.)Max right before he reached for and knocked over the blocks!

-Max continues to smile and giggle constantly. He finds the simplest things hilarious. From Aunt Ashley clapping her hands like an alligator to Daddy making "num num" noises while eating a snack. I think the key is repetition. I read that babies love repetition because it makes them feel smart and secure. Repetition is easy when the reward is constant baby belly laughs! I swear I made dog woofing noises for an hour the other day because I could not get enough of Max's elation!
-Max can now roll over both ways. He doesn't roll from belly to back often, but is now eager to roll from back to belly. He learned by grabbing my hand and pulling his own weight up. He enjoys tummy time when he can play his light-up piano. Tummy time is still not quite his favorite activity.

-My tiny baby is now sitting up on his own! He is also learning to sit without putting the weight on his arms (in what John dubs the gorilla position). He is starting to reach for things or play with toys while sitting up. He still loses his balance so the Boppy or I are always right there.Max refusing to be propped against the chair- sitting on his own!

-I am sad to say our house is still not baby-proofed. When your baby is 3 months early, priorities are elsewhere. I know we need to get moving since it is just a matter of time before our go-getter figures out he can roll or army crawl to get around. Any suggestions on how to start this enormous task?
-We have had some stumbles in trying to get Synagis for Max (the RSV "vaccine"). However, a wonderful nurse has helped us in a tremendous way and we should be all set for protecting Max this RSV season.
-We have also had some stumbles in gaining weight this month. Nothing has changed much with Max's diet but he got "stuck" at 13.6 pounds for awhile. We are proud to report he is now 14.2 pounds (14 pounds, 3.6 ounces)! He has also started tasting solids. I say tasting because he doesn't actually eat much. A lot of rice cereal down the chin!
-Max has gone through a few "phases." One week he spent nearly every minute with his tongue hanging out of his mouth (Jordan style!) and the next week he enjoyed screeching loudly (ask Grandma Mary and Grandpa Alan about hearing that one from 5 hours away!). The current fad is "biting" his lower lip. Max sort of tucks his bottom lip under his adorable gums. Can't wait to see what's next!
-Our last outings before RSV-season-induced-quarantine included visiting the Chihuliy glass exhibit at Cheekwood (Nashville) and going to Stanley's pumpkin patch (Hanson). My normally very photogenic baby chose pumpkin patch down to make a lot of "stink faces." He'd wrinkle his noise and contort his mouth. The best pictures we got were sort of straight faced with a rare half smile or two. Maybe it had to do with his "costume"...