This was a big month for us! Lots of fun firsts and good changes.

GROWTH

Weight: 22 lbs. 6.5 oz.
Length: 30.5"
Clothing size: 12-18 months
Diaper size: 4 or 5
Teeth: 3 (two on bottom, one on top)

FIRSTS

Crawling!
Standing, all on his own!
Napping without being held (this is HUGE - I can't even believe it!)
Sleeping in his own room
Consistently sleeping 8-12 hours straight at night (!!!)
Big fall (I wasn't watching him close enough at the chiropractor, and he rolled right off the table! Luckily I caught him as he hit the ground and he was fine)
Big boy bath & sibling bath
Giving kisses

LOVES

Standing
Nursing
Mirrors
Putting things in his mouth

DISLIKES

Sharing mama (he sometimes gets jealous when Rooney sits on my lap - yikes!)
When we take things away from him that he shouldn't play with (TV remotes, our phones, night lights, cords)
Having his nose wiped
Teething
Diaper changes
Getting buckled into his car seat

EATING

We are still breastfeeding! He nurses 5-7 times a day: every three hours during the day, and usually once between 4:00-5:00 am.

We haven't done too much with food yet. A few times a week, he gets a puree at daycare. His attention span is still pretty short and sometimes I feel "behind" but I know Rooney was the same at this age. The best was watching him play with half a banana and actually get some bites!

It occurred to me the other day how much easier breastfeeding is than bottle feeding (which is what we did with Roo). It's something I heard would happen but I couldn't imagine it being true. But the other day we were hanging out in our basement and he got hungry, so I fed him. So simple. No running upstairs to measure the water or formula, and no bottles to wash. And he usually takes less than 10 minutes to eat...sometimes as little as 3 minutes! I want to encourage anyone who is new to breastfeeding that it does get so much quicker, easier and simpler. I will definitely be writing a separate post about breastfeeding but I think around 5 months was when I finally stopped thinking about quitting on a daily basis. Which is a long time to want to quit! But I'm glad I've stuck with it. I still keep track of each feeding (what side & how long) in an app on my phone. One day this month, Finch ate for a total of 42 minutes in a 24-hour period. That's it! I remember single feedings taking that long in the beginning! Crazy cool.

SLEEPING

This month was huge for us in the sleep department! We started sleep training and also we moved him to his room!

Bedtime: 5:30-7:00 pm (depends on his naps)
Wake-up time: 7:00-8:00 am
2-3 naps
Sleeps in a pack n play

If you've read any of his past monthly posts, you know this is HUGE improvement! I don't have anything revolutionary to share, but I think I may write a separate post on sleep training if anyone is interested.

PLAYING

Finch likes to sit and play with toys, then crawl over to something and stand up, or stand up in the middle of the floor. He will crawl from room to room to check things out.

He loves lots of toys, but these indestructible books are some of his favorite and very cool!

His balance is crazy good and he does NOT get it from me. He can stand on his own for up to 12 seconds and can even squat down to grab a toy and stand back up!

HEALTH

He had another fever/cold this month. It was a nasty virus that took a while to work its way out. We were all sick...no fun! Is it spring yet?
We bathe him twice a week and try to do lotion every day for his dry skin
I also took him to the doctor because I thought he had an infection "down there"...turns out he had just scratched it and it got irritated. :/ #rookiemom

PARENTING

Many times I feel like a referee - trying to get Rooney to be more gentle with Finch, and Finch to not grab her hair or knock down her tower. And we've had to baby proof quite a bit!
I mentioned it before, but sleep training has been HUGE. Definitely a big reason why I'm feeling more rested and like I can handle this mom-of-two thing a little better. I have been wondering for months when would be the right time, and everything finally aligned this month. As a result, Eric and I got to go on a date to Winter Jam - we were away for six hours, and it wasn't a big deal! And I bet you can imagine the freedom that has come from being able to put him in the pack n play for a nap (even if he cries for a few minutes before he falls asleep), and then being able to DO ANYTHING WE WANT. That's a little dramatic, but seriously...I can fold a load of laundry while he sleeps! Or eat, or sleep, or anything! Major breakthrough. No more cluster feeding all evening or feeling like I need to nurse him every time he wakes - I'm even meeting friends for queso tonight! That didn't even feel possible a month ago.

I got the stomach bug this month, and it was sort of intimidating to know that I still had to breastfeed (another thing I couldn't have imagined if he was still getting up every three hours at night). I stayed home sick from work, but so did Finch (since I am his main food source). Breastfeeding moms just don't get a break!
The separation anxiety has begun - he fusses when he sees me walk through the room but don't pick him up, and also when I leave him at daycare. Many times, Eric tells me that he was completely fine playing until he saw me.
He goes to daycare four days a week at the church where I work. I visit him every three hours to nurse him (he won't take a bottle). It is sometimes difficult to manage feeding him and getting all my work done (sometimes I'm late for meetings), but it's so nice to have those connecting points with him throughout the day!

Recent Google searches

kellymom biting
acetaminophen dosage chart
ibuprofen dosage chart
breastfeeding nipple pain teething
slow let down
breastfeeding while sick

LOOKING FORWARD TO...

Spending time outside in the warmer months
Switching him to a convertible car seat (he has outgrown his infant car seat by weight)
Exploring food more

What a wild eight months, Finchy! It just keeps getting better!

Finch, 8 months