This last month has been a big month for Jack in terms of his growth and development. While I don't have his weight and length stats for this month (he will go back to the doctor for a 9-month check-up), I know that he is definitely growing!
On January 9th, I felt his first tooth (his bottom right one) start to poke through his gums. I knew that the time was coming for that because the girls each seemed to cut their first tooth around 7 months of age. Within two days of discovering that it was indeed poking through, Jack managed to really bite his toe with it. Yes, my little flexible boy likes to have his toes up near his mouth sometimes. He learned right away just how sharp that little tooth is ...
Right around that same time, he began sitting up -- unassisted -- for longer periods of time. With this new accomplishment, comes a real sense of happiness and independence from him. Every once in a while, he will topple over, but he rarely fusses about it; I just set him back up and away he goes ... playing happily with his toys.
As usual, the socks are one of the first things that he has to "handle." This little boy just doesn't like to have socks on ... in January.
Jack continues to take 2 naps and a catnap every day. His morning nap is usually for about 1.5 hours, his afternoon nap is typically for about 2 hours (during the same time as the girls) and then he absolutely needs a half-hour catnap around 6 pm, right after dinner. He goes to bed at 7:30 pm and will usually sleep until 7-7:30 am. He loves his soft blanket (he seems to prefer to suck on the ends of it right now) and his musical seahorse, Shelby.
Jack has had a chance to taste a lot of different pureed foods now and eats three meals a day with us. I've started introducing some foods with various textures (puffs of cereal, whole raspberries and smalls bites of pasta) and nothing seems to really phase him. I am excited about this because I would like to have him transitioned over to mostly table foods by the time he is one year of age.
Jack nurses about 5 times a day, but we are slowing starting to eliminate the last "bed-time" feeding. He doesn't really need it; it's just soothing for him and a chance for me to get rid of a little extra milk. Now that I started back to work teaching this week for the new semester, it meant that I would need to have a bottle of milk ready for Steve to give to him at bedtime. Jack didn't want it the first night, so it went to waste. I took that as a sign that he could do without a "bedtime feeding" and didn't leave a bottle of milk for him the next night. He went to bed just fine.
We are continuing to give Jack a bath every other night now. I would prefer to do it every night (it makes for a nice bed-time routine), but his skin seems so sensitive and can't handle too many washings right now. On the nights that he bathes, he will either take his bath in the kitchen sink or in his bumbo seat in the tub. Oh how he loves the tub! That boy will kick and splash like no other. And it makes me smile every. single. time.
He is starting to recognize his name now, as well. All I have to do is call him by name and he turns. I love it.
Jack is quick to roll over on his belly these days. And he seems content there for a little while. The problem is that he doesn't roll over to his back quite as easily. Oh, he
knows how to do it. He just prefers to have some assistance.
Playing with one of his big sisters:
I feel that we are really getting into a nice groove around here with Jack's schedule. He's pretty easy to figure out now -- is he hungry? thirsty? tired? bored? Does he need a diaper change? Once all of those basic needs are met, he is a pretty happy baby -- lots of smiles and lots of laughs.
