8 Months

Dean is 8 Months! My heart just skipped a beat. It’s SO bittersweet watching this guy grow. He just melts me and everyone in our home. He gets WAY too much love! 

Food update: He is now 100% bottle fed. Which is equally freeing and ... heartbreaking, but it was time (teeth!). Nursing is hard. I always have a hard time doing it, don't get me wrong it can be very sweet and perfect but it is also a lot of physical sacrifice, painful and exhausting. When it ends though I miss the closeness, and with Dean it is a little harder because now he runs to Dad for everything instead of Mom. 

Sleep update: He just barely started sleeping through the night!

Movement update: His latest achievement is rolling over to his belly, to sticking his butt in the air on his tippy toes to getting on all fours so he can rock it and then he gets bored and leans over and just ... sits up! He is so close to crawling. 

With all the craziness of COVID in March we started a strict schedule right away, (I didn’t know how long it would last so I seized the moment). 

We started like this…

-Wake 6:30-7, bottles are 4 oz sometimes 6

-Play in pack n play 

-Breakfast cereal and yogurt melts 

-Goes down for Nap with bottle (1-1.5 hrs) 9-9:30

-Wake and play 

-Lunch, fruit food pouch and crackers

-Goes down for Nap with 4 oz bottle 12:30-1:30

-Wake and play 

-Dinner, veg food pouch and pieces of what we’re eating 

-Dinner bottle 

-Play 

-Watch Super Simple Songs 

-Bedtime 8 with bottle 

***Finally sleeping through the night. 

LIKES

Playing with someone, especially Daddy. 

Sleeping/snuggling with Daddy. 

Bath time with Daddy! 

As you can already tell Daddy is his favorite. And with COVID and Daddy being home all the time it has been a nice break for Mom. And Daddy loves all the attention from his biggest fan. 

Super Simple Songs. He LOVES watching them with the family before bed. We all sing together and do the motions and he just smiles and laughs and tries to sing along even. It is my favorite part of the day. 

We haven’t been out about as much due to COVID. Dean loves the sunshine even just on the porch out back. While Mom and Dad eat outside or chat. 

Sibling loving. Piper is obsessed in the most lovingly scary way possible.  Every single child has taken it upon themselves to assign themselves a Dean chore because they are awesome! Piper gets diapers and throws them away. Sydney reads him stories. Bella changes wet diapers. Connor makes him bottles. 

Lately he chews on his tongue all day long, and his fingers and anything in close distance. His first two teeth are growing in, and beware they are sharper then they look!

Daddy says no one can make Dean laugh like Mommy. And yet he has all eyes for Daddy. 

Waking to brother. He is loving sharing a room with his brother.

Having everyone home all the time due to COVID! 

DISLIKES

He is already stranger aware. Although now with COVID he won't have to worry.

He is not happy when people leave, which is pretty rare lately.

The mask thing is also weird to him. As it is to us all. 

Other than the basics; diapers, changing, or being left alone. He is loving life lately! 

"Stranger Danger Look"

Thanks covid for setting us up with a regular routine, and no distractions. By the end of 8 months he had a printed schedule that adorned the kitchen. 

Dean’s Schedule 

6:30/7:00a – Wake and Bottle 6oz

7:30a—Play

8:00a—Breakfast (dry cereal/yogurt melts/water)

9:00-9:30a—Nap #1 

11:00a—Wake and Bottle 4oz

11:15a— Play

12:00p – Lunch (fruit pouch/water)

1:30-2:00p —Nap #2

3:30p – Wake and Bottle 6oz

4:00p – Play

5:00p— Dinner (veg/fruit pouch/pieces of dinner sometimes/water)

7:00p – Wind down (music in bed, pajamas, child reads a story) 

7:30p — Bottle 4oz, then bed!