Miller Cash: 8 Months

Well it happened, Miller turned 8 months old. I thought I'd be ready for how fast the baby time flies but it still is catching me completely off guard! On the one hand it seems completely unbelievable that he's this old, but on the other it seems like ages ago that it was just Marshall.

There have been so many changes in the last month! He now is fully mobile. He went from getting up on his hands and knees to crawling FAST seemingly over night. He completely skipped the "inch worm" stage that Marshall went through.

He has two teeth on the bottom now and is eating solid foods like a champ. He makes a huge ridiculous mess each time, but insists on feeding himself. So far his favorite foods are anything with flavor; green beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil, rosemary turkey, oven roasted sweet potatoes with onions and spices.

He also "calls" us when he wakes up from naps. He holds on to the edge of the crib, shakes it, and makes an "ahhhhh" sound until we come in and free him:) I was going to make the transition from his crib to the floor bed this month but I've been lazy. Our last house was so little that I could hear Marshall when he woke up so we never needed any baby gates. He's also napping SO WELL that I don't want to mess it up. He always naps at 9 and 1, and I can lay him down wide awake and he just rolls over and goes to sleep... usually before I can even get out the door.

Nighttime sleep also turned a huge corner over the last month. He's going down easier, and sleeping longer stretches. Twice he's slept 7 hours at a time, and once completely through the night. Most nights he goes down between 6:30 and 7:30, wakes once at 11:30, then one or two (or three) times before we get up at 5:30. He'll also now take a bottle from Jerad or let him comfort him back to sleep which takes so much of the pressure off of me. If Jerad's going to be up late working on the computer, I pump a bottle and he does the first feeding so a few days a week I get to sleep from 9 or 10pm until around 3am. Heaven. I just need one two or three hour stretch a night to feel like a human being so things have been good lately.

He loves Marshall no matter how many times he knocks him down or won't share his toys. The same with the dogs. They bowl him over every time they lick him even though they're trying to be gentle, but he still gets so excited every time he sees them.

 He's also pretty in love with this hand-me-down ape from Jerad's cousin. He hugs it, rolls on it, and claps when he sees it. I'm pretty sure he thinks its real and his friend.

He's pulling up and standing on EVERYTHING. He can go between the couch and coffee table, and can even take 5 or 6 steps at a time with Marshall's old walker toy.

Side Note: I should probably take down that Happy Birthday banner that has been up since Marshall turned 2 the beginning of May. I'm so short I don't notice it. Whoops!

As if crawling, standing, standing, and cruising weren't enough, he's already trying to let go and balance. He has it down one handed, but is determined to let go with both.

I think this is my favorite baby stage. There are so many things I love about every age, but I think 8-10 months is the sweet spot for babies.