Friday, June 27, 2014

8 Months!

I don't think there was every a baby in the world who was loved as much as Dean is. We're in Utah right now, and he has aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents absolutely fawning over him. He doesn't mind. And truth be told, neither do I. It's nice to have other people to entertain him. Especially since I was a slackerface and never did the AZ Constitution class I have to do in order to renew my teaching license which expires the end of July. So Mima has been helping with Dean quite a bit while I work on that. Here are some things we love about 8 month old Dean:

He twirls his hands and feet when he gets excited. It is so dang adorable. My mommy heart melts because he does it when he sees me (or food). He loves me. Sometimes he shows it in strange ways.



He is generally very happy. He loves to smile and giggle. He doesn't get upset very often, but he sure lets me know when he's unhappy.




He is learning more and more everyday. He is now great at pushing up on his hands with his arms straight. When he's on his belly he can pivot in a circle, but doesn't really move forward or back yet (at least not intentionally). He can roll from back to belly! The first time he did it was in his sleep. This is what he thought of it:

He woke up a few times from naps and at night from rolling over. Now he's better. I knew he could do it, but hadn't done it other than in sleep, so I gave him some motivation, and voila!



He is trying new foods all the time and does great with them. He's liking fruit more and more. He's had peach slices and did great. Here he is with an apple slice he gnawed on.


If he's a little fussy, I can give him some puffs and he cheers right up. He can feed himself the puffs and has almost mastered the pincher grasp. His fingers are a little raw because once he puts the puff in his mouth, he leaves his fingers in there too and sucks on them. We're trying to teach him to let go of the food.

disclaimer: he does occasionally wear clothes

He's learned to suck out of a straw like a pro. He loves to share my and Mima's fruit smoothies in the morning. The video just plays continuously and is a bit choppy, but you get the idea. He loves drinking from his sippy cup, too. Next step: hold his own cup.



He is getting more interactive. He likes to play ball. If you roll a ball or car to him, he'll roll it back to you.

He loves being outside. That's another sure fussy fix.

He loves water. He's been swimming several times and really likes it. He soaks the entire bathroom with his splashing during bath time. He looks so cute in his swim outfit (and with his nakey bum in the bathtub).

He loves dogs! He thinks they are the funniest creatures in the world. Trevor's cousin Jana has a miniature poodle and Dean loves him so much. When Presley runs by, Dean lunges after him. Here he is laughing at Walter.



Dean has had some fun adventures this month. He spent a lot of time in the car. Lots of errand running and of course, the drive to Utah. Good thing he's a happy car rider.



He had a major blow out on the drive to Utah. It even went through onto the carseat. And of course I didn't put an extra outfit in the diaper bag because of all the clothes we had packed. Buried in the trunk. So, naked boy it was. He slept so peacefully. Not for long, but he was super happy and singing along to the music. Trevor got an awesome video. I'll try to upload it later.


A few days after getting to Utah, he completed his first 5K. Grandma Anne pushed him in the stroller. She walked the 5K and came in 4th in her age group!! (out of 4) That allowed Trevor and I to run at our own paces. My goal was to make it the whole way without walking and I did it!

before
 after


He went on a hayride around Salem with Mima. It was a little cold!


He likes knitting with Mima and reading the paper with Papa.



Dean loves all the new toys at Mima and Papa's house and at Grandma Anne's. He is so cute with this little drum. He likes to bang on it with his hand. Clearly, he still has some learning to do as far as the drumstick.


He is 21 pounds already and is getting so big! He is so fun! Trevor always says he feels bad for everyone in the world who doesn't get to be around Dean. I agree.