Mr. Bananas' 7th and 8th months

Mr. Bananas at 7 months

Our sweet baby turned 7 months old last month and our life has been so crazy that I never got a chance to update his life.  So here is the lowdown on his 7th month:

--said "Mama" for the first time at 7 months.
--still below weight and is at the 4th percentile
--doctor still wants me to feed him as much as possible (as if I'm not already)
--is sleeping through the night. Marc Weissbluth's book on sleep habits was the best $9.99 I spent on Amazon.
--not only is he sleeping better, but in my opinion he is eating better.  I still have to avoid dairy, but it appears if I avoid straight dairy, he's definitely fine. If I consume products that have dairy in them (crackers, breads, etc), he's okayish. Not great, but not horrible.
--He refuses to nap while we are out, but will readily go down when he's supposed to if we are at home.
--I swear his favorite time of day is when we walk Boogie to school. Especially if he's in the stroller. I never hear a peep from him. It also makes him tired and he's ready for a nap when we get back from our walk.
--His brother and sister still adore him and are willing to give him a toy when he's sitting near them on the floor.
--If he's fussing at a meal time, he will stop long enough so that we can say grace.
--He loves when we sing.

8 months

Our sweet baby turned 8 months old yesterday.  He is such a happy baby. It helps that he is sleeping through the night now, and he is taking regular naps. Sometimes we cannot get in our required 2 naps a day, but if he gets in at least one, he still does pretty well. But the biggest difference is his ability to sleep through the night.  The day after he turned 7 months old, he grew in his two bottom teeth.  He also started shaking his head "no." He smiles when he does it. I think he just likes the new perspective of shaking his head around.  He is desperately trying to crawl, but he can't.  He lies with his belly on the floor and move all of his limbs. When he realizes he is not going anywhere, he starts to yell.  Recently I have found him in a pike position or maybe it's downward dog...He will also get up on all fours and start to rock. He's close, but not quite at the point to start moving anywhere.  He's eating table food now.  Soft fruits and veggies. Hubby is still putting olive oil in all of his baby food as prescribed by the doctor to help Baby add weight.  I think it's gross, but I think it's working. He feels heavier.  Life is a lot more pleasant. I think it helps that I'm getting a full night's sleep most nights. The nights I don't are attributed to my soon-to-be 3 year old getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. She's close to nighttime dryness...but I think I would rather have the sleep. HA!

All is well and I look forward to what the future holds.  Mr. Bananas continues to be a big flirt and will happily smile, giggle, shake his head "no," or bat his eyelashes at you. However, I think my absolute favorite thing right now is when someone speaks to him and if I'm holding him, he'll smile at them and then snuggle his head into my neck. LOVE!