8 months!

So, somehow, my baby turned 8 months old. And yeah, it was a week ago, but I’ve been out of town and had company and I’m going to kill my computer, so… at least it made it on here at all. Let’s see what he’s doing these days.

• DJ can roll, scoot, twist, rotate, and army crawl. He’s not tummy up crawling yet, but he sure gets where he needs to go in a hurry. Luckily, that’s not a whole lot of places yet, but it’s a matter of time…
• He has two teeth that are fully through the gums. They’re both on the bottom and he adamantly refuses to let me take a picture of them, so you’ll have to believe me. It makes his kisses extra special, since he likes to open-mouth those. Mmm! Cheek bites!
• He is really into copying these days. Whether it’s blowing raspberries, slapping the floor/his high chair tray, shaking his head and saying “aaaah,” saying “dada” or “baba”, or trilling his lips while flicking them, he loves to have you copy him so he can copy you right back. It’s hilarious! 
• Dude had to have his first real haircut. I’ve trimmed a few strays here and there, but it was time. He is growing hair really great on the crown and Mohawk areas of his head, but… not so much everywhere else yet, so as those got longer, it looked weird. Daddy pulled out the buzzers, and DJ tried to eat them. He looks pretty slick now. 
• He loves eating by himself. In fact, I have a hard time getting him to eat baby food because I’m putting it in his mouth, and that is just not acceptable. He gets about half of whatever I give him on his lap, but he loves being in control of his own food processes. 
• If we thought this dude liked baths, we were unprepared for how much he would like the shower. He gets to touch water as it rains down, he gets to have a drink when his head gets wet, and when we hold him up and sing the Lion King song (baaaa-sawenya, or however it goes), it’s the funniest thing ever. Plus, for some reason, he thinks it’s amazing when we squeegee the shower windows, so he gets to help with that, and that is amazing. 
• He has become addicted to his binky. Some people will judge, but look – he likes it and it helps him sleep longer, so we’re going with it. Besides, knowing the dental genes he’s inherited, he’s getting braces anyway. He loves to take it out of his mouth and put it in upside down. Silly boy!
• Our pool is still freezing, but the other day it was really warm so we all hung out by the pool. I dipped his toes in, just to see what he’d do, and he had a huge smile break out on his face and he kicked like crazy. This huge, albeit cold, bathtub is amazing! 
• He has started to really enjoy banging things together and smacking surfaces with his hands. It’s fun to be in control of noises!
• He is a really big fan of walking. Granted, he has to do it with support, but he loves cruising like a big kid. Who knows – maybe he’ll walk before he really gets into this crawling thing. 
• He loves to use the hand rail on stairs and loves the knobs at the corners. He reaches for them and is so very interested in them. Oh, the things kids find entertaining.
• He likes to show affection by leaning into you with his forehead. It’s adorable and amazing. He really likes to give the mirror baby head snuggles, too. That mirror baby is so funny!
• He has started screaming when both really happy and really mad. Moms of kids – you know what stage I’m talking about. Awesome!

He really is the sweetest, happiest little dude, and we are so very blessed to be his parents.