Dominic - 8 Months Old

I still think of Dom as a 6 month old. That's as far as my brain will let me go. He's not a little baby any more!

Weight: 18lb 13.6oz. (45th percentile). 
Height: 71cm/28.25 inches (55th percentile)

0-8 months. you can see from 5 months onward he has a pattern of chunky, skinny, chunky, skinny. I think this month he wasn't getting as much nutrition as he could/should have had (explains more below), but he's definitely still following the pattern! David's mom said he had the same thing when he was a baby. 

Likes:

• Eating. He eats lots of finger foods and purees now. His favorites are muffins, puffs, mum mums, meat, and anything sweet. I can no longer eat my own food without sharing. 
• The Po (Kung Fu Panda) stuffy in David's office. When we come in from our walk in the morning, He always searches for it and giggles and smiles when he finds it. Super cute. 
• Making noise by smashing little metal bowls together
• Standing. He's always reaching to pull himself up on anything and everything. 
• Bath time and splashing in the water. 
• Sherlock. If he's every really whiny or grumpy I just bring him to where he can stare at the dog. It's like he can't be mad when Sherlock is there. 
• Music. He kind of bops his bum around. Precursor to dancing?
• The IKEA lantern above his bed. If I can get him to see it as I put him down in his crib he giggles and then peacefully goes to sleep 95% of the time. 
• Peek-a-Boo with Mom & Dad, but other people are scary
• Looking at his reflection... little narcissist. 
• Reading books. He loves turning the pages, and reading "peek-a-boo" books. He especially likes the pages with animals or the one with a digger. 
• Seeing Dad. He always reserves some smiles and giggles for Dave. It's really quite adorable and special and I'm secretly jealous!

Dislikes:

• Avocado. It is the only food we've come across that he really dislikes. It seems to literally offend him! 
• Tummy time. This boy may never crawl since he hates tummy time so much! 
• When I walk away from him. 
• Being woken up. We have a 8 month old teenager on our hands here .

Notes:

• Dom is 100% sleeping through the night as of just after he turned 7 months. We cut out the dream feed, and he now sleeps 630pm-6am (or so, depending on the naps during the day)
• He is down to 2 naps per day. We do a 2.25/3/4 schedule (wake times between naps)
• I think nursing is almost over. I've started producing less milk and I can tell he doesn't really care. Most of the time he is just as happy to take a bottle. I don't think I noticed how little milk he was getting out of me. He was quite irritable for a few days, and finally I just gave him a bottle and he sucked it back and then was content and satisfied after... Oops... Maybe that explains the really low weight gain from 7 to 8 months. I actually had to give him some formula today because he was refusing to nurse. I'm not ready! :( :(
• Just figured out the sippy cup the other day with a vengeance. I had put some diluted juice in it to hopefully spark interest, and it didn't work for a few days. Finally he was laying down and grabbed it and started sucking it back. I took it away and replaced with just water an that just made him angry. 
• Wearing mostly 12 month clothing now
• Talkative when he's happy. Lots of ma ma ma ma ma! He beckons me often. 
• Pulled himself to standing on the activity cube all on his own. Tries to pull himself up on lots of things, but can stand if I help him up for a long time. 
• He has one really long hair on the top of his head. It gives "needing a hair cut" a whole new meaning! 
• Shows affection with face slimes and "hugs" or snuggles
• He has slowly and clumsily started furniture surfing which is fun...
• He is not a very determined baby. If he gets tired, he will just put his forehead against something and take a little rest. Cracks me up. Something looks too difficult he gets frustrated. 
• Since the day he was born he's sneezed every time he's in the sun
• He's a little daredevil. Always throwing himself around. It's only a matter of time before he has a decent fall... Not looking forward to that!

Now for pictures! From 7 to 8 months :)

This toy plays music and his favorite is "Rockin' Robin". Always gets a smile and a bop out of him. 

First time in the big boy buggy.

Moobs

Loves to take a bottle. 

First pickle. He didn't seem to mind!

Last time in the jolly jumper! It's not exciting enough for him anymore.

Always wrinkling his nose and snorting at us. 

Discovering he can peek into his activity cube. 

From the inside

Derpy Dom

Getting too big for the kitchen sink!

Trying to steal Dad's pancakes. He and Sherlock will one day learn to work as a team.

 

A rare photo of Dad

Catching his reflection in the tub

Getting in for a closer look

Reading ME a story for a change

Still has the odd car nap.

Mmmmm... spaghetti!

This is the face I get every morning when I go to get him from his crib. 

Giggling away!

Puppies! <3

He knows what's good

The little pup crawled in to lay beside him. Melt my heart. 

That's my boy!!

A typical day: 

0600 - wake up for the day

breastfeed (or bottle now if he won't take the breast)

solids (oatmeal and some fruit or peanut butter)

walk the dog

0815 - nap 1

1000 - wake up from nap 1

breastfeed

go out and do something or play at home

have some lunch (usually some sort of finger food; muffin, fruit, veggies)

1300 - nap 2

1430 - wake up from nap 2

play time

1600 - dinner time (usually some puree of vegetables followed by some finger food: chicken, turkey, beans, etc.)

1800 - start bedtime routine (nurse/bottle, diaper change, PJ's, stories, bed!)

1830 - asleep for the night until 0600 the next day!