EIGHT Months

Speaking of being eight months... Let's see what's new this past month!

Sleep...
Aiden's had a rough month sleep-wise. His naps have gone downhill since separation anxiety kicked in. Then there's the fact that he rolls onto his belly in his crib - yet can't roll back (yes, really - he goes from back to front too easily but not the other way) and will not sleep on his belly, so that makes things difficult. So, it takes quite a while to get him settled and ok with going to sleep in his crib - and then he's been sleeping only for 30 minutes. (Oh - and if you call us during the day PLEASE call my CELL phone b/c the home phone WILL wake him, even with his music on and his door barely cracked and me running to get the phone after one ring. Even if he's only slept for 10 minutes...he will NOT go back to sleep.) At nighttime...Aiden's still in our room and loves sleeping so close to Mommy. And it's working for us, so we're happy with that arrangement. Happier than when he was in the other room and waking just as much, at least!

Eating...
Aiden still nurses every two hours, maybe three if there is enough distraction. Solids - he cannot get enough! If we eat, he MUST eat, too. Forget trying to feed him and eat at the same time. He wants it all with no breaks! Aiden is eating a great variety of fruits and veggies and yogurt. We also added in turkey one evening when we made a turkey breast for dinner. I pureed some with some applesauce and he LOVED it. He really likes just about any kind of food you will give him! He decided he did not like the sippy cup but preferred Mom's water bottle - so we just got him his own. He loves those bottles - the ones with the thick spout that you have to bite and then suck to get the water. He gets rather excited when he sees either mine or his!

A few of Aiden's favorite things....
Basically anything big brother does makes Aiden laugh hysterically! He loves playing with Camden, and Camden can't get enough of Aiden. It's a pretty good match.
Aiden loves playing with his toy piano! If you put it just out of his reach, he will reach and reach - and eventually will barely touch the edge of it and scoot it until he can pull it to him.
One of Aiden's favorite things to play with - a mirror. Toys with mirrors don't impress him too much, but a real mirror does - he can tell the difference, I guess. We have one leaning up against a wall so he can play in front of it, and he just can't get enough. He's also figured out how this mirror thing works. He'll look at me in the mirror and then turn to look at me in person - and back and forth. He thinks it's pretty funny. He'll also lean forward and give himself a kiss in the mirror - very cute!
Aiden's newest trick is this hilarious laugh... He will squint his eyes, smile really big, and do this squeal/laugh thing. It's not a real laugh - he's making himself do it. Just because he CAN. He'll sit there and do it over and over. He cracks himself up with it, I think. He certainly cracks us up with it!

Aiden will surely be crawling soon! He scoots all around, in circles, even backwards, but not yet going forward. This annoys him sometimes. But, to be honest, I'm not in a huge rush for him to be crawling. Then we really have to watch out! He can pull himself up just a tiny bit if given the opportunity. He can pull himself a few inches off the ground from a sitting position.

Aiden's tooth #3 is through now. It's funny, too.... We've been waiting for the top four teeth to come through. They have been so close for the longest time now! And still are. But suddenly we noticed another bottom tooth about to pop through - and it did just a couple days later. A bit out of the blue! The others are getting even closer - ANY day now. (Really.)

You can't fool Aiden anymore... He knows that if you hide something, it really is still there. And earlier, when he tried to eat my cell phone - after I said NO...he tried to throw it away from himself. We went through this routine a few times, and then he decided it just wasn't worth it anymore. ;)

Other new things..
He puts his arms up when you go to pick him up.
He flips out when Mom goes out of his sight for a moment.
He is very good at entertaining himself when playing - but if he starts fussing, he will light up if you just sit down with him!
He really loves swimming.
He also loves taking showers and will open his mouth to catch the water pouring down. He'll also stick out his tongue to feel the water. And if we do either of these, as well, he thinks it is too funny!
He loves playing with balls and is getting quite good at throwing things (balls or any other toy for that matter...)
He likes wearing hats just fine - but forget the sunglasses! No way.
He likes to spin in circles when sitting, using his feet to turn him round and round.
He's figured out what it means when I do the sign for "milk" and he says "eh, eh, eh" repeatedly when he's wanting to get some!
He is amazingly good at sitting and bringing his foot to his mouth at the same time...
He always pulls off his right sock but not his left one.

Happy Eight Months, Aiden!!

UPDATE:

Measurements!!
Weight - 19lbs
Height - 28 1/4 inches