Our Baby is 8 Months!

Another month has flown by, and with each month our baby seems to grow faster than the last. I want to hang on to this adorable baby stage for as long as possible, but it's also so fun to watch him grow. This month Nathanael had many milestones:

• he started eating lots of table food and can pick up things like cheerios to feed himself


• he can sit up unaided


• he prefers to be on his tummy now and can push himself backwards or around in a circle to reach toys


• he is learning to get up on his knees, which means he is just days away from learning to crawl all over the house (a prospect I am dreading since it will mean that I will have to dilegently keep the floors clear of small items that he could choke on)


• he learned how to drink from a sippy cup

We spent the week of July 4th in South Dakota, and Nathanael loved every minute of it! He loved all the attention from Grandpa Pat, Grandma Theresa, Grandma Jean, and all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. He loved dipping his toes in the lake, playing with new toys, seeing new faces, and melting people's hearts with his adorableness :) He continues to be such a happy, easy baby, filling our lives with more joy than we ever imagined. Our only challenge with him is getting him to sleep through the night. He takes two great naps during the day, but at night he keeps waking up every hour or two...mostly for comfort rather than hunger...and I just don't know how to break him of the habit. We tried having him cry it out one night, but I was crying by the end of the hour...strike one. We tried having Paul go in to hold him and get him back to sleep, but he definately wants his mommy...strike two. Does anyone have other suggestions before we strike out? Or should I just accept this very small cross, knowing that this is just a season and will soon pass? Anyway, enjoy these photos of our sweet little man...

Nathanael loves being in daddy's hands!

Nathanael spent lots of time bonding with his godfather Uncle Jon.

Most of his time, however, was spent in Grandma Theresa's loving arms.

Grandpa Pat can always make the grandkids smile with his teasing and tickles.

I can just hear Nathanael thinking, "Mommy, can we come to Grandma's house next summer too? I love it here!"