8 Months, 3 Weeks: Where Does the Time Go?

I've missed out on documenting SO much of Peabody's HUGE milestones. I'm so sad about it and I know how much sadder I'll be later when I come back to read this diary and 3 full months are just not here - three of the biggest months in the life of my baby! But that also sortof explains WHY I've not written, too. I've been busy watching and participating in all the change.


Here's a list of what's happened while I've not been writing, or at least the things I can remember.

1) At last writing I mentioned the sprouting of P's two bottom middle teeth. Those, obviously are fully in now. During the time that they were making their way out, Peabody bit me several times while he was nursing, which left me bruised and made nursing difficult for a couple of weeks, but we made it through. He also absolutely REFUSED to nurse on the side he'd bitten for about 2 days, except at night when he was sleepy. Those days overlapped with our travel down South (driving) and I was really concerned that the travel, the strange new locations for nursing, the upset routine and the partial nursing strike were going to lead to my milk drying up, but thankfully it didn't.

2) Peabody's sleep was totally destroyed by that trip. He couldn't nap during the days we were in the car, and that messed up his night sleep, which would probably have been somewhat compromised by the fact that we were in a different place every night and that he sometimes got to bed pretty late. By the time we were home from that trip, his night sleep was completely shattered - he only slept 2-3 hours at a time and would wake up screaming because he was so tired. Naps were virtually non-existent. It was a very hard time for Peabody and me and the rest of the family. All that night nursing, though, did really help my milk flow stay nice and plentiful, so I have to be at least somewhat glad for that benefit.

3) While we were traveling down South, Peabody really got strong enough to sit unsupported for long periods of time. We didn't let him practice the skill much while we were traveling because the places we stayed all had hard wooden floors and we worried he might still fall and bash his little noggin. But when we got home to our house where most rooms are carpeted, we had him sitting up all the time and he's been sitting beautifully ever since. He also began immediately to fall/throw himself forward from sitting to land on his belly with his hands out in front of him.

4) He'd been eating just oatmeal cereal, rice cereal and fruits, squash and sweet potatoes prior to our trip (which I should state was the last week of February, 2009), but while we were away we introduced some jarred "dinners" that included small amounts of meat, so he started eating meat at around seven months exactly.

5) A short few weeks after our return from that trip, Peabody began teething again, and had a really hard time of it with the two middle tops coming in. So much so that we ended up at the pediatricians office for a second time with concerns he had an ear infection because he was so snotty and gooey and was constantly rubbing his nose and pulling on his ears. And once again, his ears were perfectly clear but Dr. Betancourt pointed out his awfully swollen gums and confirmed the issue was, once again, his teeth, not his ears. His sleep only got worse during those weeks. NIGHTMARE!

6) He did, however, continue to eat very well. He eats up to THREE jars of baby food at a meal. If not three jars, then he eats two jars and a large bowl of oatmeal. He also still nurses 4 to 6 times a day.

7) Peabody is MOBILE. He started that slithery, bump/slide, bump/slide crawl about two weeks ago and has been slee-slooping around the house ever since. Bean and I get so tickled at him, as we'll put him down somewhere and go to do something else and we'll hear him grunting and thumping around and come back to find him, only to not be able to find him! He's quickly slithered off to some corner, behind a chair, or under something and he's just happily parked himself there and rolled over on his back and is playing with a toy or his hands when we finally locate him, and he grins up at us with those two huge front teeth of his, that little nose all scrunched up and his blue eyes twinkling. Such a monkey!

8) Two days ago I noticed Peabody working hard to get his little knees up under himself when he was in his belly-crawl position. He just baaaaaarely got both of them up (one was usually not quite right - it ended up slightly twisted beneath him somehow) and could rock back and forth once or twice. But he's been working for 48 hours at it whenever he's had a chance and today that motion and the all-fours position are much stronger and more confident. The same day he first tried (or that I first saw him try) this, (so on this past Monday), he also went from his belly crawl to the awkward knees up position and then finally to sitting up again. That's also become a much bolder and more SURE move in the past 48 hours. I'm also finding him on his hands and knees in his crib every time I go to get him after he's slept. We will have to lower the mattress in his bed this weekend and we took the bumper out last night.

Okay that's all I have time to get down for now and I've missed some things I'm sure and will have to go back chronologically to pick them up! But I'm happy to have at least a bit of it down now and will be back soon to continue updating. I have a LOT to say about breastfeeding as we have had some struggles (some of you know about those already) but I feel like we may now be on the right track again (it's too soon to tell but I ran into the lactation consultant my pediatrician works with at the ped's office yesterday and she was kind enough to sit down with me briefly and ask me some questions which led me to try a little something different and so far I feel like this may be the answer, but we'll see!)

I still love him so! He is such a joy and so beautiful and happy and cuddly-sweet!