Even though we are rapidly approaching 9 months, I still want to post this 8-month update for Caden because that time was full of milestones for him. The pictures were taken at 8 months. At that time, Caden had just learned to wave hi and bye and was eager to show off this new skill any time he heard the words, even if not directed at him. He had recently learned to clap and loves to do so in play or excitement. He also likes to clap to cheer on his brother. He's one of the loudest fans on the sidelines at Isaac's soccer games. Like Isaac at this age, a loud sustained yell is his most common form of communication. The only word he says is "uh-oh" and it's really just a sound to him. I don't think there is any meaning attached to it. It's pretty cute that he says it a lot because it's the sentiment we often feel when watching him: "Uh-oh, we're in trouble. He's attempting to pull up; or, Uh-oh, we're really in trouble now--he's trying to crawl." Yep, just after turning 8 months, the little bugger decided to become mobile. Mind you, he still doesn't know how to roll from his tummy to back, but the little guy can motor with no problem. The full-on crawling to cover ground is a more recent development. He's really just mastered it over the last few days. Right after turning 8 months, he figured out how to get from belly up to sitting. It wasn't long before he started getting his knees up under him when leaning forward on his hands. Then he began taking one little scoot at a time, leaning forward on arms and using one knee and one foot. Now, he motors around that way with speed. The way he crawls is really cute--it's kind of a hybrid crawl/butt scoot. He just can't quite get that second knee up under himself and instead sticks out his leg to the side and uses the foot. He is loving exploring the world this way. He no longer is happy sitting still or being held. He lurches or twists out of our arms with no warning. You gotta watch him so he doesn't dive out of your arms while you're standing! He wants to be down on the ground checking things out.
One day after C turned 8 months old, Gran arrived and spent a week with us. That's always special.
Caden is a great eater despite the fact that he still does not have a single tooth. Rather than going the traditional route of introducing food with purees, we adopted an approach called "Baby-led Weaning." With this method, you skip the purees all together and go straight to real solid foods. We started with soft foods such as steamed veggies and soft fruits. Caden is pretty adventurous when it comes to food. He'll try most anything we put in front of him, including meat. Some of his favorite foods are bananas, toast, squash, carrots, corn on the cob, peaches, pears, cheese, avocado, cucumber, and pasta.
Caden's napping schedule and abilities are a disaster. I attribute that in part to him being the second child. We are on the move and try to make his schedule fit ours. It's not working. It's really just the mornings that we are not home much. We are home every afternoon during which time Isaac naps beautifully. I am struggling big time to get Caden to cooperate for a good afternoon nap. It's maddening. Some days I think I'm going to have a break down. But we are trying to figure it out, and we will. Like everything else, this too shall pass. So....hopefully I'll have a better update on that subject at a later date. Caden does pretty well at night. We usually nurse once during the night and sometimes not at all. Those nights are bliss.
Caden is a super happy, loveable little guy. He is inquisitive and curious. He likes to figure out what things do, like drawers. He opens and closes them over and over. He digs sand with a shovel in the sand box and crunches dry leaves. He loves playing with his brother's toys. He already "drives" vehicles around while making motor noises (not even kidding). Like all babies, he chews on everything. Reading him a book is a challenge because he just wants to eat it. He gives great hugs and is soooo squishy sweet. His smile melts my heart every time. We love our sweet Caden!
