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On Wednesday morning we all sang a very loud and quite off key version of “Happy Monthaversary” to our littlest monkey. He giggled, squirmed and delighted in the attention, even joining in towards the end with a loud, “babababa!”. Baby J is so adorable that I wish I could just put a frame around him and hang him on the wall! His bright blue eyes and two-tooth grin make him a priceless masterpiece.

This last month has been one of our best. Sleep is a beautiful thing! Our little man is so happy. He generally has two good naps a day and then sleeps from 7pm to 7am with one wake up around 5am. Gone are the days of endless hours of screaming and weeping. They feel so far behind us now that I recently caught myself wondering if they were really that bad (Yes, yes they were. Hellish, in fact.). I am enjoying my little guy so much and am thankful everyday for his presence in our lives. I am also glad that, so far he hasn’t realized what a transient little fellow he is. After eight months of living in our four bedroom home, he still doesn’t a room of his own. Just one of the woes of being a third child, I suppose! Until we find a magical pot of gold on one of our adventure walks (so we can finish an office in the basement), little J will have to be content with dressing in N’s room, napping in our room and spending his nights in Daddy’s office (that is where his crib currently resides, carefully placed out of the webcam’s line of sight). It’s working so we’ll continue to roll with it but I promise that I will design a special room (with lots of stripes because those are Daddy’s favourite to paint!) as soon as the basement is done.

Over the last month Baby J has made a number of developmental leaps. Most notably he discovered that movement actually has a purpose! He has been able to roll over for ages but just didn’t see the point in all that effort. A couple of weeks ago our oldest was playing Lego just out of Baby J’s reach. Little J decided that he wanted in on the action so he threw himself to the side and rolled until he could reach the Lego. As he grabbed a chunk of N’s creation in his dimpled hand, you could see him make the mental connection: moving = more crap to shove in my mouth! Baby J’s mobility earned me the new title of “Toy Cop”. I am forever relocating older children and their teeny-tiny Magnetics, Polly Pockets, Lego and Barbie shoes. Once the little things are safely out of reach, it is so cute to watch Baby J squirm his way into whatever the other two are playing with. The other day as he tried to grab a toy out of reach, he managed to move from a sitting position onto his hands and knees. He didn’t really know what to do from there and eventually settled for carpet surfing. It is so fun to watch him developing. The key difference is that I’m not as eager for him to be on the move as I was with the other two, most likely because I know what’s coming!

Our little man has continued to grow like a weed. When I look at pictures from last August I can’t believe that smooshy little baby is the same one I hold in my arms today. Currently, he weighs 21 pounds 4 ounces and is 78 cm long. Our pediatrician told me that he should be a poster child for breastfeeding. I appreciated that comment so much since it affirms all of the hours we have spent nursing. Little J still nurses about six times a day. I enjoy the few minutes of quiet that we are able to share throughout the day. I love to hold him in my arms and smile at him as he nurses. In return, he strokes my arm or puts his hands up to my lips to be kissed. When he is satisfied he abruptly starts pushing against my chest with his arm and tries to sit up, ready to move on to the next activity.

With all of his rapid growth, Little J is fortunate that spring is finally upon us because I don’t think I could squish him into his snowsuit much longer. It’s actually a bit embarrassing the way his legs stick so far out the bottom. How fortuitous that my Grandmother thought to select one that was footless!

At 8 months Baby J is starting to show his preferences more clearly. He loves paper and is never happier than when he is handed a flyer to destroy. He laughs and laughs as he crumples the paper between his hands. He is also very enthralled with zippers, strings (like on my hoodie) and drinking glasses. He likes to be placed in the middle of the action so he can chew on his toys and watch the rest of our family at work and play. He loves to eat and happily gulps down huge bowls of peaches, pears and applesauce mixed with oatmeal or cream of wheat. He is also doing very well with finger foods and enjoys feeding himself cheerios, chunks of melon and anything from our plates. He recently learned how to drink from a sippy cup and does so very proudly many times a day.

Spring has brought a whole new world for little J. He is fascinated by the great outdoors now that he isn’t assaulted by wind and snow every time we step out our door. He loves to watch the birds flitting around our yard, sit nearby while the kids play soccer and investigate all the leaves and sticks that blow his way. We bought him a swing the other day and he is delighted with it! He sits and giggles the entire time that he is in it. I look forward to seeing the world through his eyes this summer.

Until next month!

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