It’s hard to believe that time flies so fast! Hubby and I had such a busy week that we realized too late today our boy is already 8 months old.
8 months old! That’s 4 months short of being a 1 year old! A 1 year old means birthday cakes and candle blowing – a little boy, not a baby anymore.
I have a mixed feeling of happy and sad.
Happy because he’s more manageable in terms of eating, drinking, sleeping, bathing, sitting and playing.
At one month, it was gentle handling, quiet sleeps, frequent nursing, frequent crying and not much activity.
At 4 months, he rolled over.
At 6 months, he sat up.
Yet, he was still a little baby.
Now, he can stand holding onto the cot rails.
Squawk for something he wants.
Bite down on a piece of fruit, finish his porridge obediently and hold his water bottle on his own.
I’m sad because I’m so used to taking care of every little thing for him.
I know I complain and complain about how tired I was, how attached he was to me and how little “life” I have with him around…
Although I can do more with him around, I’m also sad at not having to do so many of those things anymore. Weird, right?
I’m also sad because when I look back at his earlier baby photos here and here, I wonder if he’s that same little baby since he looks so different now.
I’m also sad because he now wants to take his milk from the bottle and is on a nursing strike. Officially, my breastfeeding journey ended on 21 Sept 2006.
I’m sad because one day, he will be embarrassed being kissed or hugged by his Mummy. I will just have to grip his arm or ambush him in an “hug” attack!
Ok, let’s not end this on a sad note so I’m going to switch channels now. We went for our first hotel stay and despite my worries, it turned out to be a great weekend away for our little family.
Developmental milestones:
Everyone at home says he’s busy as a bee and the keyword for this month is “GO, GO, GO!”
Chews on objects – It’s tough picking toys and books for him. I can’t buy the cheap stuff in case it’s got poisonous dye or fluffy nylon threads.
Reaches for utensils when being fed – Yes and I end up being splattered with mashed potato, carrot (horrible orange stains!).I’ve learned not to place the bowl or spoon near his hands/legs – one little jerk tipped everything over.
He can eat a rusk and hard fruits (banana, honeydew melon, ciku, papaya) on his own. Needs supervision as he’ll pop the whole bit into his mouth or chew off a big chunk.When this happens, he has “the cat ate the canary” look.
At this stage, he has no idea what to do with it and just looks at me with blinking big eyes. A cue for me to pry open his mouth and remove the big piece. So cute!
Turns head away when he’s done – Oh yes and also with protests. I know when he’s had enough. Hopefully, this mechanism continues long so that we can keep obesity at bay.
May sleep between 11 and 13 hours a night; takes 2 to 3 naps (may vary) – He sleeps at 9 pm and wakes up at 11 pm and 3-4 am for milk and wakes up at 7.30 am. I’m trying to give more solids during the day and a bigger milk bottle for the last feed so that he’ll sleep through the night. I am SO sleep-deprived 
Rolls all the way around – he’s very good at this now except when he’s against a barrier like a bolster or big pillow. Of course, this tenacious little tyke will keep on doing it with yowls of effort until you remove it for him.
Sits unsupported – I’m very happy as bathing, dressing and feeding is easier. He love bathing although I don’t let him spend too much time in the tub.
Dressing is tough time as he used to lie down for nappy changes but now? No way! I’ve phased out button-downs for t-shirts! We can even adjust the car seat to an upright position though it doesn’t mean he’ll stay in it throughout a car ride.
Gets on arms and knees in crawling position – This is comical as he’s like an army recruit balancing shakily for his first push-up. He rocks slightly in this position and tries to move forward, ending up in a slight lunge.
He’s been moving backwards and he gets frustrated because I think he wants to come to me but can’t understand why he’s getting further and further away from me. In the end, I just have to rescue him from the tight corner he’s wedged himself against.
Has specific cries for various needs – I’m trying to understand what “Aiyaiyaiyai” means. He does it when he wants milk and also being patted to sleep. Dual-function like “Aloha”?
Babbles enthusiastically – Most people say that he’s talkative, even my in-laws who saw his video recently. God save us for the day when he can speak. I REALLY hope he doesn’t become one of the kids who goes,
“Why are we going to the market?”
“To buy fruits and vegetables.”
“Why must we buy fruits and vegetables?”
“Because we don’t have anymore“
“Why we don’t have anymore?”
“Because we ate them“
“Why did we eat them?“
“Because we were hungry”
“Why were we hungry?“
“…”
I was a very talkative kid but I’m quieter nowadays. On the other hand, his father is the strong, silent type who speaks in grunts. I’m going to direct his questions to him father so I can relax and read a book or something ha, ha, ha!
Tests gravity by dropping objects from high chair – we’ve seen him doing this a number of times. It’s really cute as he’ll peer over the edge of the chair and let the item drop. He’s doing a science experiment!
Once the object hits the ground, he looks at it a bit before moving onto something else. Of course, when he fusses, he’ll throw everything you give him. So much for hypothesis testing, little Galileo.
Responds to own name – yes, he does this. I’ve tried calling him “Shorty! Shorty!” to see if he turns around. He does that after a while. Terrible Mum!
Has different reactions for different family members – This is very obvious. He knows Grandma is the one to turn to for a pick-up. He’ll VERY reluctantly go to Grandpa when he has no choice. He loves Auntie O the best as he perks up excitedly when he sees her – she’s his favorite person to play Peekaboo.
I was quite surprised he took to my elder sister although it was weeks since he last saw her. Papa is also his favorite playmate. Mummy is definitely in charge of the food and care.
Shows some anxiety when removed from parent – I think he’s showing signs of separation anxiety as he’ll howl like crazy at night when I leave the room to prepare his milk. Even when his Papa carries him, he’ll cry continuously until I take over. Then, he stops immediately.
I’m quite worried about this as I’ll be on travel for more than a week end of the month. I don’t know how he’ll be then as he’ll cry pitifully and persistently.
Grandma can put him to bed but he sleeps with me at night. We’ll try it out soon so that he’ll get used to the idea that Grandma will sleep with him sometimes.
Sigh, I used to love traveling but not now. How can I stay away from this cute little chipmunk?
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