Monday, August 18, 2008

Such a big boy! (Yes you are! Yes you are!)


Sweet baby Dub is edging up on 8 months and the adorableness is almost ludicrous. I take back everything I thought during the first 4 months - this kid's a keeper! There's still no crawling - I try to keep him on the floor as much as possible, which is easier said than done now that he's discovered his cat burgler-like ability to dismantle his foam floor. I also do the whole "toys just out of reach" madness, but instead of figuring out how to move forward on hands and knees he just plops himself down and rolls. Do babies need to watch other babies crawl in order to learn how to do it? I sort of figured that stuff was ingrained. Anyway, no crawling, but pleeeeenty of talking. The child has discovered his voice and it. is. loud. Shrieking, squawking, screaming... He constantly checks in with me to make sure I heard the latest. ("You hear dat, mama? You hear it?") It's amazing to watch someone who has absolutely no self-consciousness. He absolutely lights up when he sees Matt and me (he wiggles, he's so happy) and I just breathe it in, knowing full-well that this sort of enthusiasm will only be pure for a very short time. That said, Michael Phelps has proven that some boys will always love their mamas. I defy you to find a mother who didn't tear up when Michael was interviewed immediately after winning his 8th gold.

“I don’t even know what to feel right now. There’s so much emotion going through my head and so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom.”

It takes balls to be that much of a mama's boy on national television. BTW, just how much tail is Michael Phelps going to get from now on? Even Lindsay Lohan wants to meet him. (Don't let her derail you, Superfish! Don't let her derail you!)

Have I mentioned Will's thighs? The kid's built like a freakin' brick house. I suspect the kid is juicing on the side because that lithe little puma of 4 months is gone daddy gone. Did anybody else get all weepy when they their teensy tiny baby suddenly became a full blown tot? I don't what I'm so hormonal about, he's still totally dumpling-like, but the realization that time is passing fast makes me feel all clenchy.

Anyway, highlights!

- He understands words now. If I say "cat" he looks at Tinkerbell. Same with "mama". He says "dada" all the time but isn't quite putting the word with the fella. Not that Matt isn't trying. Whenever I'm out of the room I hear him coaching. ("Da-da. Daaa-daaaa. Not mama. Da-da.") Mostly Will just blinks at him which is just the way I like it. I didn't carry that child around in my belly for 9 months so that pops could get the glory. (I know that d's come before m's but let me dream...)

- Moving on to bigger and better baby food. He's starting to eat my homemade stuff which pleases me to no end, even though I'm just throwing green beans into the slow cooker. He's a big fan of the sweet even though I'm trying my damndest to get him to enjoy the savory. I'd like to introduce finger foods like tofu and frozen bagels for gnawing but I'm trying to take it slow. Right now I'm easing him out of purees and into chunkier foods. He hasn't moved to a sippy cup yet. I'm not sure when to introduce that. I let him play with it but whenever I put any liquid inside he gags and sputters and glares. I read a lot about Suri Cruise and her attachment to her bottle (at age 2). I'm sure it's best to move to a cup but considering the crazy she must encounter on a daily basis (camera crews, constant travel, her father) I say cut the kid some slack.

- Was anybody else's baby afraid of balls? I bought Will a little ball (this one) thinking he'd enjoy rolling it (and maybe crawling after) but instead the thing terrifies him. He stares at it for a few minutes assessing its fun quotient and then bursts into tears. I've tried playing with it myself, showing him that mama approves, and as long as I'm holding it he's okay but when I roll it he darts off like there's a shark in the water. I think I'll pull it out in a few weeks but between his dislike of getting wet and fear of balls I'm starting to question his Olympic abilities. But he sure is cute!

5 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Do you have hardwood floors? We always have and Eli was a few months "late" with both crawling and walking...and then we stayed places with carpet and he got it when we were there, so I formed the theory that it takes kids longer when they live in houses without carpet.
Regardless, he is perfect and chunky and adorable!

Missy said...

Some kids never crawl and move right on to walking. Sometimes I think they can get complacent if they are effective at certain skills, like rolling. We were certain #2 was going to be an early walker, she was standing, cruising all that stuff at about 9-10 months, but she was such an effetive crawler that if something was across the room she would just drop to all fours and go for it that way, it worked for her. She finally walked at 13 months, and I swear she came on to it by accident.

Dan G said...

He's associated the ball you got him with his own balls and is afraid that you'll remove his and bounce them like you're doing with the new ball. I still have that fear. Not that you'll be the one to remove my balls and bounce them necessarily, but that someone will. I like my balls right where they are. Unbounced. Your boy likes his boys too. What's so hard to understand?

Woman with a Hatchet said...

Cuuuuuuute!

Caitlin went through a VERY short crawling phase and right into walking, so maybe you're headed in that direction.

In which case, get a helmet. Those suckers are top heavy and unstable!

The baby, that is, not the helmet.

Amanda said...

He's terrified of awesome playground balls!? That's hilarious! I can't wait to try it out next time I'm over.

But I will do so in a non-traumatizing way, of course. Besides, the kid loves me so it should be fine!