Max at 8 months

I’m sure this won’t be the last time I say this but I really can’t believe how fast time has gone by and how quickly Max has reached 8 months! Life with Max has been pretty great and, with the exception of our house occasionally looking like it was hit by a colorful toy-rnado, most of the time we have nothing to complain about. It feels like he’s doing something new every day and constantly surprises us with insatiable curiosity. He is always alert, scanning the room with his big eyes, and always loves to see, touch and hear new things. While he certainly has his fussy days, Max is rarely inconsolable and, overall, he’s a very happy baby.

While last month was seemingly filled with new milestones, this month has been one of improvement. He started crawling at the end of last month but now moves around with a lot more confidence and speed, especially when there’s an iOS device in his line of sight.

Max also loves to stand and will use anything nearby to pull himself up. He also grabs everything and puts it in his mouth (see 8 month picture). While Aaron and I have prevented Max from putting most off-limit things into his mouth, we’re not 100%, and we now own at least one book with several pages missing a few bite-sized chunks.

It took a while but now he smiles and crawls towards us when we pick him up at daycare and it is the best feeling. He absolutely loves to explore new things and to be outside. If he’s crying it’s our secret trick to calming him down.

We have upped Max’s daily intake of solids and now he has 3 meals a day like a little human. At this point, Max has had a variety of fruits and veggies, but the only one he shows a clear preference for is avocado. There are some days that Max will eat as many as two whole avocados! Although he’s been eating really well, he weighs slightly less than last month because of how mobile he has been.  

The biggest news this month has to do with sleep; Max is (finally!) putting himself to sleep and sleeping (mostly) through the night! Hallelujah. Last month was probably his worst sleeping month and we were truly exhausted. On the recommendation of a friend (Hi, Kate and Nathan!), we read Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber. Most people think of Dr. Ferber as the “cry it out” guy but that’s not really a fair characterization. While his method definitely involves some crying, it’s more focused on letting your baby know that you’re still nearby even if you’re not in the room. We were very skeptical of his claim that teaching a baby to sleep through the night usually takes only a couple of days but we can confirm it worked for us. Even though Max has only been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks, it still feels like a miracle every time it happens and Dr. Ferber is now our favorite person ever.

Max stats

• Weight: 19.4 lbs
• Height: 28.5”
• Head circumference: 18.5”

Memorable moments

Nothing motivates Max to crawl more than an iPhone/iPad/Laptop. As soon as Max spots a device, he gets this little grin on his face and hauls his little butt as fast as he can over to it. It’s so funny to hear him panting with excitement. Last weekend Max was sitting on the floor when, all the sudden, Aaron said “Oh no! Max has a string caught around his leg!” with genuine concern. It turned out that what Aaron thought was a string, was really just a crease in Max’s chubby little leg.

Max has a cautious yet curious relationship with our Roomba. He likes to slowly crawl up to it, slap it and then immediately scoot backwards to safety. But he’s getting braver: occasionally he chases it around the room while it’s vacuuming.

Things we think Max likes

• Raffi (still!)
• Being outside If he’s fussy or cranky it’s our second secret trick (Raffi being #1) to calm him down.
• Avocados
• The pool
• Staring at other kids

Things we are pretty sure Max doesn’t like

• His changing table

  A few months ago this was on his list of likes but now he sees it as just another thing that’s designed to restrain him. And Max does not want to be restrained.

Milestones

• Clapping (first time with Aunt Ashley!)
• Climbing stairs

And now a brief message typed by Max when I momentarily left my laptop on the floor:

z2t2qsz ggfawdzfrgtvmyh   ik                     u
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Thanks, Max.