Hello Squishy!

That is your official nickname now. So many people call you that, and I kind of love it. Especially when your big brother calls you squishy and squeezes your cheeks. He’s getting better about how hard to pinch them, thankfully! He also calls you buddy all the time now since I tend to call you and your brother that all the time. If you are crying, he will so gently say, “it’s ok buddy! Don’t cry, buddy.” It kills me, and I really hope and pray you guys will be the best buds ever.

Solomon asked to take pictures with you and I couldn't say no... just the way you look at him. Kills me every single time. 

When I hold you at night, rocking you to sleep before I lay you down in your crib, I notice how big you have become! Your head is pressed tightly under my chin and your body is pressed against my stomach while your legs are on either side of my own legs and are now bending to sit in this position to sleep. You are no longer a baby. I have felt this way for a while now, but all the signs are truly their now. You are closer to your first birthday, than the day you first arrived. You are getting bigger by the day and it makes my heart ache a bit. To see the past eight months gone, it is such a bittersweet feeling. Those eight months of changes and growing and laughter and love, they made me a better person, and you have taught me so much already. I can't imagine what else we will learn together.

You looooove eating. I mean, we all know this is true (#rollsfordays), but you are the cutest thing while you are eating at the table with us. All I have to do now is ask if you are hungry, then you start smacking your tongue and your lips with excitement!! You open your mouth wide like a baby bird waiting for each bite. A few weeks ago, you opened your mouth three times in a row for more peas without even trying to swallow the bites you already had in your mouth. It’s so sweet to watch you. You also make this loud humming sound if I start to eat my food and stop feeding you. Trust me, baby boy, I won’t forget you!!!

Another thing you are loving is music!! In the car, on my phone during the day, or even on the tv. Whenever music comes on you stop what your doing and put all your attention on the sound and then you start to bob up and down. Your little dance to any tune is the cutest thing, I love it!! We are definitely a music loving family, but I’m hoping you or your brother will learn to play an instrument, unlike your daddy and I. That would be a lot of fun!!

We are heading into my favorite month, and I’m so excited to share it with you. Last year, I had a very round belly during all the fun fall activities, but this year you are here with us to enjoy it. I can’t wait to have another little pumpkin to love on. Apple picking, cool mornings at Swamp Rabbit, pumpkin patches and planning Halloween decorations, all of it is going to be so fun with one more little guy in our arms.

We sure do love you!!

stats //  27.1 lbs & 28 inches

eating // thanks to some cutting teeth (both lateral incisor & now his right center incisor), he has been comfort nursing a lot more, which I don't mind at all. I missed his nursing since he was more interested in food recently. He still loves food though!! Eating banana in bites now instead of mashed, loves strawberries and oatmeal, and still a huge fan of peas. 

sleeping // it's funny how quickly sleep habits can change with a baby!! He is still only having two naps a day, but they have switched to no morning nap and then a late afternoon nap. His sleeping at night has become drastically better, also! Praise Jesus, I'm just hoping that the new tooth cutting now won't change that!

wearing // all 18-24 month clothes now. 18 month still fits very well but I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do about pants for the fall/winter. Because of his butt and legs, he needs 2T bottoms, so I'm probably going to need to have all of his pants hemmed. HA! 

firsts // army crawling and moving so much, so many fun places like Kangaroo Jax (which included his first merry go round), and the Children's Museum, waving at everyone, and he cut both lateral incisor teeth & trying to cut his right center incisor now.

favorite things // clicking his tongue and cheesing at everyone, sophie the giraffe which we have named georgie because we don't want him to bite a sophie since he has a cousin named sophie (HA!), going on walks, splashing in the bathtub, pulling mommy's hair and daddy's beard/chest hair which is NOT fun for us, and also LOVES to chew on any cords/paper he can find.

& after we were finished with pictures I said let's go downstairs, then Solomon said "what about you mommy?? I take it!" so of course I had to do it. Sweet boys, I am so crazy about you both! I sent these pictures to your Gigi to show her and she replied back to me saying "What a sweet life you have!!!" and she is so right. So much sweetness that I do not deserve, but I am so thankful for it!

Solomon // eight months.

4/21/16

Just typing that eight months out in the subject of that post hurt my heart. Eight months.... I can't believe you will be that old so soon. I feel so much happiness and sadness everyday with you. I'm happy to see you growing and developing so many skills but I'm sad to see my baby disappearing before my eyes. I find myself so excited each time you wake up from a nap because I miss you. I miss seeing your eyes open and happy with excitement, you are such a sweet boy. But by the time the next nap rolls around, I'm excited to see them close again, and for you to rest, so I can rest. This motherhood thing is a complete roller coaster of emotions.

We just got back from our vacation in Chicago and you had some many exciting moments! You went from your tummy to your knees and the sat down on your butt all by yourself! Then a couple days later you finally figured out how to crawl on your hands and knees, although you still prefer the army crawl for now. You are also clapping your hands often, sometimes when I ask if you can clap. Its so cute to see all these things happen and watch you grow before our eyes. As much as I wish it would slow down, I'm happy you are thriving and your silly personality is showing more every day!

4/28/16

You have your second tooth poking through and you have been such a champ through most of it. I'm rocking your big and heavy little boy body to sleep since every time I lay you down in your crib you hold on for dear life and start to cry. I might just put you in bed with me if it happens one more time.... 

I can't believe how big you feel in my arms lately. You are so strong and solid, definitely not a little baby anymore! I just can't believe how fast it has flown by.... We are almost in May, which will make you almost 8 months. I know I say the same things over and over in these letters.... I can't believe you are so big, how can you be this old, you are such a sweet baby.... I sound like a broken record but it is so true. All of it. I just can't believe you are mine sometimes! We hit the jackpot, sweet boy!!!

5/5/16

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! I hope we can sip on margaritas and eat way too many chips and with salsa and guac together, one day! ;) 

Baby boy, you are constantly on the move these days! You pull up on everything and you even took your first few steps to auntie Jane while holding on to the couch yesterday. You also had your first big bump on the head tonight. I was cleaning the kitchen when you were standing by the couch and daddy was moving the coffee table so you wouldn't fall and hit your head on it. Ironically, that is when you decided to turn and reach for him which made you fall and hit your head on the corner of it. I couldn't believe  how quickly it started to swell and turn blue. You barely cried and continued to play with daddy until you wanted to nurse. While I nursed you I put an ice pack on the bump and thankfully it went down a ton. Your first injury, just in time for Mother's Day! That will be a memory for all the pictures!! 

5/11/16

It's really nice how we are establishing a routine together. I think it's funny how I expected this to happen so early on in your life but it took time. I think I needed to learn all the little ways of motherhood (I still have a LOT more to learn, for sure!) and you needed to figure out your needs and wants a little bit too. I'm also happy that you are so laid back and go with the flow most of the time. When I was pregnant with you, everyone said you would be so chill, since me and your daddy are normally laid back about things. I guess it's true that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You definitely have your short temper but you figure things out quickly. I just love being your momma and figuring out how to make you our happy baby. We are so blessed by you and all your smiles. 

5/14/16
You are eight months.... one month away from me losing my mind! HA!! I can't imagine you being in the world longer than you grew in me, so it is hard to think about that nine months + one week mark. I've been dreaming of that time when you decided to come into the world a lot lately. It makes me long for those moments again, and even long to give you a brother and sister. God is such a miracle worker when it comes to babies. Especially you! You are our little angel. With your constant smiles, happy squeals and super silly personality... all of it is pure angel. So thankful to call you ours!!!

stats //20.8 lbs and 29 inches,
we also learned that he is 75% for weight and 92% for height at his appointment. 

eating // Still loving all the food! We added organic yogurt and organic cottage cheese to the menu for Solomon and he loves them both. Breakfast isn't a big meal since he prefers to nurse in the mornings but we share a banana while playing with his toys in the living room before his morning nap. 

Lunch and Dinner are both big meals for him. He usually has 1-2 table spoons of a veggie and a fruit and then 1 table spoon of yogurt or cottage cheese, then once he's done he nurses to wash it all down. 

sleeping // He has started moving a TON while sleeping. I'm not sure if it is the 6th leap he is going through or if this is just a new thing? We will find out in two weeks once the leap is over, I guess... but he fidgets a ton at night and has been crying a lot. Peter seems to think he is having bad dreams which is a side effect of this leap. During nap time he sleeps in the crib for at least an hour, sometimes almost two, and he moves a lot but it never wakes him up. Night is a different story. 

We are still starting the night in the crib and I think we are ready to move the bedtime routine up a little earlier. We were starting the bath and quiet play in his room, book reading and nursing to sleep around 9 but I'm going to try starting at 8 next week and see what that does. I'm also going to try and put him back in the crib to sleep instead of bringing him to our bed, we'll see how that goes!

wearing // wearing all his 6-9 month clothing and even some 12 month summer clothes. I can't believe how big he has gotten lately. I feel like he looks more grown up every morning! Spending time with his big cousins and watching them made him act so much older.

He is still rocking the cloth diapers at home and still wearing size 4 Seventh Generation diapers at night and while traveling.

favorite things // anytime anyone sings ABCs to him... so weird how much he loves that song still. Clapping his hands constantly, even when he hears someone doing it on the TV or the radio, it's so funny! He loves our shoes, drives me nuts... I came around the corner and found him in the kitchen with a shoe in his lap and I said what are you doing?? He looked up at me and threw it to the side, HA! He knows he isn't supposed to play with them but he can't resist them! Actually starting to look at books and not eat them constantly which is exciting, still can't sit and read an entire book though, even really short ones annoy him. 

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