Ford 8 months

I am posting his monthly update a day early because we are going out of town and tomorrow is Jon's birthday! Today Ford will take his 17th airplane ride! We are spending the weekend in Chicago with family and can't wait to show off our little guy. This month has been so much fun with Ford! He is very aware of his surroundings, playing with his toys, interesting in so many things, and learning a lot. 

These eyebrows!

Weight: 22lb 7oz (taken at pedi) 
Height: 28.25in (taken at pedi)
Health: No doctor appointments this month (we went to the pedi to pick up some samples and I measured him). Ford has been pretty healthy this month... a few runny noses here and there and we've noticed some coughing at night but that's normal for him. We go in for his well check in a month and we will be chatting with our pedi about his breathing. He wheezes quite a bit in the evenings and we want to make sure he doesn't need any treatments (beyond a nebulizer that we do often). 
Nicknames: this month we have solidified a new nickname, well two actually. I call Ford Shmookie or Shmookie bear and Jon and I both call him Booga... a lot. We insert his nicknames into pretty much any song and lately we've been singing "You're gonna rock on down to Booga Avenue" or "Rock on down electric Booga-loo". Ford loves it, we are so lame.
Teething: the top two teeth I talked about last month still aren't in! We now have two bottom teeth about to poke through, they look bigger everyday but are sill under the skin. Ford has woken up a few times in the middle of the night this month with teething pain (I walk in there and he grabs my hand and puts it in his mouth, so sad), so we do infant Advil before bed and another dose if he does wake up. He gnaws on anything and loves his banana brush and teething necklace. 
I zoomed in on the picture I took of him yesterday, you can see the bottom chompers about to pop through!

Clothing: pretty much all 12 month clothes, some 18 month things (shorts, one pieces). Ford got a few new bathing suits last week and we are ready for the lake next weekend!

Diapers: cloth during the day and Huggies Overnights at night. We use disposables when we travel and Ford is in a size 4 diaper. 
Eating (milk): We have big news this month! Ford has taken a few bottles!!! Katie came in a day early for Hope Spoken and drove up to Dallas with us. She was pumping and dumping so on our way up we decided to try and give Ford a bottle of her milk... he sucked it down and was angry when it was gone. I am still in shock! He took it out of a Medela bottle and took another that weekend. I REALLY don't want to pump again and we are 4 months away from weaning so I decided to give formula a shot. It's hit or miss with it. I try to offer a 2oz bottle once a day and sometimes he will suck it down, sometimes he cries and is so upset. We aren't planning on switching to formula or bottle feeding but mama would like a break! Still nursing 5 times a day and can empty my breast pretty quickly (10 min). 
Eating (solids): a fun month for food! We've been trying to eliminate purees (except for morning when I give him mashed fruits) and try a more baby led leaning approach. Ford has tried a lot of new foods this month: turkey, chicken, salmon, Zucchini, squash, cheese, yogurt, hummus, bread, cottage cheese. He loves yogurt melts, puffs, and frozen fruit in the mesh feeder for snacks. Ford is getting a lot better at self feeding, he used to get really frustrated but he's getting the hang of it. I have to get a video but he will grab food and put it to his mouth but it won't quite make it in but he THINKS it does so he chews and shoves more in there. It's hilarious.
Sleeping (night): the day Ford turned 7 months we started sleeping through the night! I woke up and said okay buddy, today we are going to go 12 hours and he did. The first 3 days he fussed a little at 5ama but I let him put himself back to sleep. He's only had a few nights of waking at random times and we attribute that to teething, but I do NOT feed him before the 11 hour mark. He goes down between 7-730p and wakes up between 630-730a. Ford sleeps on his tummy in his crib in a sleepsack (size Large already!), 2 loveys, a small pillow, and traditional bumpers. He loves his bumpers and cozies up to them like a pillow. 
Sleeping (naps): Ehhh.... not as great this month. Seriously this boy either has a great nap day or absolutely terrible. Instead of letting the bad naps ruin my day, I go with the flow. It is what it is and I feel like I've tried everything! Darkened shades, putting him down earlier, putting him down later. I would be more worried if he was cranky but he's a happy go lucky guy, even when he takes 30 minute power naps. He naps 3 times a day still...9am, 1pm, 4:30pm. 
Social: Ford is VERY into people these days. I take him to childcare at the gym, MOPS and church and they always comment on how he loves watching other kids and babies. It is so cute, he has started to play with his baby friends. We see his BFF Ethan multiple times a week and the boys are getting good at "sharing"...or just taking toys from each other haha. I swear Ford is the easiest baby to make laugh and smile, he is fun to take shopping! He also loves Ernie- petting him, grabbing his ball, giving him kisses. He also loves waving to people, so cute!
Likes: still loves his jumper, Ernie, bathtime, when we "get" him, peek-a-boo, dancing and singing, water in his sippy cup, shaking Easter eggs, swinging, long stroller rides, sitting in highchairs at restaurants and smiling at people.
Dislikes: napping for longer than an hour haha....Ford doesn't dislike a lot, he's an easy going guy. He's gotten better in his carseat but if he's in there longer than a half hour, he's cranky.
New this month:

• Kissing all the time! Last night I picked him up out of the walker and he grabbed my face and kissed me, swoon.
• Sitting in the bath all by himself, no more baby bath! He loves splashing around and playing with toys.
• SO close to crawling! This week he has started getting up on all fours and rocking and going backward. I wouldn't be surprised if he crawls tomorrow
• Signing "more"....we use the Baby Signing Time DVDs and he is getting the concept of "more" during mealtime
• Waving- at first I thought it was a fluke thing but if you say "Hi Ford" he starts flapping and waving, he totally gets it. We also so "say Hi" and he says "eh!". 

Mama: I got a nasty cold this month which stunk but feeling really great. I aim to go to the gym 2-3 times a week to keep myself healthy...both physically and emotionally ha! Ford loves the gym daycare, thank you Lord! We keep busy during the week with story time, play group, walks with friends. I am really looking forward to this month/summer and taking Ford to the pool! I was able to attend the Hope Spoken women's conference this month that left me feeling full, energized and confident as a woman, wife, and mother. 

Always happy when I pick him up at the gym!

Daddy: Dad had a fun month with Ford, taking him to his first car shows! Two actually. Jon's love of cars cam from his dad and he can't wait to share that hobby with Ford. Jon was giddy excited when Ford smiled while cars were revving their engines. A guy after his own heart. Jon's been such a help this month, he insists on being the one to get up in the middle of the night with Ford if he happens to get up. He's been taking Ford out on his own so I can have some me time which really does bless me and refuel me.

Fun things we did:

• Got a real haircut
• Went to a sit down restaurant and put Ford in the highchair, it was chaotic and so cute! All of the waiters came by to say hello
• Went to Dallas with mommy for Hope Spoken
• Stopped by daddy's alma mater, Baylor, to see the bears
• Took bluebonnet pictures
• Went to Lone Star Round Up car show
• Went to Ezra's "Cowboys and Indians" first birthday party
• First wagon ride with Ethan

What we are looking forward to:

• Our trip to Chicago...today!
• Two lakehouse weekends...can't wait to see Ford and his cousin Embry in the sand.
• Ford's first Easter
• My first Mother's Day
• Moving Ford into a big boy carseat! We plan on switching when we get back from Chicago. We bought the Britax Boulevard and he already loves it

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