Sam Smith: 8 months

Yesterday was Samuel's 8 month birthday!  He remains the happiest baby ever. (Is this exact line in every single one of his monthly updates?  It's true.

We are still nursing 4-5x/day with solids 3x/day (purees).  He loves food.  It's hard to say what his favorites are because he is happy to eat anything.  He tried mango mixed in with his oatmeal, banana and coconut this morning.  Loved it.  Other interesting foods that he eats include beets, quinoa, almond butter, chicken and ground beef (interesting to me because I never pureed meat for James because it kind of weirded me out, but now he doesn't like meat, and I'm determined to change that for Samuel!) and recently I've tried flavoring some of his foods with things like lemon juice (loves) and some herbs (fresh basil soon! Yay summer!).  This week I pureed some steamed zucchini with kale, and he's happy to eat that with a little lemon (like his daddy).  I'm trying to have fun with his food - with James it was hard to think of foods to feed him, so with Samuel I just puree something that I might eat myself!  Still no salt or added sugars (including honey), but pretty much anything else is fair game!  We'll try eggs soon and see if he has any allergies like his brother and daddy...

I remember with James around this age, I tried to do special activities for him all the time.  With Samuel, he pretty much tags along with us wherever we go, so there is something new, fun or special every day!  At the grocery store, I still put James up in the toddler seat and he rides in the cart, so Samuel rides in the Moby wrap or the Ergo carrier, and is happy as ever to snuggle with mama while I shop.  He's able to sit in a high chair now (as long as the buckle isn't broken), so I can easily feed him solids when we go to lunch at Whole Foods or Foster's Market (the two places that James always picks), and they both even have a microwave, so I can warm Sam's food for him!  We also go to the library and park regularly.  He either rides around in the Moby/Ergo or I'll take him out to play on the ground depending on what James is doing.  He's been going to nursery at church on Sunday mornings and does great there (sometimes he actually naps there if we go to the early service!  James never did that...).


(This is Samuel drinking a bottle of BM while I'm at work - my mom has taught him to hold his own bottle.  Big boy!  I've never actually seen him take a bottle in person.)

His favorite things are tickles, snuggles and James.  Like most second babies, I guess, he loves to watch and be noticed by his big brother.  He also loves to play with toys, and just recently we pulled the Pack'n'Play back out and set it up on the deck while James and I were working in the garden.  Samuel played in it for an hour!  Such a happy, content little dude.



Samuel officially naps twice a day - I pretty much use the 2-3-4 routine for him, like we did with James (first wake time is 2 hours long, first nap, second wake time is 3 hours long, second nap, third wake time is roughly 4 hours long, then bedtime at 7pm).  He usually wakes right at 7am and nurses first thing before James gets up at 7:30am, so his first nap is typically around 9am.  But if he wakes up earlier or later, his naps adjust depending on that time.  I usually fudge the second wake time so that I can put him down around 1:30pm, so that I can lay James down shortly after him, and they both nap at the same time!  Sometimes it doesn't work great, but most days I can get them asleep at the same time and I fold and put away laundry and prep dinner (woo for my sanity!).



As mentioned with the high chair above, Samuel sits pretty well now, though sometimes he does still throw himself back or lose his balance and bonk his head, which makes him sad.  He wiggles and swivels around a little bit when he's on his belly, but he mostly rolls to get places.  I remember James doing a sort of unique army crawl/swimming-type motion, using his head as leverage to get across the floor, but Samuel really just rolls over and over again to get places or is content to pretty much stay in one general area.



We *almost* have a first tooth in on the bottom. His poor little gums have been red and swollen for weeks it seems like, and I can feel the very tip of a little tooth poking through.  So different from James' first teeth, which just appeared one day.  Stuart says Samuel's are taking so long because they are having to fight through his obese gums ;)  Speaking of, not sure about his weight or percentiles... our next check up is at 9 months with Dr. Z!



Still going strong with our BumGenius pocket cloth diapers.  For Sam, we are using one infant insert (vs. newborn insert) during the day, snapped over, and at night using one giant hemp flat with a newborn insert on top to help with wicking.  I think pretty soon we'll have to double up during the day, and I'll add a newborn insert back in along with the infant insert for some extra absorption without adding too much bulk until he is up and moving a little better.



We are grateful to have such an endearing, sweet little man as our second baby.  Samuel, you bring so much joy to our little family!

A James Younger Update

This little man is keeping us on our toes lately.  He is kind and compassionate and thoughtful, and so fierce and stubborn. We are seeing all the extremes, and often from one minute to the next.  I know part of it is developmental, but I think he also has his mama's personality and sees some of these traits modeled (fiercely loyal, yet fiercely stubborn...), so I have been much more mindful lately about my own actions, and especially the heart behind my actions.  Because it's his little heart that we are hoping to shape, and his behavior only secondarily.  Parenting is so hard and good.

I love to hear his little voice. He has so much to say! Sometimes he just needs to sing a song, or sometimes he needs to narrate the activity occurring around our bird feeder, or sometimes he needs to remind me that we went to visit daddy at the hospital last night, or saw Ms. Patty at the library a few days ago, or recall his favorite lines in his favorite book as if he doesn't want to forget these things himself.

He won't do it on command, but I catch him reciting the ABCs and counting to 10 all the time.  I'll have to sneak a video. He can identify all of the letters, though sometimes mixes up A and V.  He has always loved to read, but it's really been one of his favorite activities these days. Sometimes he even wants to be read to while he's playing something else (like his train track), and so we've been reading through A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh chapter book series again (we read them at bedtime when he was around Samuel's age).

We've taken advantage of spring time and spend a lot of the day outside - sometimes at a playground (like these photos from the Durham Farmer's Market - everyone come visit this summer! This is where we will go... it's our favorite!!), but also in our own yard.  We have been walking/jogging a lot in the double stroller, which James seems to tolerate (though he would prefer to walk - hard to get a good cardio workout at his pace, though 😆).  We have picnics either at the park, outside the library, or just on our front porch or deck.  James has always loved being outside, and that passion has only increased. He would stay out from dawn to dusk if we allowed it.  And we've planted our garden, which he is very excited about!  He is truly a good helper in the garden - other chores I let him help so he learns, but it's not that helpful. Outside is another story! He will carry buckets of water around and water all the gardens. Love it.

As far as logistics (mostly for me to remember), he continues to nap once a day around 1:30 or 2pm. He always protests naptime (and bedtime, in fact), but he finally crashes every day and sleeps 2-3 hours. Bedtime is at 7:30pm, though due to protests and requests for water or food or to use the big boy potty (yes, we are toying with the idea...) or another book, it's often 8 before he is down, and sometimes we still hear him chatting to himself an hour later.  But he happily falls asleep on his own and is awake between 6:45-7:45 the next morning (though we get him out of bed at 7:30am).

Lately

More photos!  We have celebrated Easter and spring around here, and have enjoyed reflecting on our Savior's resurrection, and enjoying the renewal of life that comes this time of year! Lots of outdoor meals and adventures and gardening, among some indoor March Madness (see photo below of the boys watching the Final 4...)

Lately (photo bomb version)