8 months old

 Time fly's 

I can not believe Layton is 8 months, these last two months since I posted have gone so fast and so much has happened. With his growing and learning as well as us as a family. 

So update is truly needed, he had mainly first recently with adventure, and milestones. So will break it down again into sections. 

Sleep: he always been good with sleep in general, other then his colic stage as a baby, then whenever he had trouble with his tummy die to allergies. Which now we have seemed to have narrowed it down and cut things out he seems so much better. 

His had the odd hard night when teething, consipated or been out of routine. However now we have a good routine it seems to work. 

His daily routine/nap and bed. 

He get up mostly around 6-6:30. Then have breakfast at 7. Milk around half 8-9 and go back to sleep. Unless he hasn't had a bottle in the early hours he have bottle before breakfast, then just nap without milk. 

Then he sleep for around a hour - or two. He then be up from around 10 until 2 now which is good he gets a longer awake time in the day when we at be baby groups and out. 

If he didn't have milk to sleep he have it when he wakes if he did he have it later before lunch. He then has lunch around 11:30-12. He started getting grumpy if he hasn't had lunch by this point. 

Then he usually has milk around 2-2:30 to go back to sleep for after nap, this is average around 45 mins but can be half hour or over. But he usually awake by half 3. 

We then have dinner around half 4. Bath, story and bed around 6-6:30 where he have more milk. 

Feeding:

He has around 5 feeds a day. 

6oz mainly in morning then maybe two 5oz bottles in the day. Then a 7oz before bed then around midnight he have another 6-7oz. Which is around 30oz per day. However some days he have less as he gets distracted and doesn't drink much in the day. Others he have more in the night if he unsettled so really depends. But he got better with his milk as for a while he went off it when we started to wean soilds and he was not drinking enough, he was also very ill and teething. 

He has three lots of solids a day and some snacks. We do baby lead weaning as he choked on blended purree pouches but loved holding the spoon, so we gave him soild bits of soft boiled veg and fruits which is loved. He now eats mostly everything we eat, just chopped up abit.

We also hit 100 food tried by this point which I think is amazing, he so good at trying new foods and has also helped ariyah be less picky. 

Some of his favourite are: 

Brocoli

Meat- any meat

Cottage pie, 

Sausages casserole

Roast

Breadsticks and crackers.

He also has a sweet tooth and loves a treat, like custard and bit of dairy free Easter chocolate. 

Movements:

Again we have a very determined baby, just like his sister he is so eager to move. He was getting so frustrated trying to crawl, thus would just scream laying in his tummy flapping and kicking his legs. But he get so upset that he couldn't move then the minutes we went to help him he just pull himself to stand up. 

Like Ariyah he was standing and stepping and cruising before he crawled. He also was not much of a roller, which she never was eirther. Like he could roll and rolled at 5 months but just wanted to stand or sit all the time.

One thing he did do which ariayh never quite got and still can't is sit up from laying in his back, he would be able to be laid on his back and be able to roll to the side and sit himself up, ariyah never got this she would roll into her tummy and push back to her knees then bum to sit. (She still does this and hasn't got the tummy strength to just sit up). 

Now just before he turnt 8 months he started crawling, but still not very fast and still gets upset. He kind of drags himself with one arm and on ofe leg on the same side. But as soon as he near something or us he just stand up. He is more interested in walking. 

He been crusing and walking holding our hands since 6 months. He now cruises round the furniture or his toys easily and will walk with us holding one hand or just we just hold his waist. He so confident and tries to let go and walk alone 🤣. But then falls. He does stand with a while now and can  do one step in-between things. So I really do not think it be long. 

Why do we have such early walkers. We wanted him to stay smaller being our baby and our last however he has other ideas. Like Ariyah we tried to encourage him to crawl but he not interested. Think having a big sister constantly running around stealing toys he needs to get them back and chase her. Also where we go to toddler groups for ariyahs sake he around walkers or babies younger then him so he doesn't really see babies crawling. 

Communication:

He is such a happy babbly baby, well at least now we know about his allergies and cut things out. As he not in pain constantly now. He loves people and will smile and chat to everyone. At first he seemed shy and when out at baby groups he be very quiet then towards the end he start vocalising abit meanwhile he was so loud shouting at home. Where as now he seems to be less shy and he starting to babble and shout when we out too. 

He chats to ariyah and alway laughing at her, she got his first smile, laughs, words and now she saw him crawl fully first. 

His first proper word was hi to Ariyah. He can now say hi, Hiya, dada, daddy, yes, bubba, baabaa (for sheep) he shout wants seems like more and help. He is trying to sound out and copy words as a few times he sounds like he said things but was just ones. 

Milestones: 

He had many experiences and first, we been able to do alot that we weren't able to with ariyah due to being in lockdown with her. We makes sure we try and do as much as we can for both of now now we out of lockdown and covid is not as dangerous. 

He has been able to go swimming early and loves the pool, we go to the park, baby groups, farm. He experienced sand, swings, slide, soft play, swimming, farm, zoo, feeding ducks, funfair, flip out trampolines, messy play, sensory groups, parties, weddings, ect... going on trains and buses. Then just being out in the world. Which she missed out on at his ages sadly. 

Our next trips are to the beach, trans pride and hopefully a little hoilday. 

Other developmently milestones he reached are:

Sitting at 4 months

Rolling both ways 5 months

Two teeth so far, with two more coming

Pulling up and cruising

Crawling ish 🤣.

Warning and eating soilds. 

Playing peekaboo, or looking for hidden objects.

Moving toys or food between hands and hitting them together.

Responds to his name

Pinchers grips food, or small objects

Giving use something when asked,

Knocks down towers, trying to stack.

Still obessed with lights

Waves bye and hello. 

Puts rings on ring toy. 

Puts balls down ball dropper.

Tries to jump. 

Presses buttons on toys with intent. 

Shakes ratter, or bangs musical toys. 

Likes and dislikes

He loves people and being out, he loves food. He also enjoyed reading books especially touchy feely ones. He loves lights and sensory toys. 

He loves to just stand and bounce, also loves water. He slash in the bath it's very cute.

He is still cuddly and loves cuddles and kisses it's very cute. He even says awww. 

He also loves animals, he laughs and gets so excited when he sees the cats and stokes them so gently.

He doesn't like, being on his tummy. He also doesn't like getting dressed. He screams when we change him or get his dresses, as he restricted. He like Ariyah in that way likes to be free and able to do what he wants. Like he not a fan of the pram unless he is facing out so he can see. 

Overall he doing so well and getting so big. Can not believe he is nearing 1 and our tiny little baby is growing up. He now weights 17lb 8oz on the 25th percentile. While he is over the 90th for his hight. 

(Written in April 2022)