8 Months and He is Mobile!

It has been a crazy busy month for us. Owen celebrated his first Christmas as you read in my last post, and since then, he has been knocking off the milestones one by one. I can't believe January is about to end, and before I know it he will be 9 months, then 10, then a year! I guess I should stop there before I cry! Needless to say, we are loving every moment with our little guy. He is so curious and interactive right now, and it is amazing to watch him learn and grow every day. Here are his latest achievements.

The weight gain has been a little slower this month. He put on another half pound bringing the total up to 18 lbs 15 oz.

He is crawling! This milestone has changed our lives dramatically! Just before Owen turned 8 months, Luke helped him learn how to get up on his knees, move back and forth, and eventually take the lunge forward. It was as if Owen decided it was time to move and off he went. Now he is crawling everywhere and getting into everything. Naturally, Luke and I weren't quite prepared for this quick change in mobility, so we have been following him around the past week finding all the spots in our house that are not baby friendly and trying to figure out a quick solution.

Since Owen reached the crawling milestone, his movement and coordination have rapidly increased. It was not long before he was easily going between his tummy, crawling, and sitting, but what he really wants to do is walk. All I have to say is yikes! He has only been crawling for one week, and in that time he has learned how to get up on his knees, balance himself, and is desperately trying to pull himself up into a standing position. He tries to pull himself up on everything in sight, the couch, ottoman, chair, wall, door frame, dresser, crib, mom and dad. . . It is a non-stop effort! As a result, we have suffered a few spills, and I am reconciling myself with the fact that I can't prevent every bump and bruise.

In the few weeks after Christmas, Owen had three more teeth come in. I knew he was working on at least one top tooth, but little did I know that all three were trying to come in at the same time! No wonder we had some sleepless nights and one cranky little guy for about two weeks. I thought we were in for a break, but in the past week, two more top teeth have come through as well, making for a total of 7 teeth (4 on top and 3 on the bottom). I have decided that he is going to have all of his teeth before he turns a year!

Owen is now clapping. This is one of my favorite milestones from this past month. I just love watching his face when he gets excited and the hands start going. When he first learned the skill, he clapped non-stop for a few days. Mealtimes were a little more interesting with his new found skill. I felt like I was trying to pass through a gauntlet just to reach the prize at the end.

Since Christmas, Owen has enjoyed playing with all of his new toys. One of his favorites is a sit and ride toy that has a steering wheel. His favorite thing to do is have Luke push him around the living room while he spins the steering wheel around. It is fun to watch him transition into this new stage of play. Don't worry though, he has not completely moved on from his traditional play. He still loves to throw, bite, and bang his toys, and of course, wrestle with his daddy.