8-Months old?!

I went to an ice cream social today and someone asked me how old Samuel was and I was taken off guard by my answer...8-months old! How did that happen??? It really does seem just like yesterday that I was in the hospital trying to figure out how to correctly put on a diaper or get a good grasp on breastfeeding. Now here I am a mama to an 8-month old. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it! Bittersweet tears of course!

Tonight I packed away our infant towels, and pulled out the toddler sized towels, which Samuel fits into perfectly! I put away our bumbo chair, our bouncy seat, and our swing. It was hard. These few items were what Samuel's life has revolved around. But we are to the point where the swing no longer swings because Samuel is so heavy (weighing in at over 21 pounds!). His legs get stuck in the bumbo chair. And the poor bouncy seat has no bounce to it! My little baby really is growing up!

However, it's an amazing thing to watch Samuel grow up. He changes day to day, and yet he stays just the same. He is still the happy little laid back boy that's he's always been (as long as he is with me that is). But he has a streak of independence in him that is just trying to break out!!!

This past month I have been a witness to some amazing things. I've had the privilege to travel all over the world. I've seen the Eiffel tower, I've been to the Vatican, I've seen the ancient Roman ruins, I've live across the US from California to New York...but nothing made my heart stop and make me take a deep breathe when I heard Samuel say his first word. Dada. Something so small, yet so significant. Over the past few weeks his "vocabulary" has expanded to include: Dada, Do (which he says when he see's the dogs), la, ba, be, and a bunch of other ramblings!!! He spends his day happily babbling to me, Eric, the dogs, and his stuffed monkey, or really anyone who will listen!

He also has developed quite the sense of humor! Samuel's favorite game is peek-a-boo and we play with both ways! I'll hide and say peek-a-boo and he now will put a blanket over his face and play peek-a-boo with me! AMAZING! All those long weeks of playing games and singing songs with no response and now I have a peek-a-boo partner in crime! Samuel also enjoys a good game of "get me." The game is quite simple. He takes an item (whatever he can find), and will hit you with it and you says "You got me" with a big grin on your face! He laughs and laughs and laughs. It's so great. We can play the game anywhere (in the bathtub so you get soaking wet) and we can play it anytime (he loves to play this game at 4am and 5:30 am when I'm desperately seeking a few more minutes of sleep).

Samuel is VERY expressive and loves to laugh and flash his toothless grin at me...which melts me EVERY TIME! This past month he has learned to scream, shriek in delight, and give big belly laughs! He also has learned to have a tantrum...mainly when he's tired, when I take a toy away, or if I leave the room :0)

Samuel's biggest accomplishment this month has been learning to sit all by himself! He can sit for over 20 minutes by himself! With this new found skill it has given me some freedom and him some independence! Samuel will play on his play mat with his toys and it allows me a few minutes to eat, get dressed, or even *gasp* read something!!! He is so cute sitting up!

Another big change we've seen during the month was our switch to cloth diapers, which I previously blogged about. It's been a good move and we are sticking with it!

Samuel still nurses ALL THE TIME. He has no interest in baby food and we've tried every type of cereal, fruit, vegetable and meat we can think of! From Mango's to green beans...he turns his head, spits it out, or presses his lips together so I can't get it in!

It's also getting a lot easier to take Samuel out! From the mall, to the market, to the in-laws, Samuel is improving with his people skills. He's still a big old mommas boy...but he is SLOWLY warming up to the idea that other people might look at him (except for my poor father-in-law...he still isn't a big fan of him :0(

We took Samuel on his first trip to the beach in June! We went with my family to Virginia Beach and Samuel had a BLAST! He put his feet in the ocean, he saw a crab, he loved the seagulls, and had a huge fascination with the beach umbrella. Eric and I even managed a couple of dates thanks to Nanny Auntie Chris and Nanny Granny B who put up with his 15 minute tantrum before he got over us being gone. They promised me after his meltdown that he didn't cause a single problem and that Chris could have walked him from Virginia Beach to Newport News and he would have been happy! Eric and I were just happy to have a few minutes to talk and have fun! We went mini-golfing one night where I beat not only Eric but Ricky too...unfortunately Mandy beat me, but we won't talk about it.

Samuel is also a big old daddy's boy too! Samuel starts saying dada first thing in the morning. Eric calls and talks to him, which thrills Samuel! He hates it when I'm on the phone, but there's always a smile on his face when he gets to hold the phone!!! Samuel continues to look more and more like Eric. There is just something sweet about a father/son bond. I love watching the two of them together. Samuel and mommy time is very different from daddy and Samuel time, but in a good way. It thrills me to no end to watch the two of them laugh and plot together...it also gives me a nice break too!

Samuel's 7-month was very exciting! And I can't wait to see what my 8-month old has in store for me! He's starting to support himself with his legs (with our help of course!). I'm hoping we can go a little longer before teeth pop through. And I'm on the edge of my seat to find out if this is the month Samuel will sleep through the night!!!