eight months old.

John Brooks is eight months old today! And, boy oh boy are we loving our life with this little man. He is our preferred entertainment these days and has surely kept us on our toes this month.

For starters, Brooks thinks that mommy and daddy are human jungle gyms. He attempts to climb up our torsos and jump out of our arms, he is always pulling up or nosediving over our legs, and making himself at home in our laps. I think that it is safe to say that we are his "safe-zones." When a loud toy or noise startles him he leaps into our arms. And when an unfamiliar face approaches him he buries his head into my chest and gives a little smirk. As lively and rambunctious as he is, he definitely has an attentive and timid temperament.

Being Brooks' favorite "toy" also has its disadvantages. Whenever we get up and leave the room he has a come apart and races after us. He has a fake cry that definitely doesn't work on mommy. He also throws tantrums where he arches his back and wails, which make me laugh. Nice try, buddy!

We typically only hear Brooks' real cry when A. he is refusing the car seat, B. he bonks his head (which happens quite often around here), C. daddy puts him down or leaves the room (he is a TOTAL daddy's boy), D. he is refusing the crib, or  E. he is super tired (which actually coincides with D).

I have touched on whining and crying...now let's talk about fussing. For the majority of month eight, Brooks has been extremely fussy. I often ask myself, "what happened to my sweet, happy baby?!"  I put him down, he fusses, I rock him, he fusses, I feed him, he fusses. You catch my drift. He is also rejecting his bottles. He went from drinking around 28 ounces of formula a day to only 20 ounces...and that's on a good day. Some feedings I can only get him to take 3 ounces before he smacks the bottle out of my hand, purses his lips, and rolls over. Our pediatrician said that this is fine, as long as he is eating fine. ...and that he is. 

Brooks is a total foodie, just like his mama. Greek yogurt is his all. time. fave. We are still in the process of introducing some solids. On July 15th he wolfed down papaya and chicken. On July 16th he ate prunes and turkey. He was a bit unsure of parsnips on the 17th, but enjoyed eggplant and Kiwi on the 18th. We have started to get creative and add a little zing to his meals, so on July 24th we introduced butter. On July 29th he devoured strawberries. He gobbled up lentil on the 30th. He ate broccoli and spinach on August 4th and we added rutabega and pumpkin to the mix on the 10th. While dining out on August 11th we let Brooks try tunafish and he surprisingly loved it! And yesterday he tried puffs for the first time and rocked it. He is my little crab working those pincers like a champ!

On July 18th our mover and shaker perfected sitting from the crawl position. He speedily knee crawls everywhere, sits, crawls some more, pulls up on the coffee table, couch, cabinets, chairs, stools, baskets (pretty much anything), falls on his bottom, and crawls some more. It's a never-ending cycle.

Our little explorer is into EVERYTHING. And I have yet to officially "baby-proof." No good, mama. No good.

On July 27th Brooks attended his first birthday party. We even let him skip his afternoon nap for the festivities!

On the 28th we finally lowered the crib. I say finally because Brooks has been pulling up for about a month now. This transition was long overdue. He still pulls up, but I don't have to worry about him toppling over any time soon. He still loves to tug on the bumper pad. We have even caught him on camera using it as a make-shift pillow or lovey. We also catch him sitting up in the crib and playing with his pacifiers, lovies, and wubs. There are still nights where we repeatedly have to go into the nursery to lay him down.

Now on to the most memorable date of this month...July 29th. Brooks said mama! Oh my stars, the whole world stood still when I first heard that sweet voice call me mama. He now says it all of the time, especially when he is fussy or wants me to pick him up. Be still my heart.

I think that my boy is unconditionally kissable (especially when he says mama). So pretty much 90% of my time with him I am hugging, squeezing, or kissing him. Brooks thinks that it is hilarious when I tell him that I am going to give him a kiss and slowly lean in with a kissy face making kissy noises. Sometimes I get a hand to the face. HA.

Speaking of faces, funny man started making a scrunchy face where he crinkles up that little nose of his. We get a glimpse of it the most during mealtimes. It is too cute.

Our smart boy is also becoming more aware of his surroundings and identifying people and things. We ask, "Brooks, where is the cat?" and he looks at the cat. We ask, "Brooks where is outside?" and he looks at the door. We ask, "Brooks where is the light?" and he looks up to the ceiling. We ask, "Brooks, were is the ball?" and he rummages through his toys until he finds the ball.

There are no signs of any teefies yet. Boo. Or yay? I'm not sure.

I'll conclude with a funny. John, Brooks, and I went to Superior Grill last weekend and, of course, Brooks is loving life playing with his straw in the high chair. A baby across the restaurant squealed and without hesitation Brooks squealed back. Every single time the baby screamed or squealed, Brooks would do the same...like they were having a conversation. It was HILARIOUS. And it's not just babies. I have done the squeal too and we go back and forth. Back and forth. I love our squeal convos.

Happy eight months light of my life! Mommy and Daddy love you to pieces!