Month 8

*Clothing*

We are officially all 3-6 or 6 month size now...more for the length than anything. As for PJs we are in 3-6 or 6 month size finally. He needs that sizing more for the length rather than girth, so they still sortof hang on him, but he is otherwise too long for his other PJs.

*Meal Time*

At this point, B will eat almost anything you give him. He now has 2 teeth (2 bottoms) and will try to "chew" mush anything you give him. He loves rice, mashed any fruit or vegetable, oatmeal, all grain cereals and the Crunchies by Gerber, as well as, the Mum-Mums.

*Temperment*

He has developed a very mischievous behavior streak. He knows when he is not supposed to be doing something, giggles, and then continues to do what he is not supposed to be doing. Otherwise he continues to be his very happy, giggly self. He is a social baby; has no problem staying with someone for Husby and I to catch a quiet dinner or a movie. He has adapted well to babysitters when we work M-F and loves to play with the other babies and children. He also has developed a good sharing behavior (I just hope it continues).

*Play Time*
B is non-stop, army crawling everywhere. He loves to climb into cabinets, the sink when it was being installed and on the low book shelves or entertainment shelves. He also loves to push his cars and trucks around the house and throw/chuck his balls down the hallway to chase after.

*Sleepy Time*

He is still enjoying his evening slumber ranging from 10-12 hours at night. Once a week he wakes for a bottle, but now that he gets an 8 oz. bottle he is sleeping straight through without any issues.

*Picture Time*

Quilted Diaper Bag (Handmade)

This is the new design for our diaper bag.

Ours is of course, Gator's theme, but this is one item we are willing to make for others. This can be customized to your favorite team theme or color scheme.

Inside the bag it has 6 pockets (2 small side pockets, 4 larger pockets-2 in front, 2 in back). Underneath the flap, are 2 outside pockets which are open on top, but can be made into 1 huge front pocket since they are divided by velcro closure. On the back of the bag (exterior) are 2 more deep pockets. The inside is very roomy, and on the outside are 2 elastic pockets perfect for holding bottles or sippy cups. I store so much stuff in this bag; it's amazing!

In addition, there is a matching quilted changing pad.

Month 7

Happy Easter, B!

Innocent Face!

First Tooth!

I'm too quick for Mommy's monthly Picture

Posing with Bear :)

Nothing really has changed in terms of clothing or feeding. He is a great eater and now that he has his 1st tooth, his desire for the food on our plate is unstoppable. He has now tried rice and loves it (no matter how it is prepared). He also loves to drink from a cup and we have been trying juice, water and even sweet tea with him. He is more interested in drinking from the side of a cup rather than a straw or a sippy cup lid. We celebrated Easter and had a blast with his new toys, although he broke his race car within the first 24 hours (it was defective, so we had to exchange it for a new one). He tries to chase the puppies with his car or use it as a reason to go in one direction or a room he has rarely been in.

Everyday he is getting more adventurous and daredevil like. He has absolutely no fear and will crawl off the edge of the bed or the couch and even climbed out of his small travel play bed. Still an extremely happy, giggly baby.

6 months

*Clothing*

B mainly wears 3-6 outfits and onesies, but still wears some pants that are 0-3. He is continuing to grow and now wears size 3 diapers. He finally fits in the cloth diapers comfortably without them being loose in the legs. The cloth diapers are definitely not his favorite, since as soon as he wets it, he gets upset and starts poking at the diaper for me to change him. This may be a good sign for future potty training; but we are not holding our breath just yet.

*Meal Time*

At this point, B will eat almost any purees or baby food (fruit or vegetable) Stage 1 we give him. He loves everything so far. We are still keeping with Beechnut and Earth's Best baby food and when there is time, I puree fruits and vegetables for him to eat. He usually eats 1 jar of food at breakfast, followed by a jar at lunch and 1.5 jars at dinner. He also loves the Mum-Mum crackers in either Banana, Vegetable and the Rice flavors.

We tried some of the Gerber puffs with him and he did not seem the least bit interested, however he loves the Cinnamon Maple, Veggie Medley and Tomato Basil Crunchies by Gerber. He dislikes the Cheese flavored Crunchies (those become a dog treat).

*Temperment*

He is a very well-behaved baby still. Typically very smiley and giggles all the time. Even when he is not feeling well, he still is mellow, just tends to want to be held or cuddled more. He is also developing a very strong personality and strong will. When he learns something new, he continues to try to do it until he masters it and is very stubborn when you tell him no or not to do something. He also has become increasingly more independent; liking to play with Lucky or his trucks or racetrack. He loves in the evenings when Daddy plays with him and they "rough-house" and also when Lucky gives him kisses, he loves to hug his face and give him wet kisses back.

*Play Time*

He is standing up more and leaning on furniture to walk around the table and reach for things on higher shelves. We had to Brantley-proof the entertainment center since he kept turning off the tuner and cable box.

*Sleepy Time*

For the most part, he sleeps 10 hours! Occasionally, he still wakes for the bottle in the middle of the night, but it is less frequent on a weekly basis. He usually goes to bed by 10pm and is up and ready to go in the morning. Sometimes he eats a jar of food for breakfast, other times he takes a bottle and will go back down for a nap an hour after waking up. It depends on the day and what else we have planned.

*Picture Time*

5 months

*Clothing*

We are still wearing 0-3 clothing (mainly pants and some jumpers), but after looking at the same outfits over and over, we have moved him up to 3-6 onesies. He still fits most 0-3 onesies and we sometimes put him them if they are theme appropriate, but I am really trying to wean him into 3-6's. As for PJs we are still in 0-3 since the necks are too big and he plays Houdini with his arms out of the neck by the morning.

*Meal Time*

At this point, B will eat almost any purees or baby food (fruit or vegetable) Stage 1 we give him. He loves everything so far. We are still keeping with Beechnut and Earth's Best baby food and when there is time, I puree fruits and vegetables for him to eat. He usually eats 1 jar of food at breakfast, followed by a jar at lunch and 1.5 jars at dinner. He also loves the Mum-Mum crackers in either Banana, Vegetable and the Rice flavors.

*Temperment*

He is a very well-behaved baby and a cuddler. He loves to be held but is perfectly content hanging out in his Bumbo, Boppy, FP Ocean Wonders Bouncer, FP Swing, Exersaucer, FP Jumparoo or laying on the floor on one of his play mats. He makes the rotation throughout all of these stations and seems to enjoy the newness of each of them.

*Play Time*

He continues to love his jumparoo and exersaucer and is really getting a hang of Tummytime and floor time. Now that he can roll, he likes to move himself on the floor and when the dogs get close, snuggle with them.

*Sleepy Time*

He is still sleeping well through the night. He wakes sometimes in the middle of the night (we think because he is hungry) and after a soothing rocking and a bottle, he is back out until the morning. Lately he has been sleeping until we wake him.

*Picture Time*

Superbowl!

Our Little Stander

Brantley recent new feat is his desire to be stood up and lean on something. This can be the coffee table, where he attempts to mouth the edge of it or reach for the laptop and/or mouse or he uses one if his playmat toys as a standing ledge. Husby will hold him up and he will grab onto the ring (where the toys dangle off of) and hold on or lean on it. He has been trying to stand in our laps for some time, but this is new that he will do it on the floor. He becomes very angry with us if we do not fulfill his wishes and let him stand, but he is still not quite steady, so we must brace him and watch him like a hawk so he does not fall.

He also loves to be standing hold our fingers and then quickly squat down. If you pull him back up he laughs and giggles like it is a game. He then will continue to do these squats. It is hilarious to watch, especially with all the funny sounds and facial expressions he makes, but becomes tiring fast. His fascination with mirrors has grown to be a great mid-day break from his crankiness. He will stare into the mirror at himself for sometime in complete silence and awe. Last night, he sat on the floor in front of a picture frame we have our Christmas photo in, just cooing and laughing. It was a great occupying tool, but definitely something out of the ordinary.

Although the soothie pacifier never really took hold in our house, B is starting to use a pacifier around bedtime for short time periods. Lately he has been falling asleep at a decent hour to only wake up an hour or two later. Some of the issue is the fact that he moves in his sleep and sometimes ends up rolling himself over to his back. I think he becomes frustrated since he still has not fully mastered rolling from his back to his belly, so then he wakes up and starts crying. Once he is awake, he *expects* Husby or I to either play with him or give him another bottle. Typically we try the bottle route, which quickly turns into volcano baby since he really does not need anymore food in his little belly. A few nights ago, I experimented with another type of pacifier we had. He sucked on it for a while and then drifted off to slumberland. Unfortunately, once he gets into his crib, out pops the pacifier and if he was not fully out, then he reawakens. I wish we could teach him to take the pacifier a bit better at night, but then again I hope he never really becomes fully attached to the pacifier since they can cause more orthodontic damage in the long run and are hard to remove from a child as they age.

In some respects, I think his teeth may be bothering him, since he seems to stick EVERYTHING into his little mouth (his fists, the burpcloths, bibs, stuffed animals, teether toys, Sophie the Giraffe, our fingers, the dog's ear, the coffee table ledge...the list goes on...if it is something he can get his hands on, it is likely going in his mouth). We have yet to see any notions of teeth, but we are still a month or two early for that.

This weekend, we bought him a Fisher Price Play n Learn Puppy. Although it is half his size, he seems to like to hit the bottoms to hear it sing and talk. He plays the Baby Einstein turtle over and over, so to prevent us from losing our sanity, we introduced another sound toy (if I hear the Baby E melody anymore, I might lose it). For Valentine's Day, (yes, I know it is the Hallmark holiday and typically I do not celebrate it) I found B the Cooper doll and first book. Supposedly, Mr. Cooper will respond to you as you read his story, so I figured this may be a great experience to incorporate interaction with reading for B. Verdict is still out on it, so check back in a few weeks.

In other news, life is once again on the busy upswing here. Husby will be on 2 business trips back to back starting this Saturday. First stop is an Expo & Trade Show in Vegas (don't you feel bad for him) where he will be from Saturday until Thursday. On Friday, we will be traveling to Miami because on Saturday, I will graduate with my Master's (woohoo!). Then Sunday is Superbowl (we will be rooting for the commercials) and Monday morning he is off again to Ohio to hopefully return Wednesday afternoon. It will be a rough few days, but we shall persevere. I am praying there are no weather delays which may ruin our plans, but we shall see. I am looking forward to our minivacay for my graduation in Miami since we do not have any more travel planned until end of March. By the end of this year, B will be a seasoned traveler between trips to both grandmas, a trip to Louisiana for a wedding, a trip to Boston for another wedding and a possible travel to Iowa to see some family.