Eight Months Old!

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm eight months old today! Before you know it, I'll be smashing cake in my face at my first birthday party!! But, I won't rush things yet. I'm having too much fun being an eight-month old! Guess what I get to do this month? I get to take my first trip to the beach!! Me, mommy, daddy, Pa and Gigi, Aunt Heather, and cousin Eli are all going to Destin, FL next week. My mommy and daddy used to live at the beach in North Carolina. They tell me I will love the sand (they think all I will do is eat it)! They also can't wait to see me splash around in the waves. Thanks to Ginka and Mamaw Endris, they have helped me get ready for the beach with cute new outfits. I'm so excited for some fun in the sun!

Here are some things I like to do now that I'm eight months old:

• I am officially sitting up all by myself. I was pretty much doing this last month, but now I can sit and not fall over when I move my legs. Mommy still keeps the boppy pillow behind me just in case I have a spill. 
• I love to clap my hands! Mommy and daddy sing a song, "clap, clap, clap your hands, clap your tiny hands"! 
• I can now pick up puffs and feed them to myself!! Mommy puts them on my highchair and I grab them SO fast! I loooove puffs!!! For every five she puts down, I usually get 1-2 in my mouth - the others end up as mush in my lap =) 
  
• I am starting to make the chewing motion with my mouth - even when I don't have food in there! This is a good sign since I will begin to start eating more table food soon.
• Speaking of table food, mommy has fed me cucumbers and bananas in little bite size pieces. But, real people food is so slippery! Even if it doesn't get in my mouth, at least it's fun to play with!
• I love being fed solid foods - I haven't met a food I didn't like! Mommy makes a lot of my baby food - carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, peas, apples, berries, avocados - all sorts of yummy things!
• In the last month, I found how flexible I am and realized I could put my toes in my mouth! Every time mommy changes me, my feet go straight in my mouth! 
• Guess what? My feet are ticklish - just like mommy's!
  
• One of my new favorite toys is playing with measuring cups and measuring spoons! Mommy puts all my toys in a big green bowl and I like to take them all out in two seconds...I'm so fast! 
• I am starting to make more noise when I'm unhappy or bored. Now that I have a taste of my independence at 8 months old, I have to let mommy and daddy know when something's not right. It usually comes out in the form of a high pitch whine or squeal. Mommy says sometimes it makes her blood pressure rise. 
• I sleep 12 hours a night with one long morning nap and one long afternoon nap.
  
• Tonight (as we speak) is the first night I'm going to try and sleep unswaddled! I've been waking up in the middle of the night all week because I've broken out of my swaddle. Mommy has me sleeping in a sleep sack where I can still move my arms and legs. Keep your fingers crossed!
• I show no signs of being mobile anytime soon. However, I've made big strides lately by finally pushing myself into a "mini-pushup" position when I'm on my tummy. I can also stand with straight legs if I'm holding onto something like the back of a chair or couch. It makes me feel so big! Mommy had a dream that I was one of those kids that went straight from sitting to walking!!
  
  

I hope you'll come back to the blog soon and see my pictures from the beach. I promise to take a lot. May will be a busy month for me and I'm looking forward to all of it!

Love you all,

Ethan =)