8 & 9 months old!

it's taken me so long to post J's 8 month update, that i've combined it with 9 months :P

baby J is a crawling machine...he gets around the house really quickly - turn your head and he's gone!  he's holding onto things to stand up, and more recently he'll do his "look ma, no hands!". at 8 months he started to cruise, and since we didn't bother to babyproof our home he's getting into everything!  his new thing now is to grab furniture and push it around to get where he wants to go.

meal times are really good - he's been eating everything i give him, and we're into cut-up food.  after trying out a few sippy cups, we've found one that works for us and J is enjoying his water with his mealtime. we're still working on his hand-mouth coordination as he hasn't quite figured out how to get his mum-mums into his mouth yet. he mostly likes to push them around the table until they fall on the floor :P  on the nursing end of things, we're down to 3 feeds a day...a bit ahead of where i was with G as a baby thanks to my smaller milk supply.

i thought naptimes were becoming more predictable - usually 3-30 minute naps - but once in awhile he throws me a curveball and takes a 1.5 hour morning nap :P  it is nice having the 5-5:30 p.m. nap so that i can cook dinner in peace :-)  the best news of all is that J is sleeping through the night in his crib...yippee!  if only he would sleep in past 6 a.m...

J's top teeth have taken a month to break through, but a few days ago, they came out! i think his molars are causing some discomfort because he's been gnawing on his fingers a lot, and drooling like mad :P

we have a little chatterbox.  his favourite person to talk to his gabriel - the two of them can grunt and laugh at each other till the cows come home. other fun facts: J likes to give high-5's, he loves to smile and engage with strangers, and he loves our gadgets - if the phone or ipad are in eyesight, he's a baby on a mission and will stop at nothing to grab them.

the bad news this month...i think my trigger finger has returned (i can't believe i didn't blog about it in the fall).  a couple weeks ago, i noticed a mild pain in my right hand by my 4th finger which is where i had the steroid injection in november.  it's progressed to difficulty making a fist and squeezing things.  the pain is at the worst in the mornings and evenings, making brushing my teeth a real challenge :P  my finger hasn't started to "lock" or "click" yet, but if it's a repeat of last year i feel like it's only a matter of days before that happens.  once that happens i'll re-visit my doctor and get another referral to a specialist and see what the next course of action will be.  the thought of surgery is not pleasant, but the thought of another steroid injection could be hazardous to the doctor...since i kicked the last one :S

the best news of all...SCHOOL IS STARTING ON MONDAY!  i am so glad to have G back at school getting his education, seeing all his friends/teachers/principal, and most of all i am glad to have my 1:1 time with J so we can get regular naptimes and potty-training under control!