Colt at 8 months

So I never intended to take such a long break from blogging! Work has been so crazy that I don't have a lunch break to post, and (no lie) I've been going to bed every night between 7:00 and 8:00. I'm just that tired and worn out.

Our house has been a hotbed for sickness, Colt battling both tonsillitis and hand, foot and mouth disease in is little as two weeks. This has made him the grumpiest we've ever seen him, though we still enjoy excessive laughs and kisses! Add my physical exhaustion and overall icky feeling and you can tell John has his hands full.

Colt is now 8 months and 1 week old. I was just staring at him yesterday and realizing how crazy big he is. Especially his hands and feet. He's just grown into a little boy, not a baby anymore!

He's not crawling yet, though he's THIS close. I'm not sure he'll ever do much more than scooting as those chubby thighs make it hard to get up on all fours! You'll notice in the "fire chief" picture below, he sits with his ankles crossed. All the time!

Just in the last few days he has started greeting us after sleep and naps by being on his tummy in the crib, his head poked up over the side when he hears the door. He's also grabbing on to the bumpers for support and we know it's just a matter of days before we will need to lower his crib!

Still no teeth! We've loved missing the teething grumpiness, but really want the kid to eat steak one day so we're hoping for a tooth here or there soon...the gummy smiles are awfully cute in the meantime!

He says "dada" now, though it's more like babbling than really identifying Dada. "Dada, baba, gaga" are his favorites and I could listen to it all day.

I've mentioned the open mouth, sloppy, magical kisses he gives when we pucker for him, right? They are heavenly.

He is LOVING watching Faith, our cat. Any chance he sees her and he stops, reaches and laughs and laughs. She doesn't come close enough for him to grab her, but she sure loves to parade in front of him! It's fun to see him recognize and want things across a room.

He definitely is reaching for us, lifts his hands when we go to pick him up and dives for us when he's in other's arms. We're finding a little interest in TV like Blue's Clues, but nothing major. He does love to turn pages in books and to touch colorful pictures.

He is a master at picking up pieces of food or puffs now, we just need to get better at giving him the opportunity. Any time he sees Anna, whether at school or out, they both hold each other's hand and squeal and try to pull each other over. Anna also steals his toys, but whatev.

We took a trip to Missouri to visit my aunt and grandparents. He did well, but we can tell that long car trips are not his favorite. Everyone loved seeing him and he got spoiled rotten! We've also been going to the neighborhood park with baby swings and he adores that. He's bathing in the big boy tub and loves diving for bubbles.

He's outgrowing his clothes left and right. Loves to bounce. Started to dance and sway to music, which is funny because I think it's innate in kids. We haven't really taught him dancing he seems to have just picked up on it! It's beyond adorable.

So, there's your update on Colt. He's more fun every day, growing like a weed. Must start taking video of his babbles, his dances, his laughs, etc. And I'll attempt to be a better blogger soon.

On the pregnancy front, everything looks good, we heard the heartbeat again last week and scheduled our BIG ultrasound for September 22nd. The doctor says in about 2 more weeks or so I will regain the energy I've lost and I pray that's the case!