8 Months Old!

Our little baby boy is growing up so fast. Just last night, I put him down in his crib and I stood there marveling at how much he looked like a little boy rather than a baby. Zeke turned 8 months old last week. I've been a little slow on the milestone months (Like 5, 6 and 7 months) but really, all the big stuff has happened in the past month or so anyway. Here's an update on the biggies:

Teeth:
On September 10 (7 months and 1 week old) Ezekiel sprouted his first tooth. It did not arrive as quickly as I imagined a tooth would come in. I don't know why I thought this, but I thought one day he'd cry a lot and the next day there'd be this tiny tooth. It turns out that it's slower than that. Now, nearly a month later, his first tiny tooth is still no taller than a toothpick is wide. The second tooth is going to pop through any day now!

Movement:
At 7 months, Zeke was not quite moving around. He could sit and reach and sometimes roll to a desired location. Around 7 and a half months old, Zeke mastered movement- backwards. He would see an object, try to go for it, and end up farther away because he could only move backwards. This frustrating period only lasted about 2 weeks. By October 1, Ezekiel officially became a crawler at almost exactly 8 months. He spends his days crawling around the house, keeping Mom, Dad, and Belkis (his super number one good time nanny) very busy.


Talking:
While Zeke has been seriously studying two languages (Spanish and English) he has yet to master either one of them. I'm not worried though. He's got a good grasp on the word "Da-da." I think he's even starting to associate it with his dad. As much as I've tried, I can't get him to say Mama. When I ask him "Can you say Mama?" Zeke replies, "Dada!" Funny kid. His nanny, Belkis has been teaching him to quack like a duck in the bathtub and he loves to blow his lips to make rude noises when he's feeling silly.



Musical instruments:
Ezekiel has taken an interest in the guitar. This is no surprise since Tom spends most afternoons playing songs and singing to Zeke after school. Zeke loves to climb on the guitar and strum the strings when it is on the floor. He's got great rhythm too. Tom is predicting a percussionist. I'm a little nervous about that. :)

Hair:
Definitely on the way now. A little blonde looking sometimes. Other times it appears to be darker. We can't tell if it's curly or straight yet though.

Favorite Playthings:
Ruby, newspapers, adult books (like paperback type things, not actually "adult books"- just those things that aren't kid friendly board books), his toy car, his noisy toy whale, Mom's hair.


Foods:
Likes: Banana, Mango, Apple, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Yogurt, Cheerios, Oatmeal, Rice cereal
Dislikes: Anything Green, except sometimes if I mix it just right with yogurt and rice cereal.
We're just starting some finger foods. He loves to be independent!

Size: I think he's normal, but he just seems to be growing so fast! We're heading in for our 8 month checkup early next week. I'll know more details then.

Sports: Vikings fan, Twins fan, Wild Fan. He's got outfits for them all. This is the first week where all 3 teams have been playing. So far, I've only got his Vikings gear pic. I'll work on the others. This weekend, Ezekiel will be facing a tough decision as he confronts his first "dual citizen identity crisis". The U.S. soccer team is playing the Honduras soccer team for the World Cup qualifying match. (Tom and I are actually going to be wearing our Honduras jerseys with pride, but we're not going to pressure our son).


Our little guy is awesome. We are so excited at the end of each school day to rush home and be with him. I know that he is in wonderful care while we're at school. Belkis has been a blessing for our whole family, and we're so lucky to have found such a great nanny. Zeke doesn't cry when we leave in the morning. He's just happy that his other favorite person has arrived to spend the day with him. We feel so lucky.

Okay Ezekiel. Someday, I'm going to make a giant book with all of your accomplishments. Please note that this blog post should cover the big ones around 8 months old. I'm so glad to be your mom (even if I procrastinate sometimes!)