A Girl Named PJ

Dear Levi,

You’re eight months old! I have to say, this past month has been my favorite age so far. Your smile and laughter light up the room, and you brought so much joy to so many people this past month, especially to me and Daddy. Except on our February 21st flight from Newark to Omaha. You cried and whined for the entire three hour trip. Granted the plane was warm and we had to undress you down to your diaper, but you literally had your father and I ready to throw things down the aisle. We were sure you must have been teething and tried everything we could to make you comfortable. Turns out that wasn’t the reason you were being a nightmare. You still don’t have any teeth!

Despite not gaining enough weight on your butter diet, you’ve been growing and maturing in other ways. Your pants are all a bit too short, and I swear I see the start of cankles. It is seriously time to make the transition to size 6-9 month clothing! It may also be time to consider a new hairdo. It seems that your swoosh wants to swish in the opposite direction. Is your natural part actually on the right side of your head?

We moved the shoulder straps in your car seat to the highest position because you’re getting so tall and lowered your crib mattress down a level now that you can push yourself up and grab onto the mesh bumper. We had to make sure your crib was super safe now that you spend so much time in it. Yep, I think we can officially say that you’re sleeping through the night! After you fall asleep around 7:30pm, you don’t wake up for a diaper or to nurse until 4:30-5:30am. Most mornings you fall back to sleep for another hour or so, but there have been a couple of occasions when you and I started our day together way before sunrise.

Bath time has become more exciting ever since we swapped your blue plastic bathtub for an inflatable rubber duck version. You get giddy in the water, kicking your feet and banging your toys together (a new trick!). You’ve also discovered your penis. Enough said. Outside of the tub, you continue to be very loud and verbal. Your babble is a combination of syllables so you sound like you’re speaking in full sentences. And when you play, you’re able to reach for the objects you want, drag them to you and pass them between your hands so you can grab another toy. You generally prefer to be double fisted.

We can all agree that your greatest seven-month-old achievement was figuring out how to bend your knees and get yourself into an almost-crawling position. You mostly just rock and back forth, trying your hardest to pick your belly off the ground, but sometimes all that movement makes you slide backwards. I don’t know if I’m excited or nervous that you will soon be mobile. A little bit of both, I think.

But my favorite thing that you started doing this past month was showing a preference for me when I entered a room. Even if you were already being held by somebody else, you often reached out your arms towards me so that I could take you. Aww! You also started getting upset when I would step out of sight. Separation anxiety: another milestone!

On a more serious note, you were an absolute trooper the day your daddy and I had to take you to Children’s Hospital to have your blood drawn. You remained perfectly still and quiet while your blood was taken. Meanwhile, Daddy was visibly upset, and I tried my hardest not to cry. Waiting for your test results to come back was the worst. We were so scared that you might be unable to gain weight due to a serious medical condition. We were beyond relieved to learn that you are completely healthy and that all of your tests came back normal. (Well, you’re just a tiny a bit anemic.)

This month’s stats: You were 14lbs 10oz at your weight check on February 28th (33 weeks). You breastfeed around 4:30-5:30am and again when you wake up at 7-7:30am. Halfway through the month, per the doctor’s recommendation, we added breakfast to your daily diet. He also suggested we increase your butter consumption. He’s serious about you getting chubby! You now get 2 tbsp of melted butter per 4 oz jar of baby food. Mixed together, it looks like butter soup, so we add baby oatmeal to thicken it up. Your nanny feeds you your first meal of solid food around 8:30-9am. She gives you lunch at 11:30-12, after your morning nap, and then you have a 4oz bottle or a nursing session with mommy. You eat an early dinner around 4:30-5pm following your afternoon nap, and thirty minutes later, I breastfeed you again. Finally, you nurse around 7-7:30pm before you go to sleep.

Stay strong and smiley, my little one!

xoxo

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I’ll be photographing Levi on the 12th of every month to document his growth this first year. He’ll be wearing a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months, sitting in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity. See all of Levi’s monthly photos here.

{photo taken on Levi’s 8 month birthday, 3/12/12}