Scarlett and Clark - 8 Months

The last month with these two has been so much fun! I feel like we are really hitting our stride. We have naps figured out pretty darn well. We still aren't sleeping through the night, but we're only waking up once or twice a night instead of three or four times a night. We have been getting out of the house for play dates and outings on a regular basis. I love this phase of babydom. Trying new foods every day. Learning new skills and making new sounds all of the time. Exploring toys in new ways. Every day is the same yet so different.

Food has been a big focus for Scareltt and Clark over the last month. They started out the month eating two meals a day and are closing out the month at three meals a day. We are still working our way through vegetables and fruits. Raspberries, nectarines, grapes, and blueberries are favorite fruits. Carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus have topped the veggies side. Dairy, eggs, and certain meats have been introduced. Scarlett broke out in a full body rash after eating sausage, so we'll be waiting a while before we try that again. After the possible milk protein allergy, we proceeded very cautiously with dairy products. If dairy touches Scarlett's skin, it turns red for about 20 minutes and then fades away. Clark has had no issues at all.

They get to feed themselves everything, with the exception of yogurt and pureed pouches, so meal times are extremely messy. We have started doing sink baths just about every night. We have a two basin sink that is perfect for cleaning these two in every night. I think they look forward to baths almost more than they look forward to their meal. I am very thankful for the sink and also for Jules' great floor cleaning capabilities. If we didn't already have dogs, I'd be getting one just to help keep the floor clean.

When the babies started eating lunch, we also dropped a nursing session. They now nurse 5 times a day and still once or twice at night. They get milk when they first wake up, before their morning nap, before their afternoon nap, after their afternoon nap, and at bedtime. We have been trying to introduce them to straw sippies for water, but they just want to chew on the cup. 

Now that they are reliably sitting and moving around the living room pretty easily, we broke out a whole slew of new toys. Walkers, activity centers, shape sorters, stacking rings. Brooke and Harrison have been in heaven showing Scarlett and Clark all of the new toys. When I say showing them, I really mean taking them away from the babies so they can play with them on their own. Regardless, playtime has been lots of fun around here lately. very noisy, but lots of fun.

Last week they got to swing in the swings at the park for the first time. Scarlett didn't stop smiling the entire time. Clark gave us a few giggles and seemed to like it, but not with nearly as much enthusiasm as Scarlett. I have a feeling once the temps cool down a bit we'll be spending a lot of our afternoons at the park. The zoo also appears to be becoming a more enjoyable outing for them. Now that they can eat puffs or creamies in the stroller, they're much happier to be strapped in for a few hours. 

Scarlett

• is a sitting pro. She loves to sit while playing with her new toys
• still isn't trying to crawl. She rolls everywhere, and I'm constantly amazed at how quickly she makes it across a room
• is a very clean eater, or at least as clean as an 8 month old can be
• has 2 teeth. Her bottom two front teeth came in about a week apart from each other
• loves her daddy. She lights up anytime he enters the room
• still has a thing for both dogs. If they're close, she's touching them
• has had a few nights over the last month where she wakes up in the middle of the night and won't go back to sleep for over an hour
• is mostly only waking up once or twice at night
• falls asleep while nursing 75% of the time
• wears size 4 diapers 
• weighs 20.6lbs
• is being weaned off of her reflux meds

Clark

• is finally moving forward when crawling. his crawling goes: hand, hand, fall forward
• does a whole lot of baby yoga and planking while practicing his crawling skills
• is sitting up very well on his own, but still can't sit up and look up without toppling over
• sleeps through the night on a semi regular basis. I'm pretty sure if he had his own room, he'd do it all the time
• has one bottom tooth and another on the way
• loves eating and is so messy with his food
• still has a mild case of cradle cap, only on the soft spot on the top of his head
• is having fewer eczema breakouts. We rarely have to use his medicated ointment
• still takes an iron supplement once a day
• wears size 4 diapers 
• weighs 21.2lbs

I know I say how great every month is, and they really are all great. I know from memories of Brooke and Harrison, how great the next few months are. I am really looking forward to seeing Scarlett and Clark go from babies to little toddlers. Next week H and B go back to school, which means I'll be getting a lot of time with just Scarlett and Clark. To say I'm excited about that would be an understatement. They've changed so much over the summer and I'm ready to get to know their little personalities even more. Happy 8 months babies! I am so ready to see what the next month has in store for us.