Jaxton Issac: Eight Months

What - three quarters of a year already?! Little Buddy, you are a delight and so precious to me. Your big smile. Your deep giggle. Your fierce curiosity. Your sloppy crawl. Everything about you begs to be held and kissed and loved and treasured.

Lots of interesting firsts for you this month...

You discovered how to pull up and finally how to get back down. Good thing, because we were all to the point of ignoring your helpless whines when you'd pull up on something and discover you didn't know what to do from there. I admit, one evening I let you fuss in a corner of the kitchen for a good 10 minutes while I prepared dinner. You were stranded with hands on separate walls, legs wobbling, eyes confused, tears rolling. Pathetic and cute at the same time.

Your two center bottom teeth popped through. The perpetual drool and constant chewing paid off. You have four pearly whites now, more than any of your siblings had at eight months.

You've tried the gamut of foods and for the most part are a good eater. You don't prefer meats unless they are hidden in fruit, and peas are not your favorite vegetable. Your eyes light up, your hands bang the highchair tray, and your feet kick wildly when you see the container of Puffs open up... and goodness gracious, you go to town shoving those little things in your mouth as fast as you can.

You visited your Nana and other extended family in New Jersey for a long weekend. With no pattern of regular times to nap, and with a constant flux of eager hands to hold you, you took everything in stride. Hardly a cry or a fuss, and instead lots of smiles and content babbles.

You experienced the beach and touched the ocean and... loved it! Well, the sand at least. Handful after handful went into your mouth and you had nothing but smiles to show for it. 

You got a bloody nose and nice shiner on your forehead. Two separate occasions of trying to be too tough too soon, I think. Climbing on everything, trying to cruise along everything, and forgetting that you still need to hold on. Sigh. I've been-there-done-that with your two older brothers and realize this is par for the course with little men.

Jax, I love you. So, so much. Every nauseating and tiring moment of waiting for you to come was worth it. So amazingly worth it. The calendar continues to race toward one year, but I'm doing my best to slow down moments of relishing you as you are right now.