Happy 8 Month Birthday, Jack!

And my is 8 months fun! Our little man is quickly growing from a baby to a toddler right before our eyes. He's learning how to be more independent, is content to play and crawl on the floor without our attention for hours, and is on the go 24/7.

Weight: I am guessing Jack's in the 20 pound range?! It's been awhile since he's been weighed.

Diaper Size: Size 3 -- we have hundreds of them, so I'm hoping he stays this size for awhile =) Oh, and we're still in love with Up and Ups from Target. They've never, ever failed us. Thank you, Target.

Clothes Size: Jack wears so many different sizes! His swim trunks are from Children's place and they're 6-9 months. His shirts are mostly from Baby Gap, and he fits in 6-12 and 12-18 month sizes very comfortably. His pants are all right around the 12 month size. We stocked up on a winter wardrobe while in Chicago at Baby Gap and H&M - who knew they had a baby section?! For winter we bought mostly 18-24 and 2t clothes. It was sad to read a tag that said "toddler". AH!

I am excited for onesie-less baby clothes. While babies are little, onesies are an absolute must. Now, however, they are becoming less and less necessary. And...the options for cute boy clothes expand tremendously when I can ditch the onesie closure. So...here's to adorable Gap hoodies, button ups just like Daddy, and Nike sweatsuits!!!

Sleep: Still a champion! Goes down around 7-7:30 (and would totally go down earlier, but we fight to keep him up!) and wakes up anywhere from 6-7. Usually he just wakes up to eat, and then sleeps until at least 8-8:30. And...he takes a couple of naps throughout the day. I think he's growing =) My favorite part about him sleeping is he will literally fall asleep by 7:30 no matter what, where, who, how or why! It's so funny. It makes our life very easy when we're out of town, visiting friends, or when a babysitter puts him to bed for us.

Favorite Activities/Things: This category could take up an entire page in itself! He loves to do lots of things, and it's really funny to us. Right now, he's wandering our house making his silly fart noise from his mouth. He's been up since 8:30, and hasn't made a peep other than a sigh if he's crawled too far out of reach of a toy!

Jack loves to play with Maggie. Yesterday, she picked a toy, set it on Jack's lap, and then sat patiently waiting for him to throw it. She gave him a gentle lick to help him. Silly dog! It was really sweet though.

Jack also LOVES being out-and-about. He flirts with waitresses at restaurants, has become the baby that stares and smiles at random strangers in other booths, and I think Jack could shop for hours on end if he could watch people, too.

Eating: Has been one of the coolest adventures. Jack's newest homemade cuisine includes mac 'n' cheese and turkey dogs, fiesta corn and black beans, and brown rice, mixed veggies, and cheese. Basically, I find healthy food and try to combine them to make baby meals. Jack will still eat everything and anything we put near him...including dog food! We must come up with a plan for that...

Now when we go out to eat, we can find something to give to Jack. Whether its Mexican rice and beans, or a bite of spaghetti, Jack's quickly moving towards eating everything.

Nicknames: Boogie dude - which is what I call him 90% of the time. Boogs. Yack. Jack Chuck.

Talking: We have a talker, folks! Jack loves to hear his voice (and let's be honest his dad and I aren't quiet, either). He wanders around the house making all kinds of noises. He's mastered "g" and "b", and we're working on "ma"! I'm sure he'll say "da" first, but that's okay.

Jack sings along in the car to the radio. When the song is on he's singing away. When it turns off, he takes a breather. He's still not into country -- wailing if it's a twangy country song. He'll sing along if it's Ludacris or T-pain. My little rap man.

New Adventures:

• Standing up and walking along furniture, in his crib, everywhere!

• People Food!
  

• Sippy cups -- Jack could already get rid of bottles, but I'm holding off a few months for now. He has a sippy cup with water all day and he thinks its so refreshing! He always makes a big **sigh** after a big gulp of icy cold h20.

• Jack's on a new medicine for his GERD (reflux). We'll see if it works...

• Jack had his first real babysitter the other night...and we all survived =)

The last 8 months have absolutely been the best of my life. I wake up each day excited to spend time with my little. Even when blessed with some time away from Jack, I think about him, worry about him, twiddle my thumbs, and wait for his return.

I love you Jack, and I always will.