Bass Family Blog: 8 Months With Chester

I just can't get over how fast time is flying!

Stop growing so fast Chestnut!

serious

thoughtful

little half smile

so handsome

coy?

crawling

I'm sorry guys, this post is photo heavy. I just can't decide which shots to cut. Looking at Chester just makes my heart so happy. He's such a sweet boy.

his froggy face

I need time to process how fast you are growing little Chestnut!

The days are moving too quickly!

big diaper butt

don't disturb me, I'm working

I can't stop staring at him while he sleeps- I'm such a creeper

So, at 8 months, what has little Chet been up to?

He's hungry. Like for solids. He loves baby food & always eats more than we think he will. His sweet little breastmilk poops are changing :( And more proof that he is the 2nd child, we have not followed a strict protocol of introducing new foods. But it doesn't seem to matter. (You'll see what he's been sampling in some of the photos below)
He often feeds me- holding out what he has in his hand, putting it to my mouth. Sharing already!
He is GREAT at imitation. He loves to go back and forth in making noises and raspberries. And he has imitated us in crawling
Yup hes crawling. He still resorts to military style scoots when he wants speed but he's getting up on his knees more and more.
He is pulling up on EVERYTHING. Nail everything down people! He's climbing up on laundry baskets, drawers, Arthur, toys, the dishwasher, the baby gate... And he lets go with one hand, can lower himself back down in to sitting and can transfer from sitting to crawling and vice versa
He is SO connected to his family. He loves his Mama & Dada. He says "Mama" & he says "Dada" but he doesn't seem really put two and two together yet in calling for us- it's more like when he wants something
He LOVES his brother. Everything Arthur does is interesting and funny and he wants to be in on the fun. Now that he's crawling Arthur is having to "protect" his belongings
He's sad when he's parted from us. He's even serious for Polly/Grammy, the Baby Whisperer, who has watched him numerous times & he's familiar with
He wants to be physically close. He still touches faces to connect with you. He leans in to us, wants to be touching, wants to be near. Sometimes he gets in these super cuddly moods and it's so special, you just have to stop what you're doing and allow him to lean and rub & climb on you.
He has his two bottom teeth and while he has started to act like he might be teething again, we don't see any signs on his gums
He's in 9-12 month clothing and weighs about 20 lbs
Funny thing- I noticed this early on but hadn't documented it- Ryan confirmed it the other day- his joints pop often. Like all of his joints. When you move his arm to thread it in to his sleeve- pop! When you part his legs to change his diaper- pop! It's interesting- I hope it's not a sign of something bad
When he sees you eat, sees food, or is feeling hungry he smacks his mouth repeatedly in this cute little way.
He has signed "milk" (opening and closing hands in a fist) a few times and has brought his hands together when prompted with the "more" sign a few times
Sleep is still a struggle. We attempted Sleep Training and it was a nightmare. He cried forever and then started to cry when we began to put his pajamas on at bedtime on the third night. So we threw in the towel. Now we have him on a schedule of going to sleep in his crib at 7, then I bring him in to bed with me when I go to sleep, when he wakes crying, or when the clock strikes 10-whichever comes first, then I nurse him at 10 and at 2, then as many times as he wants after 4 because I'm just too damned tired to deny him at that point. We often have episodes each night when he wakes 15, 30 or 45 minutes before the scheduled time and we have to deny him and it's exhausting trying to keep him calm until the designated time. We sing, walk around the house, rub his back, squeeze his feet (he likes this), have Ryan cuddle with him and I turn my back to him... It's exhausting. He wants an open bar all night but that makes me in to a grouchy zombie. So we're trying this timing thing for now. Two nights he slept and nursed at the set times and I was a New Woman the next day!
He also hates riding in his carseat these days. Sometimes singing BINGO works, sometimes handing him something novel works, and sometimes he just cries. :(

swinging!

astronaut

he loves his mesh feeder

banging out a tune

cooking

riding the bus with Dada

play date with his future childcare buddy

wearing a hat Nina made for Arthur

I'll miss these moments when he weans

he LOVES pulling up on the gate

more cooking

loving prunes

He makes the funny faces when trying somehting for the first time, but then he loves it! He gagged a few times with solids in the beginning but since he's loved everything we've given him!