Raisin' Bran and Amelia: October 2016

I feel like I blinked and now Bran is 8 months. Where did September go?! Although it is now officially fall, we have been enjoying warmer than average temperatures. Bran spent the vast majority of the month still romping around in a onesie. But the nights and mornings are getting cooler, so we have actually had to make the little guy wear some pants and real pajamas. I thought diaper changes were getting difficult, but getting pants on an 8 month old (who has mastered the alligator roll) might be an even bigger challenge. Baths every night are a must to get the "baby smell" back because he is go go go, which makes for a stinky little boy by the end of the day. Luckily he LOVES splashing in the bathtub (and getting Mommy or Daddy soaked too). His independence continues to grow. Brannock reminds me more of a toddler and less of a baby everyday (which is exciting and sad all at the same time).

Happy Labor Day!

First Week Of Fall

Happy 8 Months Bran!

Weight: About 21.8 lbs

Sleeping Pattern: Bran is a wonderful sleeper! He sleeps 11-12 hours at night and takes 2-3 good naps. I don't think it gets better than this. He is still an early bird and "sleeping in" is about 7:30. I have noticed him stirring (and even sitting/standing up) in the crib some mornings around 5:30 (when I wake him up on work days) but luckily he has been settling himself down and going back to sleep until about 7. Bran likes to go to bed at 7 but has been really flexible with us keeping him out late sometimes. He is good to go as long as he is keeping busy, and easily transitions from falling asleep in either a pack n' play and/or the car seat to go back to bed when we get home. The boy loves his sleep! He is starting to sleep on his back occasionally, legs spread wide. Unfortunately this has also caused him to get his foot stuck on a few occasions, so we have had a few rescue missions to get his foot unstuck. It's rare for him to fall asleep with us anymore, so we take advantage of a few minutes of snuggle time when he does.

Training for a Half Marathon is also very tiring.

Feeding Schedule: Eating is one of Bran's favorite things to do. I don't think we have found anything this boy doesn't like. He loves finger foods now. Some of his new favorites this month are mac n' cheese and scrambled eggs. He also loves pureed broccoli and strawberries. We try to give him little bites/tastes of everything including salmon and pumpkin dip. I really hope Bran continues to be a great eater and will eat most everything we do. His babysitter is great. I get a good laugh when she exposes Bran to lots of new foods (some of the funnier ones on the menu have been corn dogs and pickles). And her girls love to dress Bran up when he is in the high chair.

Bran Likes: Sleeping, eating, and playing. His prefers playing with TV remotes and climbing on Mommy's ladder shelf over playing with his own toys. Brannock is a truly happy baby. He also LOVES his puppies.

Bran Dislikes: Getting dressed and diaper changes. Bran has peed on the floor at least twice this month post bath. He is getting so strong and can easily roll away. He has a toy in the nursery he loves to climb on which he usually makes a "run" for. He actually managed to pee while "standing up" on his knees one time. Ah the life with a little boy.

Changes This Month:
I am amazed everyday at how well (and how quickly) Brannock is up and moving. He moves so effortlessly from crawling to sitting to pulling up and getting back down. It's hard to believe not too long ago he was just starting to crawl.

Bran's time in his infant car seat is slowly coming to an end. He still fits okay for car travel, but he is way too heavy to carry around. Unless he is already asleep when we get somewhere (which is rare) he now rides in the cart. He has also been sitting in a high chair when we go out to eat now.

One day we decided to let Bran give the stairs a try. Much to our surprise he was able to crawl up them very easily. Now we really have to make sure the baby gates to the stairs are always closed.

Brannock is now a pro at pulling up to stand. Learning this new skill made for his first big bruise when he hit his head on the corner of the wall. He started the month off a little timid but now he is pulling up on anything and everything. Bran has had very minimal attempts at "cruising" down the coffee table or couch. He realizes at this point it is much quicker for him to crawl to wherever he wants to go and pull back up.

Bran's first big bruise.

Bran's first official word is "baba", it has quickly become his favorite. Joe one night was asking him to say "dada". Silence. Okay Bran say "mama". Silence. Okay Bran say "baba". Bran went "bababababababa". We were dieing laughing! He's starting to say "dada" a little more. Mama is very rare. And very occasionally we can get a "hi" out of him. He loves to babble to anyone who will listen.

Bran really enjoys playing with other kids. Brannock seemed to enjoy playing more with Lily this visit, or at least her toys! She's a year older so they are still very different but at least Bran is a lot more durable so we can leave them on the floor more easily to play together. We have also visited with a couple new babies (Ellie and Henry) but Bran had zero interest because they don't do much.

I also think Bran might be teething again. I haven't noticed any new ones popping through but he sure tries to chew on everything.

What We Have Been Up To:
Grandma Lude, Aunt Nikki, Uncle Jeremy, and Greer came for a visit. We went to the zoo, cheered on the Buckeyes, and got lots of play time.

We tried to take Bran to campus with our friend Laura to go to the annual Grable tailgate. Unfortunately traffic was crazy and we weren't able to make it close enough to get to the tailgate by the time we made it to campus. Instead we went and walked around Mirror Lake while we waited for Sarah and Cade to give them their tickets.

Bran, maybe one day we will tell you all about Mirror Lake!

With the temperatures getting cooler (and knowing walking will be happening before we know it) we decided it was time to get Bran a real pair of shoes so he can continue to play outside. He looks like such a big boy in his new kicks. Bran isn't quite sure what to think of them at this point because he has spent most of his time barefoot. He stands much more carefully when he has his shoes on.