Levi at 8 months

According to our scale at home, Levi weighs around 19 pounds. I'm not sure how accurate that is because it would be a significant weight gain from 6 months, but I tend to believe it. He's a load these days, loves to eat and isn't crawling off any calories yet. He is still wearing all 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers, but we're in the awkward stage where 9 month is getting too small and 12 month is too big.

Levi had a blood allergy test this month to look for a link between allergies and his eczema, particularly soy since he is on soy-based formula. It tested for an allergy to egg whites, cow's milk, soy beans, wheat, corn, peas, peanuts, shrimp, and tomato. It showed no allergy to any of the above except a "moderate degree of possible allergy to peanut". The dermatologist told us before the test that the results come back as low, moderate, or high and that even a low or moderate result might not mean much. It's obviously not an issue now but I will definitely be discussing it with his pediatrician at his 9 month appointment. I really hope it's not a major issue down the line because peanut butter is one of Isaac's major food groups. As far the eczema goes, we didn't find a link there, so for now we just treat him as we have been and hope he outgrows it as most kids do.

that Mickey Mouse rattle/toy is one of his absolute favorites

Night sleep has gotten much better. On a bad night we might have to give him his pacifier 2 times (a bad night used to be 4 or 5 or more), and many nights he doesn't need it at all. I often hear him moaning and resettling himself which is awesome. Last weekend I even checked the monitor at 4 am and saw him putting his pacifier in by himself! He has been able to do that during the day for a month or two now, but that was the first time I had seen him do it in the middle of the night. He went through a super cranky phase this month where he was pretty dependent on the paci during the day, but that seems to have passed and he usually doesn't need it much unless he's falling asleep or sleeping.

He started showing more personality this month. This is the age where they start to get upset about things and really let you know. Lay down to get your diaper changed? Throw a fit. Mommy won't let you chew on the computer cord? Throw a fit. The food isn't being shoveled into your mouth fast enough? Throw a fit. Being a baby is so hard.

Levi loves watching Isaac do anything. He adores his big brother and Isaac adores him. It's the sweetest thing to watch. 

Levi wants to move and crawl so badly, but he's just not there yet. He lunges pretty far for toys while sitting and most of the time manages to sit himself straight up again (the rest of the time he gets stuck). He still can't get to his hands and knees, either from sitting or from laying on his belly, but he tries both ways. He LOVES trying to pull up with my help and I think he'll be doing that by himself soon. He's a pro at scooting sideways and in a circle on his belly, but he still doesn't roll either direction. I've given up on being worried about that. He's very strong and he's just doing things in a different order than 'normal'. His desire for mobility has significantly decreased his use of the exersaucer and jumperoo. He will tolerate the jumperoo for a few minutes but we pretty much never use the exersaucer anymore. I really need to pack it away but I have such a hard time letting go. 

He loves to stand at the ottoman and if my laptop is on it he will lean and lunge to get to the power cord. It's his favorite "toy". When he starts cruising the laptop will have to go.

We had to put the bouncer away this month, which made me very sad. With both of my boys I started a morning routine of bouncer time while I had my coffee/breakfast and woke up slowly. Levi started to hate being confined so we have moved to playtime on the floor with toys and he does great. He is at the stage that I loved with Isaac where he can sit with a box of toys and empty them out one by one.

Levi

Isaac

He has quite a bit less hair than Isaac did at this age, which I forget until I compare pictures. I also forgot how light Isaac's hair was at this age, just like Levi's.

If I had a nickel for every comment we get about his cheeks, he would have quite the college savings fund set up by now. Seriously, I hear it nearly every single time we leave the house.

He's holding steady at 2 teeth but I keep expecting more any time now. The amount of drool that comes out of that baby is crazy. 

Levi loves Isaac's My Pal Scout so we bought him Cody the Smart Cub by VTech, but he still prefers Scout (as do I). Hopefully we'll all warm up to Cody soon.

We're branching out with more finger foods and he's doing ok. This month we have expanded into black beans, pancakes, and pasta and he gets better at chewing every day. His pincer grasp is really improving. 

Finally, he is starting to drink less formula and care less about his bottles, at the same exact same age his brother did. It's a struggle to get him to drink enough these days, some worse than others, but I think he's doing just fine (see diaper pictures above).

Life is much more interesting with you in it, Levi. We love you so much!