Isaac at 8 months

I cannot believe how much has changed in the past month! Isaac has gone from being an immobile baby, to an active busy little boy! He's crawling like a pro, and can sit up all by himself. He's pulling up on toys and furniture and loves to chase the Roomba! He loves to blow raspberries, and turn the pages of his books. He also climbs the stairs like a little monkey - we've started doing this every night before his bath.

He's always been a happy baby, but he seems even more content now that he can just move from place to place. The only bad thing that's developed over the past month is some stranger anxiety. Unfortunately, there are times when ONLY Mom will do, especially in the evening, and it can be frustrating and exhausting for everyone. We're working on it, and I'm hoping that he grows out of that soon.

We're also working on getting him to clap, wave, and sign. We've always signed a few words to him, but lately he seems very interested in everything we're saying and doing. So, we've really increased the number of words we sign to him. He'll even let me move his hands through some signs, and understands what happens after we do certain signs, but he hasn't made any signs on his own yet. The other thing we're trying to teach him is the meaning of "No". He does really well most of the time. I love to watch him crawl up to something that he knows is off limits, like the stereo. He'll sit and stare at it for a few minutes, and maybe even look around to see if anyone is watching him. Then, he'll give a little sigh, and change directions to crawl to one of his toys instead. So many things about being a parent are rewarding, but when you actually witness the beginnings of impulse control, there is some part of you that just wants to jump up and down and scream "Yes! He's getting it! I'm teaching him that!"

One thing he's been doing lately is making funny faces. He's started scrunching up his nose when he smiles, and since he doesn't have any teeth, he looks like a little old toothless man. There are a few pictures in the album of him making funny faces. Enjoy!