Max at 8.5 Months

8.5 months is a strange milestone, but I've got to do this while I'm thinking about it!  Our sweet Max is nearly 9 months old.  I can hardly believe it.  I'm seriously in love with this little guy.  He's at such a wonderful stage.  He really is a great. easy baby these days.  He's just so happy.  Some things to note about our sweetheart:

• He LOVES food.  This is such a wonderful experience after dealing with Andy, who had the hardest time learning how to eat.  Max will eat virtually anything we put in front of him.  He loves pureed things, finger foods, and pieces of anything we're eating.  His favorite pureed foods are sweet potatoes, oatmeal cereal, apple chicken, and macaroni & cheese.  He also loves puffs, cheerios, bread, croissants (who doesn't love croissants?), pretzels, graham crackers, pieces of turkey, green smoothie, grapes, strawberries, bananas, melons...really, anything we've given him.  He used to eat his fruit out of one of those mesh things, but he's moved on now.  I give him two solid meals for breakfast and dinner.  I used to feed him some solids for lunch too, but I'm trying to cut back on how much solid food I give him because he was losing interest in nursing.  Cutting out the solids for lunch has helped, but I'm still having the hardest time keeping him interested in nursing.  I have to nurse in the dark, in his room, and make sure he can't hear anyone, especially Andy.  Max just wants to play! 
• He thinks Andy is hilarious.  And Andy's always trying new things to make him laugh.  
• He is so close to crawling.  He turns all around, moves backward, rocks on his knees...I feel like we're a couple weeks away.  (Is it horrible that I'm kind of dreading once I have two mobile kids?)
• He's very fidgety.  He just wants to move.  He's also a professional grabber.  You think you've placed something out of his reach, and then BAM!  He's fast and has a long reach. 
• He loves to be held.  And if you're holding him, he loves to get really close, stare intently into your eyes, and use his pointer finger to explore your mouth.  
• He's still a total mama's boy, and I love it.  He lights up and starts bouncing/kicking like crazy when I come in the room.  
• He's very social.  But I feel like it's in a different way than Andy is.  I don't think he'll be saying hi to everyone at the store like Andy does, but I think he values relationships and spending time with people.  He loves attention, making eye contact, smiling at people, and connecting with them.  
• He has the sweetest giggle.  I love tickling him (he's very ticklish) so I can hear it. 
• He loves when I give him kisses.  
• At night we coo back and forth to each other, and it's just about my favorite part of the day.  And after his feeding right before bed, he'll lay in my arms, relax, and cuddle.  He won't do that the rest of the day (too much to look at!), so I really soak it in.  
• He's chubby!  Not sure of his weight/height right now, but his legs are deliciously thick. 
• Fantastic napper.  He takes two naps, each is about two hours long.  I just set him in his crib and he falls asleep without a peep.  Still not great at sleeping at night.  He sleeps from 7-7:30 or so, but still wakes up 2-3 times to eat.  I need to eliminate at least one of those feedings, but I'm hesitant because he seems to nurse so much better at night than during the day, and I'm already worried he's not nursing enough.    
• He loves the pool and the sun.  It's heaven for him.  
• He's wearing 12 month clothes. 
• He loves peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, etc.  

It's hard to capture the sweetness that is Max into words.  But we love, love, love this sweet person.  If I'm having a hard day, he's sure to be the one to lift my spirits.  How grateful we are that he's part of our family!

Swinging solo for the first time!

Amazing lashes and cutest little bum.

Sweet potatoes!!!