the eighth month

Nolan turned eight months old yesterday! Part of me can't believe he is already eight months and the other part feels like he's been a part of our family for so much longer! Here are a few things that have developed over the past month:

Nolan has become SO mobile. He loves to crawl all over the place and usually follows me wherever I go. Most people talk about how awful it is when they become mobile, but I like that he can get around by himself and find things to play with - except when he gets into things he shouldn't. :) We're learning to always keep the bathroom doors closed and to keep anything we don't want him getting into off of the floor.

Not only is this little guy crawling like a champ, he is also pulling himself up onto his feet on anything and everything. He will take a few steps while holding onto furniture, but he usually gets down and crawls since its faster. He loves to walk if we hold his hands though!

The past couple weeks have been rough around here. Scott brought home a cold that I got from him and then gave to Nolan. Just as that was clearing up, Nolan caught another bug during Thanksgiving. He ended up with a fever for a few days and is now left with congestion and a cough. I think he might have croup so we've been keeping him away from any other little kids. He also gave me this cold so we've both been home sick.

Despite his illnesses, Nolan is a pretty happy guy most of the time. He has been babbling up a storm over here! He says "dada" all the time, but I'm not sure he knows what he is saying quite yet. He is always repeating the sounds I make though and it sounds like he is trying to say different words like "okay" and "alright". I can't wait for him to start talking to us!

Chasing Pookie around :)

 Nolan has learned to give kisses! It is my favorite thing! All you have to do is pucker up and say "can I have a kiss?" and he leans in and gives you a big sloppy open mouthed kiss! Its the best! :)

Nolan also got his first two teeth this month! Two little ones on the bottom. We definitely have to watch out now because he likes to bite our fingers!

Trying to see himself in the mirror

This month we moved him from three naps to two and it has been so much better! He used to take 3 naps that were 30-45 minutes. Now he takes two naps a day that are at least an hour if not 1.5-2 hours. It is SO much easier for me to get things done when I have two hours at a time!

Napping in mom's bed!

We have also been making SO much progress in finding out what Nolan is allergic to so that we can eliminate them from his (and my) diet. As I have started to eliminate things, his eczema has finally started clearing up! Yay! Nolan is definitely allergic to tomatoes. I actually think that he is allergic to an antioxidant in tomatoes called Lycopene. It is what makes tomatoes red. Lycopene is also in some other foods like watermelon, apricots, guava, red grapefruit, and asparagus. So...although its limiting our diets, at least now I know what to avoid. Here's to hoping his skin gets a lot better and he starts sleeping better!

Playing with dad's tape measure!