It is so hard to come to terms with Kanan turning 8 months old. It seems like just yesterday…..well you know the rest; it is a line every mother says a thousand times in her life. I think I have already said it a dozen times thus far. Regardless, my little baby is a soon-to-be-toddler. Just yesterday he started “cruising” along the furniture and around the inside of his pack-n-play when we put him in it. It is not a whole lot. I don’t even think he realized that he has done it, but he has. I’ll give it a couple more days until he realizes what he can do and then that is all he will want to do all day (phew!) For pics of this month click HERE! Videos of this month are mixed in with the pics.

Kanan weighs 20 lbs. He is still 28 1/2 inches long. He is eating pureed meats now including chicken and beef. He loves beef (red meat lover just like his mother) but needs to mix his chicken with fruit in order for him to tolerate it. He is using his pincer grasp now as well and so I am including some finger foods with every meal for him to practice with. Sometimes he gets it into his mouth and sometimes he just fusses for me to do it. He loves, Loves, LOVES  bite size pieces of cheese (my little mouse)  and he also likes Gerber Graduates freeze dried bananas and strawberries. He also practices drinking from a sippy cup during his meals with me and does drink it successfully but not of course without dumping a lot of it all over himself and his highchair tray (I have to take the plug out because he can’t figure out how to get the water out with it in just yet).

 Kanan is also taking a bath in the regular bathtub now just like a big boy (as you can see in the pic above). We fill the bathtub up to a little below his waist and he has a great time crawling around, sucking on his water toys, and trying to stand up in the tub. It is definitely a lot of work for me because I am constantly grabbing him when he tries to stand because I don’t want him slipping. But his graduation to the big boy bathtub has made him much happier with bath-time. He squeals and laughs and even in his grumpiest moments transforms into the happiest baby on the block when it is bath-time.

This last weekend, Mike and I went on our first trip away from Kanan. Kanan’s Grammy Joella and Grandpa Don came all the way down from Reno to babysit and Kanan didn’t even register that we were gone the entire trip! The little booger! He had a wonderful time with his grandparents and of course, they fell in love with him even more. They said that he was “mild-mannered, relaxed, and a good, happy baby.” I guess they didn’t notice that he has twinkle toes like his father!

Over all we have had a wonderful month. We are waiting on teeth still, but that is the only milestone on which Kanan seems behind. But we are late teethers and early walkers in our family, so it looks like he is just keeping it in the family way.

We are moving here in a week and will have to make some adjustments with our smaller place, but we feel Kanan will do just fine in the transition. And we will be living one-block away from the sand so Kanan’s new backyard will be the ocean! And he is going to see it everyday because without a backyard, we will have to take the boys out for walks everyday. I guess I’ll finally get a chance to lose that last 5 lbs that have been hanging on me like a codependent friend. Good Riddance!

Still a couple of weeks to go before Kanan is 8 months old, but he is not letting his young age bring him down, unless it is falling down. The day after Kanan’s 7 month birthday, Kanan decided he was not satisfied with the simple crawling he had mastered over the previous 2 weeks. No, this boy was ready to walk and so he attempted the first step in that direction—pulling himself up! Ever since he did it the first time on my knee the little boy has been on a mission. Anything and everything is now an opportunity for him to pull himself up. Pampers boxes, ottomons, coffee tables, rocking chair, Mom’s knees, Dad’s guitar—-you name it, Kanan will figure out how to pull himself up with it. One problem though has come as a consequence to his new found freedom. Falling. The little boy is a crawling, pulling up catastrophe waiting to happen. I try to prevent him from falling as much as I can, but he seems to slip in a few falls each day no matter how hard I try. Luckily, a simple hug and a kiss normally helps him forget and he is back at it in a few short moments. Check him out in action here on Youtube. And stay tuned for Kanan’s 8 month update in a couple of weeks.

And for those who are curious—1) This was either before or after his nap, so the binky is there because he enjoys sucking during those times. 2) Shortly after making this video, Kanan discovered the monitor plugged into the wall and started playing with it. I have since moved the monitor to a more discrete area and plugged up the outlets with those childproof plugs.

Kanan is on the move! The little boy is a crawling machine now and is picking up the pace everyday a little bit more. Watch the video of the first crawling steps he took last week Here!

In the meantime, he weighs 19 pounds and is 28 inches long. He has stopped nursing and is full time on formula now. I tried holding on to our first morning nursing session, but he told me he was ready to stop last weekend when he stopped after just a minute of nursing and reached out for the bottle sitting on the table. He is also eating solids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to the 32 ounces of formula he drinks.

He loves his Daddy and just giggles and laughs anytime they are together. He also has fallen in love with his reflection in the mirror and laughs and smiles and touches it and tries to taste it. He loves to chase balls around the house and to suck on his feet. Of course now that he is crawling, the tops of his feet and toes are dirty, which looks really funny and I’m sure tastes funny too. He has stopped needing the late night 1030pm feeding I have been giving him before I go to bed and now sleeps from 730pm to when I wake him up in the morning before I go to work. Yesterday, Mike begged me to let the baby sleep and he would feed him because he desperately wanted to catch up on rest as he hasn’t been feeling very well. Well the little booger slept until 9 am!

He continues to babble and has progressed to much more difficult phonemes including “g” and “k.” He loves to say “lalalalala” when he is happy and when he is mad, he screams out “nanananananana.” Could he be trying to say “no?”

The next milestones to come are still in processessing. He continues to teeth, but nothing has cut through his gums. He is trying to grab small objects with his pincer grasp but hasn’t figured out the coordination to succeed at that yet. And he is attempting to stand from crawling position but can’t get passed “downward dog” position (any yoga people out there know what I’m talking about.)Check out the pictures from this month HERE

Kanan is sooooo close to being fully mobile. Check him out in action here!

Yes, Kanan has officially caught his first cold. And of all the times to catch it, his symptoms arise exactly 24 hours after his dad Mike left for Mexico for a week on a surf trip. “Call him” you might say. I would if his phone worked that far south but that is not the case. And he has his number forwarded to his business partner Brad. Meanwhile, Kanan is sneezing gallons of snot, he is coughing, he can’t sleep well because he can’t breathe and he can’t eat well for the same reason. When he is not eating or sleeping, he has moments of happiness if I can distract him from his misery with live puppet shows and tickling. He woke up at 3 am last night and finally fell back asleep after crying for an hour and half because he was miserable. At first, I wasn’t sure why he was so upset but then I heard his congested breathing and figured it out. I finally put him in his infant seat (poor baby is so big, his legs dangle off of it from the knees down and the safety harness won’t even fit him) to keep his head elevated and squirted saline in his nose to break up the snot and he finally went back down. Of course I set up the infant seat in my bed so he had me next to him to comfort him if he needed it.

Today his room is set up for sick mode. He is napping in his infant seat right now, which I placed in his crib with the vibration on. I have the vaporizer plugged in to help him breathe and a Vicks Vapor Plug In, which emits menthol vapors into the room to help also. He won’t let me aspirate his nose so I have to hold his arms with one arm and hold his head with the other while also trying to use the aspirator with the same hand and keep from crying myself because he is screaming and crying real tears. He has eaten a total of 8 oz in the last 6 hours which is half of what he normally drinks. I have to go to work tomorrow and thank god, his day care provider Bobbi is willing to still take him in but only because he is the only kid she has right now so she won’t have to worry if he is contagious. But if he develops a fever or he becomes too much to handle, I will have to get a substitute and take care of the little boy during the day myself because his Dad won’t be here to help. Regardless, I know I will have to wake up to help soothe my sweet, sick little man multiple times tonight and perhaps the next few nights until he feels better and I will not be able to have Mike help me with shifts. “Give him some cold medicine” you might advice. Well I looked into them and all the ones they have for infant nasal congestion have pseudoephedrine in it. Sure that stuff will clear his nose, but it will also make his heart race and make him hyper, not sleepy. So cold medicine is out of the question. So after little sleep, I will have to wake up extra early to get ready for work, feed and get Kanan ready for daycare, drive him there, and be at work by 715. Then after work, race back to Bobbi’s to pick up the little boy and be mommy nurse until he goes to bed, at which point I will have to work on grading and lesson planning. Thank goodness I have coffee. Boy will I deserve a back massage when Mike gets back. Wish me luck! And by the way, single mommies out there, how do you do it?

He is 6 months old, weighs 18 lbs, hasn’t gone in to get his 6 months shots but will in a couple of weeks. He is sleeping through the night consistently now, just hit a growth spurt a few days ago and drank like 40 oz within a 24 hour period. Overnight he reached the milestone of being able to hold himself in crawling position and rock back and forth. I tried catching it on video here, but it only shows a quick glimse at how well he can rock. I suspect crawling will be here within the month!! I better start locking my cabinets and putting plugs in all the electrical outlets! Ah…just one more thing to add to my busy little life.  I’m absolutely exhausted and flying by the seat of my pants, but I am happy. So I suppose despite the chaos, life is good.  Click HERE for photos too!

This last month has been our favorite by far. One thing all those books I read that is for certain true is the magic date of the 4 month birthday. Kanan has really developed into a little boy this month and remains a greater joy than ever before. This last month, we have gone to the beach,  daily walks around the neighborhood, grocery shopping and out to eat. We even went on a 5-day vacation to Rock Creek near Mammoth and Kanan loved it there. He did an amazing job handling the altitude and the 6-8 hour drive there and back. We have tried to give the little boy many fun experiences from which he can learn. We think he is really enjoying his little life and it is an honor to be the ones to introduce the little things we take for granted but he finds amazing— the smooth texture of a flower petal, the softness of the satin edge of a blanket, the circular movement of a ceiling fan, the laughter of children at play, the refreshing water beads that condensate on the outside of a cold beverage, or even the sweet and earthy taste of peas. For pics click HERE! For videos, including one of Kanan discovering his tongue, click HERE!

Communication–Kanan has really grown into a little boy. He cries only if he is hungry or really tired and instead whines to communicate his frustrations. He loves to “talk” and makes the most interesting noises. One that he say’s often for some reason is “elw” and “amy.” He will sometimes say “mum” but not as much as he used to. When he doesn’t want to be in a certain place or position he communicates his desire to move by arching his back and reaching his arms out for us to pick him up. When he does want something he is excited about, he kicks his legs over and over, purses his lips out, widens his eyes, and squeels.

Sight–Kanan can really see now and is very aware of the little things because of this. He discovered the dogs this month and is facinated with them. He just stares and watches and them when ever they cross his vision. He has tried to pet them, but just seems to want to pull their hair, which of course doesn’t make them happy, so we are often flattening his hand and running it over their coats and saying, “nice touch.” During our walks, while Kanan still notices the flowers and trees, he has now gained a sense of appreciation for signs and people. He studies people very carefully and will twist his neck to continue watching them. This of course, just gets everyone smiling and talking about him.

Taste–We are working on those little taste buds since Kanan has begun trying out solids. We are not giving him full on meals but just having him get used to the spoon and different foods while waiting 3 days before we offer him something new. He is indifferent to rice cereal unless its mixed with something. He loves peas, likes green beans, loves sweet potatoes and pears, and is moody about bananas.

Physical Development–Kanan is a hair shy of 17 lbs (16 lbs 14 ounces) is 27 inches long and remains in the 90th percentile for his age. He wears size 3 diapers 6-9 month clothing. He can roll from back to tummy and tummy to back. He can sit up with his boppy pillow supporting him and loves to sit in his high chair because he can play with multiple toys that way. He can transfer his toys back forth between his left and right hands and can take his pacifier out of his mouth and put it back in. He loves his jumparoo he borrowed from his 1-year-old friend Nolan and jumps in it everyday. He loves it.

Sleep--Kanan naps fairly well through out the day. He normally takes two long naps and one short nap and goes to bed between 7 and 8pm every night. He has slept through the night about 6 times in the last 2 1/2 weeks and even did last night after his vaccinations, which surprised us because he woke up a billion times the night of his 2 month vaccinations.

We are over and past the hump (or the slump)!! The most difficult time of infancy is over and gone—no more floppy head, or lots of crying, or a baby who only eats, sleeps, and defecates. We have a happy baby now. A baby who still eats, sleeps, and defecates, but also loves to laugh, squeel, babble, kick, stand, suck on his hands, put anything and everything into his mouth, go for walks in his stroller, go swimming, go to the beach and let the white water crash on his feet, go shopping with mommy while he tags along in his sling and gets the googlie eye from every man , woman, and child in the store. It is so much fun having the little guy around it’s ridiculous. Mike and I play fight over who gets to greet Kanan in his crib when he wakes up from his nap. When we go out to eat, we just eat and stare at Kanan or talk to him the whole time. Yeah, we are hooked! For more pics of this month please click HERE! Or just place your cursor over it and wait for a box to appear. Then wait a few more section and my pics will show up individually in the box and you can scroll through it that way without having to go to the website.

Kanan’s Milestones:

Eating-–While still breastfeeding, when he does take a bottle, he can drink up to 7 oz in one sitting now! He is now drinking formula before bedtime to help him sleep a little longer. It is working too! He has slept through the night once so far and that was a few days ago. He is getting easily distracted now during his day feeds, making eating take longer because I have to keep his interest long enough to take a full feed. A dark room helps if its immediately after he wakes.

He is also showing great interest in solid food. He watches us eat and opens his mouth like he wants to try it too. When his grandma showed him a piece of tomato on her finger from her marinara sauce, the little guy dived down and snatched it off her finger and swallowed it like he hadn’t eaten in a month! Sooooo…I’ve tried giving him rice cereal twice to see how things would go. The first time, he ate like a champ. He didn’t push it out with his tongue, seemed to enjoy it and ate like 4 teaspoons full. The second time, he didn’t seem to like it, was pushing it out with his tongue and barely got in 2 teaspoons full before I decided to put it away and try again in a week. Either way, he has a high chair now in which we use primarily for him to sit in the kitchen while I eat, or cook, or wash dishes.

Activity–Kanan is babbling now! And his first babble word is (drum roll please….) “MUM”! It’s adorable! Of course Mike is jealous. And of course I tell him that Kanan doesn’t know what it means. But of course, I am secretly thrilled! He is also starting to laugh. He started with me about a week ago when I was tickling him. He did it again this weekend when his favorite cousin Breanna was flirting with him. And he did it again when his grandpa Don was tickling him. And squeeling has been a consistent vocal practice of the little guy for a little over a month. He loves to kick. As a matter of a fact, we believe he will be running before he crawls, he loves to “stand” and kick so much. His favorite toys are his fish rattle and my wood bracelettes. His favorite book is “Snappy Little Dinasours.”

Physical Growth— Not sure of his exact weight yet, but I’m guessing close to 16 lbs. We will find out for sure when he gets his shots here in a few days. His neck is solid strong. Doesn’t wobble or flop at all. He can roll over from front to back and is very close to getting back to front. He is starting to grab his feet, which excites me because I love a baby that can suck on his toes. We also think he is teething—He has episodes of drooling, biting, poor appetite, pulling on ear, fussing—tylenol helps…hmmmmm

Sleep–He has slept through the night once!!! Otherwise he is down to waking up once in the night to eat. He does have nights still where he wakes up more than once though, but usually, a pacifier quites him. His naps consist of two long naps (1.5-2 hours) and one cat nap of 45 minutes.

Kanan officially has a mohawk courtesy of his eager father. We have since trimmed it since we took the photos as it flopped over a bit from the length. People our age love it. Grandparents hate it of course. We figure we should jack up his hair now while he is still too young to care.

He got to show off his new do unofficially at the Matzke family reunion last weekend although when his great grandmother asked if we were enlisting him in the military, we decided it was a little too high and tight and not enough hawkish, so we sinced cut it more and that is what makes the reunion the unofficial debut of Kanan’s hawk. He also got to meet some more family that day including his second cousin Noah who is 7 months older than him. They were both too busy analyzing eachother during the family picture that they didn’t even bother to look at the camera. It was wonderful seeing family we haven’t seen in a long time. My cousins DJ, Tyler, and Trevor were there with my uncle Tim and his wife. I hadn’t seen the cousins for 15 years atleast—back when I would never had guessed I would have a son with a mohawk!

Kanan got to show off the official hawk at his third cousin Robert’s 3rd birthday party by the pool in Pacific Beach. Kanan got to go in a pool for the first time and seemed to enjoy it as it was a very hot and sunny day. We slathered him in SPF 45 and dressed him a waterproof diaper, sunhat, and regular clothes because we lost his newly purchased swim trunks. Afterward he played in his pack and play for a bit instead of napping because there was way too much activity by the pool. We finally got him to go to sleep by taking him into the dark and quite Sauna in the back of the poolhouse. Don’t worry, it was turned off. He slept there for an hour and a half. I went back and checked on him every 5 minutes of course. After he woke up he was super happy and socialized with everyone. Toward the end of our stay, he got to try cake frosting for the first time although he was so exhausted by that point, I don’t think he truly enjoyed it as much as he could. All in all it was a fabulous day.

We finished the night off by sleeping in the RV camper that night. Kanan, me, and Mike up on the bed and Smokey and Bandito down below in living area. The next morning, Kanan, who is not used to sleeping in the same bed as Mom and Dad, was so cute. He woke up smiling and kept looking back and forth at us as if to be thinking, “Dadda Mama, Dadda Mama.” I think he may of liked sleeping with us because last night when he was back in his crib for the night, he woke up every 1-2 hours all night long and boycotted sleeping entirely from 130-330. Of course by that time, I sent Mike in for a shift and when I went in to help him out, Kanan was all smiles and giggles as if that was his motive the entire time—to get Mom and Dad in his room for a slumber party.

Our little monster. We love him still. 🙂