Finn at 8 months

I don't remember it being such a challenge with the others, but maintaining our home as a choking-hazard free zone is proving to be quite nearly impossible. And there's no denying it now, after weeks of planks, 

and downward dogs, wheelbarrowing, 

backwards moving, army crawls, and getting stuck under furniture,

 Finn  is officially on the move, making that feat harder than ever.

This video is from October 30.  His hands and knees skills have improved dramatically since then.

Now explain to me this, weeks before he developed the ability to pick up small pieces of food and self feed at the table, he stealthily managed to finger pinch the tiniest bits of carpet fuzz, paper bits, food crumbs, etc. and with expert precision, direct them to his mouth and dutifully attempt to swallow them down.

How does that work?

He barfed an entire meal up on my shoulder the other day, completely out of the blue.  It took me a minute to realize that he was gagging on a Halloween candy wrapper.  I caught glimpse of it for a second and tried the old finger sweep, before he finally swallowed it down, never to be seen again.  

Once more, I'm reminded to lower my standards.  Just keep the kids alive and I can consider myself majorly accomplished in life. Just keep 'em alive.

 Finn remains keenly aware.  Just as he's always been.  Stranger anxiety has never been higher and a couple of times now, he's done this similar thing. The first time, as Dan laid on our bed and Finn sat on his chest, Ava and I sat near by. We were casually chatting, when Finn picked up Dan's hand and shoved it in his mouth.  While definitely not noteworthy, it was cute and we giggled about it.  And then Finn looked up at us, his bottom lip started to quiver just as the tears flowed. The expression on his face said he was upset we were laughing at him.  And I know, at 8 months old, it's not really likely that he would care about such a thing.  

And I may have written it off myself, but a day or so later, he sat in his chair at the table while my mom was feeding him.  I sat at the table too.  Again, he did something simple and cute and my mom chuckled.  And again, out came the lip and the tears and that same expression of self conscious embarrassment.   You don't have to believe me, it's a crazy claim, but I know what I'm talking about.

His hair is growing in now, though it's natural inclination is straight up.  

It's kind of his signature now.  I smoothed it down after a bath yesterday and could hardly recognize him.  Not to fear though, as it dried it resumed it's prominent posture.

He's come to prefer his tummy for sleeping.

He is on the cusp of so many delightful little developments.  He will clap if you ask him.  He claps when I enter his room each morning to get him from his crib.  He has figured out how to click his tongue and he's beginning to mimic head movements.  

He LOVES to eat.  And even in all caps, that's an understatement.  His palate is becoming more discriminatory at the table however. (Though on the floor he still lacks any discrimination at all.  See above.)

He continues to be a bright spot in our home, guaranteed to improve any mood.  It's absolutely impossible not to smile when you see him.