8 Months Old!

Our little man is 8 months old! This past month has seen quite a few changes in Logan.

• He's on the verge of crawling. He is up on his hands and knees constantly. He rocks back and forth and tries to take a step forward. He hasn't quite figured out the coordination of his arms and legs. His determination is shining through though, as he is not easily frustrated. He can also now get himself up to sitting and is incredibly proud of himself for doing so! He's a rolling and scooting machine. He manages to get himself across the floor quickly and is motivated by a toy that is just out of his reach. He's been trying hard to pull himself up and will grab onto anything in sight. 

• We've been battling sleep for a while, as I've mentioned in previous posts. Things got progressively worse from about 4 months onward. For a while we were co-sleeping. Part of me loved it, but eventually, I wasn't getting any sleep and I became his soother all night long. We moved him into his own room and things improved slightly, but then got worse again. In the last 6 weeks or so, there were nights when he would be up every 1-2 hours -- worse than a newborn! On a "good" night, he would be up 3 times. We hit the sleep deprivation wall and spoke with a sleep consultant/doula last week. After a lengthy chat, she created a plan for us and sleep training commenced on Friday night. Things improved fast! My boobs are slowly adjusting to not feeding him through the night. We still go in and soothe him very briefly. Last night saw only one waking. We're on the road to more sleep and a happier Mommy! 

• He's extremely alert and always watching what people are doing, particularly his sisters! He find the girls to be hilarious. They will make him smile or laugh when others can't. He will try to imitate sounds and actions -- he loves to bang his hands on his high chair or the floor. He will also mimic us when we stick out our tongues at him. The girls are convinced that he can say words. While this is not true, he will try to repeat sounds that they say -- "ma", "goo", "ba". When the dogs are around, he is usually fixated on them, finding the most random things hilarious. He broke out in the most fantastic belly laugh when the pups were running back and forth across the house. I'm trying to teach him how to pet the dogs gently. It is extremely important to me that my kids understand how to respect animals and read their body language. 

• He seems to really like music. We did a music class with some friends for over the summer and are currently doing a music class that is strictly for deaf and hearing impaired children. He is usually fixated on the instructors, who will often play the guitar. He loves banging on the drums or tambourines. Our current music teacher always incorporates bubbles, which are a huge hit. I've started singing to him before bed each night. He absolutely loves it, resting his head on my shoulder and doesn't seem to care that I don't have the best voice.

• He is enjoying food a little bit more. I've forced him to eat some purees and now he will sit and let me feed him a few bites. He still prefers to feed himself. While baby-led weaning is easier, it's far messier. So far, his favourites seem to be sweet potato, broccoli and pears. He absolutely loved Love Child's ratatouille, which has lentils and beans in it. I gave him a taste of my homemade butternut squash soup the other day and he enjoyed that quite a bit. Interestingly, he was indifferent to an apple-blueberry puree. He usually eats twice a day, but is still a much bigger fan of his mommy milk.

A chat with his best buddy...

Logan and his cousin enjoy some play time at yoga! 

The dogs have been spending most of their time at my parents' house. We all miss them, but the help from my mom with the dog walking has been huge. He adores the dogs when they're around!

He enjoyed munching on an apple at the farm a few weeks back and hung out in the hay while the girls went down the slides. 

From May until just last week, we would spend one afternoon/early evening with friends hanging out at the farmers' market. The kids would eat delicious popsicles and play in the park and Logan would happily roll around on a blanket while watching the kids and the trees. 

Food Before 1 Is Just For Fun (Round 2...)

...or is it round 3?

Logan has been eating solid foods for about a month now. Initially, I had planned to puree a few different fruits and veggies for the first couple of weeks, like I did with the girls. Then, I planned to move on to chunkier mixes and large pieces (baby-led feeding style). Logan had other plans.

After weeks of watching us eat, I assumed that he would go nuts for solid food. I roasted and pureed some organic butternut squash. He opened his mouth, took in the tiniest bit of squash, gagged and then spit it out. He then acted grossed out and disinterested!

After trying him with the squash for a few more days, I decided to hold off for another week or so.

I quickly realized that the kid has no interest in being spoon fed (by me)! I've always loved Baby Led Weaning's motto, "Food before one is just for fun", however I prefer to call it 'baby-led feeding' because I have no interest in weaning him at this stage.

He's a good-sized baby who is getting everything he needs from breast milk, so I decided to take a very laid-back approach to food. It's very messy. Sometimes he eats a little bit of food. Sometimes a lot. He's happy and loving it though. And messes can be cleaned up (I remind myself over and over again) :)

Feeding himself mashed avocado

Playing with a carrot

Cold (peeled) apples for teething gums

After a few weeks of mostly playing with different fruits and veggies, he figured out a way to grip the food and gnaw pieces off. It really has been a fascinating process to watch. He's a determined little guy. He did a great job of holding onto the peaches (pic below) in order to suck the juices out and even pull off little pieces. He only recently got a tooth (in the last few days) so he is completely toothless in all of the pictures in this post.

I love this series from his first experience with broccoli. Clearly unsure, he decides to try it anyways and ends up loving it!

Despite what some people might say, my personal and professional belief is that sweet fruits and veggies don't need to be given after those that are less sweet. Breast milk is incredibly sweet itself, so babies are used to that. Logan happily devoured broccoli (above) and a pea and mint puree (below) after trying apples, bananas and peaches.

When I introduced solids to the girls in 2012, it was advised to wait and introduce certain high allergen foods (like nuts, eggs, fish) closer to one year. Now, in 2016, allergens should be introduced ASAP. What? Confusing, I know.

My unsolicited advice (because we all love that!) and approach with my own kid...do some reading. Talk to a few trusted friends. Talk to a nutritionist or a naturopathic doc. Then, decide on an approach that works for you and your baby. I've decided to start with fruits and veggies. Plant-based proteins next. Logan tried some homemade chickpea burgers the other night and some lentils as well. He has also had some butternut squash soup that I made with homemade chicken broth. I will likely give him some meat in the next week or two.

I did introduce him to eggs the other day. This was a biggie since we recently discovered that my niece is allergic to eggs. Fortunately, Logan had no reaction, but wasn't all that interested in the eggs. I'll probably make some a scramble with veggies next. Peanuts are also a biggie because my brother is allergic to them. I will most likely give him tree nuts around 9 months and then peanuts shortly thereafter.

He thinks the dogs are fantastic and they love him for the
extra snacks!

I think he was eating avocado

Yellow carrot!

Mashed blueberries!

I know that choking is a concern for many with this approach to food. It's a valid concern! Admittedly, I feel a little bit nervous about it too. But, I'm prepared. I'm always close by when he's eating. I give him very large pieces of raw fruits or veggies. I've taken an infant CPR course should it ever come to that. It's good to remember that gagging is completely normal when food is being introduced for the first time. Babies are learning how to move their jaws and tongues. After six months or more of only consuming liquid, something chunky is often going to cause a baby to gag. This is the only way for the gag reflex to develop. Logan has reminded me of Teagan. She used to gag/choke all the time. Outwardly, I always stayed very calm with Teagan. I would unbuckle her, but never touched her if she was coughing or making noise. She always managed to cough up or swallow whatever had gagged her. Then, she would go right back to eating. Logan has had similar gagging incidents and has always managed to work it out on his own.

The nutritionist in me has absolutely loved watching him experience food for the first time! Now that we are doing it his way, he seems to love it too. Stay tuned for more food posts!

6 Months & 7 Months Old!

Sorry, Logan. August was a wildly busy month for our family, so poor Logan's 6 month post didn't make it to the blog. It was celebrated though! And, just like that our not-so-little guy is 7 months old (+a few days)!

• He gets himself around! He rolls, scoots backwards and somehow manages to always get himself to whatever has grabbed his attention. Our days of lying him on the bed unattended are long gone. While he does have a designated, matted space on the family room floor, he very quickly ends up in another part of the room. I love watching him manoeuvre himself in a circle in order to reach toys. He is a determined little guy, who lets his frustrations be known when he can't quite figure things out on his own. We just had baby gates being installed this week for his impending crawling! He has recently started sitting on his own, but does topple over, so we usually put pillows around him. 

• He's a jumper! He still loves the Jolly Jumper and the jumperoo. When he is held, he tries to jump on a lap/table/couch at any opportunity. He's a big guy now, so I definitely feel like I get a workout!

• Logan loves to talk! He seems to be putting two sounds/letters together quite often now. "Mamamamama" is said frequently. Teagan has nicknamed Logan, "Gaga"-- I'm sure you can guess why! When we talk to him, he babbles right back. 

• He's a goofball! He happily shrieks when he's amused and loves it when we smile and laugh at something he is doing. He will continue to do it for a reaction. 

• After weeks of watching us eat, I started him on solid food at about 6 months old. I roasted a butternut squash and pureed it, expecting him to devour it. When it touched his lips, his disgusted reaction was both hilarious and surprising. I quickly realized that he did not want to be spoon fed. Since then, he has been all about feeding himself. I'll post more on that soon, but current faves include sweet potato, broccoli, peas with mint and peaches.

• We have been going to regular appointments at Sick Kids and will continue to do so for the next several months. We had him fitted for a hearing aid in July and has been excellent about keeping it on. For the most part, he doesn't bother with it. He has already grown out of the mold though, which was resulting in the hearing aid falling out frequently. With the craziness around our move, I haven't had a chance to get his new mold made so he hasn't worn his hearing aid in a few weeks. Once we get the mold this week, he will be wearing it regularly again. We waver on whether a cochlear implant is best for him. We still do not know whether he is a candidate, so it could be a moot point. After an MRI in the next few months, we will know for certain whether he is a candidate and will take it from there. From a hearing perspective, he is doing fairly well. It's clear that he doesn't always know where sound is coming from and does seem to get overwhelmed in loud, busy settings. We are starting a music class for deaf and hearing impaired children next week. 

He absolutely adores these two! 

 

Seriously, this kid smiles 90% of the time.

Crossing off an item on the girls bucket list- riding scooters on
Toronto Island.

Not the best shot, but he did like having his
feet in the water!

Mama and Logan

The post-milk coma!

With Uncle Rob

No teeth, slipper peaches. No problem.

Attacking broccoli!

Oh hey, Handsome!

He adores the pups!

He looks like this after every meal! (The OCD neat freak in me
goes a little nuts, but then I remind myself that it gets cleaned
up easily.)