8 Months

Well, little Gabriel is now 8 months old.  We have a lot going on around the Rollo house right now with our preparation to move as Taylor starts his job in Blacksburg Virginia, but I didn't want to let a month go by without at least a little update. . .

Hi!

Gabriel is just such a happy and playful little guy.  I really can't complain about him at all.  Sure, he's tiring and he has his times when he's fussy and irritable (heck, I do too), but most of the time he's happy and smiling.

Mmmm. . .broccoli

He is all about the food all of the sudden.  In addition to all his previous eating he's now having 3 solid meals a day.  Sometimes he wants to eat more than others, but usually at breakfast and dinner he's ready to chow down.  He's had a big variety of vegetables, fruits, chicken, turkey, rice cereal, oatmeal, and grits.  We think he has a sensitivity to peaches and possibly pears at this point because he gets a major diaper rash after eating them.  Hopefully he'll grow out of that later.

He really loves looking at books (and trying to eat them).  Here is Aunt Stephanie doing some babysitting for Gabriel and his visiting friend Kyla.  She is my cousin's daughter. . .the official name for how the 2 of them are related is escaping me at the moment. . .but she was super cute and Gabriel was glad to meet her!

He's still not quite crawling, but he's certainly getting close.  He rolls all over the place.  When you put his favorite toy (a stereo remote that we not longer use) a distance away from him he can scoot and roll pretty efficiently to get it.  He pushes really high up on his arms and is starting to raise his legs and behind in the air.  I'm just waiting for when I turn my back for a minute and he'll have crawled out of the room.

He still sleeps for about 12 hours a night, although we've discovered that it doesn't matter what time he goes to bed.  He always wakes up around 7:30 it seems.  Some nights he's up late because we're out or have things going on, but his internal clock pops him awake at the same time.  He's always talking and cooing in his crib when he wakes up.  I'm glad he wakes up so happy, but this mommy doesn't want to talk until she's had some coffee.

His serious face

And look who's ready for his big boy car seat!  He barely fits in his baby carrier anymore.  I have to say, I'm a little jealous of his new ride.  That thing is super padded and comfy and has cup-holders and everything.  He's riding in luxury.

And here are just couple more random shots.  As far as our move goes, I do feel excited, but also so sad to be moving away from family.  I want Gabriel to grow up being close to his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  But, I suppose it might end up being even more fun for him in the coming years as he gets to make special trips and spend more concentrated time with people.  It will hopefully be more quality time when we come back down to visit.