This post is about a week overdue. Nicholas is now 8 months and 1 week. I snapped these photos of him last week but did not have a chance to edit or post them until now.

Milestones:
This past month Nicholas' two teeth continue to grow in. While his gums are swollen we have not had any sighting of more teeth. He has the most darling smile and likes to squint when he smiles.

He had his first haircut, see earlier post. And is in need of another trim.

He can now pinch and pick up bits of food with his index finger and thumb. He loves to feed himself. He loves bananas, spaghetti and oatmeal. He weighs 22 lbs.

He is such a happy and quiet baby. One evening this past week he had a unusually fussy night. When I grabbed him from the crib in the morning I noticed there was a bit of blood in the crib and around his ear. I suspected an ear infection but he had not been complaining or fussy, with exception of the night before. I took him in to the doctor to confirm that he had an ear infection. This is his second ear infection. We are treating him with bubblegum flavored antibiotics, which he loves. He sucks it out of the syringe.

Nicholas is mobile. He is not quite crawling but has figured out how to move with a seated scoot. He is also great at moving backwards on his belly. He can easily get himself in the crawling position and rocks back and forth. He can get himself into a sitting position from a laying position. I have found him sitting in his crib when he is supposed to be laying and sleeping. Today he pulled himself up by the dishwasher into a standing position and stood for exactly 1 second. He toppled over but gained control quickly. He bumps his head daily, usually on a toy, which frustrated and hurts him.

He loves to play peek-a-boo and can clap. He can wave his hand (mostly his whole arm) and waves night, night to the family before he goes to bed. He also likes to dance. His version is bouncing in a seated position when he hears music he likes. He is particular about what music he dances too...

Everyday is an absolute joy and passes too quickly. Andrew and Benjamin love to cheer with him at each of his milestones and they are very aware of when he does something new. I am constantly hearing "mom... look, Nick is doing ______"

We love watching him grow. He is the best!