Rafael Turns 8 Months!

Saying Rafael 'loves to throw toys' is putting it mildly. He has recently shocked and amazed us by throwing toys into baskets! He actually aims and throws. We could hardly believe our eyes when he did it the first time. His passion for throwing toys comes from sitting on my lap while I tossed toys for the dogs.

Four more months and this wonderful little boy will be a year old. Unbelievable. Suffice to say I can't imagine life without him, and I sometimes get heart palpitations at the idea of something happening to him. The blessing of his smile and health are overwhelming.

The days when he was a quiet observer are officially over. He understands more and more, and when we communicate with each other, it's such an amazing feeling. When I hand him a toy and say 'throw,' and he throws, it's incredible. When I sing his favorite song and he perks up, smiles at me, and bounces his body with joy and recognition, it's so cool!

I love introducing him to new foods. He eats three meals a day, two of which are either with fruit and yogurt or fruit and grains, and one meal that is vegetables with either meat, cream, or butter mixed in. He snacks on millet puffs, spelt cookies, carrot sticks, or banana slices. He loves sucking on a piece of cooked steak, nibbling on bits of cheese, or when I hand him a piece of my pizza crust for him to gnaw on. I'm inspired by the book 'Real Food For Mother And Baby,' but am much more lenient about things like bread and sugar. If I'm eating a little oatmeal cookie and he reaches for it, I let him eat a piece. I am really looking forward to sharing all of the tasty berries and fruits with him that are going to be in season soon. (He also still nurses: after meals and to fall asleep).

There have been a few nights this past week where he has screamed and cried himself to sleep, despite my efforts to comfort him with holding, rocking, singing, or offering to breastfeed. He'll actually push me away as if he's angry with me. I heard from other mothers that this can happen, mostly just to let off steam or because the child was overwhelmed with all they saw and learned that day. Still, when this happens, it breaks my heart, and I feel helpless and so sorry for my baby. I stay with him, either holding him or just sitting beside him, until he falls asleep. Other nights, I nurse him and he falls asleep within ten minutes. I have yet to discover a pattern or understand why he sometimes has such a hard time going to sleep.

What an adventure this all is! And even though I knew I would love and adore my baby long before I had him, I wasn't prepared for all the fun, and I didn't expect that we would become this pair of people who are like a team. Like best friends. Doing everything together and getting to know one another. Parents tend to talk so much about the hard things, but what has taken me by surprise are all the moments where we share so much laughter, love, playfulness, and communication. Already now, at the 8 month mark!

xoxo