Month 8

Months 6 and 7 flew by...and so much changed! Sitting up independently came at the end of month 6! This is when we took some of these pictures.

Noah got his first tooth on August 3rd: The bottom right center. He stopped eating and sleeping for the day it took to break through but once it was over, he was his normal, happy self. Once the teeth started coming, we started weaning. It was getting to be time when he needed more than I could give him, and the timing was great-- I'd been thinking I was going to wean when he started getting teeth. I don't think I could handle the biting! Since he took bottles from the beginning, weaning was no biggie. It took about 2.5 weeks and now he is weaned fully! I think he's still in the process, though, because he seldom will take a bottle from anyone else. I hope he grows out of that soon.

7 months:

About a week and a half ago I was on the phone with a friend, watching Noah and Keith play on the floor when Noah started crawling!!! I was so excited I started screaming in her ear, poor thing. The crawling started slowly...just two steps the first day, and then five the next, and full speed ahead the next! Now Noah is fully mobile and loving the freedom. He's already discovered the dog's bowl, the VCR, and the albums under our coffee table.


Now that he can crawl, he doesn't want to be put into his exer-saucer anymore. He's figured out how to put his feet on the outside of the seat so I can't get him in. He's perfectly content to stand beside it and hold on to it, though. Since we've reached 8 months, he's figured out how to pull himself up on things, and is starting to figure out the whole furniture/people traveling thing. And what was really shocking to me....today he stood on his own! For a good minute! He didn't stand UP on his own, but he was holding me, and when Keith came toward him, he let go of me and balanced on his feet with his arms outstretched! I'm just amazed at all these new developments!

Every day is something new! Since he bumped his head falling off the bed last month, I've been trying to be extra cautious. I asked Keith to lower his mattress last night, so that he wouldn't pull himself up and topple over the edge.

Solids are the main course now...we've worked the schedule out for his three meals, and he still gets bottles in between. I'm supposed to give him bottles right after he eats, and I've tried, but he doesn't take them right after his meal. He can't handle all that at once. He's become a very picky eater! If he doesn't like it, he refuses to open his mouth! At first i thought he wasn't hungry, then I just tried feeding him other things, and realized he was hungry, just didn't favor his first option!

Noah's dedication and party are coming up at the end of September. Mom and Dad were kind enough to offer their backyard, so that should be nice. Mainly family- simple and casual. We're excited! I made photo invitations because I've been meaning to make prints for Keith's family (HUGE picture people) and just haven't gotten around to it. This way was cheaper and easier. They got the invite and the pictures at the same time.

Noah is still such a joy to us. He's just a happy kid. His smile comes so easily, and can light up a room. I'm enjoying him so much. It's bittersweet how quickly he's growing and changing but I'm so thankful I can be here to witness it firsthand, and I'm not hearing it from some daycare babysitter. God has been faithful to provide for our every need!

As for Keith and I, we're doing well. Keith still loves work-- he's diving headlong into the new position and is really good at it! I've been working hard to build my photography business. I have a new website now-- one that I can maintain myself. Check it out! : www.collierimages.com OR www.suzanneocllierphotography.com. My dad has been shooting weddings with me, which has been a lot more fun! My cousin, Ashley, has been assisting us. It's unbelievable the difference it makes to have help! I don' t know how I was doing it alone before! I'm working on rebuilding my corporate identity and branding. So far so good! Now if I could just get a few more referrals and find an effective way to advertise that wouldn't cost me an arm and leg.....

This summer is just flying by! To think that in 4 months Noah will be a year old! We're trying our best to enjoy the warmth while we can. We've been going to the shore a lot, and trying to spend time with friends. Most of my free weeknights have gone to editing wedding pictures, so breaking away to write the blog is rare. Mom has been great, coming over to watch Noah so I can work. It's such a big help! He likes attention, so I can't really bring him in the room with me and expect to work longer than 5 minutes. Before he was crawling, he was spinning and rolling to get where he wanted to go. During one of my editing sessions, I had him on the floor. He started to cry, and I looked up from my work to find him under the bed with only his head peeking out, and not very happy about it. :) Now that he's mobile, I can kiss the whole idea goodbye!

Well it's midnight, so I'm going to go kiss my sweeties and call it a night. Sweet dreams!