Holy cow! This boy is 3 months away from being ONE! It is truly hard to believe. I feel bad for him because the first several months of his life I struggled with depression due to post-preggo hormones and Chris being in Afghanistan. Then, we moved back to Germany and all was good for about a month until I get pregnant again and sick as a dog and depressed-again due to preggo hormones. I am *finally* feeling like a normal human being and the mom I want to be to him (and Autumn as well). I am sure I will carry around this mommy guilt the rest of my life! In truth, I know I shouldn't and I hope I don't.
Sleeping
He still takes 2 solid naps every day- 10-12 and 2-4. He sleeps roughly 7p-7a. It took a long time to get here and I am enjoying it ever so much! When he doesn't sleep well, I know something is wrong with him so it's a good indicator of how he's doing.
The boy eats like a champ. He is round and chubby even though he crawls like a mad man. He drinks 28oz of formula a day and eats 2-3 solid meals (cheerios, rice, graham crackers, and fruit are staples plus pureed food). He no longer cries when meal time is over. However, he does cry every single time I wipe off his face. Seriously. Every time! He's got a flair for the dramatic ;)
Playing
His favorite games are: follow Autumn around, chew on everything, and pull books of the book shelf. Why do we have all these toys again? :) I surely can't remember when Autumn's obsession with books began, but so far he is not equally inclined. If I read 5 books a day to him while he actually sits still and "listens", I'm doing well.
Illness
Oh my word, y'all, this man child has been through the ringer this month! He has sprouted his two top teeth, got stung by a wasp on both of his hands, had a double ear infection, and battled Roseola. That just doesn't seem right, does it? I joke and say "at least he's Army Strong" ;) He has actually handled everything really well except the ear infections. He has had ear infections before and he is super sensitive to them. Both times I caught them really early because he just gets super fussy as soon as they start! Not that I have another baby to compare to since Autumn never got them, but he just seems sensitive to them in my opinion.
He is so different than Autumn. I mean, I know every child is different, but it's weird to me. Me and my husband are actually very similar in our personalities (that is a good thing and a bad thing!) that I guess I just assumed our children would be like us (which if you are into personality tests, we are both Melancholy/Sanguine) And Autumn pretty much is our little clone. There are stronger parts of Chris in her than me for sure, but she is also what I would call "malleable". She just takes things in stride most of the time. She certainly has a stubborn streak (Chris), a perfectionism tendency (also Chris), super emotional regarding change (me), but overall she's a chill little girl. Caleb? Not so much. He is pretty demanding even as an 8-month-old. I've mentioned before how we can't leave him with anyone other than me or Chris because he literally cries the whole time we are gone and I just can't stand to do that to him. Ideally, we would leave him several short times throughout the week to wean him off of us, but with very few friends and no family, it's just not really an option for us right now. He also gets so MAD if you eat in front of him or if you don't pick him up the second he decides he wants to be held. The plus side of this more aggressive personality is he laughs harder and louder than Autumn ever did/does! He smiles much more easily and is generally a very happy little guy. Autumn is much more subdued in her emotions. Of course, she has her fair share of temper tantrums like every other 2-year-old! There is a lot about his personality that hasn't emerged yet, of course. I tell Chris I am worried he won't ever want to leave my side, but Chris assures me he will grow out of this stage!
Ok, I really did not intend to write that much about his personality! Children are complex little creatures, no?
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