Elias - 8 months

 

He finally got two teeth! They are barely budding through but those two bottom teeth are present and visible! I was beginning to wonder if he would ever get teeth! 😅

Elias EATS ALL THE TIME. He loves food!! He truly eats just as much as eric and I at most meals and if Ellie doesn’t finish her plate he helps her out. He eats everything, too. I can’t pin a favorite food because he eats them all. My lunch bars I eat are made of almond flour so they are soft. Full of nuts and good things. He eats a whole one at lunch with me every day. The entire dang thing. Then he eats an entire yogurt on top of it. So - he actually eats a bigger lunch than his own mama! 😳

He crawls, says, “hey” “mama” “dada” “uh-oh” and “ok.” He plays with us and it is so fun! His favorite songs are the Itsy Bitsy spider and the nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill. He loves when I sing to him. He loves when sister is goofy. And he loves when daddy does cool tricks with him and has man time. 

Elias loves kisses and snuggles and music. He loves to be given all the attention and rarely does he ever fuss. If he is fussing it’s because he is hungry or sleepy. He is patient and sweet and calm. He is just like Eric! He is a blue eyed blond version of Eric. 

Elias pulls up, can stand alone when he isn’t realizing it, and can walk holding onto just one of our fingers so we are every day excitedly helping him learn to be a solo walker. 

He is getting really fast and into everything now but I am the mom who actually likes that because to me it makes things easier because now he can entertain himself with sensory and exploratory toys or set ups. Because of course we do 0 screen time whatsoever before age 2, and then even then it’s a movie once a week at best if even that much. Teaching my babies to independently play and “be bored” so their minds develop beyond instant gratification and expand into a creative and wide colorful world has served so well our children and us as parents. I love that he is now getting to the point where he is discovering for himself as well! 

He has so much hair now but not enough for a first hair cut. It’s so handsome and soft and white blond. He is more blond than even Ellie is. 

I am so excited to see my baby boy becoming a little boy and growing daily in character and personality and understanding of what we are telling him. That’s the fun part to me - the toddler years and they are quickly approaching. For me it just gets better and the relationship just gets sweeter as these babies grow - not that I want them to grow too fast of course. I just love that understood relationship with my babies. 

Elias had his first Thanksgiving which he loved because homeboy chowed down! Ate it slap up. He met Santa Claus for the first time and has been to look at Christmas lights and is getting prepped for his first Christmas! He went to pick out the homeschool room tree. He saw his first parade. And he saw his first ballet, The Nutcracker and both watched attentively and napped. He is easy to take along on adventures and I guess it’s because is a Gladden and Gladdens love adventure!

We are richly blessed with you, Elias boy!