Baby James Morris, 8 Months Old

Ok, so I am posting this a few days shy of his 8 month birthday, but it is fitting - because the kid is a bit ahead of most things. This all goes along with my original story that he should have been born two weeks sooner. He really should have. I basically had a one month old ripped out of my tummy.

Anyways, that was almost 8 months ago, time to get over it already.
Baby James Morris is awesome. He is funny, smart, kind and a little bit of a devil. He continues to be just enthralled by his brother. Big brother Joel Andrew can do no wrong and is mesmerizing. Joel Andrew loves him right back and I am hoping - thinking that they will be good buddies. I know, I know, they will fight (we have already witnessed the starts of this when Joel Andrew continuously takes away ANY toy James has in his hands...) but I hope they will always make up and be good friends, not just brothers.

James is quick, he is attracted to danger like no other, and he is well - a big, BIG, baby. I know, he is a baby - but he really is a big baby. If he even slightly bumps his head, if you put a shirt on him and it takes longer than 1 second, and worst of all - if a tooth dare try to poke through, he is in hysterics. Big, BIG, baby. Only with physical "pain," which I say in quotation marks, because the big baby can't stand a tap... I do not see this changing anytime soon. I think we will be nursing every last boo boo forever. He must have gotten this from his Dad, while Joel Andrew got his toughness from his Mom.

The big baby thing is unfortunately combined with the attraction to danger thing. Ironic, because my other son who could take a punch (form of expression here) is a bit timid when it comes to trying something new. Baby James sees an open door and run-crawls to it. Just learning how to cruise? Sure, I will lean two feet too wide from the couch to the coffee table and see if it will work... He will play with anything, and anything, anything seems to be edible at this point.

I can just picture it now. The two of them on top of the leaps (Frye's Leap on Sebago Lake, big jump into the lake, very scary - I will not allow it or be there to see it but it is inevitable it will happen whether I like it or not). Joel Andrew will be crying at the top. "Pa, I am not sure" he will scream down to Pa and Uncle Jeremy in the boat. Meanwhile, Daddy will be at the top just trying to hold Baby James back from jumping and trying to make him understand that he needs to run out and then jump down. Joel Andrew will eventually jump in the water, and be fine - think it was the time of his life: "Pa, let's do it again, one more... last time!" James Morris will jump. He will come up to the surface crying. Everything hurt hitting the water. He will be fine, not a scratch, but he will cry. Then, after he is calmed down, he will want to do it again.
Getting back to my 8 month old at hand, above all- James Morris is sweet, and not shy at all. He is the star of the supermarket, or any outing really. We were getting Mommy Thai take-out the other day and the ladies grabbed him from me and brought him behind the counter, offering him noodles. Mr. Not Scared was super excited to be with those ladies, I could have walked out. He is very easy going, and will play with toys you put in front of him for hours (just watch out, because if something is more interesting in his line of view, he will go for that instead).

He is crawling, climbing, standing, and in the beginning stages of cruising. He crawls like a champ and can make it across the room in no time. Not even 8 months old. Crazy. He eats like a champ too, and is indifferent whether you feed him from the spoon, or if he feeds himself, as long as it is getting down. So far his favs include shredded cheese, mushy pear, and hummus and pita.

He is a delight to be around and I can't wait to see him grow more and more. I am just not looking forward to the next tooth that comes in, as that turns my baby inside out (see sleeping posts below).

Here's to you, Baby James!