Poor little guy woke up a foot lower than usual this morning and was NOT happy at first! He definitely had the last laugh, though, 'cuz he quickly figured out that he could still see over the top and, more importantly, could still capture the baby monitor, his favorite first order of business these days...
...and he was VERY proud when he was finally able to catch one of his flying monkeys
At 8 months old, Luca's strength and mobility seems to double by the day! He is sitting and crawling, and even starting to pull himself up in his crib. 
When he doesn't want to be held, he twists and turns in my arms, crawling up my belly and chest until I finally put him down and then, like a little wind-up toy, he motors across the room doing his little army crawl on his elbows and knees...and don't get me started on how impossible it is to change his diaper these days! 
This month I started putting him in the stroller without the carseat and he is LOVING the freedom and increased scenery, 
often holding onto the bars in front of him with such excitement that he looks like he's boarding a ride at Disneyland! 
I just started giving him bath toys to play with while he's in the tub and now he could easily spend an hour in the water if I let him. He loves playing peek-a-boo, he takes over the spoon as I try to feed him, and his first two teeth have broken through - and boy, are they sharp! He continues to jabber away, even making da-da and ma-ma sounds, though we sadly admit they are still nothing more than syllables at this point - one of his favorite phrases is "da da nyang nyang," which mom reminds me was one of my first, too. 
He is starting to focus on the cartoons when I put the TV on Nick Jr. - and they're starting to grow on me, too. And he is really enjoying all of his toys, especially the ones that light up and/or play music - though, his favorites still seem to be remote controls and cell phones. Also, he is becoming quite the little Tarzan in his doorway jumper...
Luca still wakes up once a night in the 4/5am hour for a quick feeding, so I typically stay in the bed next to his crib at that point through the morning until he wakes up for the day around 7:30/8. Fortunately, he almost always wakes up in a very happy mood, singing/talking to himself, playing with his stuffed animals for 20 minutes or more before wimpering for anyone. Well, recently, he has discovered that the crib bumpers are moveable and that he can find mommy on the other side...
It's seems like Luca has been teething for months, chewing on everything in sight like a little puppy! Last week the first tooth finally poked through, with its next door neighbor not too far behind...
Luca is a very good eater, but if I catch him in a more playful than hungry mood, he often takes over trying to feed himself and then not much makes it in his mouth - but he sure is fun to watch!This week, Luca is getting really good at sitting up on his own to play with his toys and even a little Pat-a-Cake! Also, he no longer face plants into the floor when he loses his balance, but actually transitions into crawling...I am savoring my final days of his limited mobility!
Today was the first day that William and Nolan truly played with Luca - it was so cute! The boys kept passing Luca's toy back and forth to each other and Luca never got frustrated with following it from side to side. Here's the end of the game when they finally let him have his toy...can't wait to watch them all running around together in a few years!
Guess who LOVES going grocery shopping now! Before now, going to the market was tricky, timing the trip for when I thought Luca would be most agreeable to staying in his car seat, feeling like I was in a race against the clock to beat any fussiness, often forgetting items in the process. But now he is sitting up well enough that I decided to break out the floppy seat shopping cart cover, or as mom puts it, possibly the single gr
eatest advancement in baby gadgets in the last 30 years! (Though, Aunt Karen commented, "That's okay, our kids had antibodies!) He LOVED it...couldn't stop turning his head from right to left and up and around, taking everything in from his cool new vantage point. Now, going to Ralph's is actually fun and not just a chore : )
