Brooks - 8 months old

The other day I realized that we no longer have a little newborn. Brooksie is 8 months old today and he is getting so big and strong. He can't quite crawl yet but he can lift his upper body off the floor and turn completely around. He tries to reach for everything in sight but he still does not balance very well, which results in lots of little tumbles.

He is sleeping a little better now, though I am still trying to teach him to fall asleep on his own. In December I did some sleep training, which worked well for a couple days, but then he got the flu. All my work went down the drain. I tried to do sleep training again this past week and it failed miserably. At one point I let him cry for 15 minutes only to come into his room and realize he was freezing cold. He wasn't crying because he missed me, he was crying because he was a popsicle. I still do not forgive myself for that. Needless to say I went right back to nursing him completely asleep and carefully placing him in bed. Regression.

Despite the sleeping (and eating) troubles, he is an excellent baby. He is healthy and very happy and smiles at everyone. He loves to watch Imogen and all her antics, and we all know Imogen loves the audience. It is obvious Brooks is a staple in Imogen's life because she is always asking about him, and naming him as part of her "friends", and giving him hugs and kisses whenever she comes and goes, or if he gets hurt, or for no occasion at all. She definitely has her bouts of jealously but all in all they are excellent siblings.