Contagious

Judah has a smile that is contagious. A laugh that is beautiful and infectious. It melts my heart, makes me forget all the fussiness, and brings me pure delight!

Playing with friends

I think it was definitely a good thing for Micah that we had Judah so close in age to him. It has made him learn lots of things that he wouldn't have had to otherwise. It has made him hear the words "be nice" and "be gentle" a lot more than other kids might since he is living it out in the house and not just on play dates.
Micah has a friend, Ty, who is 6 months younger but quite a bit smaller, so Micah hears these phrases also when playing with him. They do play well together. They love hugging and sharing things with each other. They love to sit in the same seat, share a snack, and watch movies.

 What a lesson in love!
But then there are the times with Micah starts off seeming like he is going to do something loving and friendly, but then it turns out that there is the biting of the bottom lip (always means aggression is starting) and some strength and overpowering involved...

But he is learning. Just like me. Learning to love. Maybe we need to get him around more kids who are bigger than him so he doesn't always think he can be the "bully."
But for now, he is giving us opportunities to teach him how to love his friends...

Teething and Eating

I think there might be some more teeth popping through soon for Judah.
I'll probably be saying that for the next year...
Not sure if it has to do with the teething, but this guy has not been as interested in his bottles as he has been in solid food.
Some new things we've tried: avocados, peaches, pears, and yogurt. He hasn't turned any of them down!
Today, in ONE sitting, he ate a banana (the whole thing), a peach (the whole thing!) and about half a pear! Yep, in one sitting.
I might start calling him porky.

Comparing

I spend a lot of time comparing and contrasting Micah and Judah. It's fun. They are very different in the personalities and in their physical build. But, depending on the pictures that are taken, they can often look very similar in the face. And they both like their tongues.

Here is Micah at 8 months.

And here is Judah at 8 months.

Micah. With a bigger head and pointier chin.

Judah. With bigger ears and eyes that smile.

Oh, how I love them!

Shortcuts

There's so much that's new...I'll just go with the latest laughter I have experienced with Micah.

Me "Micah, let's count to 10."
Micah "10"
Me "1,"
Micah "10"
Me "2,"
Micah "10"
Me "OK, i don't think this is working. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (as fast as I can)."
Micah "10"
I guess I did just ask him to count to 10. And I didn't say he had to say 1 through 9 first...Oh how he makes me laugh! Guess he was just trying to get to 10 as fast as possible.