It has been about three months since the previous update concerning my current number one priority: my little baby boy. He has grown a lot since the previous update. Today marks his 8th month outside the womb, and he continues to surprise. The previous update was the start of certain behaviors which have continued on: becoming more vocal, becoming more mobile, and becoming more discerning concerning the amount and food he eats.

We watched Boss Baby a while back, and we often joke that our baby is Boss Baby. He has learned the secret of being a squeaky, oil-craving wheel. It is interesting to watch him wrap everyone around his fingers. He knows that he can get the attention from my parents and wife that he wants by crying. Simultaneously, he understands that I'm not a sucker for such tactics, so he is very quiet when I'm holding him. Instead, he just reaches out with his arms to drop the hint of his intentions. I'm glad that he is quick to recognize and cater to the various personalities in our family. I'm assured he'll be quick to pick up on social cues, which is a necessary trait to be able to thrive in society.

His body has grown stronger. Since the previous update, when he was just starting to master the skill of flipping over, he can now do so with ease. In addition, he's becoming quite proficient at crawling, though he doesn't yet keep his belly off the ground. Most recently, he's been able to hold onto things to kneel upright. While this demonstration of physical agility is a welcome development, it comes with its own dangers. He's fallen off of couches and beds quite a few times now, and bumped his head on the ground or on other furniture. He does not yet know how to control his newfound abilities. We originally had built out a small safe zone upstairs for him to play in. But, he quickly outgrew that, and we now have built out two safe zones for him to play in - one upstairs and one downstairs. He loves to explore, and is not satisfied being locked away. While we had allowed him to venture outside, it has been the cause of additional incidents, so we may no longer allow him this privilege unless if we're able to keep a close eye on him.

He continues to explore his surroundings by initially touch, and then taste. He began to take much more interest regarding his surroundings shortly after the previous update. In particular, cell phones and remote controls interest him greatly, and it has always been a challenge for us to keep them away from his mouth. Unfortunately, his eagerness to taste new things did not translate into a healthy appetite, at least until recently. For about two months, his appetite and growth had stagnated, and is only recently restarting to grow. He's generally loved real food, with the exception of eggs and shrimp. I think this may be due to his never having tasted meat before. There is a certain flavor that carnivores become accustomed to, but it may take some getting used to initially.

Overall, he continues to be a source of delight for everyone around him. Many have commented that he is a very easy-going baby, and I am inclined to agree. He has certain moments, but, in general, he is very accommodating.

Finally, in terms of milestones, he got his first haircut at the end of February. And, he'll probably have drank his last breast milk before the next update.  Opportunity comes and goes.  Once it's gone, sometimes it's gone forever.