8 months

Can you believe my Natey-bug is 8 months old? He is such a fun little boy and growing up so much. He is 15 pounds now and 24 inches long. He is still a short and chubby little thing :) He's close to 50% for weight and has managed to creep up to 10% for height. His doctor assures us he'll catch up but Todd is losing hope that Nate got some of the Johnson height (I'm pretty sure I am the only member of the entire Johnson family that is well under 6 feet tall...girls included). Poor kid...

Nate is getting so smart and learning new things everyday. We still cannot believe he is the same fragile little baby that we had 8 months ago. 

• He is still rolling over like a champ and so close to being able to roll both directions. He still has zero interest in rolling on to his tummy. He has no idea why anyone would want to go on their tummy on purpose. 
• He is starting to laugh! It is the greatest sound in the world :) He is very selective with what he laughs at but it usually involves daddy in some way.
• He can sit up very well. That is a big milestone for these micro preemies to meet since it is a good indicator that there aren't any problems like cerebral palsy. He still isn't steady enough to sit on his own for much longer than 10 seconds or so but we are very hopeful that even if he had motor problems, they would be mild.
• He talks all of the time! If Nate is awake, he is trying to tell you something. Even when he yawns, he has to let you know just how tired he is. He is a very dramatic yawner. (I'm still trying to get a video of this but everyone who has seen it thinks it's the funniest thing)
• Health-wise, we don't really have too much to update. We haven't been in to the doctor for a while and hopefully won't have another appointment until January. He does start his RSV vaccines sometime this month but we don't know exactly when yet. He will have to have a shot once a month until RSV season is over (usually April). Apparently these injections are $1500 per shot which is why they are only available for preemies and kids with significant respiratory problems. We are very grateful for insurance :)

All bundled up to go to Grandma's house. I love this little froggy hat. He looks so cute in it!

Here's a new dollar bill picture of my little monster. 

This is the very first diaper he used in the NICU. It was HUGE on him when he was born. We had to roll the top under and it still reached up to his armpits. 

This is one of my favorite things Nate is doing now. He LOVES to play with Todd! It's hard to hear and see but every time Todd growls at Nate, he squeals and kicks his legs so fast like he's trying to run away. These two play this game everyday.

This is Nate's other favorite game and one of the things that usually gets him to laugh. He started being really interested in playing with my hands while I feed him. The first time I did this he thought it was hysterical! Now he has learned that he can make all kinds of funny noises with my hand. Anytime I hold my hand up, he grabs it with both hands and immediately starts humming while bringing it to his mouth.

Nate desperately wants to feed himself. He tries so hard to get that silly bottle in his mouth but just can't seem to figure it out :)