Hi there,
Could you post your routine in EAS format please and we will take a look. It may be that you need to start pushing out that first A time. 2 hours is short for an 8 month old. It may also be a reason why he is waking earlier i.e. he knows that 2 hours later he can have a nice long sleep. If you could push it out a little then you might find that the CN can be gradually moved shorter and shorter until you can lose it altogether. CN's too close to bed can also make lo's wake earlier.
Becky