8 Months

It is hard to believe in four short month we will be celebrating your first birthday!  Your seventh month brought so many new things, things which continued to bring us amazement.  The most monumental accomplishment of the month is the addition of crawling.  You began at a little over seven and a half months, but by the time the reached the eighth month, you have become a crawling machine.  We are not too certain how long this phase will last as you are already beginning to pull up on EVERYTHING from people (often time at the expense of mom's hair), to your bed, to furniture.  You are too funny because you will try so hard to just stand up on your own in the middle of the floor but get caught and basically stick your bottom directly up in the air making a 'triangle'.  It is also priceless to see you crawl on the wood floor in the study because you try so hard to get the area rug to have more traction and just giggle the duration.  You are one determined girl and don't give up until a task is accomplished.

(Evidence of hair pulling - we can't even take a picture without you grabbing a handful!)

You are the happiest girl ever!  By this point you would think separation anxiety would have begun, but you are completely willing to visit with anyone who wants to hold you.  In some instances, you make certain we are in visual range the entire time, but generally you go without reservation.  You enjoy both mother's day out and the nursery at church.  It makes us so proud that you play so well with everyone.

You giggle and laugh at all times during your day.  You wake every morning with a huge smile on your face that makes it impossible to resist no matter the hour.  We are working on getting you to sleep through the night again which has been a challenge.  We have loved the nights when you get in bed with us mid-way through the night to extend everyone's sleep, but we are trying to let you stay in your bed all night.  So far it has been a pretty successful venture.

You LOVE food.  There is not a food that you will turn down.  You are supposed to have 5 - 4oz. bottles each day and three meals.  For breakfast you either have bananas or a cup of applesauce, both of which you adore.  For lunch and dinner you have baby food.  During the seventh month, you were on stage 2.  Of these foods, your favorites were sweet potato with anything-turkey, corn, cinnamon, etc., peaches, and pear-raspberry.  With each of these meals you always eat your fair share of puffs which you seem to love in all varieties.  You now hold your own bottle and sippy cup which is fantastic.  You let it fall next to you whenever you are finished to indicate that you no longer need it.  It is priceless.

You still love your exersaucer and activity table and this month have discovered catalogs and eye glasses.  For as long as I can remember, you have loved to 'eat' paper.  It could be a Target ad or a grocery list; to you paper is paper and it all tastes delicious.  We will now give you catalogs we receive in the mail and you will tear the pages out and play with them.  This will occupy you for a good length of time.  We are very fortunate it is the holiday season and catalogs come each day.  Now that you have teeth, though, we have to make certain that you have not really gotten any paper in your mouth.  We like to avoid this because 'fishing' it out with those teeth is not fun; you bite anything that comes into your mouth.  

Your new noises for the month were 'panting' like a dog and crinkling your nose and blowing in and out of it.  You continued to stick your tongue out and blow.  You love to hear yourself make each of these noises and I feel it is because it makes us laugh which you love to do.

We put the Christmas tree up right before your 8-month birthday.  As you can tell there are no low hanging ornaments or presents at this point.  We are not sure if they could handle all of the affection that you like to bestow on objects and don't want to take any chances at this point.  That is why we chose the study for the location behind the glass doors.  

We have loved this month like all the others are so blessed that God gave us such a sweet, sweet girl.  We are thankful for your health and your smiles and for all of the adorable faces and noises you make.  What a gift!