Hi sweet baby! You are 8 months old today! Your 8th month has been a good one. I wish I could freeze time and keep you right where you are - this is a great age. Of course, I've thought that every month. But really, you keep getting more awesome (awesomer?) so maybe I should just roll with it.
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| typical Promise pose! |
Since we worked out most of your sleep issues last month we've been able to focus more on playing this month! And we have played hard! You are getting around really well now - sometimes you crawl on your hands and knees, but you're still much faster doing your belly crawl (which looks like you are swiming across the room), so it really just depends on your mood and how urgently you want to get where you're going. You have also started pulling up - there is not a lot of opportunity for you to pull up here because the furniture is so tall, but you made a lot of progress with it at Grandma's this weekend. And you are climbing. Everything. The boppy, laundry, pillows, chairs, stairs, and of course, ME! You're a good climber too - and oh so cute!
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| tearing up a napkin |
You still enjoy reading - in fact, you seem to like it more and more. And you seem to be more interested in the actual books now than just chewing on them and turning the pages. But turning pages is still a VERY important part of your reading experience. Your favorite book is 10 Little Lady Bugs. You look for this book all the time and often want to read it right when you wake up. Other favorites are My Personal Penguin, Goodnight Moon, and On the Night You were Born. You also like your alphabet book and animal sounds book. A couple of my favorites that you don't care for are Guess How Much I Love You and Going on a Bear Hunt. But I keep reading them - you'll come around.
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| hard at work learning ABC's |
You are making a few new sounds including, bababa, yeah, hey, and finally.... the occasional mama! Granted, the "mama" sound is typically only when you're upset. The only word I can make out that you say intentionally is "Dada" when you reach for Daddy and even that is only occasionally. Your comprehension of words on the other hand, is astounding! When I ask "Where's Daddy" you look at Daddy. You do the same for Mommy, Nonnie, and Grandpa. You also follow several simple instructions like "turn the page", "look at Mommy", "give me a kiss" and "turn off the light" - there are probably more, but that's all that comes to mind right now. And, every once in a while you will go get a toy I ask for - if you are in the mood. Ha. The first word I knew you recognized was "fraggle" - you're definitely my kid! You also will get a book when asked and Sophie Giraffe... sometimes. You are doing pretty good with sign language when you want to, but if you aren't in the mood you refuse to do the signs. I try to ignore your screaming and help you do the signs anyway. Your attempts at throwing a fit are very hard not to laugh at because, my dear, you are adorable even when you're screaming. But you still don't get off the hook. I also find it laughable that you think you can out-stubborn me!
You're still eating very well. You nurse 4 1/2 time a day right now - sometimes we drop the half feeding which is around 4:30pm, but most of the time you still need it to get through to bedtime. You have solids 3 times a day most days and are doing well with that. We've added bannanas and brown rice cereal this month (we cut out oatmeal because of the gluten - you're pooping pretty well now so we may try it again in a month or 2). Your current favorites are avacado, pears, bannanas, mandarin oranges, greek yogurt, and hummus. No new teeth this month, but I think you are working on two more on the bottom. Even so, you are great at chewing! Oh, and you love your vitamins - you get so excited and start waving your hands when you see me pick up the bottle.
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| sink bath at grandma's house a LOT of babies have been bathed in that sink! |
My big challenge with meal times right now is trying to teach you not to drop your food. I'm never sure how intentional it is, so I am not sure how aggressive to be with this teaching. Sometimes you have something in your hand and just sort of stretch out and drop it - it's very nonchalant. Other times, you want something off of your plate (which is out of your reach) so you very intentionally pick up the things on your tray that you don't want and drop them on the floor. As of now, I just keep reminding you that "we do not drop food" and to "keep food on your tray." I also keep reinforcing sign language so that you can tell me what you want more easily.
I usually save the messier foods for dinner time so I can put you straight in the tub. You don't love bathtime as much as you used to. I'm not sure if its because you are sitting up now, or you don't like your toys, or you are just in a hurry to get to bed, but you try to climb out of the tub and whine until I pick you up. You also hate having your hair washed right now!
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| breaking beans with Grandma |
In spite of not sleeping well, you had a pretty good trip. You were a little fussy, but it was a whirlwind trip and all things considered you were a trooper! We stayed at Grandma's and you got to meet Aunt Pat and Uncle Tracy. We visited Mema and Nannan and you got to meet your new baby cousin, Eric. You also got to see Aunt Rhonda, the boys, and Nanny. Lots of visiting! You had your first piece of catfish at the Boat Dock, went to church at Boma for the first time, and helped Grandma break beans - you stayed very busy!
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| riding on Grandpa's shoulders |
You are definitely exploring your boundaries right now. I wouldn't say you are ever "bad" because I don't think you have a concept of right and wrong at this age. But you are testing for sure. Which is good - I would be worried if you weren't. You are still obsessed with the humidifier in your bedroom. You know it is off limits, but you can't seem to leave it alone. You crawl over to it, get real close, and then look back at me and smile. I give you my best "mommy look" (which I have yet to perfect) and say firmly "Promise, that is a no. Do not touch." This works about 50% of the time - the other 50% I have to physically move and redirect you. I'm wondering how long until you give up and leave the humidifier alone. Its not just the humidifier though - any time you see an electrical cord you beeline for it. What is that about?
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| happy baby! |
The separation anxiety seems to be getting a little better. Your level of clingy-ness depends a lot on how tired you are (which makes sense) and where we are. You did great at Grandma's house if there weren't too many new people at a time. You also finally made it through a whole church service in the nursery - I was a wreck wondering why they hadn't paged me yet! But once I got there to pick you up you were as happy as could be!
You are very curious. I love that about you. Your attention span is pretty good for your age I think, and you will spend several minutes exploring a new object until you feel comfortable with it. You are, as you always have been, very focused. You are not as easy to redirect as most 2 year olds - let alone other 8 month olds! I think that this trait will come in very handy for you in life. You are crazy affectionate and I love that too! You now give kisses when asked (usually) and even initiate kisses sometimes. You have also gotten more snugly when we are rocking and reading books. Your sense of humor continues to develop and your laugh is contagious! You are a lot of fun. I love spending my days with you and am so thankful that I am able to for now. You are definitely my bright spot, little girl (you and your Daddy!)
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| play place at chic-fil-a |
I love you! And when I think I can't love you anymore I do! Everything you do brings joy to my heart. You are practically perfect in every way - maybe we should have named you Marry Poppins (and if you don't understand that reference by the time you read this letter, I have failed as a mother!) Happy 8 months my little angel!
Love,
Mommy
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