8 Months

8 months has been yet another month of amazing growths and new discoveries. It really is incredible how much these babes take in, change, grow, and learn every day. On that note I have to also mention hair. I swear it grows overnight these days! Gone is the party in the back mullet she rocked for many months. Here's where our smiley munchkin is at 8 months out of the womb.

-What a personality! This was the month where her personality has really begun to shine. She is happier than ever before and becoming quite a ham. Towards the end of 8 months, she's begun responding to "cheeeeeeese" with a big gummy-mouthed grin. She's doing much better with strangers once she gets a chance to warm up to them....as long as mom or dad are near. She also knows her name and always responds to it. That is, unless she feels like ignoring you. 

-Speaking of gummy grins, that first tooth is still very slowly making its way out. It is still not visible to the naked eye, so therefore we aren't counting it as a first tooth. Maybe this month?

-I can describe her wiggles these days only as resembling that of an octopus. When you hold her out or when she gets fussy, the arms and legs get kicking and wiggling just like the many arms of an octopus. It's quite hilarious. 

-She is very quickly finding many ways to get on the move. She dives at toys, flips herself upside down in your lap, rolls and attempts to climb over anything in her way. Usually these attempts are all made to reach anything she's not supposed to have. Favorites these days are cords, remotes, and phones. 

-Food is becoming more and more of a struggle mostly because she's regularly turning her nose up at my fantastic purees. After much research, concern, and worry (as goes with everything these little ones do), it appears this change in food choices is more to do with consistency. She's my little miss independent and she seems to enjoy eating chunkier solids more than being spoon-fed. Now we're up against trying to find good foods that are easily prepared in advance. I was so hoping to enjoy the easy puree stage for longer than a few short months!

-Her snuggles seem to have come back, thankfully. Some of my most favorite moments of this past month have been in the quiet darkness of her room at the very end of the night and the first thing in the morning. It's in these moments that she snuggles up under my chin, lays her head down, and sucks her thumb. The only noise in the room is her quiet breaths and the hum of the humidifier. We stand there together for about 5 minutes and its such a quiet peacefulness, I never want it to end.

I can hold it for you da da!