Dear Emily,

Sweet girl you are eight BIG months old today. 

Remember last month when I said that you were achieving something new every month?  You’ve kept that up this month too and keep surprising us with your curiosity and cleverness.  Recently you’ve started stepping around the room while we hold your hands, but I don’t think you’re too close to walking yet as you haven’t figured out yet how to keep your hips still to balance.  Bathtime is SO much fun now that you’re sitting up and moving yourself around.  You sit without help surrounded by all your toys and could play forever if not for those sleepies that start creeping into your eyes and causing all that eye rubbing!

Sleep: You finally got your groove back and started self soothing and sleeping through the night.  We’re talking 11-12 hours at a time.  Awesome job girlie!  You’re still swaddled, but we’re hoping sometime soon you’ll fall asleep (and stay that way) without having to be snuggled up that way.  Me and your daddy sure do appreciate having our bed back!  You’re still not much of a napper, but if we can get one or two hour long naps a day we’re all happy!

Food: You’ve now figured out how to chew your food and you motor through pretty much anything we throw your way (like this spaghetti).  At least until you’re feeling full or become disinterested in it!  You still rely on breast milk for the majority of your food, but you love to taste and chew everything!  You’re drinking from a cup now, so between that and your great new bedtime, I’m hoping your daddy and I may be able to get out on a date sometime soon.

Development: Mid month you started trying to pull yourself up on anything you can get your hands on…and then tipping right over it.  Needless to say we’ve now dropped your crib and made sure to watch you whenever you’re near the wood floor.  You go from sitting to your tummy with ease, although you’re none to happy when you get there and can’t get back on your bum! You learned to wave soon after your 7 month birthday, but you still sometimes get it confused with clapping, and rarely do it on cue.  We’re still practicing!  You say Ma-ma now whenever you want me, but don’t say it TO me when you see me, so I’m holding off on any official first word announcement.

Sorry it’s sideways!

I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not, but you’ve started giving hugs.  If you’re sitting in front of us and we’re at your level, you’ll lean in with your arms open, snuggle your head into our necks and wrap your little arms around the best you can.  SO cute.  We always laugh when we’ve left you in the nursery at church (after you won’t stop babbling back at the pastor during the sermon!) and you literally have not moved from the spot we put you in when we come back an hour later.  You just play with your toys and watch/interact with your friends and NEVER have we had to go and get you because you’re upset.  People are always saying that you’re so happy and content, and I’m so glad it’s taking up permanent residence in your personality!

You don’t have to go to the doctors unless you’re sick until your one month birthday, so we don’t have an official weight for you yet, but we weighed you on a friend’s digital scale and you were 18lbs 5oz last week!  I measured you yesterday too and you were just over 27  (squirmy) inches!

We’re proud to see you sporting your new car seat.  You were just getting too big to carry in your infant seat, and it was tough to take you in and out of in the truck (especially for your short Mama with the big truck), so we jumped on good deal when we found one. 

  One of your last trips in the old car seat!

Love you forever,

Mama

 

P.S.  You know when I said that we love having our bed back?  Well I still love family naps like this one!