Eight Months

Leap Day Time Capsule

She has been growling all the time lately! And also squealing, laughing, and saying “Mamama” and “Bababa.” Also yelling very very loudly, and babbling to herself in her crib when she is trying to fall asleep and whenever she wakes up.

She loves to pull up to stand on absolutely everything, cruising along her bookshelf as she pulls almost every book onto the floor. She is figuring out how to climb steps! It’s so cute to watch her try to coordinate her little knees over the ledge. We just finished our last swim lesson class last night, and she looooves the water. She loves splashing and kicking and sitting on the edge and smiling as she’s being passed from Mommy to Daddy. She loves showers and baths too.

She has gotten so good at grabbing food and having most of it make it into her mouth. Her favorites include avocado, mandarin oranges, spaghetti, and BREAD. She gets very upset if you take away her bread. Still no teeth!

She is getting a little bored of her toys, so I’m going to start rotating them. Her favorites now include the mini guitar which she loves to pluck as she yell-sings, hitting the bells with her key teethers, shaking the hand-egg shaker, and eating the plastic stacking cups. She also loves to play with anything that is not a toy (e.g. plastic bags, our slippers, spoons, coasters, pulling her clothes out of the hamper). She loves touch-and-feel books and turning the pages herself in whatever order she wants to. Her favorite books right now are Owl Babies, See Touch Feel, and The Day God Made You.

She loves being outside—it’s when she is her calmest, either in the stroller or the carrier. Inside, she is go-go-go. Always on the move, head on a swivel, watching and taking in everything. Not one to hold still or chill or cuddle (unless extremely sleepy); she is too busy for that! Though she will calm down when in the ring sling as we do chores inside. Someone asked if she was clingy and that is definitely not a word we would use to describe her—she is very independent and will crawl away and explore on her own, but she is also incredibly social too. She is quick to look back for you, and to smile at you (or stare at you expressionless while she observes your every movement). Her favorite thing to do is climb on top of any loved one sitting on the floor with her. She continues to love pretending to get eaten and being swung around.

At night, sometimes she sleeps seven hours, sometimes she sleeps three hours. So many factors. She has been napping really well though, which is great. Feeding is another journey that is everchanging; we are doing a combination of nursing and formula, since she is so easily distracted during the day and likes to be able to look around while she drinks a bottle. She likes to play with my hair while she eats either way, and she buries her face in my hair when I get her at night.

We love her so much and tell her a hundred times a day, along with how cute she is (that is, extremely). She is so so so so loved. Today she is 8 months and 7 days. I can’t wait to see what she will be like on the next Leap Day…