8 Months!

Where does the time go?? Not only is my baby becoming a mini person all of a sudden, but the days are now filled with so much activity and exploring that they just come and go. This post is late.... as Julia will actually be turning NINE month in just 10 days, but better late than never!

I guess only a parent would understand how spectacular it is to watch your baby grow, change, develop, and learn. We are really enjoying this stage - just as we've enjoyed the rest! I'm realizing that with each stage that has come and gone, I'm never really in a any rush to move onto "what's next" nor have I been in the habit of holding onto "what is" for too long. I'm just enjoying the neverending changes that keep happening. Julia seems to grow every day - and, recently, so does her hair! I keep inspecting it trying to decide if I should attempt to put a few strands in a pony tail, or just leave her be. Julia usually decides for me when I realize that at this age she probably wouldn't sit still long enough to let me do something like that, though she does like having her hair brushed - that's a good sign, right? I really can't wait to start braiding her hair in french braids - just like I used to practice on my cabbage patch dolls some 25 years ago (...am I REALLY that old?!). I think I still have time before I need to start organizing her dresser drawer of hair ties, ribbons, and bows (just like I used to have when I was little).

Julia is doing fantastic on all fronts! Here is an update:

Mobility

She continues to be very strong and determined to accomplish whatever it is that she is working on. She crawls very well (with her stomach off the floor now) and is cruising along furniture. She is doing so well that she usually doesn't even have me worried about her falling anymore. (Bye-bye Thudguard.... we'll still try you on for fun!) She has even attempted to stand without holding onto anything a few times, but she's not quite there yet. It lasts about 2 seconds before her tush is planted to the ground.

Teeth and Sleep

She has her two bottom teeth in, and I'm pretty sure the top two are working on poking through now, as she has had some (now) uncommon sleep disturbances and early wakeups in the last week or so. Generally though, her sleeping has been GREAT! She goes to bed around 7pm, and wakes up between 6am/7am going those 11/12 hours with no night feedings and taking two 80 minute naps a day. I've been loving the predictability of her sleep schedule lately and her ability to put herself to sleep. We've made it part of our routine at night to read "Goodnight Moon" just before going to bed, and then we walk around the room saying "Goodnight" to everything in her nursery (the last thing is saying "Goodnight" to the light). As we do this, I wave "bye-bye" to each item worthy of our wishes, and I've noticed lately Julia will, ever so slightly, move her fingers up and down just like I do. She's not fully there to waving yet, but we're on our way - Super sweet!

Food

She is a great eater and has not met one piece of food she doesn't like - I'm not surprised at this really considering how much her Mama and Daddy like food(!), but I'm still very thankful for this! Often times, I will have Julia in her walker as I am preparing her her meals and if she isn't circling me like a hungry little shark, then she is quick to come sprinting over in her walker when I call to her and say: "Julia - time to eat!" - it's adorable that she can understand me and come running over. She eats 3 meals a day and has been using her sippy cup during meals like a pro. This month she has started feeding herself things like Puffs and Yogurt melts and she tries feeding herself her pureed foods, too, but that generally just turns into a mess. I'm going to wait until her 9 month well baby checkup that's coming up and then start her on some other finger foods.

Play

Julia continues to be a very curious little girl. She loves knocking over towers made of blocks (that's always been a favorite), and she loves are peekaboo (another old favorite, but she's now really good at uncovering us (and herself!) when hiding under a blanket). She also loves being tickled (armpits, tummy, knees, feetsies, and those chubby thighs) - she gives out the most adorable laughs if the tickle monster finds her. She's become pretty vocal, though mostly just sticks with the "ma ma ma" sound and the "ba ba ba" sounds and also various squeals. We've noticed that when she wants Andy or Delaney's attention she will crawl over to them and, very loudly, clear her throat. Such a character! Other favorites of hers are mirrors (she likes kissing herself), windows, the laundry room, the handles on our coffee table, and a stack of coasters that we have. Hmmmm.... I'm seeing a trend there - why are the favorites always the ordinary household fixtures?

That about sums up the update I have right now - enjoy the new pictures below!

(Are you done yet, Momma?)

Her face says it all here..... DONE.