Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Eight Months Old Already?!


It's hard to believe, but my little girl is eight months old already ... can you believe it?!  She is growing up so fast and her personality is developing more and more everyday.

She, for example, won't do anything she doesn't absolutely want to do.  Not ready to eat?  Lips will stay tightly shut.  Not ready to sleep?  She will scream and cry ... wait her out, just try.  Not ready to sit down?  She'll lock her hips and legs into standing position ... even if that means you end up having to lay her down.  And the girl loves to stand, so it's happening more and more lately.

She has pulled herself up to standing once recently, and I feel that this accomplishment is not too far off from being a regular event.  Seriously, she loves to stand.

She also loves to sit up, though, and does it more and more easily everyday.

She has a bit of stranger anxiety right now.  And by stranger I mean anyone that isn't me.  If I'm around, she can be coaxed into hanging with someone entirely new.  And if I'm not around, other familiar faces will do - Dad, Oma, etc.  But if I'm around, chances are the little lady will want me.  It's exhausting, but I know it's just a phase right now and that makes it easier to deal with.

She loves her brother ... LOVES him I tell you!  The instant she sees him she lights up.  She knows where his monitor is and if she hears him stirring from the night or a nap, she gives me a look like, "We have to go get him!  Now, lady!  He's up!  He's up!  He's up!  Woo hoo!"  He has even tackled her a few times and she just smiles away at him; the kid is golden to her.

She's got two teeth (bottom front), but she's working on more.  I have a feeling about four more teeth are about to emerge from her adorable little gums, and that's making sleep a little tough these days.  We've had several nights of bad sleep, punctuated here and there by a few nights where she can sleep right through.

She doesn't really crawl yet, but she is certainly mobile.  Right now she does a combination of rolls and awkward pushes with her legs and reaches with her arms to get herself around.  We're wondering if she's just going to skip crawling altogether and focus her energy on learning to walk, since she seems so bound and determined to get up and go with her brother.

She eats cereal for every meal, plus a Gerber 1 fruit or veggie, and she seems to like them all now.  Puffs, however, are a different story; she'll pick one up, look at it, and bang it on the table, but if you try to put it in her mouth ... well, her lips are sealed.  Occasionally I have snuck one in here and there and she always looks at me like, "What in the heck is this thing?!  Are you kidding me?"  Because of this, one would ordinarily assume she isn't ready for table food, but when anyone eats around her she looks at you like you are totally betraying her by not giving her any.  She'll reach for chips, your glass, anything in your hand that might be food and try to consume it herself.  Give her a puff, though, and she'll look at you like you're trying to poison her.

She's certainly a funny little girl and we are so enjoying getting to know her!

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