Eight Months Old!

Hello, my little angel. Eight months is proving to be a very fun age. You are at once becoming more adventurous and less willing to be away from me. You want to conquer the world... with Mommy at your side. And of course you're still relatively immobile, so world domination will have to wait a bit longer. In the meantime, let's just hang out and play... you are so highly entertaining these days!


You have been showing off some exciting new tricks recently. Since I am a procrastinator (you've been eight months old for several days now), I can report that you have recently started scooting on your bottom to get closer to things. Only a couple of inches, but you're getting the hang of it. You also successfully transitioned from sitting to hands and knees to tummy yesterday. Usually, this requires falling and then crying, so it was great progress.


You are also learning to clap and wave. We started going to Wiggleworms (yes, really, a baby music class) recently, and the clapping is coming in very handy. You also bounce and bop your head around to music. You're not always in rhythm, but it sure is cute. I turned off your Biscuit Brothers CD the other day and you turned around and yelled at me. Ok, ok, I turned it back on!

Other favorites activities right now include:

• Reading (ok, chewing on) books.
• Hollering in church (fortunately deemed "joyous noise" by other congregants).
• Putting things in your mouth. Special favorites are grass, dandelions, and junkmail.
• Trying to pull out Mayday's fur (and put it in your mouth, naturally).
• Talking. To anyone who will listen. About nothing in particular.
• Charming everyone around you.
  
• And, of course, eating!
  

Eight months meant the beginning of a broader range of menu options. You have recently tried some dairy products and lots of finger foods. It's amazing how quickly your pincer grasp developed when we started putting Cheerios in front of you. Apparently, food is a strong motivator for you (duh). I'll admit, I tried luring you across the floor with some Cheerios, but then I started picturing you in therapy someday trying to discover the cause of your eating disorder... Mayday was getting most of them, anyway.

Hmm... what else is new? Well, there are your teeth! Yes, my dear, you have two tiny little teeth, and you know how to use them. You can gnaw on an apple, and on all of your toys, and on your mommy (who would appreciate it if you wouldn't).

I took this photo of you the other day.


In it, I think you look very much like a little girl. You're obviously still very much a baby, but I'll bet you look a lot like the little person in this photo a few years from now. And what a delightful little person you are becoming... I can't wait to see what the next month holds.

Love,
Mommy

(again, "mah-mee" or just "ma-ma" would be fine)