8 1/2 MONTHS

Let's see, where to start?

Over the past three weeks you have become a very adept crawler, and love to pull up to standing on anything you can find. That might be the coffee table, a chair, a person's lap or leg, a wall, anything. A few times you have let go and balanced for a few seconds, then plop back down on your bottom. You like to play with your toys a lot, and will entertain yourself for periods of time crawling to other toys, playing with cords, crawling around.

You like to have your new books read to you. They have lots of things you can touch and feel, and you like different textures and bright pictures. You also like to play with people, to be tickled, bounced, carried and swung around, and generally coddled over. One new game with dad: he hides behind our recliner and talks to you. You crawl and chase him around and laugh. In general you like lots of different people, and haven't yet shown too much seperation anxiety. I have worked several days for at least 5-6 hours and you have been just fine with Nana Janis or Dad. No complaints on your part!

You have not been that interested in solid food yet. Banana was your favorite for a while, along with rice cereal, and Cheerios, but the past week you have not wanted much to eat. You are sick right now, though, with a cough, and I wonder if that has had an impact. You still nurse just fine, though not as much at night anymore.

You've slept better the past week or more. For three or four days in a row I actually felt very rested. I woke up at night more than you did... I'd look over and you'd be happily sleeping away. It felt great to sleep normally! And even nap! I think the fact that all those nasty teeth are in, and that you are more mobile, makes you better able to rest at night. I'm so glad that we hung in there with you, and didn't force you to cry to sleep on your own, even though it was tempting at times. (Although I'm sure that you'll have other periods of nightwaking.)

Oh, and a very cool new thing!! You can drink out of a straw! We discovered this at Red Robin last week, and were so impressed. I think that most babies don't figure this out until well into their second year.

I found out that I'll be teaching part time in the fall, so you'll be in daycare for a few hours each day. I'm already nervous about leaving you -- I'm so attached!

Almost 8 Months

Mother's Day today! It's strange to think I've joined the club of motherhood so I can actually think this day is partly about me.

But on to you: You're crawling quite well now. It took you a long time to figure it out -- you spent over a month getting up on your hands and knees, rocking back and forth, doing face plants into the carpet, etc. But finally about 4 days ago you started moving. It was so fun to watch. You were so deliberate in your first crawls across the carpet. Now you move around pretty quickly, and go to anything you find interesting, namely: the cat, chair legs, cords, or us! You like to crawl around on our laps and you even pushed up to a standing position on my belly yesterday, and once pulled up to standing on your high chair leg!! Wow. You are totally engrossed in your new found motion. I compare it to being a parapalegic and then being able to amazingly walk one day. You have not wanted to go to bed until after 8 the past couple nights, which is not really normal. You are MUCH too interested in practicing moving around, and even get frustrated when I try to nurse you, which I can understand.

You babble a lot, too. You can say "ma ma ma ma," "ba ba ba ba," "na na na," and "da da da da." You even interchange them, and will say, "ma ma ba ba ba ma ma ma." Fairly "advanced" for a baby your age. :)

You have been waking up every 2 hours at night for a long time... a month or two. It's frustrating, and I'm not yet quite sure what the deal is. Sometimes you fall back asleep on your own, sometimes you nurse back to sleep, and every once in a while we get out of bed and rock you. I tried putting you in your own bed on the floor but then you wake up every hour... even worse! When you wake up you're crying, so I sometimes wonder if it's the massive amount of teeth you've been getting that make it bad and hard for you to stay asleep. Honestly, you are the most toothy baby of your age I've seen. You already have five visible teeth and there are three more ready to poke through at any day. Basically, you've been constantly teething since 4 months of age. I can tell it hurts... ouch! Also, sometimes when you wake up I look over and you're trying to crawl around. I know you get so determined you can't quit doing it at night. Between the new skills, and the teeth, it's no wonder you're a restless sleeper. I hope it gets better soon! One or two wake-ups I can handle, but not four or six!! I think the last time you slept through the night was at the yurt... :)

Still, though, you are a joy and a dream. You are adorably cute awake and in your restless sleep, and I relish every moment by your side.