Addie - Month 8

Weight-Length-Head:  No update this month.  We go to the doctor for your 9 month well check in November.

Clothes:  

Right now you are between sizes.  Some of your 9 month clothes fit, but some of them are too small.  I feel like you’ve been in your 9 month clothes forever and I’m getting kind of sick of them!  I’ve gotten all of your 12 month clothes washed and ready to go, although some of them are still a little big.  The weather also made it difficult to get you dressed this passed month.  It would be 80 degrees one day and then only 55 degrees the next.  Most of your 9 month clothes are for warmer weather and your 12 month clothes are for cooler weather.   With that said, I am ready for cooler weather to be here to stay so we can finally wear all of your cute jeans, vests, and sweaters.  I even bought you the most adorable pair of boots for the fall!

Diapers:  size 3

Health: 

It’s officially flu season and the cooler weather has brought lots of stuffy noses and boogers our way this past month!  I am one happy momma every time I pick you up from daycare and see your teacher sanitizing the mats, toys, tables, etc.  But there aren’t enough wipes to go around to keep the germs away.  You had a few colds come and go throughout the month, but remained your happy, normal self (except when I come at you with the dreaded nose-frida, then you are NOT happy!)  

Your 2 front teeth also made an appearance this past month and they are so cute!  Teething is not fun for anyone, but I think you handled it like a champ.  As long as you had some Tylenol and Sophie (and mommy and daddy) you were pretty content.  It’s when the Tylenol wore off at daycare we got to see how you really felt.  Luckily, you love your teacher and she takes pretty good care of you when your dad and I aren’t around.   We are officially 2 teeth down, many more to go! 

"Ahhh!  Look mom I can make funny noises too!"

Deep in thought....

"Okay, I'll give you a smile!"

Diet:

This past month we have increased your solids and successfully cut back on a bottle while you are at daycare!  YAY, way to go Addie girl!  I am happy to say that you have still only had breast milk for the first 8 months of your life and that makes me one proud momma!  There were days when you were only a few months old that I questioned whether or not we would make it, but I am so glad we stuck it out.  Nursing you is so easy now and I’ve actually learned to enjoy it!  I love that it’s our time together and I love that I am able to give you what you need to be a happy, healthy little girl.  

On a typical day, I nurse you before I go to work.  Then, you eat fruit/cereal at daycare around 8am for breakfast.  You also eat your lunch of 3-4 cubes each of a fruit and vegetable and 2 bottles while you are at daycare.  As soon as we get home I nurse you before you go down for a quick nap and then you eat protein (which is the only baby food that I buy - the thought of making my own meat purees just kind of grosses me out) and a vegetable for dinner.   Finally, I nurse you again right before you go to bed for the night!

Eating is one of your favorite times of the day!  You smack your lips together and smile as soon as you see your dad or I getting your food ready.  We can’t shovel it fast enough into your mouth, I’m pretty sure you get your speed eating from your dad!  Some of your favorite fruits are pineapple, apple, banana, pears, peaches, and mango.  You haven’t tried a fruit you haven’t loved!  Sweet potatoes, squash, avocado, chicken with apples, chicken noodle, and turkey with sweet potatoes are some of your other favorites.   You protested your carrots (which you used to love) at daycare this month, along with asparagus.  Puffs and teething cookies are your favorite desserts!

Sleep:

Your dad and I are SO lucky in this department.  Other than a few weeks of the 4 month sleep regression, you have been an amazing sleeper!  (Yes, I just said it, so I’m sure you will prove me wrong next month and I will pay for it!)  My friend Sarah recommended that I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child a while back and I couldn’t say more good things about it.  It worked wonders for us and after only a few days of crying it out you were a changed baby.  Nowadays, I lay you down awake every single time and you roll over and put yourself to sleep within minutes.  It’s amazing!  Napping at daycare is still a little more difficult for you because you are so curious about what is going on around you, but you have made some improvements.  Bedtime is around 7 every night and I usually have to wake you up around 6:30.  Then, you usually take 2 naps at day care, a short one in the morning and then a little longer one in the afternoon.  As soon as you get home, you take a third nap of about an hour before dinner.   We have continued our bedtime routine of bath, books, and one last nursing session before bed.

We even have a good routine going on the weekends as well.  Your dad and I take turns getting up with you in the morning.  Saturdays are my day to get up and Sundays it’s your dads turn.  You usually only take 2 naps on the weekends, but 1 of those naps is usually between 2-3 hours long!  I love this because it allows your dad and I to get some things done around the house while you are sleeping, so we can hang out and play with you when you are up.

"Look!  Those are my books that mommy and daddy read to me at night!  My favorite is "Snuggle Puppy!"

"Nice puppy!"

"Why can't you do any cool tricks like my dog Cooper!"

Likes:

You are obsessed with mommy and daddy this month!  You light up as soon as you see us and we feel the same way about you!  You are NOT happy when we leave and it has made it even more difficult to drop you off at daycare.  Your dad likes to tell you that you are playing a really long game of peek-a-boo when he leaves.  One of your favorite things to do this month is dance and I think it is the cutest thing in the world.  You bounce up and down and smile while you wave your arms, it is absolutely adorable!  You also like to hit your chest with your arm, I think the echo sound it makes intrigues you.  We spend a lot of our evenings blasting Toddler Tunes on the TV and dancing in the family room.   Cooper becomes more and more interesting to you every month.  You love to watch him and you have even started helping me give Cooper his treats.  Cooper has become even more fond of you lately, especially around dinner time!   The red and yellow sun, your bath time turtle, singing puppy, and pots, pans, and wooden spoons are your favorite toys these days.   You love it when you get to snack on Puffs or a teething cookie when your dad and I eat our dinner. 

Dislikes:

Stranger-danger is in full effect this month!  You start screaming if someone other than Ms. Michelle tries to feed you or get you up from your nap at daycare.  When other people try to pick you up or sometimes even just look at you when your dad or I are around you give us the lip.  Usually, you will warm up to them, but it takes a little while and you need to know that your dad and I are still there.  Grandma and Pap came to visit this month and as soon as they walked through the door you started screaming.  It had been a few weeks since you had seen them, plus Pap was wearing his silly looking reading glasses.  A few games of peek-a-boo and some baby talk later, you were all smiles when Grandma and Pap played with you.  The 3 of you even enjoyed a day of fun together at home while your dad and I were at work.  They took you for a walk and to the park and you loved every minute of it (and I loved all the pictures and videos I got while I was at work!) 

You would think the world is coming to an end when we try to wipe your face off after you eat and car rides definitely aren’t your thing.  There’s nothing worse than that stupid nose-frida thing either!

"I'm over this!"

"But, you are kinda funny!"

"No more pictures please!"

Milestones:

-Teeth!  You officially have your front 2 teeth!

-Still no crawling, but you can roll around like it’s your job.  You can get on all 4s and we think you’re about to do it, then you just roll over again and again and again until you get to what you want.  Maybe you’ll be one of those babies that just goes from rolling to walking, who knows?

-If your dad or I help you stand up, you can keep yourself up by holding onto the couch or the ottoman.

-We are still working on your pincer grasp and eating your puffs is perfect practice for this.  You will occasionally get them to your mouth on your own, but other times you just sit with your mouth open like a bird until I help you out!

-You have started mimicking what your dad and I do.  When we bounce up and down, you copy us.  Sometimes you and I go back and forth screaming, making noises, and growling - your poor dad (and Cooper) have to listen to us!  When I burp you and pat your back, you pat me back.

Personality:

You are pretty much the coolest, cutest baby ever!  I’m not sure how your dad and I got so lucky!  You smile is contagious and we can’t go anywhere without someone commenting on your good looks or luscious locks!  You rock a ponytail these days like it’s nobody’s business.   I know I always say this, but you are such a happy baby!  Even when I have to wake you up in the morning, you smile and start kicking your legs.  Who does that?  I’ve seriously never seen anyone be so happy to just wake up in the morning!  You are very curious and aware of everything that goes on around you.  You are also extremely active, you love to roll and bounce around, dance, make noises, and babble.  You have a lot to say, your dad and I just aren’t quite sure what you’re saying.  But, you must be funny because you are constantly laughing and giggling at yourself.  It’s rare that we find you sitting still these days and forcing you to sit still on long car rides isn’t fun for any of us!  Each and every month we continue to fall more and more in love with you.  We love you Addie girl!

Visitors:

Grandma and Pap came to visit for a weekend and so did Aunt Leah!  They both let you skip a day of school to hang out with them while your dad and I went to work, aren’t you lucky!  We also took a trip to Salem to meet baby Josie and see Robert and Jill.  The 2 of you are going to be best buds when you get older!

"I'll give you one more good smile!"

"Now I'm outta here!"