8 months

My baby is 2/3 of the way to a year old... how did that happen?? This month has zipped by so quickly as we were very busy, but Lydia has continued to grow and thrive. Lately people have looked at her and said things like, "She isn't a little baby anymore", and "She looks more and more like a little girl". Her personality is also just pouring out lately which is awesome, but oh so scary too! Now onto the details.

Her stats: We won't have numbers until next month but Lydia's rolls and dimples just keep on multiplying. I have been noticing that her legs are getting much longer and her hands aren't tiny newborn hands anymore. She is in 6-9 month clothes all the time, which means I had to put away lots of adorable barely-worn outfits!

Eating: Lydia now nurses 5-6 times a day and once at night. She eats breakfast, lunch and dinner (since anytime she is awake and I am eating, she demands that she also eats). She loves food... real food. I can't list all of the things that she has tried this past month because there are just too many but asparagus, blueberries, tomatoes, corn on the cob, bread, and shredded cheese are just a few of the things she loves. She isn't a fan of bananas (bummer! They are so easy and cheap!) and lately she has been spitting any kind of baby food right out. I love to watch her eat... seriously, our dinner conversations are barely existent these days because David and I just look at our girl the whole time.

Sleeping: Night sleeping hasn't been very consistent this whole month. Part of this is our fault since we dragged her to Detroit, then Florida all within two weeks. On vacation we kept her up way past her bedtime most nights, so then the nights would be rough and we would give in and bring her to our bed.

Now that we are back from vacation and settling into our fall routine we are trying to be a lot better. We are back to bath around 8, and then I nurse her right to sleep. On good night she wakes up once around 1 (David soothes her at this time since she doesn't need to eat), and then usually again around 4, when I go feed her again. On bad nights she is up 4 or 5 times... exhausting. I think her bedtime needs to be moved a bit earlier, but lately I have been teaching aerobics later and I just wouldn't be home in time to nurse her. I would really like to take a few steps toward self-soothing this month although I am not sure what that will look like. We are definitely in a transition period in this area, and hopefully we will find our way soon.

Naps have been amazing lately though, which is a blessing. She naps twice a day, once around 10:30 and then again around 2:30 or 3. If we are home she naps in her crib, and if not she will fall asleep in a stroller or car seat and then we can transfer her to her crib once we get home. Both naps are right around an hour and a half, although sometimes she will surprise us and sleep for 2 1/2 hours.

What she loves: Her Uncle Josh.. she laughs at everything he does. The pool, swinging outside, jumping in her jumper, eating, yelling in restaurants, and... THE STROLLER! I am so happy. She still is quite fond of nursing, although she has started to be a bit distracted which isn't so fun.

What she hates: When I leave the room... she throws fits, people. I am not sure what to do about this, but my guess it that starting work next week will kind of help solve this separation anxiety issue. She is angrily rejecting pacifiers again lately, and she hates diaper changes all of the sudden. All in all, she kind of has a temper about things these days.

Personality/Milestones: She has started to scoot on her belly! Usually if we sit her down on the floor she will lean forward onto her hands and eventually get to her belly. From there she pulls her legs up under her, then reaches her arms forward to pull. I never thought I would say it, but I can't wait for her to crawl. She has been sitting up well for 3 months now and she is clearly tired of it. I think that at this point chasing her around as she crawls and plays would be more fun than trying to constantly entertain her and she sits still.

If crawling doesn't happen soon, I really think that walking will. Lydia stands up so well while holding onto things and she often lets go for seconds at a time without falling. She has pulled herself up to standing a few times, but it has never been on something as high as a coffee table or couch. Also, with us holding on to her a little bit, she will transition back and forth from the coffee table to the couch to our arms all on her feet. She loves to stand.

She is still babbling like crazy, and as I mentioned above she has started to test out the volume of her voice, particularly in public places. During the wedding that we at in Detroit Lydia would not stay quiet! But no one has seemed to mind hearing cute baby sounds, so I am not too worried about it.

Heaven-sent baby items:
If you have a baby who remotely seems to enjoy jumping, you should get a jumper. Gigi bought Lydia this one, and she loves the thing. Plus, I highly recommend anything that you can put you child in where you know they won't be able to go anywhere. Not so you can neglect them or anything, just so you have the freedom to go to the bathroom or make yourself a bagel whenever you want.

Also, I am not sure what we would have done on vacation without this baby float. Lydia used it like a walker in the baby pool, but I am sure she would have loved it in the big pool as well. It collapses so it is easy to pack, and the little shade on top really protects baby from the sun.

No words from Daddy tonight... he is currently in with Lydia trying to get to her go back to sleep and I probably need to get ready for bed here soon.

I know it probably sounds cheesy, but I love my little girl more and more each day. I thought I would be so sad to see her grow up and pass milestones, but to be honest I love everything about it. There are definitely times when I want to slow time down to make sure I am savoring the moments, but seeing her grow, learn and experience the world is a miracle that I can't describe with words. Everyday I am so proud of her and I surge with gratitude when I think how blessed I am to be her mother and watch her as she gets older. Plus, she is just so much fun! I know I will never stop seeing her as my baby and I will only continue to love her more and her future excites me like nothing else.