Eight Months.

I was so busy loving on you, I forgot to post a seven month update.  Consider this post full of highlights from the last two months. :)

You. Are. Awesome.

Your personality is emerging and you fit right in with our family.  You laugh and smile and giggle constantly.  My very favorite thing right now, though, is the way you scrunch up your nose and smile with your entire face whenever you find something really funny.  It's adorable and makes me want to scoop you up and cover you with kisses.  So, I do.

Let's see...you're a good eater.  Still not a fan of meat, although the meat "dinners" are growing on you.  You love ALL baby food fruits and veggies and we've even started throwing in "real" food whenever we think about it or have something on hand you can eat.  You're a master at eating bananas, devoured the broccoli we gave you, enjoyed watermelon, and even did pretty well with shredded chicken.  Puffs are also a favorite.  Your pincer grasp is superb and you're pretty much an expert at getting food from your tray into your mouth (although Norman does enjoy cleaning out your high chair every now and then).  You know how to get water out of your sippy cup, too.  We're planning to let you have a try with a straw cup very soon; I have no doubt you'll be even better with that.  You still take four bottles a day, but your liquid intake has dropped.  Because of your new sibling forming in my womb, I've had to wean you from breastmilk (which made me a little sad, but also made me feel human again).  I nursed you for the last time in mid-July...since then, you take a 6 oz. bottle when you wake up, a 4-6 oz bottle around 11:00 or so, another 4-6 oz bottle around 3:30 or 4:000, and a 6 oz. bottle at bedtime.  You typically eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with our family.

You can sit up on your own and roll with a purpose now...you can get where you want to go.  And quickly. :)  You love playing in the exersaucer and the doorframe jumper and are good at bearing weight on your chunky legs and teeny, tiny feet.  Seriously...you still have the smallest feet ever.  Harry and Babe are still your favorite playmates, although I'm sure you'll make some sweet friends now that you're spending your days with Ginnell.  Your brother and sister love you like crazy, though, and will do absolutely anything to make you smile.

You've just about grown out of 6 month-sized clothes.  In fact, any outfits you had with elastic bottoms are no longer an option because they leave marks on those beautiful, fat thighs of yours.  Your two bottom teeth came in and apart from a slight fever and quick cold, you didn't bat an eye.  You're still pretty good about going with the flow and following whatever schedule our family sets for you...we couldn't have asked for a better third baby.  Now that we're back into the school routine, though, you're going down around 7:30 in the evenings and waking up for the day around 7:00 am.  You still like to catch a quick morning nap whenever and wherever you can and you've started to join your siblings for "room time" by napping in your crib from 1:00-3:00.  The evening catnap is pretty much gone.

You're wearing size 3 diapers now (that started at the beginning of August).  You took your first trip to Florida and LOVED the water in the swimming pool.  Bathtime is more fun now that you can sit up, but Daddy and me also clean you with us in the shower quite often.  You like it just as much! 

We spent two nights away from you for a wedding in July.  Granti spent the night with you and loved on you like crazy.  I'm not even sure you knew Daddy and me were gone.

You babble a lot.  "Ba ba ba" is a favorite phrase.  High-pitched squeals are frequent, too.

You make our family so much fun. 

Thank you for being you.