Oh goodness. Raising a baby, going to school, and working several jobs has caught up to me! I have neglected this poor blog. I had previously drafted a 7 month post but never completed it. I blame Ms. Clara's mobility and ability to get into everything if I take my eyes off of her!
So let's update on what's been going on these past two months.
Dearest Clara,
Wow, today you are 8 months old. I still feel like I just held you for the first time. Yet, those days of being utterly exhausted and so unsure of what to do seem like a distant memory. Don't get me wrong, I'm still always tired and I'm not sure I'll ever know exactly what to do as a mom, but suddenly I feel much more seasoned.
These past few months have big! First of all...
You are mobile! Scary. You started to creep around just before your 7 month birthday, but by the end of August you were on the move. And now you are a crawling fool! You are quickly gaining speed. And your newest trick is standing. You can almost get all the way up on your own. And if we stand you up you stand there a long time. All this mobility means that you have been getting into everything. I cannot take my eyes off of you for long. And you are feisty because if you get into something I don't want you to have and take it away from you you are not shy and letting me know you are not happy! You pout that lip and cry and big ugly cry. You know what you want and when you want it.
Eating: You still are on mama's milk and I would say that's your favorite. You are not a fan of bottles though. For a while you flat out refused them. Which was worrisome because mama cannot be with you 24/7. Between my grad classes, subbing and other ventures you still occasionally need to be fed by someone else. You did take a bottle for grandma and dad though, so that's good.
You have been trying lots of foods--including chunks of steamed foods! In the past two weeks you haven't been into purees or being spoon fed. You enjoy bigger pieces that you can feed yourself. You love your puffs (the Happy Puffs--you've tried Sweet Potato, Apple, Greens, and Purple Carrot and Blueberry and love them all), yogurt bites, Happy Crunchies (cheddar and carrot). You've also eaten chunks of apples, pears, nectarines, asparagus, and chicken. We are going to try cauliflower soon too.
You went through a phase where you wouldn't eat too many solids. You've been teething and under the weather so that's probably why.
Sleeping: Oh sleep. How I miss you. In all seriousness it hasn't been that bad. Though we have had rough nights. Your daddy brought home a nasty cold that we have all had. You seem to have had it the longest though :( Not being able to breathe well out your noise definitely affecting your eating and sleeping. We had one night that you slept for a half hour, woke up screaming, I had to rock you to sleep (which you have never before liked), and then you finally passed out on me (which again, never happens). It was sad. But I can't lie, I enjoyed the snuggles. You rarely snuggle and sleep on me anymore!
Aside from sickness you usually wake up 1-2 times overnight. You go to bed between 7:30-8:30. The first waking is usually between 12:30-2 and I try not to feed you this time. But daddy is much better at soothing you back to sleep, when it's just me sometimes I give in. Or let you cry a little (which I hate). And then once around 3:30-5:30. I usually feed you once you get up that time. And then you are typically up for the day between 7:30-8. It's not too bad. It could be much, much worse. But boy do I miss a full night of uninterrupted sleep. But I know these days are fleeting. Trying not to complain too much.
Stats: You don't go to the doctor until next month. But I would say that you're around 23 lbs. You are heavy! But I don't think you'll gain much in the next few months because you are SO active. You're still fairly tall. You pretty much wear 12-18 months clothes. Some of your 12 month stuff is snug though! You are certainly a big, healthy girl. But that's ok. I just hope you fit into your Halloween costume next month! Your feet seem to finally be getting a lil bigger. You fit into a size 3 Carter's shoe the other day.
Things you like: You love your Rusty dog. You stare at him all the time and chase him around. You like his toys too! He tolerates you. He doesn't love the fact that you grab him hard (he's much littler than you!) but he loves when you drop puffs for him! You also love music and songs. Bath time with daddy is another favorite. You love splashing in the water. Recently you seem obsessed with the satellite box and X-Box. So much that we have to keep you away from them! You also like your Fisher Price singing dog and the little Fisher Price walker we got at a garage sale. But simple items like Tupperware, boxes, and paper to crunch seem to keep your attention the longest!
You went to the "Running of the Weiners" at the Cincinnati Oktoberfest, which you seemed to like! We got to see cute weenies race and everyone adored your dachshund outfit. I think you're gonna be a Doxie lover like your mama :)
These past two months you have just been developing leaps and bounds. You love to "talk" (which is really usually a shriek!), you love to watch and observe. Most of all you love to be on the move :) You are as your daddy says a "fireball". But you are happy and healthy (despite this stupid cold) and I couldn't be happier to be your mama! Happy 8 months my love.
Love you to the moon and back,
Mama
