In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, a wedding and being with family, our little Ava turned 8 months old. This year is flying by so quickly I almost can't fathom it. But, I didn't want to miss the chance to mark it before her 9th month arrives! So, here's what our 8th month old is up to...
You are officially on the move Ava! You are crawling like crazy, pulling up on everything and cruising around from one piece of furniture to the next. We can't keep you contained now if we wanted to!
You are the sweetest little honey there is though! Besides crawling, pulling up and cruising, you also got your first tooth on December 15th and I'm pretty sure your second one is going to show up any day now.
You woke up in the early morning crying and crying, which you never do, and when I went to get you I saw that little tooth poking through! Poor baby :) Your little tooth makes you look so big, but you're still a little peanut.
-You are still in size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothes.
-You are napping two times a day for about 2 hours each time.
-You sleep 11-12 hours every night. I love you for this!
You are eating all of your baby food, but also some table food too. You love cantaloupe, grapes (which I cut up into a million teeny tiny pieces), cheese, bread, deli ham, deli turkey, and puffs. Lots and lots of puffs! In fact, Ryley loves when you eat puffs because you shovel them into your mouth so fast that you drop tons of them and he happily cleans up after you.
Now that you're on the move, you are exploring around our house and loving all the things you can find! You discovered the dishwasher and you love to pull up on it whenever I have it open. How early do you think I can teach you to load it??
For several weeks, you taught yourself to stand by holding onto this bookshelf in our bedroom. We had to watch you like a hawk, but it worked because now you stand up like a pro!!
And maybe you'll learn to love books just like your Daddy?
You sure look entertained with what you found!
Now that you crawl all over, I have to find places for you to play while I try to do some work around the house. You love to follow me wherever I go and whenever I turn around to see where you are, this little face is often what I see. You LOVE Mommy and Daddy's bedroom and you are very content to crawl around and explore. Your favorite thing to go after is our trash can however, so I always have to spot that before you do!
It didn't take you long to spot the TV and find a way to pull up and touch it either! You can reach the buttons to turn it on and off, but so far you haven't figured out how to push them. We'll see how long that lasts!
You are so proud of your freedom that you're starting to get brave and hold onto stuff with one hand. It makes me nervous, but you do it constantly. I swear you have absolutely no fear. Again, just like your Daddy!
You've already started to fall and bump your head, your mouth and your hands. I guess this goes with the territory but each time you fall I want to burst into tears myself! I hate to see you get hurt :) Daddy usually tells you to "rub some dirt on it" after he scoops you up and gives you kisses, but Mommy isn't so quick to help you be tough! I'd rather just eliminate the problem all together :)
You absolutely love the glass sliding doors now and have also discovered how to hold on to them and stand up. Much of your day is spent looking outside and "talking" about what you see. It cracks us up to see you standing there, looking so little and yet so big all at once. It seems crazy that you're old enough to do this!
You also love to put your mouth on the glass and this day, I caught you licking it. Gross.
Yet another thing that Mommy has to keep clean for you!
Ava, we knew you were going to be active and busy based on all your activity in the womb, and so far our predictions are correct :)
You like to play hard and move constantly but thankfully you also sleep hard as a result!
We love you little girl and we're so glad that you are reaching all your milestones, even though that means you're growing up! We are grateful that you are healthy and well, and we know that your active and feisty personality is a gift from God.
Pretty soon crawling will turn to running and standing will give way to climbing, but for now we are enjoying the world from your new perspective and marveling at the ways you discover everything around you.
We love you Ava Page!
You are keeping us on our toes now but we're loving every minute.
Happy 8th month baby girl!!
