My Baby Girl is Going on Eight Months!

In just a few short days Briella Bean will be 8 months old. I have a feeling that this summer is going to FLY by and before I have time to blink I'm going to have a one year old. My family lives all over the place: Minnesota, Bahamas, Kansas, Colorado, &etc. and they are already starting to make plans for a trip in September, which is perfect because that means they'll be here to celebrate Brielle's birthday. I just can't believe that's a few short months away. I can't hardly wait to start the preparations for that, but I have to focus on the three baby showers I have coming up first.

These last two months she has changed and learned so much! I can't wait to brag on her a tad...

Her favorite sound is now "inga" ...

I have a feeling she's going to be a lefty. She reaches for everything with her left hand and when I suction her nose she only swipes it away with her left hand.

She's on the verge of crawling. She'll get up on her hands and knees and just rock back and forth.

She pulled herself up to her knees in her crib, once.

Everyone calls her a compact little ball. Brielle is tiny (in the lower percentile for her height and she's still in a NB -size 0- shoe) but she is fat. Lower percentile for height, but higher percentile for weight. LOL. It causes a bit of a dilemma when choosing outfits. Poor girl takes after her momma. Perhaps the following pictures will give you an idea of what I mean...

Look at that cute "little" double chin!

Belly shot - totally accidental!

 She has 2 teeth! And Brielle is not a pleasant teether. She is a snotty, whiny, tired baby - but who can blame her? I'm sure it isn't fun.

When she cries everyone knows it.

She has an obsession with an egg separator. No joke. I pile all kinds of goodies into baskets and buckets and her favorite thing to do is dig through it and throw the toys in and out, in and out. The very fist item she reaches for every single time is the egg separator. We don't leave the house without it because if we have it, she's a happy baby.

She is a studier (like her daddy). She'll grab something (like her egg separator) and turn it over and over in her hands, with a frown on, starring at it. Then she'll start bouncing up and down and sometimes she flails her arms looking like a band director in time to music.

Hm... what is that? I want it.

Reaching...



Studying...



Bouncing...

 

Studying...

Directing...

More directing, except it looks like I have a little baller... ;)

 She loves her feet and anything located on or near them.

She is very interested in anything Kyle and I put in our mouths. If we take a drink she wants to as well. If we take a bite, we'd better share! It's hilarious to watch her try to take a drink...

Nothing is safe. I have to be conscience of where I'm walking and how far her little hands are from things on the walls, cabinets, counters, etc. because she wants to touch and grab it all.

She loves being outside. She'll coo and talk the entire time she's on the porch, or in the grass, and especially watching the puppies. It makes hanging laundry easy!

She loves books! You cannot convince me that reading to a child from day one has no effect based on what I see with Brielle. Her favorite books are anything with animal sounds.



We joined some friends at their house for lunch one afternoon after church. She LOVED Kirk reading to her.

Here are some of my favorite pictures:

I love how she squishes up her nose when she smiles and laughs. When she's excited she breaths in and out really fast and makes that adorable face. Melts my heart.

If her schedule is off, our evenings are tough. Lately she's been sleeping until 10 in the morning! Usually she gets up around 8.

After eating breakfast she plays independently while I read my Bible. Then I join her in play time. Lately her favorite is peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake. We sing a lot of songs with actions like "Jesus Loves Me" (I remember the sign language for it from when I was kid... ha... who knew?) and "I'm a Little Tea Pot" or "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Weather permitting we go for a walk. (Great time to run errands and sometimes I meet up with a friend.)

2 hours later it's time for a nap and SHE WILL LET ME KNOW.

Her morning nap is her best nap because she sleeps for about 2 hours! (This allows me to write in my blog and clean up around the house.)

She'll eat, play, eat a snack (smashed up fruit, usually a banana), watch the dogs (her favorite) and then it's time for an afternoon nap (which is never as good, but I'll get what I get.)

She eats supper with us (gagging) down a vegetable or cereal (it takes her forever to "like" something). Take a bath, daddy reads her a book, she eats, and then it's time for bed.

I think she knows her schedule better than I do. :)

This is the best job ever. I love being her mommy. The daily mundane chores that I thought I was going to hate, well I don't particularly like them, but they're so worth it knowing I can spend so much time with her. This time is going so fast as it is! I can't imagine having to give her up for 8 hours a day. Oh my goodness I'd miss so much. Evenings are usually her grumpy time and if that's all I saw of her during the week, it'd break my heart. Besides 4-8 in the evenings is not enough time, plus I would've been coaching... I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'll never regret this decision to stay home. It's where God was leading me. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm back in the classroom, but I'm in no hurry, being a mommy is an amazing job. Besides every mommy is already a teacher. Teaching starts at home. So no matter what, no matter who you are, or what you do, if you have kids - you're homeschooling! ;)