'm literally astonished that our tiny girl is already 8 months old. She is by far the coolest thing on Earth!
***6 month picture MIA***
Monkey 7 Months
Monkey 8 Months
Here are her new stats:
Weight: 14 lbs (5th %)
Length: 25 and 1/2 inches (5th %)
Head Circumference: 17 inches (25th %)
I know I say this every time, but it is truly AMAZING to watch this tiny person grow and change. She's eating two to three solid food meals a day with her 3 teeth (2 on the bottom & 1 on the top). Her favorites are yogurt and Bananas. For the most part she's not a fan of veggies, with peas and green beans at the bottom of the list. She's discovered that she can refuse to eat things, which isn't the most fun. but coupled with yogurt she'll eat at least a few bites of just about anything.
She is becoming a much more interactive and independent little thing and I'm not just talking about interaction with people. she is learning to play on her own with one of her new favorite toys the Playschool Bucket of Blocks which contains 10 brightly colored blocks that are in assorted shapes. The great part about the bucket is that with all the blocks in it it's only half full leaving lots of room for other treasures! So as of this morning her bucket contains: 2 pacifiers, 1 newborn sock, a teething ring stacking cups, a set of keys, an elephant (stuffed of course), a beaded necklace, and a rattle. I'm thinking big purses are in her future.
She's also getting pretty darn good with her hand and arm coordination which is teaching me that anything within her reach (which is rapidly expanding) is fare game. Last week she was on the kitchen counter in her bumbo seat watching me put away groceries (a favorite pass time) and as I was putting away the cold stuff in the refrigerator, with my back turned she proceeded to somehow reach out and throw on the floor 2 bags of chips, a box of cereal, a bag of splenda, a loaf of bread, hot dog buns and a bottle of ranch dressing. (Thank goodness the eggs were already put away and the bag of potatoes was too heavy!)
She's starting to develop a bit of a vocabulary, She says Mama and Dada with intent now, not just as random syllables, which is super fun! She also says bah bah, which, depending on the situation could be bottle, bouncing, or bath, ALL things she LOVES!!! There's also a lot of gibberish and excited girlish squealing. She is extremely ticklish and is learning the joy and fun of peek-a-boo.
She is sitting up completely on her own and when on her belly she can oscillate in a complete circle. The kitties can still safely watch her outside arms reach, but I don't think that will last much longer. Malcheck LOVES to sit and watch her play, and one of her favorite things is to turn in circles watching him as he walks around her. He'll even let her pet and hold his tail as long as she doesn't pull it. Best friends already.
The last few months have brought a few firsts for her on the traveling front. In November she took her first airplane ride to Boston and the end of December brought her first road trip to Tennessee which I'm excited to say went really well. Over 2,000 miles of driving over the course of 10 days and she did AMAZING!!!
On December 26th, surrounded by our friends and family, she was baptized by her Godfather. There is no feeling that can match that of watching your first child being welcomed into the community of God as everyone present makes a covenant to help us raise her to know, fear, and Love the Lord! It was an emotional day that brought my father to tears.
It was the first time all 4 of his grand children were under the same roof and he was definitely a proud Paw Paw. Below are a few more pictures of our time with family and friends.
Monkey and her Aunt Lo
Monkey with Dad's shades
Monkey with her God Parents
Her Baptism gown
Our little family
Before we jump in completely, I think it's noteworthy to point out that the Author's husband has written the forward of this book. His words of gratitude are kind and heartfelt and give you a small glimpse into how deeply he has been affected by his wife's prayer for him. In no uncertain terms he is attributing much of their marriage's success to his wife's devotion to praying for him. That is POWERFUL stuff!