Annie is now 8 months old!!
Ever since I used to babysit in high school, I have always loved this age!!
Annie is full of personality, energy, and most of all, full of love!!
She is getting more and more beautiful by the day! Her hair is coming in very blond and nice and thick, and she has the most amazing, crystal clear blue eyes! Everyone comments that she should be the Gerber baby!
At her 8 month check-up, she hadn't grown nearly as much this past month as in other months. The doctor said this was perfectly normal as they start to move around so much more! Annie is definitely on the go as walking with my hands is still her favorite activity! She is burning off those chunky baby thighs!
Here are her 8 month stats:
Weight: 18 lbs 13 oz 50%
Height: 28 1/2" 85%
Head Circumference: 16 1/2" 70%
Here is a look back at her 7 month photo.
At the very beginning of this month, Annie learned how to wave bye-bye! She is really good at it and does an entire arm flap! It is the cutest thing! However, she doesn't always wave good-bye, only when she is feeling like it!
She also learned to give high-fives this month! If I put my hand up and ask for a high-five, she softly puts her hand in mine! She loves it and loves the excited reaction she gets from anyone when she does it!
We have continued to introduce more and more solid foods. Apparently, she doesn't care for canned baby food at all. I offered her canned green peas and canned green beans and she hated both! I tasted them too and can't say that I liked them anymore than she did.
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| Chillaxin after dinner at the beach! |
So, it looks like I will me making her baby food which is fine by me! I cook for us almost every night anyways so why wouldn't I cook for my baby too?! I haven't truly pureed anything yet. I just bake or steam everything and then chop or stir it up until its a chunky consistency that she can handle.
I made pears, plums, and apples all into the same consistency as chunky applesauce. So far, she does not like the pears or plums at all. She is slowly coming around to the apples but doesn't love them yet. I can't imagine why she doesn't love these!
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| Cooking the plums for plum sauce! |
She has now tried and loved broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots! She also had some of my green smoothie one day and kept wanting more!! I guess I will start her early! I am sure there are more foods that she has tried, but I can't remember them all. She is willing and wants to try most anything and for the most part likes it! As she gets older, I know that it will be easier for her to eat what we are eating which will be so nice.
Annie is full of energy and constantly moving around! If she's in your lap, she squirming, dancing, jumping, or standing.
Aunt Emmie helped teach Annie how to roll over from her back to her stomach one night while she was babysitting so now Annie is a pro! If she is on the floor, she loves to roll all around from her back to stomach and then to her back again!
She is still not interested in crawling, but she sure does think its funny if Mama crawls around! I am trying to show her what fun crawling is and what freedom it can allow her :) Annie can, of course, push herself up with her arms and she can also pull her knees up under her torso, but she just can't do all of this at once in order to get up on all fours. So, she is making progress towards crawling but just not quite there. She has started to pull herself towards a toy or turn her body towards a toy if there is one she wants. Also, she now can go from a sitting up position to being on her stomach with a controlled nose-dive type move!
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| Love this pic! |
Even when we are nursing, she is kicking her feet up in the air, holding one foot with one of her hands, or putting her feet up on me!
And, her favorite thing is still to be walking while someone is holding her hands. She is constantly trying to get our hands in position to walk her! She has gotten very good and fast! She knows right where she wants to go and will turn you in that direction. Also, if there is somewhere she doesn't want to go, she will plant her feet and not move!
Her most favorite place to be is still outside!! She is always happy outside and so content. While the weather is so nice, we are spending as much time as possible outside! We enjoy sitting on the front porch together, spreading out our quilt and enjoying a picnic in the yard, and going for a walk while she is either in the stroller, in the Ergo baby carrier, or being pushed in her car. And, of course, she loves walking outside in the grass or up and down our sidewalk.
As you can see in one of the pictures above, Annie also discovered her tongue this month and is constantly poking it out and rubbing it on her lips and teeth! She will copy you if you stick your tongue out!
We made our first trip to the zoo as a little family! Brad can't remember if or when he has been to the Birmingham Zoo so it was a new experience for him! We had so much fun and loved being together! Annie enjoyed being outside and looking around, but I know that she will come to love seeing the animals, riding the train and carasoul, and splashing in the water park as she gets older!
Love these sweet shots with Daddy and his baby girl!
And finally, like I said, Annie is full of love! She is such an affectionate and sweet baby! She loves to cuddle, be held, and be as close to her Mommy as possible!
Before each nap and at nap time, I swaddle her up and then put her on my shoulder. We sway and sing several songs in order to get her ready for bed. Usually, she puts her head down on one shoulder and puts her other hand up on my neck or holds my free hand. It is the
sweetest time and some of my favorite time of every day. I have taken several iPhone pics trying to capture these moments and these are the best ones. I just don't want to forget these perfect moments.
Annie also loves to hold my hand while we are in the car. If she is ever fussy, holding my hand will usually make her happy! I love that we are so bonded! I always say that we are so in love :)
Annie also loves to give kisses! She tilts her head up and pokes out her little lips to let you know she wants a kiss! She knows the word "kiss" and will usually oblige if you ask for one although not always. She thinks its funny to give kisses and will sometimes make it a game giving away kiss after kiss! A lot of times when we are singing before bedtime, she will intentionally spit out her passi to give me a few kisses...so, so, so sweet!!
Here is Annie kissing her first boy - Cohen Jackson! He was so sweet and patient with her and accepted several kisses from her!
Annie, we are so grateful for you and love you so, so much!
