8 Months!

My, oh my. Where is time going?

First thing's first: we are not going to go ahead with the helmet. After looking at the effects, how long you would have to wear it (not long), the probability that it would actually work, and the fact that it would not actually correct anything on the sides of your head, just the back, we decided to not go with it.

We hemmed and hawed over the decision for quite awhile until your dad decided that we look at some pictures of James. There you had it, our answer, glaring back at us from our external hard drive. James had the same head shape. Complete with the sides sticking out. And since we've noticed, and have worked diligently to do something about it, we can tell your head is changing. Not very quickly, but it is. Which makes us that much happier that we decided not to fork out the $2700 for a helmet. In the end, it won't matter much because of your hair, but at the same time, we want what is best for you. However, we also need to look at what is best for our family. And spending $2700 on a helmet that you will wear for a short amount of time was not best for our family. Not with $300/week in daycare.

So there you have it. In other news, you are finally rolling over. Not even a week after I wrote about how you weren't rolling over, you did. And you've been doing it non-stop. It seems as though if it is our idea, you don't want to have anything to do with it. But if it's yours, you are all about it. So you made up your mind and started rolling. And it wasn't a roll-over that you struggled with, it was the fact that you just did it. It was like you've been doing it for a long time, but we never saw it, which was not the case. Needless to say, we are very excited.

Along with rolling over, you try army crawling, a lot. But you never quite go anywhere. You shove your head in the floor and try with all your might to get that butt in the air, but to no avail. You try to pull yourself with your tiny arms, but you don't end up going anywhere. You have figured out that if you roll places, you get there faster. It's quite funny to watch.

All of a sudden, after the rolling-over took off, you started standing up for long periods of time. We have an activity saucer we put you in from time to time, and sometimes you will just stand up, balanced by the seat but no longer really sitting. I wonder if you will be one of those babies who skips the crawling and goes right to walking. Looks like it could actually happen.

You still love James. It warms my heart more than you know to see you play together. He loves to cuddle and hug you. He loves to plant kisses on your head, and you love to smile and coo at him. It's adorable to watch.

Mornings are my favorite time with you. While everyone is still sleeping, I sneak into your room and drag you into bed with me. We nurse laying stomach to stomach, and when you're finished, you always look up and smile at me, patting your hand against my cheek. It is the most beautiful moment and I will miss them when they are gone.

Speaking of nursing, we are still breastfeeding, which is awesome. I always have enough milk for you. The only hard part has been pumping while at work. However, I have been able to keep up (barely). I also had a fleeting thought that I only have three more months of breastfeeding. And then I thought, I only have three more months of breastfeeding!!!!!!! Yes, I was elated and sad all the same. Sad because it truly is a lovely thing to experience with your child, and elated because sometimes, breastfeeding really cuts into a schedule. I am part of a breastfeeding support group on Facebook and several times, a mom will post about a negative situation she experienced while breastfeeding in public. I am not one to breastfeed in public. Even the blanket-over-the-baby thing doesn't work for me. Because how are you supposed to get the poor child to latch if you have the blanket on? I always have to wait for the blanket to go on after latching, which means my boob hangs out there for a good 10 seconds. Not to mention, you aren't a fan of the cross-hold anymore. Nope, we lay down to nurse everywhere we are. So I always have to take into account your breastfeeding schedule while we're out in public. I'd rather do it in the comfort of my own bed. :)

You clap clap clap, all the time. You clap while you're standing in your activity chair, you clap while you're rolling around on the floor. You clap for James, you clap for me, you clap for dad. It's adorable. :)

So far, you have tried pears, peas, bananas, broccoli, sweet potatoes and apples. We will not be giving you bananas again anytime soon. Stupid me, with your gastrointestinal problems, I didn't think that bananas make you constipated. So it worsened the problem for you, which made our lives a living hell! Any "p" food really seems to help your digestive tract, so I try to give you at least one "p" cube of food per feeding.

And with that, I'm thankful that your digestive issues seem to not plague us *as much* any more. It's been a tough road, and you still strain when pooping, but at least it's not as bad as it used to be. You still get constipated every once in awhile, which makes you incredibly irritable, but it's easier to deal with now that the issues are getting further and further apart. Thank God.

Otherwise, you have become quite animated, talkative, and sassy. I am loving every minute of it. I remember after having you, talking with a friend about how hectic life is and she mentioned that at about 6 months, it gets so much easier. I wouldn't say it was necessarily 6 months for us, but it has definitely gotten easier. We're into a routine that works for us, and I am able to do it by myself when Eric has to work.

We're on our way - I can't believe it's already been 8 months. I love you baby girl!