Evelyn Rose, My Eight Month Old

Evie Rose, you're getting so big!

You are very wiggly and very active--the ladies in the church nursery agree.  You can sit up, but you don't usually want to.  You want to be rolling around, scooching, reaching, or standing (you can't stand from sitting without a finger to hold, but you would like to figure it out).  You aren't technically crawling.  You do get up on all fours and make attempts.  Your army crawl is really cute.  You do that when you are very motivated to get to something. However, you usually roll to things, and given the side-to-side way it requires you to move, you manage to do it with amazing accuracy.  Your Gigi and I have decided that you're going to be able to creatively solve problems.  If you see one of Spencer's toys, you can roll yourself right over to it.  It's hilarious to watch you aim and correct yourself all the way across the room for anything that belongs to Spencer.

I let you play with Spencer's sippy cup.  I thought you might as well since he didn't want to take one when he turned one.  I didn't think you were getting anything out of it, but apparently the valve was leaky.  When I went over to pick you up you had chocolate milk all over your onesie.  (It was 1/4 chocolate milk and 3/4 white milk).

You usually wake up once a night, take a bottle, and generally go back to sleep fairly easily.  Your dad gets up with you in the middle of the night.  When we are home, you will take a morning nap anywhere between 9 and 10; and then you will take an afternoon nap between 1 and 2.  They are usually between one and two hours long.  You go to bed around 7:30 or 8.

You love to take a bath, but you won't sit up and play.  You constantly either lean over to stick your face in the water or try to lean back in an attempt to stand up.  So, it's hard on my back, but you love it.  We tried the kitchen sink in your earlier months, and you were so active and wiggly that I was constantly trying to keep you from bonking your head.  You're a mover and a shaker!

You slept horribly in the hotel on our little family vacation this month.  You love playing in the sprinkler or the baby pool in the backyard with Spencer.  You love it when friends and family talk to you and play with you.  You like to say "da da da da."  You enjoy eating "real" food.  You don't love your bottles, but you do ok.  You hold them with your feet sometimes like your brother used to do.  You also spin them around like he used to do.

You love to watch dogs.  Gigi has taught you so say "daw daw" when you see Angel at her house.  You whisper it really softly.  You love to pet Angel, and you for her to sit close to you.  You're not afraid.  You love to blow raspberries.  You will do it back and forth with people, and you also do it when you're mad or sleepy.  You really get into it.  It's hilarious.

You don't usually let us rock you to sleep.  If you're really exhausted, sometimes you'll take a bottle and then fall asleep with one of us holding and rocking you; but usually you wiggle, squirm, try to climb down, and refuse to be still.  Eventually we have to lay you in your crib and leave the room.  If you're full and tired you'll fuss for a few minutes or so and then fall asleep.  You love your paci, although I usually only give it to you in your bed or in your car seat.

You still have chubby little thighs and tiny little feet.  You have almost outgrown your size 0-3 month shoes.  Size ones are still big on you.  You have several new expressions this month.  You do a smile while sticking your tongue out a little and squinting your eyes when you're being really silly or excited.

You like to play "patty cake" (clap your hands), and you give yourself kisses in your fish mirror.  You actively pursue the remote controls and the laptop and anything that belongs to Spencer.  It's impressive how already know which toys are his.  Your cousin Lucy was born this month!  You weren't the baby on the Kelley side for long!  I know y'all are going to have lots of fun together.

Four days after you turned eight months your first tooth broke through.  It has not noticeably changed how you have been eating or sleeping.  That same week, we took you to the pool for the first time.  You LOVED it.  You are my little water baby.  You were not happy for me to sit on the side with you.  You wanted to play in the fountains, crawl around the zero entry "beach" part of the pool, follow Spencer around, and be in the water as much as I would let you.  We're going to have so much fun this summer!