Our baby is 8 months old. Time is just flying by. We've said it before, but after 6 months old is the best. Don't get us wrong. There is something so sweet about a very little baby, but this stage is better, in our opinion.
Emma is a peach. She just is sweet and easy going. She fusses when she's tired, hungry, stuck, or when one of her siblings is bothering her too much (usually, Clara). She is pretty serious around people she doesn't know, but always has a smile for familiar faces. While not being very cuddly anymore, she does like being held. She prefers to be in the Ergo if she needs to fall asleep while being out, although mom put her in a shopping cart for the first time and she fell asleep sucking her thumb in the seat.
Emma is starting to move, between rolling and scooting, she is able to move across the room. It's still slow, thank goodness. We are bracing ourselves for the time when we will have to be more careful about her getting into things. We can no longer leave her laying on things like beds because she could roll herself off. While playing in her play gym, she sometime pushes herself into tight corners and then can't get out. Recently, she was playing in her play gym and she came back down to her backed into the corner next to the tv cabinet, chewing on a dried flower that she had found in the heat register, which she had taken out of the floor. Nathaniel was supposed to have been keeping on eye on her, but he forgot. These are fourth kid problems. Mom just scooped the flower out of her mouth and made sure she puts her toy bin over the register she is going to set her in the play gym. She also has started getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. We are not quite ready yet for her to crawl! We know it is coming soon. She has finally mastered the art of sitting. She sat in tripod mode for so long, we were beginning to wonder if she would ever sit. Well, she does now and it is so nice to have it as an option when reading books or playing with her.
As far as looks, Emma is starting to look so much more mature. She is rather plump and sweet, with dimples in her hands and rolls in her thighs. Her hair is starting to get longer and might be long enough to put a small barrette in. She still has big blue eyes and pale skin. Most people say that she looks like mom, but she is sort of more of a combination of mom and Gramma Kathy.
We have been loving the warmer weather. It has been so nice to be able to spend time outside with Emma. Mom recently bought a bike trailer, so we have been on bike rides, walks to the park, and playing at local parks. We also set up the outside swing for Emma, which she has been loving. She doesn't like to be pushed too high.
This month, we celebrated Easter with dying eggs, an Easter egg hunt at Nathaniel's school, and a trip to Indiana to visit family. Emma had a great time dying Easter eggs, hanging out with cousins, and seeing extended family in Michigan. Unfortunately, no candy yet for this little nugget. She just got a pack of bandanas to wear.
As far as sleeping, Emma is down to two naps finally. She takes a shorter morning nap of an hour max and a longer afternoon nap of around 2 1/2- 3 hours. She still is a thumb sucker and sucks her thumb to help herself fall asleep. Because mom used to nurse all of her other babies to sleep at this stage, it is nice that she has a way to help herself get to sleep. We just hope that she isn't a thumb sucker long term.
Emma is eating two meals a day - breakfast and dinner. Mom is giving her a combination of chunky purees to eat and small chopped soft foods. She also has been getting larger teething biscuits. She has gotten much better at picking up food and getting it to her mouth. She's pretty good at chewing, despite having only two teeth. She seems to love a variety of foods and hasn't found something she didn't like eating.
We have also spent time going to the zoo, having play dates with friends, going to Metro Parks programs, finishing out the MOPS year, and getting ready for summer.
Looking forward to the end of the school year and summer!
-Eric & Anna
Emma is starting to move, between rolling and scooting, she is able to move across the room. It's still slow, thank goodness. We are bracing ourselves for the time when we will have to be more careful about her getting into things. We can no longer leave her laying on things like beds because she could roll herself off. While playing in her play gym, she sometime pushes herself into tight corners and then can't get out. Recently, she was playing in her play gym and she came back down to her backed into the corner next to the tv cabinet, chewing on a dried flower that she had found in the heat register, which she had taken out of the floor. Nathaniel was supposed to have been keeping on eye on her, but he forgot. These are fourth kid problems. Mom just scooped the flower out of her mouth and made sure she puts her toy bin over the register she is going to set her in the play gym. She also has started getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. We are not quite ready yet for her to crawl! We know it is coming soon. She has finally mastered the art of sitting. She sat in tripod mode for so long, we were beginning to wonder if she would ever sit. Well, she does now and it is so nice to have it as an option when reading books or playing with her.
As far as looks, Emma is starting to look so much more mature. She is rather plump and sweet, with dimples in her hands and rolls in her thighs. Her hair is starting to get longer and might be long enough to put a small barrette in. She still has big blue eyes and pale skin. Most people say that she looks like mom, but she is sort of more of a combination of mom and Gramma Kathy.
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| bunny jams |
This month, we celebrated Easter with dying eggs, an Easter egg hunt at Nathaniel's school, and a trip to Indiana to visit family. Emma had a great time dying Easter eggs, hanging out with cousins, and seeing extended family in Michigan. Unfortunately, no candy yet for this little nugget. She just got a pack of bandanas to wear.
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| grashorn cousins |
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| easter best |
Emma is eating two meals a day - breakfast and dinner. Mom is giving her a combination of chunky purees to eat and small chopped soft foods. She also has been getting larger teething biscuits. She has gotten much better at picking up food and getting it to her mouth. She's pretty good at chewing, despite having only two teeth. She seems to love a variety of foods and hasn't found something she didn't like eating.
We have also spent time going to the zoo, having play dates with friends, going to Metro Parks programs, finishing out the MOPS year, and getting ready for summer.
Looking forward to the end of the school year and summer!
-Eric & Anna
