8 Months

I say it every month, but I can NOT believe how quickly this year is flying by! Allie Joy is now 8 months old, and is getting busier by the minute. She has been getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth for a couple of weeks now, but hasn't quite made it to crawling yet. She still chooses rolling as her primary mode of transportation.

Big girl at 8 months old!

At 8 months and 2 days old, she finally said "mama"! Not only did she say it, but she hasn't stopped! Whenever I leave the room, "Mama, mama, mama", or if I don't give her another bite fast enough, "mama, mama, mama." I know every mom thinks their child is a baby genius, but it's so smart that she made that association so quickly! I'm proud of my girl!

We introduced some "puffs", Cheerios, and other finger foods this month. Allie LOVES it. Peach-Mango Puffs are her fave, but she also loves plain Cheerios, chopped up green beans, and even little bites of ground beef or chicken. She hasn't mastered picking them up and feeding herself, but that will take awhile. It sure is nice to have some easy snacks to carry around, though!

Messy Allie - learning to self-feed!

This week, she also completely fell in love with her "little blankie". I made her a blanket to match her bedding before she was born. Since she's not quite big enough to sleep in the crib with a full-sized blanket, I made her a smaller one (about 15" x 15") to snuggle with when she sleeps for the time being. One morning this week, I went in to get her when she woke up, and she cried and reached back into the crib to get the "little blankie". Looks like we officially have a blankie baby!

Things I never want to forget:
 - Her little fingers tickling my face when I feed her
 - Tiny hands learning to clap
 - The amazing smell of her lavender bedtime bath wash
 - How she searches for and holds on to my fingers while I feed her
 - The sounds of her tiny voice saying "Dadadadada" and "Mamamamama"
 - The peace of knowing she stays where she's placed...for now :)
 - Her precious, open-mouthed, slobbery, wet kisses

Beautiful Allie Joy in her swing in the back yard.

Our precious girl! Love her so much!!