8 Months...

Lucy is at such a fun age right now....so happy, alert and into everything, but not mobile. Of course, we're anxious for her to start crawling...but for now, we're thoroughly enjoying this stage she is in...and not having to chase her quite yet!

Lucy is still pretty much following the same sleep schedule....although her wake time during the day has extended just a bit between wake time and naps (about 2.5 hours). Now, we are waking up at 7:30am, down for her first nap from 10am-12pm and down for her second nap from 2:30-4:30pm. Bedtime is around 7:45/8pm. She prefers her thumb over her paci when she goes down for a nap and at bedtime. She'll play with her paci for a few minutes, then find her thumb and go right to sleep. I know I can't throw her thumb away, but there is really nothing I can do to keep her from sucking her thumb, so I'm not sweating this...for now!

She still eats 4 times a day. She is taking in much less formula and way more solids. For breakfast at 7:30am, 4oz formula and half of a 3.5oz container of fruit. For lunch at 12pm, 4oz formula and half of a 3.5oz container of veggies (mixed with oatmeal) and half of a 3.5 oz container of fruit. For her afternoon feeding at 4:30pm, she'll take 4-6oz of formula. For dinner between 7-7:30pm, she'll eat 1 3.5oz container of veggies (mixed with oatmeal) and 1 3.5oz container of fruit. I've started giving her dinner bottle (6oz) right before bed now, because she stopped wanting it right after I fed her solids (probably because she is eating so much solids at dinnertime). She'll take her bottle about 20-30 minutes later right before bed though. Whatever works. We've just started working on learning sign language during meal time....I decided to start with "all done" and "more." She laughs at me when I do the sign for "all done!" Her pincer reflex is great now, which makes eating puffs (and some table food) much easier! She has also started holding her bottle during most feeds. I think I'm going to introduce meats to her this month. She'll still eat pretty much any fruit or veggie, except peas.

The biggest change this month....my baby, who hated to be on her stomach for the first 7.5 months of her life, now sleeps on her stomach!!! This started all of a sudden about 2 weeks ago. It completely shocked (and scared) me when I first saw her doing this in the monitor. Now, Lucy prefers to sleep on her stomach and side. So crazy!! This has made tummy time during the day much easier...thank goodness!

Another big change....Lucy is attached to her momma! Girlfriend is so aware now of when I leave the room. Her little eyes will follow me when I'm in the room with her and she'll let out a whine (or cry) when I leave. Yikes! Thankfully, she doesn't cry when I drop her off at Julie's on the days I work. Hopefully, this will stay this way. She LOVES her G and Pops!

Lucy does this funny smile/face now when you smile big at her....she'll close her eyes, wrinkle her nose and smile right back at ya. It's hilarious. She also has a new serious face that she makes a lot. She talks and talks and talks...all. of. the. time. She is also quite nosey...she likes to know what everyone is up to!

She still enjoys her Exersaucer and she loves playing with her toys on her play mat. We're working on play time each day by herself. Typically this will last about 10-15 minutes either in her Exersaucer or on her play mat. Lucy points, reaches and grabs for everything, which typically goes straight into her mouth! She enjoys being outside, in the pool and in the bath tub! This heat is making walks difficult...I'm sure we'll be mall walking a lot more now!

Her hair is filling in more and more. And she is working on cutting her 2 front teeth. Her 2 bottom teeth were so easy...they just kind-of popped up. Not the case for the top 2. Her gums are so swollen, her nose is running like crazy and she has been way more fussy than normal. You can see little white specks under her gums, so surely they will pop soon!

She is wearing 9-18 months clothes...mainly 9-12 month. We're trying to get rid of our size 2 diapers, but size 3 fit her best. An over night diaper is a must at night....sister can tinkle! Her diaper weighs about 10lbs in the morning!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is 8 months old. Wow, time flies!!! We love you so, so much Lucy Kate. You bring us tremendous JOY....we are so blessed! Happy 8 months!!!!