Eli + Maddie :: 8 Months

Forgive baby girl's expression...she has decided that cameras require intense scrutiny :)

Eli & Maddie, 

Your first year is flying by, and every new month brings a host of fun memories! You both have definitely entered the squirmy stage; seriously, neither of you can sit still for second! I'll just say that we're not exactly operating at maximum efficiency, since everything takes 5x as long to do...but you just have so much to explore, and you want to do it all at once. You are sitting up more on your own and are semi-mobile, so it creates new challenges for keeping you safe. Neither of you are officially crawling yet, but we're getting close! There's a lot of rolling, scooting, and reaching going on...oh, and the rocking on all fours with the baby tushes in the air is pretty darn cute :)  You have started playing with each other a little more, and watching you try to get each other's attention and then giggle together makes the hardest of days 100% worth it. My sweet loves, we love you so much, and you have brought us SO much joy that sometimes we can hardly stand it.

Love,

Mama

E L I J A H      W I N N

Stats :: 19 pounds

Loves :: your stuffed lion, being tickled, sucking on your toes

Dislikes :: having your nose wiped, sitting still

Eat :: you are eating 6 to 6.5 ounces five times a day. thankfully, your eating is back up and hasn't seemed to wane with your recent cold. we continued with our favorite fruits and veggies, but added in another meal of solids, so you are now eating solids at breakfast and dinner. on a side note, you have started burping quite a bit on your own, which is one less step for mama!

Sleep :: you're still sleeping consistently through the night, but naps are still all over the place. sometimes you nap really well, and other times, you decide naps are not for you that day. which is actually kind of hard, because you can't seem to stay awake and happy for long stretches of time. so hopefully you get back into a good nap groove soon.

Play/Development :: you are constantly exploring your little world! you are reaching for everything, and moving toward the things you want. you are doing a lot better with sitting up on your own, though you still tend to topple over if I'm not close. you aren't crawling yet, but you definitely have tried more of the forward momentum attempts; you have even managed to move backward a few times...? you are still growling all the time, and are starting to "voice" your opinions more often.

Unique to You :: sweet boy, I am convinced you are going to be our go-with-the-flow kiddo. you seem pretty content most of the time. but that laid back attitude still comes with tons of energy; you still bounce NON-STOP. you have started leaning in more for actual hugs and cuddles, and it's the absolute sweetest thing. you have started growing more hair {yay!}, and you have these random long hairs that are the makings of a fantastic comb-over :) 

M A D E L I N E      G R A C E

Stats :: 22 pounds

Loves :: your stuffed monkey, your carseat toy butterfly, back scratches

Dislikes :: having your hair brushed, sharing

Eat :: you are eating 6.5 to 7 ounces five times a day, and you didn't seem to skip a beat with your recent cold. we continued with our favorite fruits and veggies, but added in another meal of solids, so you are now eating solids at breakfast and dinner. your little pincer grasp is quickly developing, and you really enjoy feeding yourself.

Sleep :: you're still sleeping consistently through the night, though you have started waking up super early. you will just talk and play in your crib until it's time to get up for the day, so that's good...we just need to work on doing that quietly, so you don't wake your brother :)  naps are still all over the place. sometimes you nap really well, and other times, you decide naps are not for you that day. which is actually kind of hard, because you can't seem to stay awake and happy for long stretches of time. so hopefully you get back into a good nap groove soon. I have noticed that for that last nap of the day, you tend to want to be put in your crib for some quiet time. you don't actually sleep, but you seem to do better with some peace and quiet, rather than staying up to play until bedtime. I totally get it, baby girl.

Play/Development :: you are constantly exploring your little world! you are reaching for everything, and moving toward the things you want. you are completely sitting up on your own now, often sitting all by yourself all during play time. you haven't quite figured out how to get yourself into a seated position, but one step at a time :)  you aren't crawling yet, but you definitely are doing a lot of rocking back and forth. you are still working on grabbing food, but your pincer grasp is really coming along quickly. you are experimenting with the full range of your vocal chords {read: screaming}, and you are constantly blowing raspberries, growling, making some sort of noise.

Unique to You :: baby girl, you are obsessed with textures, particularly the varying textures of mama's pants, rubbing the varying fabrics for a long time. you have also started getting tickled pretty easily on your own; a lot of times you just start giggling in the back seat and just have a grand old time just laughing and babbling to yourself. you absolutely LOVE your daddy! seriously, you can be a toot all day long, but the minute he walks in the door, you are magically better. to say that you are a daddy's girl is an understatement. your little personality is passionate; you wear your little heart on your sleeve. you will be my patience builder, as you seem to express your emotions, well, expressively :)