julie + tyler: 8 months!

I realize it's been months since the last "monthly update" and I apologize. Just when it seems there is time for an update and pictures another month sneaks up on me! And holy cow she is 8 months old!

Stats: Reese is about 21 pounds, and boy do my arms feel it! She's got the most delicious chunky thighs, belly, arms, cheeks (and even knees too!) Her feet are still very small, when she does wear shoes they are 3-6 month size, sometimes smaller! She is growing taller but it's hard to get her still enough to get an accurate height. I think she'll eventually be on the taller side!

Teeth: Last month her two top teeth popped through and they are still making their way down. This brings her total tooth count to 4! I think there are a few more top ones waiting to pop in the next couple weeks though!

Feeding: Reese is definitely a "foodie" and will eat just about anything put in front of her. She still loves a good "baba" and has between 5-7 oz of milk every 3 hours, but she can't get enough "real" food. She loves purees, (applesauce, apricots, pears, mangoes, squash, carrots), will always sit in the highchair for some fruit "puffs" and has even tried multiple things straight from our plates (noodles, avocado, turkey, raisins, toast, eggs, yogurt, etc). Her favorite still seems to be banana though. She will devour almost a whole banana in one sitting if you let her, and her favorite way to eat them is in the little food nets, where she can just suck them down, and make a very large mess! I've started bringing "snacks" with us on outings and she's getting better at behaving at restaurants.

Sleeping: Some days it seems we have made some progress in the sleep department and just when we get used to one thing it quickly changes! Such is life with children I suppose. Lately Reese has been napping twice a day for anywhere between 30 min to 2 hours. She still goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 but her new wake up time is about 6:30 (groan) with a feeding between 2am and 4am. Most nights she'll wake up around midnight but sometimes will put herself back to sleep! I think our bodies have adjusted to the lack of sleep, because it just feels normal now. I do love to sleep in any chance I get though! (Thanks, T!)

Talking: There haven't been too many new "words" added to Reese's vocabulary lately but she is very vocal! She has been experimenting with pitch and volume and you can definitely tell her emotions through her noises. We still hear "dada" the most with variations of ahhs, baahs, grunts, and giggles. Baby giggles are truly the best!

Activity: This category has probably seen the most change in the last few months! Reese is constantly moving! Although she is still not crawling she gets around a room pretty easily by scooting or rolling. I can just tell that crawling is right around the corner, she does the crawling position great, just hasn't moved her feet and hands together yet! Reese just learned clapping a few weeks ago and it has quickly become her favorite thing to do! She gets so proud of herself and giggles joyously when she claps! She is also just starting to wave, its adorable to see her little brain working and then her hand start moving! She's obviously a genius! (hehe) She has started a shy phase and will play coy with people when she first sees them, burying her head into mama or dada's shoulder, or cocking her head to the side in a shy manner. She still loves tickles, playing peek-a-boo and "mama's gonna get you" and will spend hours emptying her toy box. She is at a very fun stage and seems to get a little more confident with her actions daily. She loves crawling up on you and pulling up on things too!

I can't believe my little baby is already 8 months old! Time to start planning a first Birthday party soon! Here are some pictures of our little monster!

{At the park with Mom, Dad, and the dogs}