8 Months: State of the Baby

Little G is eight months old today. It's a little bit weird to think that a year ago, we were four months away from becoming parents. It seemed like an eternity to wait. Likewise, eight months ago seems like ages. Time is funny that way.

So where are we now? I figured now was as good a time as any to summarize some non-height-and-weight-related milestones, facts and ephemera, if for no other reason than so I can look back and remember how eight months felt.

Favorites

Favorite toy: Not much question here. Space bee takes it in a walk. She could be surrounded by blocks, LEGOs, stuffed caterpillar, turtle, ball, whatever; and she'll grab that bee egg every time.

Hollie got the egg from work before Easter, and LG just loves the darn thing. Space bee got its name back on this post, because everything was about space that day.

Mr. Potato Head or various Gladware containers are just about the only thing that qualifies as a runner-up in this category, but they still don't hold a candle to space bee.

Favorite book: I consider this a two-way tie for first place. There are two books that she'll almost always quiet down and sit through. The first is Goodnight Moon, which, despite its general creepiness, is just fine. I'm not sure when it started, but even with all the other books we have, Goodnight Moon is almost always the last book we read before bed.

The other book is something we picked up for a buck or two in a bookstore at the Philadelphia Outlets. It's called One Nighttime Sea, and it counts up from one to ten, and back down again, with sea creatures. It has some really neat illustrations, even if a few of them (I'm looking at you, dragonfish and zebra morays) are a bit scary.

Favorite food: I hesitate to even include this, because you can't even pick a favorite out of the crowd here. She loves just about everything we've given her. If anything is surprising, it's just how much she loves spinach. I sauteed it in almost no oil, with a few tiny pieces of minced garlic and water from the garlic jar, and she just scarfs it down. But then, she also does that with mango, chicken, beef, green beans, peas, carrots, yams, squash, parsnip... the list goes on.

Behaviors

Speaking of food, she's recently started picking food up and feeding herself. We started giving her tiny pieces of pita a few weeks ago, and yesterday she was grabbing pieces off her tray and shoving them in her mouth. Her coordination isn't all there yet, but she's getting there. I tried it with cut-up banana this morning, but I neglected to consider just how hard it is to pick up slippery bits of fruit. I've been feeding myself for 30-plus years, and I was having a hard time.

She's been sitting like a champ for a month or so now, even though she still attempts to stand initially when you try to bring her to a seated position from laying down. She barely ever falls over, unless she's really tired.

And rolling? Yeah, she can roll. No more leaving her alone on the bed. Walk away when she's sitting in the living room, and you're liable to return and find her halfway under the couch. And the changing table? You'd never believe a baby could rotate along the Y-axis, but when she's in the mood, she starts spinning like a particularly willful grill spit.

While LG isn't exactly crawling, she certainly gives it her best shot. She's been pushing herself up on her hands and knees for a week or two, but she can't quite seem to move forward.

Backward though? She's got that down. Although that can cause a bit of trouble when you can't see where you're going. For instance, you might accidentally back into a doorway, and not be able to move any farther. Babyproofing, I fear you are going to need to happen sooner rather than later.

As for language, she definitely recognizes her name, and she'll turn her head when you call for her. We're starting to think she understands the words "mommy" and "daddy," although she doesn't say them yet. If you ask where mommy is, she'll turn to look for her. Just don't do that when mommy isn't around; that's just mean.

Her vocabulary of sounds is getting broader, and as soon as she's ready to identify "mama," she'll have the sounds, since "mamamamamama" is her default noise. But she also does "babababa," various vowel sounds, popping noises with her lips, in addition to the ever-popular raspberry.

All in all, she's a pretty amazing kid to watch. She learns something new nearly every day, even if that thing is, "Hey, dandelions are pretty tasty!"