8 Months Old!

Audrey is 8 months old today! Here is a recap of what she's doing now:

• Saying "mama" (as reported last week): I got home from work the other day and was holding her and she just kept saying it - never gets old! Also, just within the past few days she has started saying "dada!"
• She is an expert at sitting up now and doesn't fall over anymore.
• She loves to stand up like a big girl with support, but she's not pulling up yet.
• Hates tummy time! She hates it when I put her on her tummy during play time, but she spends the majority of her time in her crib on her tummy. The other day I was watching her on the video monitor and she got up on her hands and knees and was rocking! Crawling might be around the corner!
• This girl loves her sleep! She is going to bed around 6:30 usually, but never later than 7:00 and sleeps through the night until 7:00 a.m. She is still taking 3 naps usually and they are between 1-2 hours.
• She continues to be somewhat of a picky eater and we've tried a lot of different things! So far the things she prefers are oatmeal with prunes, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, bananas and apples. Everything else we've tried has failed (pineapple, peaches, pears, green beans, broccoli, sweet peas, watermelon). I've also been encouraging her to eat with her hands to no avail. I got her to pick up little banana pieces but she wouldn't put it in her mouth. When I put the piece in her mouth, she looked at me like I was crazy as if to say, "I don't have teeth yet! What's the matter with you?!" and then spit it out.
• Loves to read! She gets really excited to read her books. She has a few favorites right now - Noisy Farm, Peek-a-Baby, Where's Spot, Baby Colors and Goodnight Moon.
• She has a wicked sense of humor already. It's so fun to see her little personality start to shine through. She thinks it hilarious when I pretend to bite her arms and ears. The other day, she was trying to chew on my knees when she was sitting on my lap and I was just cracking up. So now she'll try to do it and give me this sly smile like she's trying to get me to laugh. She also cracks up when daddy raises her above her head or plays peek-a-boo with herself in the mirror. The other day when she tried squash for the first time, she actually liked it. I was so excited that I started saying "Squash!" in a high-pitched voice and she thought it was hilarious. There is nothing better than a baby's laugh - pure joy! (video below!)
• She likes to wave at everyone, including the dogs. Before she goes up to bed, she gives the dogs a goodnight wave - adorable!
• She and the dogs have become pretty good friends. Brody really loves her. He sleeps outside her door during nap time and is constantly trying to lick her. When he is close enough, she'll grab a handful of hair. Luckily he doesn't seem to mind. Oscar's another story. He pretty much ignores her, but she loves to watch him and wave at him. If she gets too close he'll give her a warning growl, so we pretty much keep them apart. I don't think he would ever do anything, but better safe than sorry!
• She is very happy! She is rarely fussy and pretty much smiley all the time - we are VERY lucky! Life is so much more fun with her around!

First Official Word - MAMA!

Audrey has said her first official word and I'm thrilled to report that is was Mama! She has been saying "mamama" for months now, but we knew it was just babble. But just within the past week, you can tell she has made the connection that I'm mama. It actually happened a couple of times within the last week, so I think we can call it official now. The first time, I had just put her down on the floor, and she got a little upset and stretched her arms out to me and said "Mama!" The second time, I had just gotten her out of bed in the morning to feed her and just as we were sitting down in the rocker, she said "mmmmama!" like she was really trying hard to get it out! The third time, (this is the last one I'll report, I promise!) was when I was changing her diaper and she looked right at me and said "mama!" It's so rewarding to finally hear that word! Now we need to work on "Dada!" :-)



This was the pose she was in when she said "Mama" for the first time
( in her Beatles onesie - Strawberry Fields Forever!)

 In other news, my sister and her family have officially moved back into town, so it has been fun hanging out with them. Meredith and Gwendolyn really love Audrey and the feeling is definitely mutual! The other day, we were over at Gaga's (they are actually living there until their house is done in August), and Gwendolyn said "baby" and gave her a big hug - so adorable!



Cuddling with Gaga and Meredith

 Today was an unexpected surprise - I got to stay home with Audrey! Gaga was sick, so I stayed home and worked during nap time. She took four naps, so I was able to get in a good half day's work. It was so nice to just hang out with her all day, just the two of us. Just like old times during my maternity leave! I put her in her swing to see how big she was for it (she doesn't really go in there much anymore, but seemed to like it still). Check out the comparison below from week 3 - she's getting to be a big girl! Scott weighed her the other day on our scale and she was about 17 lbs, up from 14 lbs at her 6 month check up. We go back to the doctor for her 9 month visit in August.


3 weeks old



Almost 8 months old