I can't believe I have an 8 month old baby! She does so many things now that make me think "kid" when I see her do them! Things like reaching out to hold my hand intentionally, or gently patting me, or getting mad when I set her down so that I can go to the bathroom or do something else necessary. She also, with help, will "gently" pet the cat. Which then turns into her grabbing a fist full of hair before I can rescue poor Dahlia from her grasp!
Her Development
Things are starting to get very active in this household! And I know it is only the tip of the iceberg, that's the funny part. So when people say "Just you wait." trust me I am aware. I really love watching her crawl around and explore, to be able to get to her toys easily and to show me what she is interested in. I love that she can crawl right to me when she wants to and stand up. She is obsessed with standing at the moment so I know little steps will soon follow!
The teeth have arrived! This past month her bottom front two teeth finally poked through! At this same time, she started to actually try to chew her food. We had been offering her food just here and there because she didn't really seem interested or ready. She would just suck the food into her mouth. But with the appearance of the teeth came a new chewing action that told me we should try more foods more often. Egg yolk, sweet potato, avocado, cantaloupe and hummus were all a success. I am not really giving her dairy yet, or wheat, but I did give her a single bite of greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, and a homemade whole wheat cracker. She shivered at the cheese (sharp cheddar!) and was not sure about the yogurt but loved the cracker.
Sleep happened. Actual sleep. For the first time EVER in 8 months, she slept through the night with only ONE wake-up. It didn't last long (only 2 days of that, then another 3 days of only 2 wake-ups), but oh was it ever glorious! I felt like a whole new person. Now we are back to fairly difficult sleeping but I will forever cherish those few days we had of good sleep. HAHA.
Parenting Style
I have been working on getting her onto a schedule. I resisted in the past because I wanted to go fully by her cues. But then I wondered if I was doing us both an injustice because A.) structure is nice, comforting and predictable and B.) unstructured days were more stressful for me and nothing got done. We haven't been doing the schedule for that long so I know she hasn't caught on to the routine to know what comes next yet but I can honestly say it already seems to be helping. It's funny how our parenting philosopies change as we put things into practice.
I have been reading about Montessori education. I want to start incorporating some of those learning techniques and activities into her daily playtime. It actually isn't too early to start. So much learning happens in the first year! It is not the learning of flash cards, teaching baby to read sight words, or any of that. This is stuff like sensory activities focused around sound, textures, taste, size, weight, etc. to encourage them to learn about their environment and how they experience it. It feels right.
Honesty Time
I love having an older baby. I don't think I'm a "newborn person". Those days were so hard and such a blur. I didn't "cherish every moment" and in hindsight I still don't! That in no way means I am not grateful for her, it just means, it was hard and it sucked and it's better now. Let's be honest! And every baby is different so maybe some newborns are snuggly and easy. But as Luna gets older, I love her more but I also like her more each day! I imagine we will be best friends when she is all grown up - just like my mom and I!
