8 Months (and a whole lotta pictures)

She's EIGHT months old today.

TWO-THIRDS of a year.

242 days.

As Reese is down for a nap, I'm going to grab a few minutes to write about what she's up to these days. (And upload a whole heck of a lot of pictures from our photo shoot this morning.)

*Reese weighs 17 lbs. 12.5 oz. She's in the 54th percentile.

*RRW is 26 3/4 inches long.

*Here's a typical schedule (I can already tell I will want to know this kind of thing when the next kid comes along--not that the next kid will be anything like Reese. Who knows.)

7:00 wake/nurse

7:30 breakfast

8:15ish nap

9:30/10 wake/nurse

(on days like today when we aren't getting out--it's yucky out--she takes an extra nap around 11 which pushes back the rest of the day about an hour. however, i'm going to continue writing the typical day schedule.)

12:00 lunch

1:00 nurse/nap

3:30 wake

4:00 nurse

5:30 dinner

6:15 bath/nurse/bed

*Reese is an excellent sleeper. She may play for a few minutes if she's not super sleepy, but she puts herself to sleep SO much better than months ago.

*She even wakes up during some naps, plays, and then goes back to sleep for a while. Miracle, I say! Then when she's up for good, she just plays (90% of the time) until I come get her.

*It also helps that she has FIVE pacifiers in her crib at all times.

*Sweet girl is in LOVE with puffs. I mean, crazy in love. I've tried the regular Gerber kind, the Happy Baby Organic, and Plum Organic, and she does not discriminate. She LOVES them ALL.

*Speaking of eating, she is a fabulous eater. She eats about 3 ounces of fruit/cereal for breakfast, 6 ounces of fruit/vegetables for lunch, and 6-8 ounces of fruit/veggies/cereal for dinner. She would eat more, but I've been advised to cut back by the nurse to help with a recent return of spit-up. She just opens that mouth up and is learning table manners. Baby and toddler table manners, that is.

*Sweet pea is in her big girl convertible carseat as of this past Sunday. We put the old carseat in Wes' car, and it's so nice to have a permanent place for Reese in both cars. I think she feels big in this new one. It's really cute.

*Recent trick: Getting on all fours and then getting back to sitting position. She doesn't have it down pat yet, but she can do it when she really tries.

*Backwards crawling/scooting all over the place.

*I must say that my daughter has grown into an incredibly content, laid back, easy going baby. (Cary, you told me it would happen!) Her recent teething moments have proved otherwise, but when she doesn't have teeth trying to break through her gums, her personality is the greatest ever. She leaned back, propped her feet up on her stroller, and just listened to me eat a two hour lunch with friends last week. Really?!?

*Speaking of teething, I THINK she's getting one. She is still all gums, but she's been a bit fussy lately, and the doc thinks that's probably what's happening. I will say, though, that Wes' grandmother reminded me that Wes didn't get his first until 14 months. We shall see if Reese inherited this trait.

*The way she grins when she catches my eye is magical. She will peer and cock her head to see me if I'm not right with her, and then she just lights up the room when she smiles.

*Reese is one observant little girl. Ask anyone who has spent any time with her.

*Reese gets about a 30 minute independent play time in her crib on most days. She just sits and plays with her toys all by herself without mama in sight. I think/hope this is going to prove really beneficial later on.

Enjoy a day in the life of an 8 month old.