Dear Kate,

It was exactly 8 months ago that our lives changed forever in the best way possible: you arrived on the scene! You've transformed from helpless infant to busy, squirmy baby over the months, and we're always excited to see what you'll do next. Here's what you've been up to over the past month...

* You want so badly to be on the move! You can kind of scoot backwards and roll to your desired destinations, but you're not crawling yet. You get so frustrated! Also, you don't like to be laid down flat because you can't get to a sitting position on your own. We'll have to work on those sit ups!

* All you want to do is stand. As we play on the floor, you like to reach over for my hands to pull up with. We give you minimal support, and you're still quite wobbly. We finally got you one of those Leap Frog tables so you have something to entertain you as you practice using your legs.

* We've recently been trying to wean you from your Miracle Blanket swaddling. It's about time! You're doing okay at night, but sometimes you roll to your tummy (which you don't like one bit), and you're too groggy to get yourself turned back over. You like laying on your side the best. No swaddling has been really hard at naptimes, though. It takes you much longer to settle down and finally fall asleep even though you're tired. It's funny to watch your contortions on the baby monitor. Sometimes I cave in and swaddle you so you can get on with your nap and we can get on with our day!

* You still use your paci to sleep. We don't use it real often during the day, but it's always close by, just in case.

* Blowing raspberries is one of your favorite pasttimes. It's funny to hear you go on and on in the car; it makes me giggle! You'll also "respond" to Daddy with raspberries. He'll blow one at you, and you'll echo. You'll do it for him every time! So sweet.

* We've been going on lots of playdates. We're active in the Lens Baby meetup group, and I love taking your picture. You're just such a cute subject! Also, we have joined a new Bible study group, and we've done a couple of playgroups with them, too. There are lots of babies just around your age.

* We left you for the first time overnight with Gram and Granddaddy while Daddy and I went on a vacation. It was so hard to leave you, even though I knew you'd be just fine. And you were!

I love to see your sweet, smiling face greet me every morning. You're our happy girl who's (usually) easy to please. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for you, little chickadee!

Love you lots,

Mama and Daddy

Clothes: 6-12 month sizes, 12 month PJs
Weight: 20ish pounds
Length: 28ish inches
Diaper size: 3
Sleep: 7:30 pm - 7 am (We sometimes come help you flip back over once in the night.)

Naps: 9 am - 10/10:30 am, 1-2:30, and sometimes a catnap from 5pm - 6 pm. I'm trying to reschedule, but it's not an easy task! A short morning nap and a long afternoon nap sounds good, but we'll see what you can do.
Food: 4 bottles per day, totaling anywhere from 20 to 30 ounces. (Sometimes you're hungry, sometimes you're not.) You also get two stage 2 baby foods per day. You get a great variety, and you like almost everything. You don't like thick textures; they make you gag. We'll keep trying!

This month's elephant pic:

Compared to months 3 through 7: