Happy 8 mo!

Happy 8 mo, Collins! 

C is truly the happiest baby! Once we got over the colic hurdle in the beginning, she has truly been a happy and easy baby. She's really only upset when hungry, sleepy, or bored.

New this month:

Pincer grasp- the pincer grasp is in full force this month. It's opening up doors with food and we've started introducing more finger foods. I exposed her to  puffs and yogurt melts last month, but this month she can grasp them and eat them all by herself. I've also started cutting up soft foods and placing them on her tray. We started with the carrots, celery, and chicken from homemade chicken noodle soup and already moved to spaghetti (we put her sauce over ditali noodles), grilled chicken and soft fruits/veggies. The wet foods were harder for her to pick up, but she didn't give up! It took her a while, but she managed to get most of it in her mouth 😃 so proud! We currently give her a good balance of purees and finger foods. 

Speaking of food, C is continuing to do great! She hasn't refused any food this month, and we've been introducing new foods and combinations left and right! In fact, I was giving her mashed Lima beans early this month when out of nowhere she just stuck her hand in the bowl and began feeding herself. I guess I was moving too slow. I laughed and decided to let her have at it. I put the bowl down in front of her and she didn't miss a beat. Yet another reason I decided the introduction of more finger foods might be good. 

We've moved from puffs to Cheerios! 

Attended her first story time at the library....finally! She loved it and we've continued to go.

She is quite the "talker" and we've had fun listening to what she's got to say. She is definitely outspoken and likes her voice to be heard. Lots of mama's and dada's, although not directed towards us yet.

She's beginning to pull her knees to her chest while on her tummy. She spins and can push herself backwards. She will go from sitting to laying on her tummy with ease. I'm completely fine with her not being mobile for a while longer. We're really working with H to control the number of small objects left around. I fear for little C crawling around 😁  I've got a video, and will try to upload.

Play dates continue to be fun and a great way for her to socialize!

Loves: cuddling, being held, talked to, eating, going on stroller rides, "texture balls," anything that crinkles, baths, paci, being outside, other babies and big kids. She also loves pulling toys out of buckets, bags, containers, etc. It's like a fun game to her!

C is beginning to have a preference for me. This is especially true if she's hungry! I've been handing her off and walking away to see if it helps. She can be distracted, but if she sees me (even a glimpse) she starts up again. 

C is still all gums! No teeth yet! But lots of drooling and gnawing. 

A typical schedule for us these days:

7am wake up and nurse

8:30am solids

9:15am nap, unless it's a school day and then it's pushed to 10

11am nurse

12:30pm solids

1:00pm nap

3:00pm nurse

5pm solids

7pm nurse and then immediately put down to bed

We've been working on transitioning to a cup. I finally found one that she'll use by herself. She definitely has preference, so it will be interesting working through this and weaning. I plan on dropping one more nursing session at 9 mo 😢. That will put us on schedule to be at just a morning and evening feeding at a year. 

C got to spend more time with her Mimi and Smooth this month. They spent a long weekend with us and c got some great cuddles and talks in with them!

We also celebrated C's first Easter! 

First Easter Egg hunt and visit with the bunny. Clearly, she was excited about the bunny...she slept right through it!

C adores H! In their Easter best before church.

Best attempt at a family photo!

Happy 7 mo

I'm late with this post. The 7th month has been a whirlwind! I've barely had time to catch my breath this month. Whew! 

New this month: 

*C's developing the pincer grasp. It's very weak and uncoordinated, but it's there!

*Solids are really taking off, she's open to trying anything I put to her mouth and hasn't refused anything (yet!) once it's made its way in! 

*We may be on our last week's with the swing. Missy miss has decided sitting up is better than leaning back. Disclaimer...she was strapped in.

*C celebrated her first Valentine's Day!

*Tummy time is still tough for C. We really have to work to keep her happy on her belly. She'd much rather sit or be on her back. This month, I read an article by an OT on using muffin tins filled with objects to keep tummy time interesting and fun. It really worked for C!  It kept her busy and happy for much longer than I can normally do. 

*C loves to pull things out of boxes and bags. A bag filled with toys will keep her busy until she pulls everything out. 

*Loves to say mamamama.... She doesn't associate it with me yet, but it sure is fun to hear her say.

*Month 7 brought a lot of snow and ice. Yikes! C didn't really know what to think about it. We kept her bundled and she enjoyed watching H and Daisy play.

*She still loves baths and loves sucking her toes! I don't keep socks or shoes on those feet very often. Most of the time, she pulls them off and they go straight in her mouth.

*We tried teething biscuits this month. C loved them and it's a great first step in self feeding.

*C loves banging and making noises

*She is also beginning to take an interest in the little people toys. Yay!

*Last, but not least, she made her first trip to The Waffle House!! I can't wait until she can actually eat the food. 

C is still toothless. She drools a lot and is chewing on everything. I have a feeling we'll see something in the next month or so.