Juliette: 8 months

I am a little late, but here is Juliette at 8 months old! Just a few weeks and she will have been out in the world for as long as it took to bake her little bun-self to newborn perfection.

She's been up to a lot over the past two months (like taking a 1000 mile road trip with her 'rents for starters!), and I am happy to report that I am feeling more and more comfortable and content in my role as a mama of three. (More on this later, if you're interested.)

She continues to charm her parents and siblings (a lot of our mealtimes are spent with Gracie calling out to explain to us what Juliette just did, even though we were all--even her brother--watching her antics anyway because we are in love) and parents, our friends, strangers in grocery stores, etc.

Anyway, at 8 months our Juliette...

Still seems to love sleep as much as her mama and big sister. She typically retires for the evening around 6:30 or 7pm and is awake between 7 and 7:30 in the morning. One of my favorite things right now is Charlie's self-appointed role as her lullaby singer at night. I lay her in her crib and he climbs into the armchair beside it to sing her songs he makes up about our "babe." She tips her head back so she can see him and just smiles at him until he is done.

When not disrupted by an outing or church (she no longer finds it appropriate to sleep in public), she likes to take a little nap in the morning (9ish) and another one in the early afternoon (12:30/1ish), and her third nap is kind of in flux right now. Some days she needs it, some days she just lays in her crib and gurgles to herself.

She often sneezes when she's half asleep. I have never seen anything like it. When I go in to check on her before I go to bed she usually stirs a little, then sneezes but doesn't wake up. It happens at naptime, too. (And, like her mama, she sneezes when we go out into the sunlight.) So I guess she has very clean lungs. :) Also, her sneeze is precious.

She usually fusses when I lay her down, but is over it about three seconds after I close her bedroom door. If she is tired and ready for sleep she rolls right over onto her tummy and plugs her tiny left thumb into her mouth before I've even crossed the room. And she flips right over onto her back when I come to get her up, legs kicking and ready to be picked up and loved. Her pick-me-up smile lights up her face, so I usually have to pick her up right away or I melt into a puddle.

Eats all kinds of things! It has been fun to let her try new foods--especially because the sibs are so fascinated with and excited by her ever-changing eating habits. We've gone through a lot of different baby foods (big kids call it "baby mush") including peaches, pears, apples, bananas, butternut squash, carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and pears. For the most part I make her food, but she has had some Gerber stuff, too. We are trying to chunk her up a little, so I usually mix baby oatmeal in with her mush. Her mealtimes are also more in accordance with ours and she can sit up better, so she joins us for most meals in her high chair, which is adorable.

She's also just recently entered the world of solid-solid foods, and has tried some banana, avocado, mum-mums, and some knock-off Cheerios. (As well as some contraband on our roadtrip, like a good portion of a slice of wedding cake.) The sippy cup finally dispenses water to her, too, though she has yet to figure out how to get any of these things (save the mum-mums) into her mouth on her own. She gets a nice fistful but can't get anything out. (Or sometimes forgets what she's holding in there.) And I still nurse her four times a day: 7ish, 11ish, 2 or 3 or 4ish depending on nap, and then before she goes to bed around 6.

We are way too amused by watching her eat/feeding her/holding her sippy cup in her mouth for her/etc.

Wears 6 month sized clothes still, but is slowly moving toward 9 months. She's petite, so we are feeding her a lot to see if she would like to have a growth spurt.

Dislikes... not much right now. She still feels sad about being put down for naps. But other than that and being hungry, there isn't much she protests powerfully about. If she is overtired she likes being held on our laps with her head upside down. I don't know why, but that really chills her out. Her moment of zen.

Likes rolling around to chew on things (she especially loves to pull all the clean diapers out of their basket and wave them around after I've changed her). She has gotten very good at rolling and can travel far and quickly with ease. She's also got the push-up down, and has started scooting backwards just the teensiest bit. I like that she is in no rush; I feel like she is really enjoying each new thing she learns.

She's also just mastered sitting without support, so now I can plop her down beside a toy and she won't tip over! The only down side is that she doesn't know how to lay back down, so she sometimes gets a little put out that she is stuck in sitting position. :)

Juliette loves to pull hair, chew on necklaces or neckties or board books or car keys, make raspberries (she does this, loudly, in her carseat while we drive anywhere) especially if someone else makes them at her, too, and eat. She's getting great at interacting and will even kick her legs if we sing-song Charlie's "kicky legs" thing or chant "kick those legs!" at her. It's obviously super cute so we do it a lot.

Her chats have kicked into high gear, and we are now treated to her baby sounds all day long. It makes us so happy to hear her little voice. She squeals, gurgles, and babbles to herself or to us (or to impressive toys) and can say the "Ba," "Ma," and "Da," sounds, though she is really mostly into saying "Da da da da da!" right now.

She's a sweet, curious little bun. She is a little hesitant when we introduce her to new people, but she's willing to be held and if she's not too worn out she's keen to flash a baby grin at her admirers. She is very even-tempered and easy-going and loves to snuggle. I love when she is in my arms or Steve's and catches sight of the other parent, grins, bounces, and tips her whole little body toward one of us to be retrieved.