8 Months

8 Months.....Seriously? How did my sweet little Natalee get so big so fast?!

When we took her to the doctor last week she weighed 20 lbs. and some odd ounces (with her clothes on) so I'd say she's right at 20 lbs. or maybe a little less.

Things to remember-

*Wearing size 3 diapers.
*Wearing 6-9 month clothes.
*Army crawling/scootin' all around. She crawls on her arms and pushes off with her back leg. As soon as she gets onto the tile she starts licking it. Then she goes straight for the door stoppers and plays with those.
*Loves to dance. She rocks back and forth when I say "Go Natalee, Go Natalee." So adorable.
*Got her 1st tooth!

*Got her 1st cold :( And her 1st ear infection. I'm so glad she is feeling better now. Even though she was sick (and a little whiny) she still slept so good and was a little trooper taking her medicine.
*She is talking all the time. Just today she kept saying baba when she was holding her bottle. We haven't heard a clear Mama or Dada yet.
*Loves to scream and make all sorts of noise and sounds. Recently started smacking her lips like a kiss.
*She's had all of the basic baby food (stage 1) and most of Gerber stage 2, plus she eats a lot of table food. Usually she'll eat fruit and either rice cereal or oatmeal after her morning nap and then in the afternoon/evening she eats a vegetable. She seems to really like everything except for the apricot with mixed fruit.
*I haven't had to make her any food because I got 100 Gerber containers for free with coupons. I did blend some chicken in with her sweet potatoes the other day.

*Still nursing. A total miracle. With all the problems I had starting out, it amazes me to think she is still getting some breast milk. I wish she was able to exclusively breastfeed but anything is better than nothing. I nurse her when she first wakes up and again before bed. Sometimes once during the day.
*She's drinking 6 oz. bottles between nursing and eating solids.
*Sleeps around 11 hours each night. I try to put her down around 8pm every night because no matter what time she goes down, she seems to always wake up between 7-7:30am.
*She takes 2 naps a day. Her morning nap is usually the shorter one and is around 1 hour. Her 2nd nap is usually 2 hours or longer.
*She hasn't been real cuddly lately. When she is tired she wants to be put in her crib, music turned on, with her binkie and bear bear and covered with a light blanket. Then she goes right to sleep.
*I think she's gonna have hazel eyes.

*And it's official...SHE LOOKS LIKE HER DADDY! We've now had complete strangers tell us that. Neither Josh or I see it, but she's a little cutie.
*Her hair is getting a little thicker and longer. Seems to be the same color as Haylee.
*She is still a laid back baby, but now that she knows how to crawl, she likes to play on the floor with her toys and explore all around.
*Loves to pull hair. It's her only defense.
*Ticklish. Belly laughs hysterically when you tickle her chest and belly.*Went to Sedona at the beginning of December. We went to the deer farm, the trout farm and enjoyed some time at the park. Natalee is a wonderful little traveler now :)
*Loved Christmas time. Went looking at lights, ate frosting off the gingerbread house, sat on Santa's lap and ate paper from Christmas presents. She got a lot of awesome toys and a couple of cute outfits as well. She didn't seem too interested in the toys she opened (maybe she was overwhelmed) but loved to try to eat the paper.

Oh Natalee, I just love you so much. You always make me laugh. I love when you shake your head back and forth, and I love your laugh. I love when your face lights up and you smile every time I sing one of the funny songs I made up. I love every little thing about you. I am so thankful to be your Mommy.