8 Months!

Charlotte is a busy, busy girl!  She is wiggly and always wants to be on the floor exploring.  Every day she is getting more mobile, which means we don't have much time to get the house baby-proofed!  Unfortunately she spent much of the first half of February sick.  She had a cold she just couldn't get rid of and ended up with a fever of 104 degrees and a night in Children's E.R.  Thankfully after a course of antibiotics everything cleared up and she was back to her happy self!

*Height and weight - not sure, didn't go to the doctor this month (for a regular check-up that is!)

*Diaper size - size 3!  I don't know what we will do when she moves up from a size 3 ... that's the highest size they make Pampers Swaddlers in and those are my absolute favorite!  I had thought when we moved her up to the bigger size we would solve our blow-out problem, but no such luck.  Reproducibly every morning, Charlotte has an outfit-destroying poop.  I don't think we have picked her up from daycare a single day in the past 2 months without a dirty outfit in a plastic bag!

*Clothing size - She still fits a few 6 month outfits, but she is mostly wearing 6-9 months and 9 months. 

*Eats - Charlotte is doing great in the eating department.  She eats at least two solid meals a day (usually lunch and dinner).  She loves green vegetables ... spinach, peas, and green beans mixed with a starch (rice or potatoes).  I plan to start making some homemade baby food (maybe in May when I am on a light month - geriatrics!), but for now we are using Earth's Best organic canned food.  She doesn't seem to like the turkey or chicken dinners or tomatoes.  Her new discovery this month is HAPPYBABY organic puffs ... these are a lifesaver at restaurants!  She will sit in her highchair and let us feed her puffs one at a time while we eat our meal.  

*Sleep

This picture says it all ... Charlotte is sleeping in her crib!  About one week before she turned 8 months old (which was on March 3rd), she slept in her crib and we haven't looked back.  Bedtime is between 7 and 7:30 and she gets up for the day around 8 AM on non-daycare days.  She spends most of the night on her stomach.  Usually she wakes up at least once at night to eat (sometimes around midnight, other times at 4 AM - which is the worst because it means we are basically up for the day), but we have had a few nights of uninterrupted sleep.  Naps are starting to improve - usually one good nap per day with a few shorter ones.  

*Likes - taking walks, baths, wires and cords (she scoots right for these and loves to shake them), playing on the floor with toys, Brutus's bones

*Dislikes - she has developed a hatred for being put in her carseat - she arches her back, screams, and makes it very difficult for us to strap her in; having her nose or face wiped

*What else Charlotte has been up to:

Charlotte's big motor milestone of the month was learning to push herself from lying on her stomach to a sitting position and vice versa.  This allows her to be fairly mobile and scoot all over the place.  As of March 3rd she wasn't crawling, but could definitely get where she wanted to go.  Her pincer grasp is also getting more refined - allowing her to eat puffs with ease!  She continues to babble frequently using mainly B's and D's (so we have heard "dada" but no "mama" yet!)  

These videos are just iphone quality - but they capture the moment

Hanging out on the front porch

First time in a baby swing ... at Homewood Park

Giants Super Bowl Win 
Charlotte has been a sporting good luck charm since her birth, cheering the Cardinals, Giants, and Crimson Tide on to championships!

Happy 8 Months Charlotte!!