Elsa is Eight Months

Elsa turns eight months old today -- two-thirds of the way through her first year! Can you believe it? In some ways it definitely has felt like the full eight months, but in others it has not. I am currently watching our friends' three-plus-month-old, Olivia, a couple of times a week, and every time she is here and I have she and Elsa side by side, I am always amazed at the difference a mere four-and-a-half months can make (you can see photos of the two of them below). And I can't believe Elsa has grown as much as she has over that amount of time.

I neglected posting when Elsa turned seven months. I guess April was just a busy month -- that and her seven-month doctor's appointment was very uneventful. So uneventful, actually, that she was not even weighed and measured. She basically just got a shot and a good once-over and that was it. She doesn't see the doctor again until nine months, so I'm sure there will be things to report then!

So what is she doing these days? She has finally come around to almost enjoying car rides, which is so very lovely in the eyes (and ears!) of her parents. She is sitting up really well now, only toppling over occasionally, and when she is sitting up, she is nearly doubling over in half forward and reaching for toys. Sometimes she even starts folding those legs up under herself, so perhaps crawling is on the horizon. She rolls over with much more ease now -- especially from her tummy to her back. She won't stay on her tummy for very long at all anymore (not that she ever really wanted to anyway). She loves walks in the stroller and either swinging in the baby swing at the park or swinging in the big swing while attached to me. Elsa is also definitely in love with her dog. She laughs at him when he runs around or obeys commands, and the best is when she tries to talk to him and gets aggravated, clenching her fists and voicing her annoyance, when he doesn't do whatever it is she is telling him. She loves her Johnny Jump-Up, but is starting to grow out of the Exersaucer and the playmat. The bouncer is history.

As for food, she had her first finger food (aside from the teething biscuits I started giving her last week) two days ago -- tiny pieces of mango. They are a bit too slippery for her to pick up, so I need to try the trick of crushing up some "O"-type cereal and coating them in it so they are easier to grasp. I am sure it will also become easier when she has better command over the pincher grasp. She's still working on it. Her favorite food is definitely still sweet potatoes -- the girl is bound to turn orange sometime soon. Pureed chicken is now at the bottom of the list. I think I am going to try beans sometime soon as another protein source. She is still nursing quite a lot, which is really still her main source of nutrition at this point, but introducing all the new foods is definitely fun. She is also starting to take to her sippy cup, but usually likes to gnaw on the spout rather than suck on it.

Jarrett and I are both really enjoying this age. She is such the happy baby these days (most of the time) and is a lot of fun to be around -- a definite change from the early days. And she is just as cute as she was on day one -- no, maybe more so. I am really enjoying watching her grow, and am anxious to see what she accomplishes next, but then sometimes I watch her sleep in her crib or hold her closely after she's fallen asleep in my arms and try to soak it all in the best I can, not wanting her ever to grow up.