Aveline is Eight Months

Aveline turned eight months old last Wednesday, making her two-thirds through her first year. I think I was already considering beginning the planning of a first birthday party at this point with Elsa. I just do not seem to have that much time on my hands these days. Our house is still on the market, meaning lots of inconvenient showings (although a well-planned move to North Carolina has now turned into a decision to stay in the area and move back to our old neighborhood). We are hoping to launch our new business July 1 (how can choosing Pantone colors and finding decent clothing labels prove to be so time consuming?). Our best friends are about to move away (but to an oh-so-beautiful place). And then there is just everyday life. It can be stressful some times (or maybe a lot of times), but we plug on and relish in the moments. Moments like these.

Avie continues to be such the charmer. Whenever I am out with her, she flashes smiles to anyone who will make the slightest bit of eye contact. And this usually turns into a little conversation between her and said person. "What a happy baby!" "Wow -- she is a smiler!" "She seems so good natured." I hear these comments over and over again. And they are all so true. Even on days when she does not get a decent nap because of house showings or just general running around, she is still happy (for the most part). We certainly cannot complain.

And, if you cannot tell by her roly-polyness, she is an eater. Her new favorites seem to be the squeezee baby food combinations that include meat (chicken, beef, or turkey). She'll down a four-ounce package in no time for dinner. And then we move on to another fruit or vegetable combo. She is also starting to be spoiled at Elsa's playgroup. "Grandma" now always has a bowl of the children's homemade applesauce waiting there for Avie every Thursday afternoon. Avie is still nursing, and still gives or takes those nursing sessions I thought she might be trying to drop last month as she sees fit.

Her sleep continues to be good. She is a breeze to put down for naps and nighttime alike, and she is still sleeping around one-and-a-half to two hours per nap (if able to nap in the crib) and around ten or eleven hours at night, still usually with one waking to nurse, usually between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. I feel that feeding creep (very slowly) closer and closer to morning, so one of these days I should be able to say she is truly sleeping through the night. It happens even now occasionally, but it is not consistent, for sure.

Avie is sitting up really well now. I still put the Boppy or other pillows behind her for the still occasional topple backward, but those are fewer and farther between. She bends forward to great extent in order to reach toys, etc., and she does a little rocking onto her knees, but I think it will still be a little while before crawling begins. She has started saying "Da, da, da" and "Ma, ma, ma," much to my and Jarrett's delight. In fact, she was getting pretty upset in the car about the last hour or so on the way back home from the beach. It went something like: [cry]... "Da, da, da, da"... [cry]... "Ma, ma, ma, ma... [cry]." She often waves to people. And she has also started clapping just in the last week-and-a-half or so. So fun!

There was no doctor appointment scheduled for this month, so we wait until next month for all of the measurements. But let's just say she feels heavier and heavier to this tired mama as the days go on. Could be because I am tired or could be because she is gaining a decent amount of weight. I guess we will soon find out!

Happy eight months, little girl!