SLOANE AT 8 MONTHS (OH MY SHE IS GETTING SO BIG!)

Once she learned that she could move across the floor on her hands and knees, she seamlessly transitioned into pulling herself up in her crib, onto boxes, up against the sofa, anything that will stand still for her.  She will sometimes try to pull herself up onto a wall, impervious to the fact that there is no ledge or handle to hold onto, she will put both of her palms against the wall and try to push up with her legs. Legs which resemble the trunks of an elephant. Ken tirelessly comments on how hefty her legs are, as he squeezes them with delight. I watch, already mourning the inevitable loss of the extra chub. Her confidence has grown over the past few weeks, and she crawls, pulls up, goes from laying down to sitting up, walks along her crib, all with the speed and confidence of an expert. Her confidence amuses me, makes me proud; and it amuses me that I feel pride about such things.  Her confidence and mobility also brought the sort of awareness of her surroundings that makes bedtime that much more difficult.  No matter the effort to soothe, calm, and prepare her for bed, once she is placed in laying position, she immediately pops up and comes to standing position against her crib, bouncing up and down, giving you sweet smiles trying to convince you to Stay! Play! Don’t leave me here! After several attempts, I usually end up nursing her to sleep, which is the most effective, but not necessarily the preferred method. Ken and I are discussing other battle strategies that we will implement to convince this little one that bed time can be the best time.

Vocal utterances now include the sounds of ‘mamama’, ‘bababa’, ‘nanana’, ‘ho-ta’, ‘rah rah’, 'weh', ' pah', 'yah', as well as the very loudly declared ‘Ah!’ which she enjoys best as a call and response. She has also discovered the joy of the raspberry, and is extremely pleased when you blllrrrrrrrr right back at her. 

She is so very sweet with Ken’s grandmother.

She loves to watch me dance. It makes me feel like a prima ballerina.

She is a happy and willing participant when I use her as a weight for my squats.

Her personality still seems to be this mix of relaxed and stubborn – which could be a reflecting of her parent’s personalities somewhat, but it could also just be what babyhood is.

And again, I have to write myself a little note here to comment about how this little creature finds it intuitive? necessary? to stare deep into the faces of people she sees. I’ve seen her grow absolutely still looking at a new person, or a relatively new person, with the most serious expression, trying to take them in. I’ve also seen her do this when looking at a painting. I’ve resolved to take her to the art museum again soon.

I find my bliss in hearing her laugh and giggling with her.