Baby girl,

Oh, Wrennie Minnie, I swear you can’t be eight months old. Four, maybe. No more than that. I was holding you in the hospital just yesterday, so impressed when you could lift that newborn head of yours, watching you stare at the world wide-eyed, taking everything in.

And now you’re eight months old, staring at the world wide-eyed, taking everything in. And moving EVERYWHERE. And talking (although I have no idea what you’re saying). And laughing and smiling and squealing in delight. You live life FULLY, baby girl. It is an absolute joy to watch.

You LOVE to eat. It took you awhile to learn how to chew. And swallow. We joke that we got to practice our baby Heimlich Maneuver every single night at dinner. You have puked up your dinner on our table more times than I’d like to count. That chewing was just so hard to figure out. But that was your seven-month-old self. Now that you’re eight months, well, you rock at that whole eating thing. You love to eat off my plate (you love bread the most, just like your mama), and you also love puffs, yogurt bites, greek yogurt, and every vegetable in the book. The only thing you hate? Ketchup. Can you believe it? I didn’t think ANYBODY could dislike ketchup. I bet you learn to love it later. Oh, and you feel like such a big girl when we let you drink water from a straw.

Last week you learned to crawl FORWARD. This is a big deal. You’ve been rolling and scooting all over my living room floor since you were about six months old, and at seven months you could crawl backward like a pro. You’re really good at inching your way under furniture, you love tight spots (until you’re ready to get out, and then you don’t love it any more). But one day last week, I laid some puffs just out of your reach, and there you went… crawling FORWARD like a pro. Or not a pro, really, more like a clumsy baby deer. It was adorable. I was so proud. A week later and you’re getting GOOD at it.

You love to stand – all the time if you had your way – holding on to just a finger, or the edge of our coffee table, or the side of your crib. You don’t pull up yet, but you also don’t need very much help to stand up. And the funniest part – if I say “WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE!” and shake my head in excitement, baby girl, you start dancing – wiggling your hiney and smiling in delight. It’s the BEST. THING. EVER.

You are still a swaddle baby – even though you’ve tripled in size since you were born, you still love to be swaddled for your naps. At night we leave your arms out so you can roll around safely. You continue to sleep so well – usually from around 8:oo p.m. til 6:15 a.m. or so. Then you lie in bed and talk and sing and entertain yourself until we get you out out of bed closer to 7:00. You usually take a morning and an afternoon nap, (between 3-5 hours total) but lately you’ve been adding an additional, short evening nap between 5:30-6:30. Maybe you’re growing – then again, you’re always growing!

You have two teeth, and baby girl, you had to work HARD for them. The first came around 7.5 months, and you had a 101 degree fever for three days, threw up twice, and were just miserable. I thought you were sick, but after that third day, up popped your tooth and you went right back to normal. Your second tooth was easier, but you still cried HARD for three days. I don’t know if I can take this two dozen more times!

You love to be outside. You love your dog, Harley. You light up at the sound of your daddy’s voice – and are VERY close to being able to say his name. You say DA DA DA DA DA and MAMAMA and GAGAGA and PAPAPAPA. But you don’t really know what you’re say, it’s just babble. Your nursery teacher told me you’re one of the most verbal babies she’s ever seen. Looks like you’re going to be a talker like your mom and dad. Oh, and you LOVE people. It makes me so happy.

Baby girl, you have brought out a side of me that I didn’t know existed. I love getting to act like a big kid again, playing on the floor with you, reading you books, singing songs and making funny noises. It’s like this part of my life has been opened up that I didn’t know was missing. I was made to be your mama and it is SO. MUCH. FUN. You are a blessing to me and your daddy, and we love you dearly.