8 months

Alright fellow mothers, am I just a sap, or were all of you wrecks when your kiddos turned another month older?!?  Just like that, and our baby girl is 8 months old.  I think I get more emotional every month she gets closer to a year... 8 months?!  Are you kidding me?! 

She was snoozin with me on the couch tonight, and I was thinking about how much I enjoy snuggling with my little peanut... she used to snuggle up on my chest as I typed blog posts, but now she is so long, that I can no longer reach the laptop with her laying on me.  So tonight I had to wait til I laid her down before I could start typing.  Snuggling with Malea is the best thing in the world... I never want that to end... I hope she is always a snuggler... Joel assured me tonight that she WILL be (but I think that was just an effort to make me not cry: )... let's hope he's right!

So let me tell you a few things about little M lately.  As you can tell in any of these pictures, she is still the happiest baby ever.  Always smiling or giggling.  She is still eating like a CHAMP.  Aside from her bottles, she has cereal and fruit at Grammy's for breakfast, usually some sort of veggie during the day, another veggie for supper, and oatmeal before bed.... she gobbles up every bite!  She LOVES food (and she defintely comes by her love for food honestly: )  If you put a few puffs on her highchair tray, she picks them up and puts them in her mouth, but it's kind of hit or miss whether she swallows it or spits it back out.  I'm curiuos to hear at her doc appt next month what else we can feed her.  She is always very interested in whatever Joel and I are eating, and Daddy is always telling her, "Malea some day very soon you will love mashed potatoes just like mommy & daddy!"  : )  She still hasn't had a tooth come thru, but as much as she chomps on things, I know one is close.  In fact I feel a bump on the bottom where I am pretty sure one is ready to pop thru.  Soon enough baby girl.  She isn't a thumb sucker, but she always seems to be chewing on her pointer finger: ) 

Malea's favorite toys lately are anything that makes noise or lights up, but Joel and I just laugh as she seems to enjoy the mixing bowls in the kitchen just as much as any of her toys.  She is still hilarious in her jumper seat... here is a video I have been promising... one of the many of our little jumper...  I like to think she's working on her vertical so she can play volleyball and basketball like her mommy; ) 

She still doesn't "crawl", but scoots on her belly (both forward and backwards) to get her anywhere she wants to go.  She also loves to wave at people.  She gets really excited and gets that arm a flying.  She still really loves patty cake, and now when she gets excited, she kicks her feet and claps repeatedly... super cute.  Another thing she loves lately is flying... Papa Volz gives the best flying rides that make her giggle herself silly.  These are just a few of the many, many, many things Malea is busy doing these days.  I hope you can come visit us soon to enjoy her as much as we do!  Speaking of visits, we were soooo excited to have my good friend, Ashley, and her little 1 year old, Lyla over to play last weekend!  It was so good seeing them, and the girls were so darn cute.  Lyla will be another classmate of Malea's (once they get to middle school), just like their Mommy's were: ) How cute are these two sweethearts?!

 Saturday was the first day that Malea noticed her shadow.  I was holding her in the living room trying to get her to take a nap before Ash and Lyla came, and all of the sudden she just started giggling and waving her arm.  I was confused as she was merely facing the wall.  Then I turned to look, and it was because she saw her shadow on the wall!  I moved closer to the wall, so then she reached out and started scratching the wall playing with her shadow.  I wish I could have caught it on video, but it was one of those moments I just enjoyed witnessing, instead of ruining the moment to run and get the camera.  I shouldn't be surprised she loved her shadow so much, because one of her favorite things to do is watch herself in the mirror.  I always lay a full length mirror sideways on the floor against the couch... she would lay there for hours laughing at herself in the mirror if I let her: )
I know I could write a book of all of the wonderful things she is doing, but I think I will keep it at that tonight so I can get some sleep!  We hope your year is off to a great start, and we hope you are able to stop by for a visit soon.  Take care!!