Happy Eight Months, Erin!!

Erin is eight months old today!! It’s hard to believe she is growing so quickly. She is so mobile now, doing the army crawl quickly and efficiently. She sits up from laying down in the blink of an eye. She can also pull herself up, and we have walked in to see her standing in her crib holding onto the side rail.

Since Erin is such an excellent sitter now she now takes baths in the big tub, usually with Kyle. She absolutely loves the water and splashes like crazy. She also has a lot of fun with all the bath tub toys floating around. We took her to the Holland Aquatic Center this month where there are lots of fountains and fun water activities. She seemed to enjoy herself, although not as enthusiastically as the bath tub (maybe because it was not as warm.)

A big milestone for Erin this month was the arrival of two teeth. The saying goes, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” and Erin got them. The two bottom ones arrived; one a couple days before Christmas and the other the day after. Now she is working on the top two.

Speaking of Christmas, Erin was such a happy girl all day. While fairly oblivious to all the hoopla of gifts and all, she did seem to enjoy taking it all in and watching her family. She got some great gifts and plays with them a lot.

Erin continues to be happy and offers a big smile constantly. She laughs frequently, especially at Mulligan and when you rub your head into her belly. She has recently become quite a babbler, and we frequently think it actually sounds like she is saying various things. That or she is simply talking away in another language!

Erin LOVES playing peek a boo right now, and will even initiate it on her own with her blankie. I love to see her hold it up in front of her face and then pull it down giving me a huge grin, then giggling when I say, “Peek a boo Erin!!” Erin also loves to clap her hands and lift her hand up and wave.

We began feeding Erin puffs this month (small pieces of cereal that basically dissolve in her mouth) and she absolutely loves them. She is a pro at picking them up and putting them in her mouth. It keeps her very entertained as well! She still won’t take a bottle or sippy cup, and really wants nothing to do with baby food. (Big sigh.) We’ll be asking the pediatrician for advice on that at her next appointment. And while we're talking about things she still won't do... the girl is still up at least twice a night. (Big sigh.)

Kyle continues to love on Erin all the time, and tries to teach her things. In the bath tub he tries to teach her how to paddle, and he often picks up different toys or objects and tells her what they are. She is so very well loved in this family, as she should be!