Dear beautiful, busy, bubbly Claire,

Eight months! How can it be? We’ve had an exciting few weeks:

You’ve cut two baby teeth (yippee!), and are clapping your little hands. You can pull up to standing from sitting in our laps, and you’re even making moves to crawl by rocking back and forth on your hands and knees. You’ve fallen in love with the baby in the mirror, and we stand and chat with her a few times a day. You love chewing on washcloths — especially straight from the freezer. And, we’ve even moved you up to the big-girl car seat!

You are so very sweet, Claire Elaine. One of the highlights of my day is when you wake up from a nap. I love how your face lights up when Daddy or I peek into your room. You’ve started giving us “kisses,” which come out as full open-mouthed chin sucks. (Glorious!) And, every once in a while, you even clap when we come into the room. (Worth every second of labor!)

The books warned us that you’d start to get a little clingy around this time as you learn about object permanence…and yes, they were right. You spend a lot of time with Mommy and Daddy, and although that’s a true blessing, I worry that it makes it more of a challenge. When we’re out and about and new people stop to say “hello,” you always turn to look at me for approval. Thankfully you have TONS of people who love you, and we’ll keep on practicing!

Weight: 20 pounds, 3 ounces (according to our home scale)  Length: Lovely & long!

Eating: Watching the joy on your face when we put you in your highchair confirms it — you’re most certainly your daddy’s daughter. You LOVE to eat, and you’re mighty good at it too! Peppers, peas, onion, oranges, mango, pears, hummus, and even a little lasagna go down easy as can be. Baby-Led Solids has been such a joy, and I think you’re really thriving with the freedom to play and explore. Your pincer grasp is impressive, and you can finish off a tray full of peas one-by-one. You’re even getting better at the spoon, which we fill up with risotto or oatmeal and then leave on your tray to let you lift.

All that said, I’d be lying if I acted completely worry-free. I have a desktop link to the Infant CPR guide and watch you like a hawk during meals. But your confidence is encouraging!

We do solids at normal mealtimes, but you’re still breastfeeding when you wake in the morning, when you go to sleep at night, and every 2-4 hours throughout the day. In the last two weeks or so I’ve noticed that you’re able to go longer and longer between nursing sessions, likely because you’re consuming such a good amount of solids. 

I love how you snuggle to nurse in the mornings and at bedtime, wrapping your long-but-still-little body around me. The rest of the day it’s like wrangling a cat — you look around, play with my hair, blow raspberries on my neck, and then look around some more. Daddy can’t be anywhere in sight or you spend your time grinning and flirting, and forget altogether that you’re here to eat. Thankfully your precious little teeth haven’t been used for biting — but I have to admit I’m a little bit nervous!

Sleeping:

The “Spring Forward” time change seems to have affected your sleep cycle a bit (or perhaps we can blame it on the teething?), and you’ve been both staying up later and getting up earlier. The extended bedtime allows us a little more opportunity to squeeze you in a yummy dinner before you turn in around 8 p.m., and then you’ll sleep quietly until about 5:45 or 6 a.m.

You’re still taking three naps a day: One after breakfast, one around lunchtime, and one in the late-afternoon. They range in length from 20 minutes to 2 hours, so Mommy never quite knows how much work time I’ll have. Busy days wear you out quickly, though, as does your go-go-go spirit.

Even as you sleep, you do so with vigor – kicking the crib rails, rolling from one end of the crib to the other, even letting a baby foot dangle out. Busy little lady!

Playing:

My, oh my, your favorite thing — PLAY! You adore floor time, and will sit on a quilt and explore your ocean of toys for 20 minutes or more. We think it’s fun that you’re slowly starting to study your blocks and books, rather than immediately cramming them in your mouth. Don’t get me wrong — you still taste everything in sight — but we like you showing off your curiosity a bit too.

You’re still not officially crawling, and we’re beginning to think you may opt not to. You get where you want to go by rolling and you can turn in a full circle on your belly. It seems you have a bit of a stubborn streak, and you’d rather rush forward to standing! Yep, you’re 8 months old and you can pull up from our laps and stand and play at your activity table. From there, you either like to let go (“trust fall” into someone’s arms) OR you’ll carefully start cruising one teeny tiny step at a time.

My favorite part of all this? The gleeful smile on your face! You’re so proud of your newfound independence…and it makes Mommy’s heart soar.

I told sweet Nana Kay the other night that motherhood is much harder than I ever expected — but it’s also much better. What an interesting paradigm. I find myself second-guessing my gut 10 times a day. Are you developing at the right pace? (Yes.) Do I need to worry about your attachment? (No.) Do I need to pack more diapers? (Always.) When am I ever going to start your baby book? (Yikes.)

I love being your Mommy, sweet pea. We spend so much of our day together, and yet sometimes I still look at you with wonder. How is it that eight months ago you were my tiny newborn…and yet today, my dear, you look so much like a little girl? When did I blink? As we steamroll into spring and (before we know it!) your first birthday, I want to vow to not mourn your expiring baby-hood, and rather to celebrate all the milestones and memories yet to come.

Remind me of this when I’m boo-hooing on July 22nd. It’ll be here soon!

All our love,

Mommy and Daddy