On Tuesday, July 5th, Ellie turned 8 months and I turned 26. :) It's really crazy how big my baby is getting...
So big! Finally got a picture of her all stretched out. :) She seems to have really grown up this month... maybe it's all the leaps in movement she's made!
She sits up like a pro now - keeping her in the sitting position for long can be hard, though, because she wants to lunge and crawl and roll and stand!
Ellie is a cuddler. It's absolutely adorable. Every time she finishes nursing, she dives off my lap onto the bed and snuggles into the bed while I pat her back and call her my snuggle baby. I can't resist snuggling her cheeks then too. ;) She also loves cuddling her favorite things, like her lamb or lotion bottle if she sees them on the bed.
She is a FAST crawler now too! She's perfected the classic crawl much better than Hadassah ever did. ;)
My sweetie... By 8 months she:
* dropped her third nap pretty much completely * usually takes two 1 1/2 hour naps * started waking up at 5 or 6 AM though (carry-over from jetlag it seems!) * goes to bed easily EVERY night, finally! * so happy when she gets her little sleep-time lamb * dropped the "dream feed" * On a pretty consistent 4 hour routine between nursing * will nurse longer and with less distraction if she has a stuffed animal to cuddle * started crawling and does so expertly * loves to explore and pull out toys * thinks big sister's toys are the best ;) * says "Mama" occasionally, "Dada" sometimes, and seems to say "duck" or "quack" in the bath * continues to love baths! * says a version of "hi" and sometimes waves * says "ah duh" for "all done" sometimes, and starts the sign sometimes too! * belly laughs and squeals when Daddy snuggle kisses * pulls up on legs, then couches, exersaucer, and in crib! * eats almost anything except pureed peas (but eats them individually squished!) * favorite foods are yogurt and watermelon and cheerios * can feed herself small cubes of food and cheerios! * loves watching Daddy's puppet shows * so gentle and sweet * always tries to eat shoes... * has the biggest smile when I tell her "good job!" * clicks her tongue * enjoys blocks and duplos * finally listening to stories without always grabbing the book * loves having cousins around to play with * has such happiness and the cutest chub! * 24 lbs and starting to grow out of some 12 month clothes! *
It was kind of fun to realize she shares a "5" for her birthday too. So I'll include my birthday pictures here. :)
Ryan surprised me with these amazing flowers the night before my birthday, bright since it was July 4th that day and we had no fireworks. ;) He is amazing. Then the morning of my birthday he brought me a special letter he'd written. Written words always really encourage me.
The cousins made lunch so I got to enjoy setting up a tea party with a little extra time. I love my girls. :) Ryan ALSO surprised me by stopping by a bread store for some donut treats! Chinese donuts usually aren't that sweet, but these tasted amazing with the addition of nutella. ;)
And then when I went out to meet Ryan coming home from work, he had MORE flowers! He is amazing. Gift giving has always been hard for him (he lives in the moment, not thinking ahead as much), and I knew that when we married, and didn't think it was a big deal for me anyway. But I've learned surprises do really make me feel special... So I felt extra loved to know how much he put into making this birthday full of them. :)
He also made sure my cake had the proper candles. ;) It's not really cake though. Why have cake when you can make amazing frozen layers of cookie crumbs, peanut butter & cream cheese, melted chocolate, whipped cream, and reeses pieces on top?
It was a good birthday. Probably the best one in China yet. Somehow this July 4th/birthday season is always the hardest for me, wanting to be with family. So I kept myself busy somewhat intentionally, starting back Chinese lessons that morning and making a meal to take to friends who just had a baby. It was a good excuse to cook my favorite gyros and pita bread for our dinner too. ;)
But as you can see in this picture, I have my arms full of my family. And we even have extra family visiting (and doing my dishes!). And Ryan went above and beyond to make me feel loved. It was a good birthday. I am incredibly blessed.
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