Eight Months Old

You're Eight Months Old, Sweet Angel!

Mommy can hardly believe it! You are growing like a weed - a beautiful one, that is! I am so in love with each and every little thing you do! Your personality is so fun and your sweet smile is contagious! Everyone catches that smile when they see it!

Oh, just when I think you can't get any cuter or any more fun, you do. You always do. However, this month has definitely brought with it, it's challenges as well. Your little "diva" attitude is shining through a bit. You know what you want, and if you don't get it, you let Mommy and Daddy know you aren't happy. I'm trying very hard, Annabelle, to not let Mommy's "teacher side" come out too much. Daddy has to remind me you are only eight months old. Not eight years old. So, I try not to let this attitude you have get to me too much. I know that you are just becoming your own little person, and since you can't talk you're expressing yourself in whatever way you can. You are hilarious, though.

You're getting so big now! At your last doctor's appointment, you weighed 17 lbs. This is because you love food. Even though this is big for you, you still are tiny for your age. You are eight months old now, but just now fitting into your six month clothes. Unfortuately this month, baby food has brought its own set of challenges. You've had really bad diaper rashes and we couldn't seem to get it under control. Dr. Straughn prescribed you some prescription strength ointment, but even that wasn't working very well. So, we decided to take you off baby food altogether and just feed you oatmeal. Then we've been re-introducing the baby foods slowly one at a time. It looks like, so far, bananas are what is doing it to you, AB. So, no bananas for you for a while. Other than that, you love food and you look very forward to meal time now. However, you are still very serious about your bottles, too. I mean, check out those wonderfully, pinchable, kissable cheeks (and not to mention that crazy case of bed head you're sporting)!

Ooh, Mommy could just kiss on you all day! You can only take so much of that, though. Mommy and Daddy just hug and kiss on you constantly and we think you are perfectly, 100% snuggable. All you have to do is look at us with those enormous big, brown eyes or "say" something as only you can, and we are back at your beck and call.

Speaking of beck and call, we have been there a lot lately. You're suffering from an allergy and that combined with teething, you've been very fussy and uncomfortable, lately. It makes us sad to see you unhappy. Your poor nose is constantly being suctioned and wiped, and boy, do you HATE that. We're a little afraid you are allergic to Bella. We're not positive of this yet, but we started you on some new allergy medicine, so we'll see if this helps! As far as your teething goes, we're just waiting to see those little buds of teeth poke through your gums. I have to admit, I'm going to miss these gummy smile days. I love those sweet little gums of yours. Especially when you talk or smile, they make my day. It's so sweet...

This last month, you celebrated your first Easter. It was so much fun putting an Easter basket together for you and getting you dressed up for church in your Easter dress. I loved your Easter dress! We even had some special pictures taken at the Arboretum in honor of your first Easter. They turned out BEAUTIFUL of you, Annabelle. Mommy and Daddy carried you around proudly as the photographer snapped pictures of you. Random strangers would stop us and go on about how cute you are and how beautiful your dress was. You eat up the attention. Hmm...I wonder who you get that from?

I could look at these pictures over and over and over and never get tired of it. You look so precious, and the colors with your sweet little porcelian skin is breathtaking. I mean, afterall, I am your mom. I could never get tired of looking at you. In all seriousness, how sweet are these pictures of you, though?

You already have a trademark. You are known for that tounge of yours. Your Daddy will sometimes call you Gene Simmons. You don't know who that is, and Mommy would be just fine if you never know who that is. It is true, though. That tounge of yours is very "Gene Simmons-ish." "That tounge!" is a common phrase around our house, and with friends and family. "That tounge" is always out of your mouth, but it makes you, you.

You definitely know what you want. You reach for everything, and if we're not looking, WATCH OUT! One of your new things, is sitting with Daddy in his big, comfy chair. He will usually set you right beside him and give you the remote to play with. Oh, man. Do you think you are special when you have that remote in your hand. You wave it around, proudly and "talk" about something that only you can understand. Usually, you want whatever Daddy has in his hands. I love watching you sit with Daddy. You'll hold onto him, look up at him, and you make both of us melt. So sweet, AB.

When we were in Houston for Audrey's first birthday, Audrey had the coolest bath tub. It was a big, yellow rubber ducky. You LOVED it. You would sit up so tall and proud in it, and were able to play with bath toys. Daddy and I knew when we got home, we had to get you one, too. We did and you think it's the greatest thing. We definitely learned our lesson, though. The first time we used it, Daddy filled it up a little too full, and you took a nose dive into the water. You were a little shaken up by it, but Daddy was right there to pull you back up immediately. Whew. One of those scary moments as a parent. Haha, I'm sure it was even scarier for you, but you handled it well. Here's a few pictures after that.

Oh my, how you are getting to be so big. You are doing all kinds of things that blow my mind. It's crazy to think how much you have grown in eight, short months. You have many different faces, moods, likes and dislikes. One of your likes, of course, is your pacies. You still love your MAMS and I find it amazing, that when they fall out in the middle of the night, I no longer have to go into your room and put it back in your mouth for you. You wake up, a little groggy, reach out for your MAM, find it and put it back in your mouth (I know, because I watch you do this on the monitor). Such a big girl!! I thought that day would never come!

You love to play. Your toys and books keep you entertained for quite a while. I love to watch you explore your toys and figure out how they work. You're a fast-learner and catch on to what you're supposed to do with your toys. You love books. You already can turn the pages. Your Aunt Nicole spent some time with you, when we were in Houston for Audrey's bday, and ya'll read some books together. I loved watching your face as you looked at the pictures, and how you helped Aunt Nicole turn the pages. Such a smart girl.

Oh yes, AB. You are the apple of our eye and we are loving watching you grow. I try not to dwell too much on the past and how you are growing so fast. I think that is probably my least favorite thing about being a parent, it goes by TOO fast. I'll take it, though. You are such a blessing, that I enjoy this time so much.

We love you, sweet girl. You mean so much to us and I love your sweet personality that you are developing. Heck, I even love your little attitude. It is what makes you, you. Just a few more months before you will be my big one year old. That is just crazy. Until then, I'm enjoying these baby days with you, and watching you grow.

Love you so, so much!

Mommy