Eleanor Mae at 8 months

Dear Eleanor,

I’ve gotten behind in blogging your 8 month update, but the chaos of moving (and a few other things) have kept us all running! Your 8 month birthday fell on St. Patrick’s Day, a day your Great Grandma Neva always loved. Her youngest son was born on St. Patty’s Day and she always made a big deal about wearing green on this particular day. Great Grandma Neva would tell you her favorite color is green, but since she doesn’t talk these days—we’ll tell you about her favorite things. Another true story, Nora Mae—your mother didn’t dress you in green on St. Patrick’s Day. Gasp. Next year, Baby Girl…

At 8 months, you’re acting so…BIG! Our little family shared exciting news that you are going to be a big sister in September. Your new brother or sister is due September 17th, so you two will be 14 months apart. I’m excited for you to have a playmate, and your daddy is completely convinced you’re getting a sister!

• You’ve become an expert at pulling your shoes and socks off…every single time we get in the car. Once you tire of chewing on said socks, the backseat eats them.
• Since you’re such an advanced baby, you are absolutely enthralled with zippers and buttons on people’s clothing. You study them, touch them…and then try to eat them  No necklaces for me right now—because they are the ultimate chew toy!
• You pulled up on the side of your crib, so we had to drop your mattress. We had just put you in your crib to go “ni-night” and effortlessly, you stood up and looked at us! You flashed one of those adorable, open-mouth smiles—and I had a slight breakdown because you’re growing up much too quickly.
• Eleanor Mae, I’ve convinced myself that you’ll be whole, solid meals by…your 2nd birthday?! You have absolutely no interest in baby food or pureed stuff—but if we hand you a whole green bean, you’ll get right to work.
• You figured out that splashing in the bathtub is SUCH FUN! I think you would play in the bathtub all day if you could. There’s books and toys…and no diapers or clothes! :)
• Your stackable blocks? You LOVE knocking them over. You’ll excitedly wave your arms around while we stack them back up—then squeal with delight when they topple over again.
• No crawling yet. I’m starting to think you’re going to skip crawling altogether. Nora Mae, you haphazardly throw your hips to one side, then scoot around. It’s not fast, but you are able to go quite the distance!
• You are proudly showing off 2 new “toofers”, aka teeth :) After endless amounts of non-stop drooling, some extremely long nights, and gnawing on everything and everyone, those long-awaited teeth finally popped through. Your cute little smile is even cuter with these new additions :)
• Pretty Girl, you’ve developed an extreme fascination with “non-toys”. Cell phones, remote controls, plastic cups, silverware, diaper bag, and car keys are so much cooler than any toy you have!

I love seeing your excitement.

Love always,
 Mommy