And with that, we finished month 8! What a change filled month that was! Every month there have been lots of development milestones met and silly memories to tuck away but for this new momma, it feels like my wee one went from a baby to something much bigger in  month 8. June/July found Miss Finn: 

• with 2 new bottom teeth and the very beginnings of a top tooth
• using her Momma and Ina (and her Cadillac walker) to pull herself up to her knees and then her feet
• discovering that things exist within her reach just outside the slats of her crib
• crawling forward for the first time (which means we're all doomed!)
• discovering she has a shadow (the look on her face was priceless!)
• realizing the dogs water bowl she crawled to in the kitchen is fun to splash in
• trying new foods. So far she likes: sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, avocado (her fave!), pears, eggs, sweet red peppers, applesauce, rice cereal and yogurt.  Not on the hit list: peas. Miss Finn is not a fan of the peas. 
• enjoying bath time without needing her baby sponge pad any longer
• getting some new summer outfits because she's growing like a weed

Independent is a perfect word to describe her lately. It's like all of sudden she wants to do everything on her own. I'll pick her up and she twists her little body and leans away from you, wanting you to put her down so she can crawl and explore. The dogs, and their toys for that matter (kong in the mouth = love for Finn, gross for Momma), are not safe. She LOVES Brody and Lilly and regularly makes her way to visit them, wherever they may be on the living room floor. 

They are both so patient with her and let her tug on them (under the watchful eyes of Momma and Ina) all while licking the left over food from her face. 

Her independence is also showing up when meal time rolls around. She is a fan of bite sized options on her tray and practicing finding her mouth. The look of surprise when the food actually makes it in is priceless! She just looks at me with a sense of pride and accomplishment while she happily munches away. :) 

Gone are the days of my wee one falling asleep in my arms and letting me snuggle her until we all head to bed for the night. She is growing so much and now finds it hard to get comfy on me when the bottle is done and she dozes off. Now we head off to her crib and as soon as I lay her down she rolls over on her side and wiggles until she finds just the right spot in her crib. I cover her with a blanket, turn on her sound machine and she is happy camper. Lately those pesky teeth have been bothering her a bit but a little soothing from Momma or Ina and she's usually right back to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, Ina had her own sleep adventure recently when she had to have a sleep study. Photographic proof that the sleep study monster does exist. 

Finn and I got to visit Ina in her hospital room (that looked like a hotel) for a while and headed home when the little Miss couldn't fight sleep any longer. It was our first night without Ina home with us at bed time and it was weird. I don't think any of us slept well that night. 

Miss Finn is also getting to spend her days with her friends Miss Hannah and Miss Korey! They are the BEST and come to our house to watch her everyday. She loves spending time with them and gets to do all kinds of fun stuff during the day. We are so lucky to have them watch her and for the feeling of knowing she's in great hands during the day!

 

This family is enjoying our summer and loving getting to see things through the eyes of our wee one. One of my favorite things is seeing the look on her face when she's noticing something for the first time or figuring out how to do something she's been attempting for a while. She had a trip to the coast and discovered ocean water and sand for the first time. She laughed at the dogs as they chased the waves and barked their head off. And of course there is Donut Saturday:

enjoying the summer weather at softball games (go Twisted Sisters!) and cheering Momma on at soccer (go Shankapotamus!).

 We're busy busy and I can't wait to see what month 9 brings for our sweet little girl! I'm sure it will include some tumbles, new adventures, lots of giggles, and tons and tons of love!