Walking is the new crawling...Grace is 8 months!

Grace's baptism

1st Thanksgiving!

Hanging out in my cozy outfit :)

1st roadtrip...headed to Florida

Interview dinner

Enjoying the fish :)

Merry Christmas!

Playdate with my best friend, Brooke

Bath time

Laundry time

8 months old!

Weight: almost 19 pounds
Height: 27.5 inches (I think...at the 9 month appt. I will update)
Head: will know at 9 month check-up
Moods: Loves life! Always a happy girl...unless teething interferes. We had a rough night...probably the worst since she has been born where she was up every hour...then a tooth popped in up top!
Favorite foods: Now that we have some teeth, we have tried a little bit of everything...pieces of bread, icing :), macaroni...you name it, she'll try it!
New Toys: Mum mums (again, not a toy...rice rusks that are food but they occupy her), a mirror (she likes to lick her reflection)
Noises: "t" and "k" sounds
Favorite hobbies: screaming at the top of her lungs for fun in public, jumping, WALKING!
Playtime: Very easy to entertain and make laugh...she isn't chewing on as many toys as she used to but likes to hold and play with them. She also likes toys that make noise now...they make her laugh! You can always stand her up against any mirror and that proves for good entertainment for all!
Sleep habits: Some change this month...we had one night that was really rough (which is rare for her ever since she was born) due to teething. Other than that we are still taking 2 naps that vary. She has been going to bed by 7 and sleeping till 6 or 6:30...haven't been able to get many mornings of sleeping until 7 lately...maybe that will make a return this month!
Sign language: The only sign she will do is "more". We are working on a few others like book, bath, sleep, all done, please, and thank you...
*Teeth: two bottom teeth and one top tooth...not a top front tooth though which is strange...it's on the side.

The news we have this month is that Grace has decided she wants to start walking instead of crawling! Ever since she was born she has HATED being on her stomach. Despite my daily attempts to make tummy time pleasant, once she learned to roll from her tummy to her back...well, tummy time has been history. Jimmy and I took Grace to one of his interviews in Florida on our first family road trip. While we were in the hotel, we stood her up in front of a long mirror. Grace was GIDDY at the sight of herself and it was like she had an "aha" moment because she kept wanting to take steps towards herself in the mirror. That was over two weeks ago. NOW Grace will pull up on our fingers and walk across the house! She only uses us for support but has great balance. One day I let go and she stayed standing up for a few seconds. My theory is that because she is in exersaucers and jumpers so much, her legs got really strong so that's why she wants to walk and be up. :)

The other piece of news is TEETHING!!! The first tooth was a piece of cake. The second tooth was just a few whiny days, but the nights were fine. The third tooth was a different story! We were at my parent's house in Columbia, SC for a few days. Grace has always slept well in pack n plays but one night she literally got up every hour...she would go back to sleep each time, but I could tell it was a "pain" cry. A day or so later, we had a tooth! Praying and hoping the other teeth treat her (and us) better.

We are taking in this Christmas season with extra thanks and blessings to our Saviour, Jesus Christ! How purely sweet it is to be parents this holiday season because we can identify with Joseph and Mary by being parents. By no means will I ever compare Grace's birth to Jesus' birth, but Jimmy and I know how happy they must have been to have the miracle of a baby being born. Happy early birthday to Jesus and our prayer as parents this season is that we teach Grace the importance of this season throughout the year...to look beyond Santa, gifts and other wordly traditions and to focus on Jesus.