8 Months Old

There is so much going on in our lives right now that I have barely had time to eat, much less make your 8 month update!

So, 9 days late, here it is!

You had yet another ear infection.

We have noticed that when you are starting to get one, that you put your hand by your ear like you are talking on the phone.  You also get really fussy while you eat, probably because it hurts your ears to suck on your bottle.

Dr. Stone says 2 more in the next few months, and we will have to start thinking about tubes.  Luckily, a round of antibiotics usually clears it right up!

I've already blogged about your first Halloween, and your first trip to the Peanut Festival.  Two very big occassions.

You wore this precious outfit that Nanny gave you.  I swear you are a living doll.

You are a girl who loves to eat.  Here you are after a battle with some carrots.

And with MumMums, which are rice rusks.  You like to munch on them!

Your hair is out. of.  control.

It looks like this no matter what I do to it.  Clean, dirty, hat, headband...it sticks straight up.  And it's blonde.  Sigh.

We've had more success with the Johnny Jump Up, although you haven't quite figured out how to jump in it.  Just swing around.

You love your feet.  As soon as I take your pants off for a diaper change or to change clothes, your hands go straight for your feet.  

 You are teething big time, and every toy goes straight for your mouth.

 Poor Mr. Pig.

You are also still obsessed with your hands.  I don't know why I bother spending money on

toys, because you would rather play with your hands.

You and Daddy went to Jackson for a few days to see PawPaul and Bebe.  I missed you soooooooooo much, but you had a big time.  Here you are FaceTiming with me.  You had a small sty on your eye, making it red in the corner.  Daddy had to keep warm compresses on it a few times a day.

You also went to your Uncle Willie's basketball game while you were in Jackson.  This is your sweet cousin Jack, who is just a bit older than you.  They said you really liked playing with Jack!

I was elated when you came back home.

One of the BIGGEST milestones this month is that you finally sat up on your own without toppling over like a Weeble!

Mommy had started to get a bit worried that you hadn't hit this milestone yet, but one day, you sat.  And it was like you'd been doing it your whole life.

Now you sometimes prefer to be sitting by yourself and playing with toys, as opposed to being held.

You are mostly in 9 month clothing, and a few 12 month items.  I have got to get in your closet this weekend and pack up all your 6 month stuff.  You are so big!

I'm guessing you are around 20 pounds and 30 inches tall.  You go on December 19th for your 9 month check up, so we'll see what he says.  

You are such a sweet and pleasant child.  You grin and laugh all the time.

God works in such mysterious ways - He made you perfectly to blend with our family.  You have the best qualities of both me and Your Daddy.  I am constantly reminded about just how blessed I am.  Everything else in the world can be wrong and upside down, but I have you, Your Daddy, and Charlotte, and I have all I need.

I love you, my sweet daughter.

Your First National Peanut Festival

Some people look forward to Christmas all year.  Or their birthday.  Or some other major annual event.

But me?  I look forward to one specific day all year long.

The day that we can go to the National Peanut Festival.

And all my life, I have dreamed about taking my children to the Peanut Festival and showing them the wonders and sites of a fair that is based around peanuts and food and farm animals and rides and spending time with family and friends.

Ok, so maybe you didn't get that into it this year, but next year...

We started out the day by taking our annual picture by the big entrance peanut.  

It was HOT outside.  Dothan weather never ceases to amaze me.

And first thing - we ran into the NPF queens! 

Miss NPF is Whitney, who was our Miss Houston County.  So for two years in a row, Houston County has had a queen win a NPF pageant - Jules as Little Miss NPF last year, and Whitney this year!  We are SO proud of our girls!

Next, it was time for lunch.  The BEST part.

You didn't have any corndogs, don't worry.  Those are not in your diet yet.  

BUT you did have a little bit of powdered sugar from a funnel cake!

You weren't sure at first, but you LOVED it.  You kept trying to lick it off your face.  

SO CUTE.

Your Daddy always gets his picture made on a tractor, and he was SO excited to take you up on one this year.

We walked around the midway to see all the rides, and then we got GiGi to walk through the petting zoo!

You were going to go too, but you decided to take a nap.  GiGi, of course, didn't touch any of the animals.

GiGi took you back home so Mom and Dad could have some fun with our friends, too.

You ate carrots (and your hands)...

Had a bath...

And watched the Alabama game with GiGi!

 We had so much fun taking you to your first Peanut Festival!  Next year is going to be even more fun!

Your First Halloween

I'm sorry to admit this to you, but Your Mommy is kind of a Halloween Scrooge.

Of all holidays, this is my least favorite.

It's not to say that next year we won't go Trick or Treating, but this year, I just didn't really see the point.

Your Daddy was working, we weren't invited to any parties, and you go to bed at 7pm.  You can't walk, and you don't eat the candy.

So your first Halloween was spent at Target, buying you a new hat and jacket...

And playing with toys on the couch until you got sleepy...

While Mommy watched Halloween Wars on Food Network.

Our front porch light was out, but that didn't stop the Trick or Treaters.

TWO rang our doorbell last night, sending Charlotte into a rampage and waking you up.

Some kids I guess just don't know the rules - No lights, no candy.

You do have some awesome Halloween jammies, though.

Those hands.  I can't keep them out of your mouth.

NEXT year, we will really have your first Halloween.  I promise.