8 Months

This month brings a lot of disbelief and a lot of denial. We are certain that we just got home from the hospital and that we've only been a family of four for a few, short months. All of a sudden we have blinked and our baby girl is now 8 months old!! *sigh*

Emma, you are now closer to turning a year old than not. You continue to amaze us every single day with the things that you seem to understand and the concepts you seem to grasp onto so easily. You are no longer our baby, even though you always will be in our eyes.

Today, the day you turned 8 months old, you began walking our very perfect learn-to-walk hallway. You have been eating more and more including things off our plate that seems to make you very happy and produces the hugest smiles. You are now on what I call "a 3 year old's schedule" of only an afternoon nap in your crib while you snuggle with your blankie. You still don't like to have your diaper changed but will tolerate it if we give you something to occupy your time. You love playing with your big sister and look at her with amazement while she dances around you and tries to teach you things.

You now cruise along furniture but then realize that you can probably get there a lot faster by speed crawling. You stand by yourself and are better at it if you don't realize you're doing it. You just started clapping and dancing/bouncing while standing. You are becoming very, very vocal and want us to listen to what you have to say. When we talk back to you, you definitely talk back and try to imitate us. You say dada, baba and a variety of other things including grunts and squeals that melt our heart.

Emma, you truly bring smiles and tears to our eyes while we watch you play. We love you so much and love to watch you grow every day. Only four more very short months until we celebrate your first birthday. We love you Emma!