Eight months…it’s so hard to believe! I never dreamed of loving parenthood as much as I do, and it’s totally because of this sweet, adorable, happy little girl that means the world to us.

There are funny moments like…the times when we’re almost home so that she can go down for a proper nap and she falls asleep about 10 minutes away from the house. We have learned that even the tiniest of snoozes can throw her off for a good nap once at home. So, what do we do? All the crazy things that parents do (when in the past I have seen those people and swore that I would never do that myself)! Yes, sing loudly (and badly), shake the carseat, turn on the worst radio ever, crinkle receipts hanging out in the car console, shake ice in a cup nearby, or even crack the window and roll it up and down to capture her attention (although that’s been discontinued for the season, as the winter winds on her sweet face are a bit much). Bottom line, if we can make it home for nap time, it’s the best. And if we don’t, we get to laugh at ourselves in the process!

There are sweet moments like…
when she crawls over to me, and I think she’s just needing help to pull up to a standing position, but instead she lingers….snuggles…..hugs….and makes me feel like the luckiest person on the planet!

There are silly times like….
when we can pass almost a half hour with her holding onto my hands and throwing her head backwards to see the world upside down. She does it again and again and again. The simple joys of a baby!

There are loyal times….
when Zoë doesn’t miss a morning of giving Cady the biggest grin. It’s “good morning” in baby language.

There are frustrating times…
when a mom who so loves patterned tights for her baby girl just can’t get both feet to line up right to go inside them. It often takes a team approach with her dad stepping in and distracting her with a game of “Where ‘s Zoë?” while I try to fit her pudgy little legs into what seem to be an ever-shrinking pair of cute tights.

Whatever time it is, I’m thankful. We love this little girl to pieces. Happy eight months, Zo Zo!

Some eight month milestones:
- Sleeping anywhere from 11-12.5 hours a night
- Eating lots and lots of solid food which explains her potbelly
- First baby teeth! Two on the bottom.
- Crawling EVERYwhere. Her favorite spots are of course, Cady’s bowls of food and water. Another is when the back door is open, she sprints to make it outside- seriously, she picks up speed!
- Standing. She loves pulling up on chairs, our legs, the windows, and the coffee table (where she almost knocks herself out ever single time).
- First incident report at daycare when she took a tumble from standing on her feet. She looked like she had been a small scuffle.
- Dropping the mattress in her crib to make way for her standing up
- Hating being confined to a stroller or carseat. She’s on the move, and she doesn’t want anything to keep her down.
- Smiling and laughing every chance she gets. I love her perma-grin!