8 Month Update

Time flew by this summer and I missed blogging about Madeline at 6 and 7 months. So here are updates for all 3 months!

At her 6 month check-up, Maddie was 26.5" and 15 lb 12 oz.  She started army crawling on her belly right around 6 months, using her toes to propel her forward.  She initially just took a few lunges at a time, and quickly progressed to crawling all the way across the room and around the furniture!

We also set up Madeline's exersaucer.  She really loved standing in it and playing with the new toys. 

 Around 7 months, Maddie learned to pull up from her stomach to her feet, but couldn't get back down!  She had a few little falls before learning to bend her legs and sit back down.

That also means that she learned to pull up in her crib, so she's been standing to greet us when she wakes up since mid-August!

And since she loved standing, we got her a music table to pull up on.  She plays with it, but would rather pull up on the furniture and, especially, on our legs!

 

 

We also found a great indoor playground with an infant room for her to crawl and climb in.  She seemed to really like it.  

 

 

At the end of August, Madeline finally had her portraits taken.  She didn't really want to sit still, but the photographer was great to work with and her patience resulted in some great pictures.  Here are a few of my favorites.

 

 

And now at 8 months, Madeline is still a very busy girl.  She does not want to sit still, so she's criss-crossing the house on her hands and knees and pulling up on everything. 

 

She loves getting on the kitchen island!

I signed Maddie up for a weekly Gymboree Play and Music class, hoping that she will burn some of her energy crawling up and down the soft mats and playing with other babies.  We are also taking a Baby Sign Language class to help her start to communicate with us.  We'll see how that works out in the long run! 

 

And Madeline seems to really enjoy the baby swings. In this picture, you can just barely see the bruise above her right eye where she fell against the couch.  Luckily, that has been her only injury to date and it went away very quickly. 

 

 

We have been blessed with a very happy girl.  She has been sleeping really well at naptime (2 hours twice a day) and at night (sometimes all night or waking up just once).  She is very friendly and smiles easily at everyone, especially those who tell her how cute she is.  She is starting to show irritation if we take something away from her, but can still be distracted with something new.  Madeline also babbles a lot more now.  It's especially fun to drive around and hear the little sounds from the back of the minivan.  We are having so much fun watching her grow.