Bristol is 8 months old!
Bristol Grace, you are now EIGHT months old! Whoa, time is going way too fast!
You've turned into an extremely active baby and are definitely ON-THE-GO this month. I have a feeling you're going to be walking by age one--our first baby to do so!
You are wearing 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. You still wear special night-time diapers for extra absorbancy. You are developing more and more rolls all over your body and the only small body part left are your feet. You can still wear 0-6 month soft shoes.
I have no idea how much you weigh or how long you are. You've definitely been through a growth spurt recently though, so I'm guessing you're getting close to 20 lbs!
You eat four bottles per day at 9am, noon, 4:30pm and 7pm. You usually have 6 oz, but sometimes 7 and one time you even drank 8 whole ounces in a single bottle! You also have two babyfood meals per day--7am and when our family is eating dinner (5:30-ish).
We introduced you to a few more finger foods this month--peas, tiny pieces of wheat bread and even a few baked french fries in tiny pieces. You also still love cheerios and puffs. We'll give you yogurt melts soon which I have a feeling you'll be crazy about!
You are sleeping SO WELL NOW--YAY!!!!!! All month long you've been sleeping consistently through the night. On occasion you wake up briefly at some point through the night, find your pacifier and then sooth yourself back to sleep. We have worked SO HARD at this and it is paying off :) You nap very well--9-11am and 1-4 or even 4:30pm.
We stick to your schedule 90% of the time, which I feel has partly contributed to your finally sleeping well through the night. However, you are flexible as you need to be which is so nice for our family. We can change around your nap times as needed to fit our family calendar and regardless of any changes, you are HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY.
I found you sitting up in your crib after your morning nap for the first time on November 25th. Daddy had seen you go from lying down to sitting, and I had seen you come close to doing it, but this was the first time I found you sitting when I know you'd been lying down asleep!
You love your pacifiers, not only for sucking on, but also for holding onto. In your crib, we put 3 or 4 pacis with you for bed and nap times, and as you're going to sleep you continuously are holding onto two (one in each hand) and interchanging which is in your mouth. One day as I laid you down I saw you doing this and I joked with you that each one must taste different--haha. I also have noticed that during naptime if I put all of the pacis on your right-hand side, you move them over to your left side before you eventually fall asleep. Silly girl!
You still are obsessed with feet...only now you've become an "equal opportunity foot eater"--ha! You will go after my feet when I don't have socks on and anyone else's bare feet that you see. Don't you know that feet are pretty gross baby girl? Since you're so wiggly when I try to change your diaper I've found that I can change you on the floor with my legs on either side of you and wiggle my toes to distract you and make you stay still. I try to keep all toes but your own out of your mouth though :)
I used to think that my very favorite stage during the first year was 4-6 months when my babies have been more interactive than as a newborn, but not yet moving around. You're changing that though because your current age and disposition are my new favorite. You are SO interactive, SO happy and you always bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. I love to watch everything you do and I enjoy helping you to learn and discover new things around you. This is SUCH a great stage!
You LOVE diamonds (real and fake!) and you pull on my jewelry constantly. I refuse not to wear necklaces though, even if it means you're pulling on me and choking me throughout the day :) Besides necklaces, your favorite jewels to touch are my wedding rings. You grab at them every chance you get!
Everyone, and by that I mean EVERYONE comments on what a happy baby you are. It really is incredible and we are so blessed by your sweet disposition. You are laid-back like your daddy, yet bubbly like your mommy. I think God took the best traits from each of us and gave them to you as he made you.
You still have NO teeth, but you are still teething it seems! You chew ferociously on toys and one day I had to give you your first dose of tylenol because you were so fussy. Fortunately, the fussy moments don't last.
You've had quite a few physical "firsts" this month--you started crawling, you waved "bye," you started doing "sooooo big" all the time and you now play peek-a-boo. It is incredibly fun to play with you and to see you do all of these things! We're still working on bye-bye, but the others you have officially MASTERED.
Mom and Dad both left you for the second time this month, but only for two days. You stayed at Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Chris' house and had a very nice time. They were wonderful caregivers for you!
You love to look at yourself in the mirror, so I positioned a tall mirror sideways for you to look at yourself in. I sit you in front of it each morning and can get ready and make my bed while you happily entertain yourself in the mirror!
You got to try Thanksgiving food the day after your first Thanksgiving. I pureed turkey, potatoes, carrots and dressing for you and you loved it.
We decorated for your first Christmas season and you had a GREAT time playing with some of the large colored lights. I put on a Santa hat and you freaked out though! I was worried you might not like Santa now, but last Saturday at our Santa breakfast you sat on his lap and smiled--whew, I'm glad you aren't afraid :)
You and I shared ANOTHER cold this month. Let's try not to make this a monthly thing, ok?
You got to go on your first Polar Express ride this month. So fun!
You have discovered the bows I put on you and you are always trying to pull them off now. I hope to teach you not to touch them....we'll see if this works the way it did for your big sisters!
You say Mama (when you're crying usually), Wa-wa, squeal, grunt, growl and giggle. I can't wait for you to start talking more!
Now that you're so active, you don't like your jumperoo or exersaucer as much anymore :( You do, however, like to go into your pack n play with toys to play with. I'm thankful there's a safe place I can put you to have some fun while I'm busy showering or making dinner or something. You also like to sit in your high chair and play with toys.
You rode in the wagon for the first time early this month and then again on a nice warm day mid-month. You loved both rides. You also love your stroller. I think you enjoy people-watching just like your Mommy.
We went back to Mommy's gym this month and you did GREAT. There is a very fun ball there that you played with (it rolls around on it's own and then you could chase it). I think we'll start going more often now that you're bigger and the gym is less crowded than it was in the summertime.
You've just learned how to "give kisses." I hold you and say, "kisses!" then pucker my lips and you give me a sloppy wet one. I'll share germs with you so long as you always give such good kisses!
I can guarantee you'll be pulling yourself up by Christmas. We are all in trouble once that happens! We've babyproofed now, but we better ask Santa to bring us all a more baby-friendly coffee table...
Oh Miss Bristol, you have got SO MUCH personality. I love everything you do all day long. You are either full of energy or being super calm and subdued. I'm thinking you're going to be a lot like your biggest sister Jaden as you grow up, and she is quite a role model for you to look up to. I continue to feel incredibly blessed every single moment of every single day because you are a part of our family. Thank you for every smile you give, the way you look at me longing for me to return the glance and your enthusiasm for everything in life. Your squeals and giggles make my days and your snuggles melt my heart. I am so proud to be the mommy of the most amazing, beautiful, special 8-month-old in the whole world! Hugs and sloppy wet kisses, Mommy
You've turned into an extremely active baby and are definitely ON-THE-GO this month. I have a feeling you're going to be walking by age one--our first baby to do so!
You are wearing 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. You still wear special night-time diapers for extra absorbancy. You are developing more and more rolls all over your body and the only small body part left are your feet. You can still wear 0-6 month soft shoes.
I have no idea how much you weigh or how long you are. You've definitely been through a growth spurt recently though, so I'm guessing you're getting close to 20 lbs!
You eat four bottles per day at 9am, noon, 4:30pm and 7pm. You usually have 6 oz, but sometimes 7 and one time you even drank 8 whole ounces in a single bottle! You also have two babyfood meals per day--7am and when our family is eating dinner (5:30-ish).
We introduced you to a few more finger foods this month--peas, tiny pieces of wheat bread and even a few baked french fries in tiny pieces. You also still love cheerios and puffs. We'll give you yogurt melts soon which I have a feeling you'll be crazy about!
You are sleeping SO WELL NOW--YAY!!!!!! All month long you've been sleeping consistently through the night. On occasion you wake up briefly at some point through the night, find your pacifier and then sooth yourself back to sleep. We have worked SO HARD at this and it is paying off :) You nap very well--9-11am and 1-4 or even 4:30pm.
We stick to your schedule 90% of the time, which I feel has partly contributed to your finally sleeping well through the night. However, you are flexible as you need to be which is so nice for our family. We can change around your nap times as needed to fit our family calendar and regardless of any changes, you are HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY.
I found you sitting up in your crib after your morning nap for the first time on November 25th. Daddy had seen you go from lying down to sitting, and I had seen you come close to doing it, but this was the first time I found you sitting when I know you'd been lying down asleep!
You love your pacifiers, not only for sucking on, but also for holding onto. In your crib, we put 3 or 4 pacis with you for bed and nap times, and as you're going to sleep you continuously are holding onto two (one in each hand) and interchanging which is in your mouth. One day as I laid you down I saw you doing this and I joked with you that each one must taste different--haha. I also have noticed that during naptime if I put all of the pacis on your right-hand side, you move them over to your left side before you eventually fall asleep. Silly girl!
You still are obsessed with feet...only now you've become an "equal opportunity foot eater"--ha! You will go after my feet when I don't have socks on and anyone else's bare feet that you see. Don't you know that feet are pretty gross baby girl? Since you're so wiggly when I try to change your diaper I've found that I can change you on the floor with my legs on either side of you and wiggle my toes to distract you and make you stay still. I try to keep all toes but your own out of your mouth though :)
I used to think that my very favorite stage during the first year was 4-6 months when my babies have been more interactive than as a newborn, but not yet moving around. You're changing that though because your current age and disposition are my new favorite. You are SO interactive, SO happy and you always bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. I love to watch everything you do and I enjoy helping you to learn and discover new things around you. This is SUCH a great stage!
You LOVE diamonds (real and fake!) and you pull on my jewelry constantly. I refuse not to wear necklaces though, even if it means you're pulling on me and choking me throughout the day :) Besides necklaces, your favorite jewels to touch are my wedding rings. You grab at them every chance you get!
Everyone, and by that I mean EVERYONE comments on what a happy baby you are. It really is incredible and we are so blessed by your sweet disposition. You are laid-back like your daddy, yet bubbly like your mommy. I think God took the best traits from each of us and gave them to you as he made you.
You still have NO teeth, but you are still teething it seems! You chew ferociously on toys and one day I had to give you your first dose of tylenol because you were so fussy. Fortunately, the fussy moments don't last.
You've had quite a few physical "firsts" this month--you started crawling, you waved "bye," you started doing "sooooo big" all the time and you now play peek-a-boo. It is incredibly fun to play with you and to see you do all of these things! We're still working on bye-bye, but the others you have officially MASTERED.
Mom and Dad both left you for the second time this month, but only for two days. You stayed at Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Chris' house and had a very nice time. They were wonderful caregivers for you!
You love to look at yourself in the mirror, so I positioned a tall mirror sideways for you to look at yourself in. I sit you in front of it each morning and can get ready and make my bed while you happily entertain yourself in the mirror!
You got to try Thanksgiving food the day after your first Thanksgiving. I pureed turkey, potatoes, carrots and dressing for you and you loved it.
We decorated for your first Christmas season and you had a GREAT time playing with some of the large colored lights. I put on a Santa hat and you freaked out though! I was worried you might not like Santa now, but last Saturday at our Santa breakfast you sat on his lap and smiled--whew, I'm glad you aren't afraid :)
You and I shared ANOTHER cold this month. Let's try not to make this a monthly thing, ok?
You got to go on your first Polar Express ride this month. So fun!
You have discovered the bows I put on you and you are always trying to pull them off now. I hope to teach you not to touch them....we'll see if this works the way it did for your big sisters!
You say Mama (when you're crying usually), Wa-wa, squeal, grunt, growl and giggle. I can't wait for you to start talking more!
Now that you're so active, you don't like your jumperoo or exersaucer as much anymore :( You do, however, like to go into your pack n play with toys to play with. I'm thankful there's a safe place I can put you to have some fun while I'm busy showering or making dinner or something. You also like to sit in your high chair and play with toys.
You rode in the wagon for the first time early this month and then again on a nice warm day mid-month. You loved both rides. You also love your stroller. I think you enjoy people-watching just like your Mommy.
We went back to Mommy's gym this month and you did GREAT. There is a very fun ball there that you played with (it rolls around on it's own and then you could chase it). I think we'll start going more often now that you're bigger and the gym is less crowded than it was in the summertime.
You've just learned how to "give kisses." I hold you and say, "kisses!" then pucker my lips and you give me a sloppy wet one. I'll share germs with you so long as you always give such good kisses!
I can guarantee you'll be pulling yourself up by Christmas. We are all in trouble once that happens! We've babyproofed now, but we better ask Santa to bring us all a more baby-friendly coffee table...
Oh Miss Bristol, you have got SO MUCH personality. I love everything you do all day long. You are either full of energy or being super calm and subdued. I'm thinking you're going to be a lot like your biggest sister Jaden as you grow up, and she is quite a role model for you to look up to. I continue to feel incredibly blessed every single moment of every single day because you are a part of our family. Thank you for every smile you give, the way you look at me longing for me to return the glance and your enthusiasm for everything in life. Your squeals and giggles make my days and your snuggles melt my heart. I am so proud to be the mommy of the most amazing, beautiful, special 8-month-old in the whole world! Hugs and sloppy wet kisses, Mommy
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