Happy 8 months, Story!

Say what?

I know, I can hardly believe it myself, but Story, you are 8 months old today! We are celebrating in style too because it's a snow day, and school was cancelled. What a busy month it has been for you too. Let's see what you've been up to.

• No appointment this month, so we don't know your exact measurements, but you are just under 19 pounds per a sick appointment earlier in the month.
• You are wearing size 4 diapers and 12 month clothes.
• You still have only two teeth on the bottom.
• Your eyes are as blue as ever, and your hair is light brown, both very similar to your big brother, Carter.

• We celebrated your first Christmas, and it was so much fun. You loved playing with the boxes and bows and tried to eat the paper.
• For Christmas, you got some stroller toys, clothes, your very first Cabbage Patch Kid from Mama, and lots of other fun things.

• You are talking A LOT! Your first word was bye bye and you said it over and over and over, byebyebyebyebye!
• Next, you said mamamamamama. You are the first of our children to say Momma before Daddy, so it made my heart melt.
• Christmas day, you began saying dadadadadada. What a special memory!

• We took another road trip to New Orleans, this month for Daddy's graduation. You travel so well in the car, and we are so thankful!
• Upon leaving Louisiana, we traveled to Marmaduke via Missouri (another one of Daddy's "detours) adding another state to yours visited, bringing your total so far to 9, not bad for a little one!

• In Marmaduke, we stayed with our friends, the Longs. You got to decorate your first Christmas cookies and see how the cookie cutters taste too.

• You are moving everywhere. You love to army crawl, and over Christmas break, you learned how to pull yourself up to a sitting position from your tummy. We were so surprised!
• You like to bear crawl, and it looks so funny.
• Just this week, you pulled yourself up to a standing position while holding on to our steps.

• It's rare to get you sitting still, but you do love to sit in our laps and snuggle. One of my favorite things you do is when we pick you up, you like to put your cheek right on ours, so sweet.
• You LOVE kisses. Just recently you have started to kiss us back, open mouth full on the mouth kisses, love it!

• You had your very first sick appointment this month, and boy we did it up right. For about a week, you had a nagging cough. Then, it began to turn into a wheeze, which was scary, so we took you to the doctor. Enter, Mr. Neb and his sidekick, Xopenex. He came home with us and stayed for a week. Thankfully, he is put away for now and hasn't had to be taken back out.

• Have we mentioned you are a thumbsucker? When you are sleepy and have your lovey, it's automatic. So far, you only do it when you are sleeping or trying to go to sleep. We shall see if the trend continues.
• You love to sleep. During the night, you sleep from 6pm-8am. We have shortened your morning nap to one hour, and you take a long afternoon nap for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• You sleep in your crib on your tummy tucked into the corner of your bed.

• You are a good little eater, and you seem to prefer your food to your formula.
• After your first bottle, you have breakfast, which usually consists of oatmeal or yogurt.
• Your second bottle comes around lunchtime, and then you have a some kind of fruit, usually Healthy Harvest or Yobaby.
• Your third bottle comes just after your afternoon nap.
• At 5:00, your supper timer goes off, seriously! You are ready to eat right at 5:00 each day. For supper, you eat a vegetable mixed with rice cereal and formula along with a fruit if you are still hungry.
• So far, you have eaten all the yellow vegetables and broccoli. This week, you are going to try avocados for the first time. We haven't found anything that you don't like.
• You love yobaby and healthy harvest applesauces.
• We have been offering you a last bottle around 8 after you have gone to bed, but you have not been wanting it, so we are thinking you might be ready to give up that last bottle.

• This month, we got to spend a lot of time with family, which was a rare treat. Papa and Gigi came to see us in New Orleans for Daddy's graduation.
• On New Year's Day, we spent time with T and Hart, the Hollands, and Mama to celebrate Christmas.

Here is the monthly picture of the four of you. Your brother and sisters continue to dote on you. Tilly serenades you in the mornings when you wake up. Just this morning, she was singing "No more monkeys jumping on the bed" to you. Summer likes to help me feed you. She creates a nice diversion, so you will eat more! Carter loves to hold you and kiss you, especially when you are crying. He talks to you in the sweetest voice.

It's getting harder and harder to get a picture of the four of you. One day, we will be able to say, everyone smile and all of you will look at once and smile! Until then, I am happy with these crazy photo shoots trying to get someone to look and maybe a smile.

For the last shot, I decided to jump in the picture. This is one Mommy who loooooves her four little ones so much! Happy 8 months, Story! Our home is more wonderful with you in it!