8 months old!

Our little girl is eight months old. It stills blows our mind how fast this has all gone. We are also blown away at how much she has discovered in her eight months. She is definitely a girl that does not want to be stopped for anything. Her personality just booms more everyday.

Here are the things that she is up to at 8 months.

*She is still sleeping and eating great. She sleeps every night for about 12 hours and takes two naps during the day. The naps aren't super long, but as long as she is sleeping at night I'm okay. She eats any fruit and vegetable out there. I have not given her any sugar yet and I am going to keep it that way for a long time hopefully.

*She is crawling faster and faster everyday. If I leave her for a second I can be sure to find her somewhere she shouldn't be, making a mess of something that she shouldn't. Although Mowgly is the one reaping the consequences of her fast crawling. She can pretty much catch him as long as he stays on the floor. She chases him behind doors, behind the couch, and up the stairs. When she does catch him,her grip is so strong that he usually ends up dragging her a little before she lets go. It is so fun, though, to see her follow me around and be a part of everything I do. I think that some of her frustrations have been relieved now that she can get where she wants to, without me having to help her.

*She goes from sitting to crawling from crawling to sitting. She can do everything independently.

*She is pulling herself onto anything she can get her hands on. She just loves to stand on her feet. This has also brought on a lot of decor changes to the house. For example, books are no longer on any bottom shelves. Electronics have also been moved one shelf up, out of reach (one down side to her being tall and having her dad's long arms: there are very few things she can't reach). The DVDs have also been moved up and out of reach. Coffee table is now gone from the living room(which I actually love. It makes the room so much bigger and more open). I have had to become more tolerant of my house being a little messy during the day. Before, I was following her around cleaning up everything and putting it all back to place. My life: a cycle of putting books on the shelf and organizing toys. Now I just let the house go until she is in bed, then I clean and can relax again. Since learning to being okay with mess, it has been more fun and easy going. I can just play and enjoy my time with Davis more- not thinking about how much I have to do.

*Once she has pulled herself up on whatever, she then takes steps to get around. She really just loves being on her feet like Mom and Dad. She is not close to walking though, and I hope she won't be for a while.

*She has also discovered our stairs and how to climb them. It took about a day to figure it out. She can get up, but getting down is another story. Naps have gotten longer since all this has started because she just goes and goes and totally wears herself out. It was fun today at the park, too, because she climbed the stairs on the jungle gym like the other children. She usually just sits and watches them with a look of frustration, but not anymore.

*She loves to clap her hands. We try to not make a big deal when she falls (unless it is a bad fall and she needs loves, then, we scoop her up and comfort, comfort, comfort). So we decided if it is not bad, then we will simply clap our hands and say, "TADA!" She now claps her hands all the time. It is the best when she looks up at you with a big cheesy grin and claps her hands. She claps a lot in the bathtub as well.

*She has four teeth and is working on another. Two on top and two on bottom. The bottom two came in no problem. We didn't even really notice until they were there. The top were another story. They really bothered her. She was a trooper and just drooled and chewed her way through it. I did break down and give her Tylenol a couple nights when we could tell she was really hurting. They are in now and she is happy. (Now when I say that they hurt her I mean she cried maybe a couple of times a day. Other than that she was still her happy content self.)

* Her favorite new game during bath time is standing up then falling on her bottom making a big splash. She will smile and clap after she made the big splash. We say being in the bathroom with her during bath time is like being at the Shamu show. Not because she is big but because the first two rows will get wet.

*Last but not least SHE HAS SAID HER FIRST WORD... DADA! That's is right Justin is gone five days of the week, while I am here taking care of her every need all day, and her first word is DADA! It is okay though I got the first smile and laugh. He can have the first word. He also deserves it because he is truly the best dad I have ever seen. He does everything he can to build a wonderful relationship with her. And he genuinely loves to help with everything that has to do with her.

I am sure that I am forgetting a ton of stuff but that will do for now. She is wonderful in every way. The past 8 months have brought about a lot of changes as a family, of course, and as individuals. I know that Davis was brought to our home at this time for a reason. She has the ability to light up any room and situation. She puts a smile on anyone's face that meets her. She has been blessed with a beautiful spirit that beams through her blue eyes. I know she will continue to use this gift through her life to bless those around her. I get so excited to think about all the things that await her in this life, and even more excited that I get to see them. I know there is a great work for her to do. We love her more than anything!

This is a little video of her climbing some stairs. I could have gotten more if I wasn't trying to juggle the camera and keeping her from falling down the stairs.

Just a little example of the tornado that is Davis. Also, the mess that I am learning to just be okay with. I am still learning, but even now I can feel my anxiety building thinking about the messes.