A snapsot of Mia at 8 months

I have many posts so far on the ups and downs/ins and outs of being a new mom, but I am letting the most important part escape me.  It dawned on me that I have not really shined the light on my sweet baby in a while.  I admit that part of the novelty of writing my blog is that I get a chance to vent while admitting my ignorance to this new way of life.  However, the real reason behind the blog is to give both Mia and I an opportunity to look back and reflect on these precious moments that unfortunately can be overshadowed by the more frequent. 

I heard many mothers say that their baby's 8th month is one of the best.  I couldn't imagine that one could be more special than the other as each month thus far has been quite an exciting roller coaster.  But I do see month 8 as my favorite, as well.  I also see it as one full of so many small things I don't want to forget as Mia's personality is blooming, so I am just going to make a list as a snapshot at this point in our sweet girl's life.

• She is a charmer.  No matter where we go we can always expect someone (usually more than one) person to stop to compliment Mia and she always returns their kindness with that beautiful smile and usually throws in some baby talk to top it off.  I think she is just a people person.  She loves to see new faces and reacts to those familiar ones with distinctness.  For instance, she screams with joy everytime her Mimi walks into the room or laughs uncontrollably whenever she see's her cousin Nathaniel. 
• She is our little rolly polley.  In most of our playgroups Mia is as big as (or bigger than) most of the 10 month olds.  I swear I don't over feed the girl, but there's nothing that she doesn't like to eat.  As I prepared for the days of solid foods I read about how to get your baby to eat their veggies, etc.  But, I have never had to try to convince her to eat anything and I can only think of a time or two that she's ever stopped eating because she was full (a pound of puffs later).  There was even a point when we were having to put baby powder between her leg rolls because they were chafing.
• Happy-go-lucky.  This kid is always in a good mood and not just in the sense that she is content...she's genuienly giggly, goofy and smiling 90% of the time.  If she's ticked there's usually a valid reason.
• Go with the flow.  We have made many adjustments since Mia came into this world.  It's been just me and her and daddy in a queit house (in the beginning), to me keeping 3 one year olds at our house, then moving to her Mimi's and keeping just one of the 3 children at their home, as well as going to lots of playgroups during the week and traveling (to my sister's, etc.) on the weekends.  In each scenario she is never out of her element instead she's excited for a change of scenery.  Hmmm...maybe a little traveler when she grows up?
• A busy body.  Mia always has ants in her pants.  She can't sit still for 2 seconds and she constantly needs a new form of entertainment.  Hand her a deck of cards or a cell phone and you'd think she just got a bag of gold.  Oh and of course food will always make her happy. 
• We call her B.  My sister started calling her that when she was newborn because her middle name is Brooke (after my sis) and for some reason it's stuck.  And lately I have found myself calling her that all the time.  I don't know if we will be calling her that 18 years from now, but just in case we can see when it started. 
• 8 month milestones:  She is weird with her milestones...she does something new (clapping and pulling herself up, for instance) for a week solid then moves onto something else and you forget she knows how to do it.  But the biggest thing right now, for me, is her 2 bottom teeth are coming in and I am obsessed with seeing and feeling them.  She is trying really hard to crawl, but so far only goes backward.  She realized she can scoot or roll to get to what she wants (or scream and I will get it for her).  Her favorite thing to do is walk along things.  She will go from the couch to the coffee table and back for an hour if you let her.  She is a brilliant baby and I have decided that I will not become a milestone Nazi so she can do whatever at her own pace and I am proud of her. 
• She's mommy's favorite baby doll.  I absolutely love getting to dress her up in new outfits and all the accessories to go along with it.  In, fact it's rare if we leave the house without a bow or a hat on.  Of course she's just as adorable in a white onsie but where's the fun? 
• Tough cookie.  We sometimes refer to her as baby hulk as she rips napkins to shreds.  However, in all seriousness B does not take any crap.  Maybe it's because she is constantly getting toys taken away or getting knocked around (by her 5 day a week big sis) but she has learned to hold tight to her toys and when another kid tries to steal it she will growl and hold on for dear life...it's quite hilarious to see in action.  She just hasn't really got the guts to stand up to the one who steals them the most.  She'll get there though. 
• She is a talker.  She talks and talks and talks!  Right now is mama, dada, baba, nana, and all sorts of other funky noises we can't even make but she always making noise.  Even talks in her sleep. 

Well, nap time has ended mid post and the balls B is playing with are beginning to bore her so I will end here.  Thanks for reading!