Clara at 8 Months

1. You love to laugh. Aside from Sophie and playing peekaboo, one of the best ways to make you laugh is to drop stuff on your face. I kid you not. Small toys, your binky, my hair - it doesn't matter, you just think it's so silly. (The video above was shot by Sophie so sorry it's at such a weird angle). You also get really excited when I set you in front of the mirror - who is that cute kid playing with me??
2. You think it's really fun when we chase you up and down the stairs. You giggle and bounce and bury your face in the neck of whoever is holding you. This never fails to entertain you no matter how tired or grumpy you are.
3. You are eating real foods pretty well now and are getting pretty good at that pincer grasp thing. More than half of the food we put on your tray ends up in your mouth instead of in your lap. We still spoon feed you the majority of your food but we are making real progress towards self-feeding. And you can't wait. You love big people food and, I think, are dying to really dig into it.
4. Pretzels are a particular favorite. You also like, puffs, cheerios, yogurt bites and string cheese.
5. You know your name.
6. You are getting more and more vocal. You are making lots and lots of new sounds and, truth be told, you usually sound like a little chicken. Lots of "bawks" and "gawks" and LOTS of screaming. But I have heard a few "mmm" sounds when I'm around and I secretly like to think you are trying to say "mama". Are you?
7. You spend a lot of time with your fingers in your mouth. You aren't teething (still toothless, actually) and you aren't even really gumming them. You just like to have them in there. It's your knee-jerk reaction when you are happy.
8. You are a really easy, happy baby. You will spend up to half an hour, bouncing on the couch if we surround you with toys. You are super good at entertaining yourself. Other than the sleep thing which is still(!!!) a problem, you are the best baby. You never fuss, you are friendly and cheerful and flexible and snuggly. It is just so sweet to be around you.
9. Your favorite toy in the whole world is a simple wet wipe. It will keep you entertained and happy for ages and I'm willing to let you play with anything that does that even if sometimes you try to eat it.
10. You have figured out how to use a sippy cup, and not always for banging on your high chair. You actually love to just play with it. And even better than the sippy cup success is the bottle success. You will now happily take a bottle anytime we offer it, even with plain old formula. This pleases your mom to no end as she can actually let someone else feed you once in a while without having to pump. You definitely still prefer to drink straight from the tap but you are flexible which goes along with my whole theory that while you may be a little more energetic than your sister, you won't make things too difficult for me either. How lucky am I to be your mom?? (Answer: a lot lucky)