Jaffa Family: 8 months, or 2/3 of the way to 1 year

Another month has come and gone. I'm so excited for the Fall weather, adios 80, 90, and 100 degree days, hello peaceful 60 and 70 degrees! Here's what we've been up to:

Height 26" (approx. she is so wiggly and kept trying to grab the measuring tape). Weight 16 lbs
She's doing great at eating her solids as long as it's something she likes. In the afternoon I give her a "big meal" and she can eat 6-8 oz of baby food. She has decided she doesn't like the cereal flakes (I've tried 3 different flavor/types and she gags with them all) if it's mixed with formula or I put them in with fruit. Funny thing is she loves the premixed cereal/fruit combos, her fav being the pear cinnamon oatmeal. So I don't know if it's a texture issue or what, because she used to be fine. Other baby foods she likes are: Mac and cheese, anything with sweet potatoes, and most all the fruits and fruit combos. The only foods she won't eat now are plain peas (she'll eat them in the veggie combo) and the flaked cereal.
Her bottle consumption has gone down from 30 oz per day to around 17-21 oz. I've tried introducing a sippy cup but she's not having any of that. She refuses to drink anything other than formula as well, I've tried water and diluted pear juice.
She hasn't grown much this past month, so she still fits in the 9 month sized clothes just fine. I have a couple 12 month outfits that she wears too.
She's making more consonant sounds, her favorite is the "V" sound, but she also does, "B" and "D". Sometimes she blows air out almost like she's trying to whistle. She makes her little gurgle noise a lot too, just not when I pull out my phone to make a video. I've also caught her kind of whispering noises to herself.
She's gotten into a routine of two naps per day and they can last from 30-90 minutes. The morning nap she can fall asleep on her own on the floor or crib, but she usually needs me to hold her to fall asleep in the afternoon.
Still no teeth (though I could've sworn she was teething because she was so cranky). No crawling or sitting up on her own either. She could sit up (and has for a few minutes) but she gets nervous when she doesn't feel me supporting her and will lunge backwards (trust fall!). No crawling yet because she doesn't like being on her tummy and rolls right back to her back. And even when she's on her tummy she has her legs pulled up so they're not even touching the ground. I've noticed she doesn't like putting any weight on her legs, so I'm thinking I'll try getting a bouncer and see what she does. She will do a half-roll to get toys just slightly out of reach, but if they're any farther away she would rather play with her hands or toes.
I just got a wearable carrier for her yesterday and the two times I put her in it she was upset at first, but then seemed to enjoy it. I tried both the facing-in and facing-out positions. Since she won't sit up I have to carry her in her carseat in the store and restaurants, so I'm hoping I could wear her instead, still heavy but without the added car seat weight.
I think she's gotten pretty attached to me, because every time I leave the room she starts to cry. She gets over it pretty quick if there are still other people around, but if she's alone she will get pretty worked up. I hope this is just a phase...
I've noticed she has a little more dexterity with her hands, she likes to touch and pet interesting things rather than grab the whole object. For instance, I have a dress with beads around the neckline and she likes to touch and feel the beads rather than grabbing at the masses. She doesn't quite have the pincher grip thing, but she's getting close.

Her little personality shows through more every day. She can be stubborn one minute and a total doll the next. It's fun (and sometimes aggravating) to see her have preferences and opinions. Most of the time though she's super easy-going, she must be repenting for the months of colic.