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.

She's still not sitting up on her own, so I have a pillow propping her up.

Sitting for too long = falling over

She loves this fox

She was laughing like crazy when they fell on her face.

We went to the aquarium and looked at giant fish.  Stroller in the corner for size comparison.

Milo gets jealous when she is on my lap, so he wiggles his way in.

I kept thinking of A Christmas Story, "I can't put my arms down."

We went to Strawberry Reservoir and she enjoyed the trip in her car seat.

First time seeing this different "toy", now she loves playing with it.

Her favorite food, Mac and Cheese (baby food).

Still doesn't especially like the bumbo seat.

She was sitting up on her own (proving she can and just won't).

First hairdo! She only cried a little.

I can't get over how cute she is.

On the downhill slide to 1 year

It doesn't feel like she's really 7 months old already, but in other ways it feels like she's been in our family forever.  A little bit about her progress this past month.

• Weight 15.4 lbs, height 26 inches
• She's outgrown the 6 month sized clothes and even a few of her 9 month sized pajamas are a little snug.
• She's eating pureed foods really well.  I've found that she doesn't like anything at room temp, even the fruits and veggies need to be heated just a little bit.  She didn't like the plain rice cereal either, so I got a mixed grain cereal with sweet potato and apple flavor - which she gobbles up like there's no tomorrow.  We've worked our way through most of the single veggies and fruits so now we're on to the Stage 2 mixed foods.  I was confident she'd do fine with all the fruits, but I was surprised she took to turkey+rice and those weird things.  So far no allergy indications.  Since we don't have a family history of food allergies (that I'm aware of) her doctor pretty much gave me the green light to give her anything except cow's milk and honey.
• She's still sleeping through the night just fine.  She gets sleepy around 6-6:30 pm so she's usually in bed by 7-7:30.  She'll stay asleep until 6-8 am (ish, sometimes I hear her moving around in the middle of the night so I know she's awake, but she doesn't make a peep).  In the mornings she doesn't make much noise either unless I take too long to go get her.  
• She's learned to find and pick up her pacifier and put it in her mouth on her own.  I love it!  I've even seen her do it in her sleep; she'll feel around, find it, and pop it back in her mouth without opening her eyes.  I have a feeling that weaning her off the pacifier will be a royal chore, but for now I will enjoy the peace it brings.
• She still doesn't have any teeth poking through, and no real signs of teething either.  Her gums are a little bumpy, so I think it will be soon but who knows.
• No sign of crawling or sitting anytime soon either.  She is a stinker because I know she has the balance and strength to sit (it was one of the things I asked her doc about), but she chooses not to.  I'll have her sitting on my lap with no support and she'll last for 5-10 seconds and then do her back-bend-lunge.  Crawling might happen in the next few weeks because she is starting to want the toys that are out of reach.  Right now she rolls over to grab them, but I think she'll quickly learn she can get more stuff if she moves more.  The only problem is that she still doesn't like being on her belly, so as soon as she gets the toy she wants, she rolls back onto her back.
• Her noises have become more babbling and less squealing.  She gets so excited when you mimic her noises and carry on the conversation. 

It's so fun seeing her personality develop.  I'm finding it easier to know what she needs because she acts differently when she needs different things, instead of just crying for everything.  If she's extra wiggly I know it's probably her diaper.  Eye rubbing and fussy = sleepy (or she needs cuddles).  Extra noisy = boredom.  Crying usually means she has gas in her tummy, or she's too tired to fall asleep on her own.  She's at such a fun age right now and I am thoroughly enjoying every minute.

Showing her school pride (Hail Mary for the win!) 

She loves her little fox

Her signature sleeping pose

Crossing her feet is a new development

She also likes sucking in her bottom lip

She loves Milo and gets so excited when he walks by

Halfway roll

Full roll onto her tummy.  This is her, "Oh no, I'm stuck" face.

These little noisy books were a great investment, they keep her entertained for a long time

A pair of the 9 month pj's that already fit.

She was so proud that she pulled a book from the stack all by herself

Frustration that she can't get the foot in her mouth.

Happy Half-Birthday to You!

*Edit- Whoops, turns out I didn't publish this when I wrote it...

Another month and another blog post.  Here we go:

• Weight (as of 8/19) 14.77 lbs (19%), height 25.39" (28%)
• Still fitting in 6 month clothes and some 9 month sizes.  I think she'll be out of the 6 month size by the end of the month.
• She eats 5-8 oz every 3-4 hours.  We've introduced some solids and if she likes the taste she will eat it, taking real bites and swallowing right away.  If she doesn't like it she will let it run out of her mouth.  She likes: Sweet potatoes (the best), Carrots, and Apples.  She dislikes: Peas (the worst), Green beans, Rice cereal plain.  
• She still isn't sitting up on her own, but she's doing better at staying up when I prop her on the couch.
• No crawling either, but she is rolling around more.  I put a yoga mat on the floor with a sheet over it to keep her off the carpet.  We'll see how long that lasts.
• She learned how to grab her foot this month, and now it's a favorite pastime.  So far she can only grab her right foot with her right hand, but she has been reaching for the left foot too.  I think she might be right-handed because she seems to favor it, grabbing toys, waving it around, etc.
• She laughs more frequently now.  Mostly when I do goofy things like dance around.  But she does like being thrown in the air, peekaboo, and Mirrors!  Sometimes I can get her to stop crying just by standing in front of a mirror with her.
• Still taking regular naps.  And it's almost like clockwork, 90 minutes after she started a bottle she is tired.  They last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours sometimes.  She gets at least 3 naps a day, on a good day 4-5.  Sometimes she can fall asleep on her own, but the afternoon naps usually take some coaxing.
• She goes to bed around 6:30-7:30 pm and will stay asleep until 7:30-9:00 the next morning.  She doesn't cry when she wakes up, I either hear her talking or just moving around.

Doug was in New York for two weeks and Katelyn and I survived!  It really wasn't that bad at all.  She has become a pretty relaxed baby so our days were easy, and she's always been good about going to bed, so nothing was too stressful.

The day after Doug got home from New York his manager got their team together for a hike and dinner.  The hike was the Mueller Park Trail in Bountiful.  At first we were going to skip it and just meet up for dinner, but we googled the trail and it said it was pretty flat and easy to do with kids.  So we went.  We figured we'd use the jogging stroller, the trail said mountain bikers use it, so the stroller with bike tires should be fine... right?  Well.  It was not mostly flat, and mountain bikers are nuts for riding on this "trail".  It wasn't very steep but it was uphill the whole way.  The worst part was the giant rocks in the middle of the trail, at some points we had to pick up the whole stroller.  Oh, and did I mention it was 3.5 miles to the top?  Going down was a lot easier, and she even liked the bumps.  Needless to say, we won't do that again soon.  And before I even consider doing a hike again, I'll need to get her used to a baby backpack or something.  

Elephant rock, at least the view was good.

Glad she enjoyed the hike.

Her eyes are so blue! 

The problem with stickers, they come off! 

She is doing a little better in the Bumbo, but doesn't last long.

Anything she grabs goes into her mouth.

Milo was rubbing against her hand, I think he's realizing she's a person.

This is where I put her when I need to vacuum the living room.

Just woke up, she typically sleeps with her hand behind her head.

Passed out from playing too hard.

She loves these little (noisy) books. 

And this is where I put her while I cook myself breakfast.

Let the fur-pulling saga begin!

Her newest trick.

Look at the baby orangutan from the Hogle Zoo!

Too tired to eat another bite.

Poor baby, peas ARE gross!