Eight Months

THAT FACE. What a goof. Eight months! Goodness time flies when you're having fun. Every month gets better and better and this age is so so fun.

Little homie had strawberries for lunch and I thought I'd got them all off her face, but it looks like maybe I didn't. Whoops! Also holy hell these photos are getting hard to take. She does not want to stay still! And all she wants to do is eat those letters, which she did. The "M" is now rather misshapen. Lucky she's cute.

Big development this month: we have teeth! The first appeared a week ago, a little bottom toothy! So for aaall the folks who told me, "Oh she's definitely teething. I bet she'll have a tooth in a couple weeks!" since Indy was probably TWO months old... that tooth is for you. ;) The matching tooth started peeking through yesterday. They're just little stumps at the moment, but they're there! I'm excited for teeth so she can get down on some more food. She does pretty well with her gums, but teeth probably would help a little in the chewing department. And man, that baby likes to eat! Or at least play with her food and make a giant mess. She has still yet to meet a food she's not a fan of, I am loving it. Girlfriend chows down on raw spinach leaves. She'll eat anything. I know that wont last forever, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

SELFIE, photobombed by Sophie the bear cat. 

No crawling yet (not complaining), but Indiana is a champion wiggle worm and roller and somehow still manages to get her little butt all over the place. We're working on pulling up. She can pull up to her knees! And she's started pulling herself into my lap; obviously I love that. She has started pointing at stuff. Cutest thing ever, that tiny little finger and that chubby hand kills me every time. Still loving books, every time I get one out she flings her limbs around in excitement. (Classic happy/excited Indy move: jerk around like you're being electrocuted.) Slowly getting better about just reading and not eating the books, and she can turn the pages! When she's in the mood. Thinks all the cat toys are hers. But really, I mean aren't cat and baby toys similar? Dogs too. Our cats have this crinkly tube thing Indiana has stolen, also into the cat scratching pole? Why not? Indiana adores ALL animals. When she spots one she smiles and does her excited dance and tries to "pet" them. Working on petting versus slapping/grabbing. We've been visiting the kitties for adoption at the pet stores here in town; it's heart breakingly cute to see her put her hands on the glass to try to touch the cats. I hope she loves animals this much forever. I'm obviously an animal nut, so to see my kid love them too makes me real happy!

Indiana had two overnight trips this month, and did great. First longish road trip. And first swim in the ocean. Still obsessed with water! She's been "talking" a ton, and the noises she makes are getting more and more varied. And are obscenely cute. She even makes some "mama" sounds, although not at all directed at me. Loves smiling (and staring) at people, although she's still a little wary of being held by new folks. Loves being out and about, next to looking at animals people watching is her fave. We're regulars at Starbucks, HEB, and Target. 

  

Lol, clearly these on the back photos are the worst for her. She rolls over immediately. I just need them for continuity's sake. 

Definitely used Sophie the Giraffe (who we call Gilly since we have a Sophie the cat) as a photo bribe. It made me think of on A Goofy Movie when Goofy does all sorts of crazy things to get that baby to smile at the photo studio where he worked. Throw back! Mad kudos if you know what the heck I'm talking about. That movie rules. "It's the leaning tower of cheese-a!" Yeesh, when was the last time you thought about Pauly Shore?

Back to business. Honestly this age is kind of the best! Indiana is so happy and fun and all about exploring and playing and learning. She's started reaching for (or throwing herself at) us and when she's reeeeally sleepy sometimes she'll grace us with a head on the shoulder. And she's started nuzzling our chest when she acts "shy" around people. EEEE! 

I just can't handle it sometimes. She is the best. So fun and silly and gah, CUTE. I love her, love her, LOVE HER. I am super sad that time is going by and she's growing so quickly, but it's also the coolest thing ever. I find myself sometimes spiraling down this black hole of "oh my gosh she used to be so small, I don't want her to grow up, why can't she be a newborn again??" (usually prompted by photos) and I have to stop myself because Indiana is awesome. As she is now. And she's getting more awesome everyday and I suspect this will continue for years. And as much as I miss and wish we could go back to the tiny newborn days (so much sometimes that my heart hurts), I love my silly rolly-polly baby days more. Gotta soak it all in. 

But talk to me around her birthday and I might be singing a different tune and working on a time machine.

Hi Greg, ya creep. See the rest of Indy's first year so far!