This is what eight months looks like

Disclaimer: This post is entirely self-serving.  It's my own little online scrapbook so I remember what Grace was like at 8 months. 

Congratulations to Eric and me!  With much help from our families, we have successfully kept another human being alive for almost nine months.  This is no small task.  (Trust me. More on this another time).

What should get top billing for month 8?  Crawling!  Ladies and gentlemen, we have mobility.  And it is a game changer. I can put her in the middle of our living room surrounded by toys and she can get whatever she wants by herself, even find me in the kitchen if she so chooses.  Awesome.  She can also escape the living room and find her way to any number of cords, dog bones, outlets, and endless amounts of seemingly innocent objects which now strike terror into the heart of this mother.  Scary.

Crawling!

Two teeth have FINALLY popped through her bottom gum and she's working on a few more.
(If I think too much about baby teeth I get really freaked out.  Like, where are they?  What makes them come out of their hiding spot? Where are the adult teeth that come in after these fall out?  I hate it. Moving on...)

Yes I'm wearing a beanie. Yes it's the end of July.  Yes it was 59 degrees when my dad took this picture.

It's been so incredible to watch her become aware -- of her hands,  her tongue,  her reflection.  I love to watch her play on the floor when she suddenly remembers...I can wave!  I can wave high, I can wave low, I can wave both hands at the same time! She loves to clap her hands, she'll stick out her tongue if you ask her, and she's trying really hard to point to her nose.  She gives kisses, enjoys books, plays patty cake. She babbles nonstop, says mama (not sure if it means anything yet?) and is obsessed with pointing (like her late namesake:). She has also graduated from boring baby purees to table food.  And she loves food.  Sweet potato fries are her current fave; in second place, a plain old roll that she can flap around and chew and poke holes in with her fingers.  Or toes. She loves drinking water out of a glass and is even more thrilled when there's ice in it.  If you take your eye off of her she will put her whole arm in your glass and splash around to try grabbing ice cubes.  It's weird and cute. 

We went out to lunch last week and she was eating on my lap when another family walked in with their baby, who was snuggled into his stroller.  The dad was REALLY into being a dad, as evidenced by the shirt that said "Dad Since 2013," which made me think...that baby can't be much younger than Grace, six weeks at the very most.  This chubby baby boy was strapped into his car seat placed upon his stroller, draped in a blanket, holding a bottle and batting at a mobile.  Which got me thinking...

what.

Grace hasn't allowed me to do any of those things with her since she was 3 months old.  We checked this family out, a piece of batard in her hand, a glass of pinot gris in mine, aaaand...we got a little judgey.  But then I wondered if maybe they were judging me...? Like, where's her bottle?  Where's her safety-strapped car seat with shock absorbers and lumbar support?  Did you wash her hands before letting her go H.A.M. on that empty carbohydrate laden bread chunk?

OMG am I a terrible mother? Am I rushing her babyhood? Should I have brought a bottle? A bottle of what?!  She doesn't drink milk bottles. Why doesn't she drink milk bottles?!  Should I have brought juice?  No. The sugar! (Damn you, Eric.)

Grace reached for my glass of ice water and splashed around, just to show off.  Then we got gelato and relaxed because dirty hands, crusty bread and chilling on your mom's lap with a mouthful of salted caramel yumyums are way better than being strapped into a boring baby seat pointing at some dumb bunnies floating above you. No worries, it was goat's milk gelato. And kudos to you, superfamily, for keeping your baby a baby as long as possible.

(I sound like such a jerk.  Batard? Pinot Gris? Goat's milk Gelato?  I'd judge me too.  Also this is not normal.  This is lunch with Grandma.)

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism."  Ephesians 4:5

Anyway, last but certainly not least, Gracie got baptized this month!  It was a spur of the moment type event (sorry extended family) but turned out to be incredibly special. My uncle, who was in town to officiate my sister's wedding, baptized my brother-in-law before the big day,  and we thought, let's do a twofer!  We were there, the camera was flashing, the water was flowing, and Grace and her Uncle Stu were "welcomed to the Kingdom."  I thought about getting Eric sprinkled too...but then I remembered his Grandparents did that.  Both sets. Separately.  It's like they knew he was going to need extra help.

After this beautiful moment, my dear friend Riley played some music and my Uncle the Pastor started rapping House of Pain.  That's how we roll.

As we approach the ninth month, I realize just how far we have come. Our days have a little bit of order and routine, leaving the house is no longer like preparing for the zombie apocalypse, and she's even sleeping for four or five hours at a stretch at night.  (Still. Not. Sleeping. Through. The. Night. Don't judge me or I will come at you like a spider monkey.)  I feel utterly and totally transformed, a new person with a completely new view on life.  But enough about me -- Grace, you have captivated our family entirely.  Thank you for being such a delightful little soul, and thanks be to God for giving you to me!

Now hold still so I can wrangle you into this diaper.