My Little L Monster, you turned 8 months old two weeks ago already. That means two/thirds of your first year is already behind us. I continue to marvel at just how quickly time flies. And life continues to be quite busy for our little family.
We had many adventures in your eighth month, beginning with our trip to the zoo for Mother's Day. We got an amazing picture of you with the jaguar. You were able to sit right next to him with only a piece of glass between you. Other than that, though, you didn't really seem to notice many of the other animals.
At the end of May, Daddy, you and I took a road trip to Lake George, NY, over Memorial Day weekend. We decided to return to the place where Daddy and I got married in honor of our fifth anniversary. We rented a cottage on the right on the lake with an amazing view of the mountains. The weather wasn't as ideal as we hoped, but that didn't stop us from walking around town, taking a steamboat ride, venturing into a photobooth, taking you for your first spin on a carousel, and generally having a great family weekend. You were a great sport about all the travelling, sleeping great in the car and in your pack 'n play...well, except for the one night your third tooth came in. That was a bit rough. It's funny, it wasn't your top front tooth, as we expected. We think it's your K9, as it's way over to the side. You have a funny little jack o' lantern grin right now. That night, we also discovered your love for spoons. We let you take one to bed with you that night, as it was the only thing that seemed to sooth your pain. You clutched it all night, like a security blanket.
With the hot weather finally here, we've started to enjoy some water fun as well. I bought an inflatable wading pool that's big enough for me to go in with you. We also met some of our friends at a splash park in our town. I can't wait to get you to the beach. I am sure you are going to love playing in the sand.
Your physical development continues to wow everyone who knows you. Shortly after you started crawling (granted, it's still a modified army crawl, on your knees and forearms instead of your hands), you learned to sit yourself up. I caught you on the monitor one day, just sitting up in your crib. It took a few days before I actually witnessed you get into this position. It was only a few short days later that you learned to pull up. Now, all you want to do is stand. You do make me nervous, little Peanut, as you are quite determined, and have no concept of danger. You are definitely starting to accumulate a collection of bumps and bruises from loosing your balance. I'm sure this is only the beginning!
You are starting to babble a lot more too. You have definitely mastered the da syllable. "Da da dat dat," you love to chatter on all day. I'm hoping for a little ma ma ma soon myself.
You're getting really good at putting yourself to sleep as well. Since you learned to pull up in your crib, your pretty much won't stay flat when put you down. You stand up and chatter for a few minutes, and eventually, you become so tired you can't stay up anymore. Sometimes you whimper for about ten minutes as you give in to sleep. But all in all, you have made bedtime pretty easy on us, and I am quite grateful for that!
My darling, sweet, amazing little man, it is such an incredible joy to share my life with you and to watch the wonder on your face as you explore and learn about the world around you. It is the most amazing experience I have ever had.
