8 months

Adele is just as beautiful at 8 months but from 7 to 8 months her face has matured even more and her hair has filled in so much!

 18 month onsie and already filling it up!

 Nostrils

 Nose scrunch ;)

 So sweet

 Up

 to

 no

 good ;)

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

 why hello mommy!

 What are you doing mommy??

Likes = 

• to feel different textures
• still loves books (ESPECIALLY her touch and feel book) and ever few pages she likes to flip back to the front of the book.
• to be startled and then laugh
• eating ;)
• Patting everything

• Socializing

Dislikes = 

• TEETHING
• The church nursery - bad story that goes along with this...I tried to leave her with the paid workers for the first time (we had only used volunteers on Sunday morning, which had been great) on a Wednesday night.  Granted, it was near her bedtime, but they did some careless things in my opinion.  When I get there I was already rubbed wrong by the receptionist who didn't offer to help as I fumbled in with bag, bible and baby and trying to fill out her nursery paper work by hand (normally computerized).  When I get to her room I have to fill out more info (by hand), so one of the nursery workers took her from me and stood her on the outside of an exersaucer because she was reaching for it.  That's fine as long as you stand there to assist her and I just assumed that the worker would because this is the INFANT room and not the CRAWLER/standing/walking room.  So, I turn my back as I'm filling out the paper work and I hear a crash and wailing cries immediately.  I turn around and the lady is picking her up.  I asked what happened a few times in different ways and if she hit her head and the lady's only response was, "it will be okay."  Um, no lady, Adele is not acting like everything is okay and you sitting on your butt holding her in the rocking chair is not going to help.  I told her I wasn't comfortable leaving until I could hold her and get her calmed down (and check her out).  I got her calmed down, sat her IN an exersaucer, saw that she was the only active baby (the rest were baby babies in their carriers) with 3 women to look after them all, and ran to bible study.  45 minutes later (I'm out in the hall with my girls) I hear her crying in the hallway.  I find her on the hip of another girl with her pushing the stroller out front.  She said she didn't mean for me to come get her, but that she couldn't get her to calm her down.  Plleeeeaaase come get me if she's getting like this I'm thinking.  I take her and can barely get her to stop heaving and crying as I was trying to wrap up talking to my girls.  She wouldn't even take her bottle she was so upset and was burping because she had been crying so hard :(  I smelt a poopie, so I went back to her nursery room to pick up her bag and the lady in charge said they had tried everything.  As I walk in I see my friend's baby whining in the corner, all the other babies in their carriers and 2 of the 3 women sitting in rocking chairs...babyless.  I was pissed.  You didn't try everything ladies...my baby's diaper hadn't even been changed!  The next day a whelp came up with a red burn on the top of it :((((

Size = 

• size 3 diapers, size 4 overnight diapers
• 12 month sleepers
• 12 month clothes, some 18
• she's not been wearing shoes because of the heat, but she does have one pair that's 6-12 months she wears occasionally

Weight =
didn't do a weight check this month

Firsts = 

• Reaching for people - especially me and other people's mouth/faces.  Seeing that sweet open palm with her fingers slightly curled reaching out is wonderful.  What's even sweeter is when she touches your and pets you with a light touch.
• Definitely knows her name now and will turn to anyone calling her name.  She did some for me form 6-7 months but I think it was more responding to my voice.
• finally putting her foot in her mouth (occasionally) and it's only her right foot.
• Swinging in an outside swing - she loved it!  The first time she fell asleep (see below) but now we have one in our backyard and she loves to swing high and get her stomach feeling funny :)
• fell off the bed.  Yes, I'm that mom and I know there are a lot of gasps out there but I know this brings relief to those that this has happened too that have suffered guilt in silence.  Let's talk about it!  Adele was completely fine.  I left her on the guest bed and walked into the room.  Just seconds later I heard a boom and cries.  She had thankfully landed on her play mat on the ground and got no bumps or bruises miraculously!  When I came to the room she was on her tummy, I picked her up and took her outside to check her over and she stopped crying immediately.  It was just scary for us both.

Meet her step-great grandmother Mammie Lockhart :)  Mildred is so sweet and loving.  She is like a true grandmother to me.  

 

Communication =

• grunts.  that is her main mode of communication at the moment besides motorboating ;)  She is not babbling yet.  She grunts to communicate if she's tired, hungry, needs to burp, or wants something (i.e. toy) so she's a little hard to read ;)
• a new sound she is making is a closed mouth "brphhrr" sound

Eating = 

• 6-7 ounces by bottle every 4 hours, 4 times a day.  7AM, 11AM, 3PM, 7PM
• She eats 3-4 jars of stage 2 baby food a day.  1 jar or fruit oatmeal in the morning about an hour after her bottle, I'm trying to introduce lunch around noon for her (an hour after her second bottle), and then 1-2 jars an hour before bedtime, then bath, then bottle to bed.
• She's a GREAT eater! Hasn't refused a food yet. 
• She started Baby Mum Mums last month, but she can really hold them well this month, which is a great distraction while out and about!  If you don't know what they are then research that!  We both love them :)

• we have been trying puffs and yogurt melts.  She doesn't choke (even on cheerios) but cannot pick them up well.  She grabs a handful and seems to forget they are in her palm!  Occasionally she can get one in ;)
• Oh, one thing I've failed to mention so far is what level nipples she is using with her Dr. Brown bottles.  We started with the preemie flow during supplemental feeds because of her acid reflux.  We moved to level 1 about week 8.  Around 4 months we moved to level 2.  And around 6-7 months we started using level 3 during the day and for her night feed we have been using level 2 still for a slower flow in fear that she will spit up in her sleep.
• She holds the bottle and sippy all by herself :)  I give her a sippy with watered down juice when it's really hot outside and I feel like she could be dehydrated (constipation is a sign)

• Let me tell you, more food = even stinkier diapers

Sleeping =

• sleeps 11-13 hours a night. She goes down anywhere from 6:30 - 7:00PM and wakes up anytime between 6-7 (has even slept until 8).  I let her play in her crib 30-45 minutes before getting her.  She is all smiles most mornings when I go to pick her up :)
• She takes 2 good naps (9-10/11 and 1-3ish) and sometimes a 3rd one, but that's rare - it's only if she didn't get a good nap at one of the 2 before.

Physical development =

• Sitting well now, but still occasionally tumbles if she's tired or something whirls around her
• gets on her hands and knees some and rocks, but mainly rolls

Me =

• My body is still out of wack!  I am now diagnosed with hypothyroidism (I did have HYPERthyroidism).  It was overactive and now it's very UNDERactive.  I think I forgot to post that last month, but I went back to the Endocrinologist and he took me off meds because he took a look at my 9 lb. weight gain, sluggish symptoms, and blood work.  The normal blood work range is .4 to 4.5.  At first, when I had hyperthroidism due to a swollen thyroid, my blood levels were at .001.  Well, this go round I was at 21.5....welllll over the normal amount with a very underactive thyroid.  I have an excuse to feel the way I was feeling and this weight gain!  I'm so ready to feel normal again.  Well, as normal as I can with life so different :)
• Luke is doing well at home and at work.  He's such a consistant in my life, which is what I need!!

Every month we try to capture moments.  Below are some bath time fun photos!  She still LOOOOVES her bath :)

How can you not love that chunk??

Teething

one of the rare moments of her putting her foot in her mouth

A little video for you all to enjoy :)

One Sunday Luke's parents along with his grandparents (Pappaw and Mammaw) came to visit:

I promise she loves it ;)

 Pippet, our first dog-child really isn't sad.  She's just lazy :)

I tell Luke all the time, "good thing you make a pretty girl!"

Baby blues

These pictures are from my annual Labor Day Kee/Love family reunion in the mountains of north Georgia.  Luke and I had a blast.  I truly cherish this time of fun and laughter with my family and look forward to it every year!  This year we got to participate in a spades tournament, karaoke & BBQ by the pond, and a not-so-lazy river tubing (we had to pick up our tube every few feet - shew!)  I wish I had more pictures to capture this weekend - we were too busy having fun!

On the way there she got to play with her first balloon!  It was one of the many distractions - this girl doesn't travel well right now!!  Another distraction was a DVD player, shew!
She loved this balloon

Below is Adele with her cousins - Marley, my neice, and Kaylan, my second cousin - all in outfits that Kaylan's aunt made :)

 I love this squishy face she makes now when smiling silly :D

 Her first swinging session

 Marley

 Sydney

 Cooper in the red

 Nana with her girls

 family photo opp since it doesn't happen often!

 Coop

 My cousin's wife, Catherine, and her 1 yr old Reed

Pooped

I was drug into singing "American Pie."  FYI it's the worst song ever to sing - 8 minutes long or something like that!

 My mom and Aunt Grace

 my sister, Charity, and her husband Marc

And just in case you were wondering...Adele and Pippet are still best friends