Sophie-girl,
You are eight months old… that is three quarters of a year! I should really start planning your birthday party soon. Even though I think you are growing up too fast and tell you all the time what a big girl you are, you are still my tiny girl. You are wearing Christmas pjs that your sister wore at 3 months old. Seriously. The only place on your entire body with fat is your yummy little baby thighs. They are rolly-polly and have nice little dips and dents. Just perfect for a mid-morning snack.
See that little sparkle in your eye? That is mischief, pure and simple. You are so proud of yourself for being independent and you think it’s funny to get into whatever you can. Just this week you have: stolen some Barbie bits from your sisters room; played with cell phones, remote controls and calculators; attempted to unplug the coffee pot; shook the lower branches of our (now defunct) Christmas tree; pulled presents from under the tree; eaten a leaf; ripped up some magazines; attempted to get to the dog food; unloaded kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Need I say more?
You crawl so fast these days that your daddy and I can’t keep up. You are constantly crawling straight to the blinds on the front door or to the laundry room to see what Beemer is up to. I snatch you up off the floor and before I can get you turned around you are grinning from ear to ear. It’s almost like you know that you aren’t supposed to be going in there, but think it’s some funny little game.
You are in LOVE with your big sister. You both play so well together and your new favorite things to do are taking bubble baths and emptying all of your toys onto the play mat in your bedroom. As long as Belle is nearby, you are as happy as can be. She likes you most of the time, but she isn’t so sure about you pulling her hair or stealing her bunny. I swear, that bunny has magical properties that only blonde-headed little girls know about.
Dinner time is always the highlight of your evening, you will eat almost anything we put in front of you. Fruits, veggies, yogurt, puffs… even big girls foods. Just this week you had chicken fingers and a few french fries at the Grill. You are still a little small for restaurant high-chairs, but we’re making it work.
I keep hoping to hear “mama” come out of your mouth, but you are a little stubborn when it comes to words. You say “bye-bye”, but it sounds like “gye-gye”, we know you’ve got it because you wave your sweet little hand when you say it. You also throw up an open hand and say “hi” when somebody new enters the room. Everything else you say sounds like “gaga”. You look right at your daddy and say “gaga” like it’s his name. We’re ready for you to learn some new consonant sounds.
Have I mentioned how much you love your mommy? Ella has always been such a daddy’s girl and I’ve been hoping you would have a special attachment to me. Daddy reminds me of that wish when you won’t let me leave your sight. You are beyond happy to see me in the mornings and if daddy gets you up, I can see you craning your neck to spot me getting ready in the bathroom. You love playing with anyone who wants you, until I walk in the room. You don’t cry when I pick you up from Garan’s in the afternoon like your sister does. And even though it drives everyone crazy, I rock you to sleep every night. I’m sure you can do it all by yourself, but that is the best ten minutes of my day. I “hold you like a tiny baby” and you hold my necklace in your tiny fist. We turn on some white noise and sing “Rock-a-Bye Sophie” to tune all our own. I have a trick to make sure you’re asleep before putting you in your crib. If I forget, you remind me with a squeal and we get to start all over again. Secretly, it doesn’t bother me one bit.
There are moments when it’s hard to believe you’ve been a part of our lives for eight months already and other days when I can’t remember what it was like without you. Sophie, you have brought such joy into our lives and we are forever blessed to call you ours.
