Kelsey, 8 Months

8 months has been a big one for our Kels.  I think she made a visible change every one of the 31 days in the month.

To start with, two teeth appeared!

Her appetite for solids has really taken off.  She loves finger foods and making a complete mess of her meals.  

Her coordination and strength jumped passed several milestones, as well.  At the beginning of the month, she figured out how to army crawl.  

Then she got up on all fours and moved around with a traditional crawl.

She also figured out to pull up by herself.

She realized she loved standing so much, she incorporated it into her crawling, using her leg and foot to get around instead of two knees.

Once she was standing, she couldn't help herself from taking a few (assisted) steps.  

Then she really surprised me by taking her skills to the water and crawling around in the pool, like a little alligator.

Watching Kels figure out how to move her body has been fun.  She is so smart and has so much determination, it makes us proud.  

Speaking of learning, Kels is soaking up as much of the world as she can right now.  You can see in her eyes, as she watches something, that she is trying to figure it out.  

The other day she was pushing a wheely car around the porch, just staring at the wheels.  Then she picked it up, turned it over and spun the wheels.  It was neat to watch her learn that she could make the wheels spin herself.

She has expanded her babbling from just Babab to Mamama.  I was excited when I realized that she only says Mama when she is looking at me or as I come into her line of sight.  I'm thinking Mama is her first word!

 Our sweet girl's little personality is starting to show.  She giggles and smiles all the time, yet now shows her fiesty side.  She gets mad if you take things away from her that she wants (especially food) and has realized that if she doesn't like what her brother is doing all she has to do is cry.  

Best of all, it is fun to see that she is not timid or scared of anything.  If she sees something interesting, she doesn't back down from trying to get it, even if she has to crawl over dogs, toys, a brother or a mommy.  

We can throw her in the pool with older boys and she holds her own.  Lately, I often hear myself saying that being Ethan's sister makes her tough!

Her brother is her favorite guy in the world to giggle at.  When it is just us at home, he will slow down and play with her several times a day.  You can just see in her eyes how much she loves it, even more then when Mommy and Daddy play.  

Kelsey the 8 month old is a lot of fun!