Peyton Brooke {Eight Months}

Peyton turned 8 months old on Friday, February 13th. The last time it was Friday the 13th was the day that she was born! She is really starting to look more like a little person these days and less like a baby which is fun, but sad for mommy. I love watching her develop her own personality, she is just too funny. She's pretty laid back and adaptable, but she is very stubborn and sassy about certain things. I know that everyone says that she looks just like Jared (I agree), but she totally has my personality. Watch out world!

Weight/Length: As of February 13th, she weighed 17 lbs. 10.5 oz. and was 28.5 inches long.

Hair: She's finally starting to really get some hair now. Sometimes it seems a little darker, but most of the time it looks blonde.

Eyes: They change colors, like mama's! Most of the time they are green, but sometimes they have hints of blue or brown mixed in as well.

Diapers: Size 3 Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive...Side note: I got a really good deal on a box of those Honest diapers so I gave them a try. I know they are all natural, healthier, better for the environment, blah, blah...but I hated them. We all hated them. I could not get them out of my house fast enough. This poor child looked super uncomfortable the entire time and I don't blame her, it felt like she was wearing a recycled brown paper bag on her bum. I know a lot of people love the Honest diapers and swear by them, but they just aren't for us. Back to Pampers Sensitive we went and we were all so much happier.

Clothing: Peyton is in all 9 month clothing now. Don't even get me started on how annoying winter clothes are for babies. I can't even talk about it. Can it be spring now please?!

Favorite Things: her giraffe WubbaNub, rattles, books that she can pick up on her own, her baby doll, Oball, Touch and Swipe Baby Phone, Little People Cinderella's Coach, Click, Rattle 'N Roll Caterpillar, Rock-A-Stack, Baby Einstein Musical Activity Table, but her favorite toy by far is the Little People Disney Princesses and her favorite book is Who's Who at the Zoo (I decided to put the links for all her favorite toys in case there are any mamas out there who are interested in seeing what they are) 

Likes: taking baths, swinging on the playground, grocery shopping, clapping, zoo animals, being upside down, imitating you, pointing at things, sitting up on her own, picking up everything she can get her hands on and throwing it, looking at pictures or videos of herself, being held up to stand or dance, standing at her activity table, looking at books, peek-a-boo, sucking on a teething ring or her WubbaNub, taking her paci in and out of her mouth, food, "dancing" to music, squealing and saying "da-da" or "ma-ma".

Dislikes: laying down for any reason other than taking a nap, clothing and diaper changes, taking away her bottle or food before she is finished, green veggies, having dirty hands, being on her tummy, cold weather clothes, and not being able to see what is going on around her.

Feeding Patterns: Peyton eats solid food three times per day and has breastmilk three times per day. She nurses at 8:00am, eats oatmeal and bananas at 9:30am, nurses at 1:00pm, eats veggies at 2:00pm, eats veggies again at 5:00pm, and has 9 ounces of breastmilk in the bottle at 8:00pm.

Sleeping Patterns: Peyton wakes up around 8:00am every morning. She takes a nap from 10:00am-1:00pm and another nap around 3:30 or 4:00-5:00pm. Sometimes she skips her afternoon nap, which makes her pretty grumpy...those days are rough. She goes to bed by 9:00pm and sleeps uninterrupted for 11 hours at night.

Month Eight Milestones: Peyton loves to sit and play with her toys. She does not want to move or go anywhere and she hates being on her tummy. She is perfectly content to sit and play with whatever is in her reach. I've basically given up on crawling with her. I'm pretty sure that all of a sudden one day she is just going to stand up and walk. She tried some new food this month...carrots (she liked), peas (did not like), green beans (did not like), and butternut squash (she liked). However, if I mix the peas or green beans in with one of the orange veggies that she does like, then she will eat them. I tried to get her to pick up peas on her own, thinking that she would find that more fun and would be willing to eat them that way. Not the case. Instead of eating them, she would pick them up, squish them and then feed them to Sadie. Mommy fail. Peyton started riding in the grocery cart basket and she absolutely loves it! I think that going grocery shopping might be one of her favorite activities. She loves looking around and observing everything in the grocery store. It takes mommy forever to get her grocery shopping done because everyone in the store has to stop and talk to Peyton (which you know drives me crazy because I'm super anti-social when I'm out trying to get things done). Her second tooth started coming in as well, so now she has two little bottom teeth and her smile is even more adorable than before. We transitioned her out of her little bathtub and started giving her baths in the big tub. She loves bath time even more now! We have this floating turtle that tells the temperature of the water in the tub, and she loves playing with it during her bath. I love watching her chase the little turtle as it floats around in the water. She learned to clap this month and does it all the time now. It's so cute and I love when she gets really excited about something and starts clapping. Melts my heart every time. She has also figured out how to throw things pretty well. We had to get her a little paci clip to tether her WubbaNub to her body. She finds it really entertaining to take all of her toys and throw them out of her car seat while I am driving, and then get upset when she has no toys left. Peyton loves to imitate sounds or facial expressions that we make. If we laugh or cough, she will do it too. We go back and forth imitating each other and it's a fun little game that she loves to play. She also learned how to hold up her pointer finger and point at things. She basically looks around and points at things all day long now. She is starting to figure out how to wave and give high-fives. She's not there quite yet, but she's getting the hang of it. I'm sure that by my next monthly update, she will be waving to everyone and giving out high-fives all around.

Peyton met her new friend, Harrison, for the very first time!

Peyton {8 months old} Harrison {1 week old}

Peyton met her another new friend, Ellie, for the very first time!

Peyton {8 months old} Ellie {1 week old}

Peyton is clearly a daddy's girl. Her fussy time of the day is late afternoon, early evening. I honestly think that she is just sick and tired of dealing with me all day by that point and she is just over it. She's ready for a new face to entertain her. When Jared gets home from work, she is normally sitting in her high chair screaming/crying/fussing as I'm attempting to make dinner. As soon as he walks in the door and she sees him, it's like the hallway lights up with an ethereal glow and angels start singing. She instantly perks right up, smiling and squealing with delight. No more tears, all is right with the world. I wish I had that sort of magical power over our daughter, but alas, I do not. And husbands wonder why their stay-at-home-wives are so anxious for them to get home in the evening.

Peyton's first trip to Disney World! (Read my post about it here)

First time sitting in the shopping cart at the grocery store. She was mesmerized. 

She loves to stand up and hold on to something by herself. This Baby Einstein activity table is one of her favorites. She can't actually pull herself up yet, but she always wants you to stand her up at something and then let go.

First trip to the playground and first time in a swing. She loved swinging and of course kept trying to reach up and stick her fingers in the chain the entire time. Leave it to my child to find the one potential danger with every activity and want to do that over and over.

Peyton experienced her first visit to the zoo! (Read my post about it here)

Mama's Thoughts: After eight months at this mom gig, I've learned a few simple things. Forget the parenting articles, the mommy wars, and the "our family is pro-this and anti-that" garbage. What is most important is this...I love my child unconditionally. I am doing the best that I can for her. I try my hardest every day for her. Am I always doing the "right" things for her? Probably not, but I'm still learning. She is healthy, happy, well-fed and has a roof over her head. And I love her unconditionally, and that is all that matters. The end. Peyton makes every experience more fun and magical. Seeing things through her eyes makes them so much better. I thought I loved Disney, until I experienced it with her and now I love it in a whole new way. Same thing with the zoo, and the playground, and simple things like going outside or to the grocery store. Everything she experiences is filled with wonder and fascination, which helps me see these things in a whole new light. To say that she has changed me would be a vast understatement. She has taught me to love on a level that I didn't even know existed and she has made me a better me. 

Happy 8 months my little Sweet P!