Eight is Great!

8 months old
Size 3 diapers
9 month clothing, up to 12 month clothing
1 tooth

Yummy in My Tummy

After we returned from the beach, after Aria turned 7 months, we changed up her feeding schedule a little. We grouped bottles then solids closer together, and I switched the evening bottle and solids around. I bought the next size nipples for her bottle, and she started chugging about 6 oz per bottle instead of 4-5 oz. She gets a "dinner" around 5-5:30 pm and then her bottle of 6-7 ounces at 7pm right before bedtime. She transitioned well enough and holds out for breakfast until 5:50am during the week. During the weekend she can wait until 7am.
Aria usually takes two good naps a day. On a good day each one, the morning and early afternoon, can be up to 2 hours.

She still eats everything you offer her. If she doesn't like it one day and heating it up doesn't make it more appealing, I'll wait and serve it another day and she'll usually eat it. Unless it's peas. She.does.not.like.peas. Then I have to mix it with something she does love (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, any fruit) to get her to eat it.  My green bean plants on the deck don't yield enough for dinner for Frederic and I, so I've ended up collecting a handful at a time, steaming them and making homemade green beans puree for Aria. She gobbles it up.
We started letting her eat real "solid" food too. She loves the teething wafers and is totally bananas over bread and cheese. With every bite she gets she says, "MMmmmmm!" And will even flap her arms when the next bite is coming. She will also try to grab the food off the plate if you're not quick enough for her liking. If you are eating near her or when holding her, she will stare you down with every bite you take.

Let's Go!

Aria created her own mix of a crab walk and a scoot to move around and get what's out of reach. A few days before she turned 8 months she started to crawl. I had placed her in the living room to play while I started a load of laundry which Luc came over to help with. She saw us and started crying. I just needed to get the laundry in fast so I didn't go get her. Next thing I know Luc's pointing out she was on her way over to us, crawling!- crying the whole time and leaving a slug line of drool, tears, and snot behind on the dining room floor.
She has figured out how to get back to sitting after landing on her belly. But in the middle of the night, she then forgets how to get back to laying down.

I'll just stand. I got this.

Aria has also learned to pull herself up to stand. If you're sitting next to her on the floor, she'll grab hold of your shirt or legs to try to get herself up. She'll find anything tall enough (or not-her carseat, a small toy) to pull herself up. If you're holding her to stand she will not tolerate your hands being under her armpits. She will take her hands, find your thumbs and pull your hands out. She means to have it her way. While standing, she's also started to try to go from one surface to another. 
She loves to stand at the walker toy and will even let go completely for a few seconds and stand on her own. Because of this, we have lowered her crib mattress. I have a feeling she's going to be a climber.

While standing at her toy, or any toy that plays music, and the music comes on, Aria starts to bounce her legs (or butt, if she's sitting) to the beat. Then she tries to find the button to do it again.

Aria also started pointing and waving. Right now she doesn't really understand when to do it.
She's making changing her diaper and clothes more difficult nowadays. Though she will pull her arm up and into the sleeve of a new shirt, she likes to roll onto her belly when she's on the changing table and have one leg hanging off the side. She will even do this when strapped in-though luckily then I don't have to worry about her rolling off. I'm thinking of changing her on the floor sooner than later to make it more easy. 

In My Veins

I've said this before, I love this little girl's smile and chuckle laugh, but her temper is off the charts! She screams and cries like a 2 year old told they can't have candy. I thought Luc's tantrums were loud and bad. I'm getting flash-forwards of when Aria will be a toddler and the screeching, screaming tornado we'll experience when she's not happy. Lord, help us. We've started saying out loud she has a temper so much now that Luc will walk around and say, "That girl. She has a temper, you know." She's learned what the word No means. You don't even have to say it deeply and strictly, just say "Aria, no." And her eyes start to well up with tears and her lips quiver. She'll start to cry and then she'll put her head on the ground for a second for a little extra drama. OR, she will hear No, and turn to look at you with a sweet little smile, like- "you don't really mean that, right?"
And if she doesn't want to get back into her carseat, she throws her back out and grunts. You have to quickly fight with her, get her arms through the straps, put the pacifier in her mouth and quickly buckle. Otherwise, she'll arch her back so much she'll make herself slide out of the seat onto the floor. Tricky girl.

Even though she has hot blood rushing through her veins, she can be the sweetest, softest baby. I love when she lays her head on my shoulder to cuddle and hug. When I wake her up in the morning and take her out of her crib, she automatically gives me a good cuddle. Sometimes I'll just stand there for a few minutes and take it in (knowing this time around with kid #2, this won't last forever). She will also start to look for my hair to play with it and will even pull a few strands out of a ponytail in order to stroke her fingers through it. I often walk around with a side rats-tail, not that I mind much. I mind a little when she starts to suck on my hair when I wear it down when I'm holding her. Ick! Now every time I give her her bottle, she has to play with my hair when she eats. She's pretty gentle and it relaxes her, and me too. I only mind that I get a kink in my neck since my hair isn't long enough for her reach. It's ok since there are only a few more months of feeding her in my arms. I'm going to miss this, just like I did with Luc.
To give myself a break from her hair playing, I pulled out one of my little dolls from when I was a kid. It has long soft hair and now she hold the doll in her lap and fingers the strands instead.

Love Love Love

Aria and Luc's love for one another continues to grow. He loves to help feed her dinner by putting puffs or cheese in her mouth. When Luc is riding his bike back and forth in front of the house, with or without Daddy, every time he comes back to where we're standing in front of the house, Aria starts panting and bouncing in my arms. She gets so excited to see him. Luc still gives her the most hugs and kisses out of any one in the whole world. He also now helps her back up to sitting when she falls backward. He can often times make her laugh and smile when we don't think it'll work. She loves when he blows raspberries on her tummy. And of course, he knows how to push her buttons and make her cry. -What are big brothers for, right?
In the morning, Aria and I go in to wake up Luc. She tries to throw herself out of my arms into Luc's bed. He loves that she gives him "kisses" and sits there with him while he starts to wake up. It's completely stopped him being cranky and having fits in the morning when I would wake him up by myself. 

I'm super flattered that Aria wants me to hold her every second of the day. It's nice to cuddle and be close, but it also means I can get nothing done. If I sit her down, she starts to cry. If I walk away, she starts to cry and crawl after me. Sometimes I ask Luc to go over to her and distract her. Sometimes it works. Most times it doesn't.
Often times when Daddy holds Aria in his arms when she doesn't want to be left alone or I have to get something done, she calms down so much so that she doesn't make a noise, and I forget he's holding her.

She's also become very attached to her puppy dog stuffed animal. She loves to stroke it's ears and tail to comfort her. Besides the octopus teething toy, the dog is the only toy she looks for and loves to hold and play with. All the other toys can come and go and she doesn't mind much. If the dog is around, she automatically grabs him.