Peyton Eve: Eight Months

Our sweet Peyton is eight months old today. Eight! She continues to grow like a weed and learn new things pretty much daily. It's been so much fun watching her master new skills and try things for the very first time. She has such a sweet personality and we are constantly getting asked if she is always "this good" or "this easy" when we're out and about with her. Our answer is usually, "Yes, she's pretty great most of the time, but she definitely has her moments." But then again, what baby doesn't. For the most part, she is a smiley, energetic, excitable little girl that lights up when her mom comes to get her out of her crib and when her dad walks through the door at the end of the day. 

Ryan and I were talking the other day about how quickly she is growing up and just how fast these months seem to fly by. While I can't believe she has been here for 8 months, I am even more baffled at the fact that she grew inside me for even longer. We can't remember what our lives were like before she came along. This is our new normal, and we are loving every moment of it.

Peek-a-boo through the play structure in Bridgemill

Peyton at 8 Months: 

Weight: 16 lbs. 9 oz. (22nd Percentile) 

Birth: 6 lbs. 10 oz.

P doesn't have her next pediatrician appointment until her nine-month visit, so I had to use my semi-reliable scale for her measurement this month. She is still in her 6-9 month clothes comfortably and size 2 diapers. She eats like a champ though, and we have started to notice more baby rolls, which are just adorable. Why, oh why, can't rolls look as cute on me as they do on babies?! If only...

Peyton Loves: 

Standing up (with assistance)
 ALL vegetables
Tofu and Chicken
Watermelon
Playing with her toys
Talking
Clapping
Being outside
Drinking water out of a straw
Puffs

Peyton Hates:
Being hungry

Beechnut Mango Apple Carrot Puree... like with a passion

Being in her car seat for a long period of time
When I take my water bottle away from her
Trying to crawl forward for a toy, but scooting backwards instead
Not being able to pull herself up to standing
...Basically not being able to do anything she wants to do. She is a very strong-willed baby and definitely knows what she wants and gets frustrated when she doesn't get it.

What's New This Month:

1. Peyton has officially begun to crawl. It's not your typical hand, knee, hand, knee, but she gets stronger and figures it out further each day so it's definitely only a matter of time. She is also now able to go from hands and knees to sitting, which helps her not get quite as frustrated and stuck flailing like a fish out of water on her belly. 

2. In the same category of movement, Peyton really figured out how to roll all around this month. She has been able to roll from back to front and from front to back, but never did so with any sort of consistency until this month. All of a sudden, something clicked for her though and she has not stopped rolling around since. If we place her on her back, she almost immediately rolls to her tummy and alternates between looking like a fish out of water and trying to crawl.

3. The Magic Merlin went bye-bye this month and it was difficult for all of us. One morning, I checked the monitor and she had flipped herself over in the merlin. No ma'am. I didn't want to quit cold turkey, but it wasn't worth risking her flipping over in the middle of the night in her merlin, so we put it away for good. There were a few rough transitional days where Peyton would NOT fall asleep during naps at all and would take forever to fall asleep at night, but we stuck to our guns, and eventually she figured out how to get herself to sleep. We give her her bedtime bottle and put her in her crib on her back, but before we can even close the door, she flips herself over to her tummy and rolls around a bit before putting herself to sleep. It is adorable watching her sleep on her stomach with her little butt up in the air or on her side snuggling her lovey. 

4. This next one requires its very own blog post. This month, Peyton tried a bunch of new foods. Feeding a baby anything other than breast milk is super stressful. Up until two months ago, all she could eat was milk. Now, all of a sudden, I am responsible for introducing her to a wide variety of foods to expand her palate and help her learn textures and eating techniques. Along with that responsibility comes SO. MANY. Questions. What exactly can they eat? Does everything need to be pureed? Is she eating enough? Is she eating too much? Am I providing a good variety of foods? Am I cutting the food too big? And so on... Needless to say, google has quickly become my best friend. What did people do before they could consult the internet for every question? This month, Peyton tasted for the first time: mango, chicken, tofu, watermelon, strawberries, peas, cheese, eggs, and many combinations of foods. For the first half of the month, everything she ate was pureed. Then I read that it is important to start teaching your baby how to feed themselves and chew their food once they get teeth and to give babies chunked foods over purees for the most part. So, now Peyton eats two meals a day on top of her regular bottles and nursing sessions. I place a variety of chopped up foods on the tray and let her have at it.

5. Peyton likes to talk. A lot. She has a super loud voice and I swear she tests it out any chance she gets. She rarely yells at me angrily, but rather, talks to me at the top of her lungs! It was cute at first, but I'm definitely read to teach her "indoor voices." Mama always has a headache by the end of the day!

6. Peyton LOVES drinking from a straw. This month, she really figured out how to actually get the water up the straw and into her mouth. Sometimes, she still spits the water out of her mouth, but for the most part, she gulps it down. And cries when you take the water away from her. Homegirl loves to stay hydrated! 

Peyton, thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives these past eight months. You are such a fun, sweet baby and we love you so much. We can't wait to see how much you grow and learn this next month! 

Eight Month Photo Dump: