The Simple Life: Seven & Eight months

Oh dear, I've been a bad blogger mommy. We have been so busy these past couple of months that I was too busy (too tired) to write about Abby's seventh month. To be fair, we were out of town for half of last month but still I *vowed* to myself that I would do the same things for Abby that I did for Ellie. And yes, I do realize how ridiculous that is but something in my brain is telling me it's important. So to make up for this boo boo I will write an extra amazing entry for these two combined months. ;)

In reality it makes sense to combine these two months together because she has changed so much that it has all just blended together. We took a two week trip to Seattle at the beginning of August to visit Baby Lucas and we had such a great time. The weather was amazing (low 80s) and we spent a lot of time down at the beach on Alki, playing in the water, throwing rocks, BBQing, and hanging out with Tuppa, Poppy, Tia, Unk and Lucas and with Auntie Claire and Uncle Jo Jo. We had an epic trip to the Woodland Zoo and we even went Blueberry picking. I got to meet up with some old friends from elementary school which was really nice and Tom and I even got to go out on a date...twice!! It was Abby's first trip on an airplane and she did really well. It was the first time we've had a buy a seat for Ellie and it was nice that we took up our own row and didn't have to worry about annoying the person next to us. Both girls were very well behaved. Abby being the charmer that she is, flirted with the passengers around us and everyone just ooed and awed over her. On the way home they were both so pooped that they just slept the whole way.

While we were there Abby got her first tooth and on our last day there, she started to crawl! She started out army crawling, pulling herself across the floor and now two weeks later has learned to use her legs and is really fast. She still hasn't figured out how to get up on all fours but she is definitely working on it. Every now and again I'll catch her up on her knees rocking back and forth. She has also decided that she likes solid food now. She eats a lot but most of it still gets all over her rather than in her mouth. She much prefers to feed herself if she can. When I try to spoon feed her I feel like we're wrestling...and she usually wins. So far her favorites have been avocado (actually guacamole which surprised me), peaches and cheerios. She loves fruit, especially if I give her a large piece to suck on. The mesh "Popsicle" was working well for awhile but now she seems tired of it. I've tried giving her a little salmon which she liked but she wasn't a fan of chicken. She's also taken a liking to Ellie's sippy cups. I find this funny because we had such a hard time transitioning Ellie from a bottle to a sippy cup and Abby just went gangbusters for it. She doesn't get the concept of tipping back to get the water out but she is very pleased when she rolls over and she does get some water out.

She is still such a happy girl and likes being around people. Now that she can crawl she follows me around like a little puppy dog. I have been joking that she is like a Labrador puppy because she always tries to eat my shoes, makes a beeline for the toilet when the bathroom door is open and will "bark" loudly when she wants something. If she is awake when Ellie is napping she will crawl over to her door and complain loudly and bang on the door, usually waking Ellie up. It's really cute (and annoying). She loves her sister and is now at the stage where she can copy what Ellie does. Dinner time has become really loud because she and Ellie will "sing" together. She can clap her hands together and she and Ellie get into "clap-offs". Keep in mind however that her hands are usually covered in food so our kitchen ends up with food spray all over the walls. She is really sturdy now and can hold herself up. I saw her pull herself up once but haven't seen her do it since. She likes to stand at the play kitchen and play with the cooking pans and play food. She's smart enough to know that she needs to hold on still thank goodness and is weary of letting go.

She is transitioning from three naps down to two which has been wreaking havoc on our schedule. She used to sleep while Ellie and I were at the park or on a walk but now it seems like she really needs to be at home in her bed. This makes getting out of the house really tough logistically with Ellie's nap time. We are now in that challenging phase where she isn't content sitting in a stroller or carrier so going to the park or running errands has gotten really tough. I'm really looking forward to when she can walk (confidently) and we can all just play together. It'll happen soon enough and then I'm sure I'll really be running all over.

Lately she has been nursing a ton and I thought she might be going through a growth spurt. She only gained a pound this month but she has grown one inch. She is now wearing 9 month clothes which I just got out of the basement because I couldn't snap her pajamas anymore. Here are her stats for this month:

Head circumference: 44.5cm
Length: 28in
Weight: 17lbs 14oz

All in all we are doing great. Our little unit is getting to be so much fun but these girls are a lot of work. I'm so grateful that they get along (mostly) and that Ellie seems to really love her sister. I can't imagine it any other way. I have such a great relationship with my sister and I wish the same for them. I'm looking forward to when they can really start to play with each other and keep each other company. Maybe I'll finally get something done then! Until then the dirty dishes will have to stay in the sink. ;)