Madeline is 8 Months Old! (Please excuse the "I'm 8 Months Old Today!" photographs...our camera is on the blink, and I couldn't miss an 8 month photo shoot even if it is poor quality. The pictures in the pink dress are from Easter Sunday, 2009. The beach pictures are from Fripp Island taken by our good friend, Jennifer St. John. Lots of pictures this month! Too many to choose from!!)
Well, another month has whizzed by, and our little sweetheart is 8 months old. She remains to be one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. I have so many strangers walk by to say "Hello" to her, and they always remark, "What a happy baby! Is she always this happy?" As a matter of fact, she is that happy most of the time. Madeline flashes that little smile to everyone she meets, and she meets quite a few people with her porcupine hair! So many people just can't resist touching it. She rarely fusses, so when she does, I know that something is wrong. She loves to give big hugs and wet, sloppy kisses, and as she hugs, a pat on the back comes along with it. It's so endearing! Everytime I pick her up from the gym nursery, she stretches her arms for me and greets me with a hug and a pat! Is there any better feeling than that?

Madeline continues to be a fantastic eater with some clear favorites -- peas, green beans, oatmeal, blueberries, and squash. Her little pincers are developing nicely, so she loves to grab at the Gerber puffs. Her schedule and napping are holding steady. She's slowly but surely warming up to the idea that naps are a good thing. The morning nap continues to be a "power nap" while the afternoon nap is slowly being stretched out. One afternoon, she slept until 5 PM!! Madeline is pretty flexible during the daytime, but dinner/bath/bedtime routine cannot be disrupted. (We have learned that the hard way!)

On the mobility front, Madeline has gotten more adventurous in her reaching out and grabbing while sitting upright. I can't count how many times I have walked away from her sitting up on the floor playing with her little toys/playmat, and when I walk back in the room, she's gotten herself all jacked up in a ridiculous position from reaching out to grab a toy. I am proud of her for this as she slowly but surely is figuring out how to use her little body to get the things she wants. There is no crawling yet, and she still manages to keep herself from rolling to her belly. Clapping her hands together is a new "trick" this month, and in Madeline's eyes, everything deserves a clap!
Madeline has just one little tooth poking through the bottom, but I think another one is on the horizon as the waterworks have started up again. It sure was nice to not continuously wipe drool from her face once that first tooth broke through. We have many teeth to go, so I guess I'll get used to the drooly face! :) If you look closely at the next couple of pictures, you can see her little tooth poking out! Madeline has such an infectious little giggle. Her tickle spots are very sensitive. Sometimes picking her up just right will elicit a silly little laugh because she is that ticklish. As you can tell from the eight month photos, nothing, I mean nothing, is safe from the Madeline grab! She will grab at anything and shove it in her mouth and just play with it. Remote controls, her hairbows, spoons, glasses, earrings, nose, ears, & buttons on your shirt (and the list goes on and on!) are not safe with Madeline around!
Madeline never ceases to amaze us with her excitement for the world around her whether it's the grocery store, Target, the parking lot, our den, or a walk to the mailbox. She LOVES to be outside even if she's just sitting on the grass looking around. She continues to LOVE the gym, and the ladies that keep her just might steal her! Not really, but Madeline apparently is the little social butterfly. On more than one occasion they have noticed her smiling from ear to ear at another little one toddling by as if to say, "Hey! Stop here and play with me!" She's becoming more interactive with the others her age in the gym, and from what I hear it is super cute. Speaking of super cute, there is nothing more adorable than the sheer excitement on Madeline's face, when she hears her Daddy's voice when he gets home from work! The "HEY BABY GIRL!" that Daddy yells out when he sees her in the evenings ALWAYS makes Madeline smile and squeal with delight.

I sometimes find myself thinking about life before Madeline, and I just can't fathom not having her here with us. She has captured our hearts over the last eight months, and she continues to make our hearts swell with each passing day!