8 months already!

Today is bear's 8 month birthday. I don't know where the time has gone??? The bear is currently working on crawling and is getting better every day-- a lop sided belly wiggle and slide has turned into an advanced army crawl :) She is also getting better at pushing her tummy off the ground.

It is time to start getting ready to do some real baby proofing as she is already getting too fast for her mommy. Yesterday I found her on the hard floors, it was her first visit to this side of the living room, and before I was able to make my way over to her she opened her mouth wide and took her first taste, as if she could swallow the floor whole-- oh dear...

It is pretty amazing to watch bear experience her (literal) perception of the world. She will try to reach for items that are far away or she will try to put items in her mouth that are obviously way to large. I am also starting to see some signs of imitation ~ some waves and attempts at claps here and there, though I'm sure she is not really sure what she is doing just yet. She seems to be practicing for the future when communication makes a little more sense. My years of studying neuropsychology and sensory and perception are finally coming into play!

Bear's babbling is also very impressive. She will bounce off a variety of sounds through out her day but her favorite appears to be "da-da." We only say "ma-ma" when we are sad, hungry, or frustrated. I have also noticed some personality traits. Early on when we started rolling I could tell that she was going to get easily frustrated by new tasks. Her temper has made a true appearance this week and she already seems to be testing her independence by arching her back in protest when it's time to sit in her car seat of high chair. Fortunitly a little distraction does the trick and she quickly forgets that she was fighting with mommy and the high chair.

She also really enjoys being outside. She loves sitting on the grass and pulling on it. She explores each piece as she picks it up and then holds on to it tight while she rubs and kicks her little feet through the semi-tall strands. Coming inside is the hard part-- we have been having a fit this week when it's time to be all done and head in for a nap. It's too bad for bear that I find these little fits so darn cute! It only leads to a few giggles from mommy and then another quick distraction so we can move on with nap time.

Well there she is yelling for me to come get her. Nap time is over for now!