Dear Charlie

Dear Charlie,

Crazy Eights
Eight Mile
Eight is Enough
Eight Crazy Nights
Eight Maids-a-Milking

YOU are EIGHT months old!

You are soooo delightful, young man.  And now you are 2/3 of the way to a year.  I can hardly believe how fast you are growing.  When I nurse you now I can't believe how LONG your body is.  You used to fit so nice and small cradled in my arms, and now you're all big and stuff!  Today you graduated to your big boy carseat.  And when I put you in it for the first time this morning you looked around, checking it out, like, "all right, this is sweet!"  When Nanny Janis first saw it she said "Oh, what other patterns did they have?"  But I like the cowmooflauge, and therefore you do too:

You're crawling very efficiently these days, but still haven't picked your belly up off the floor when you do so.  I have taken to vacuuming the hardwoods every day now, because I don't like picking you up and having dirt and hair and fuzz and who-knows-what-else all over your tummy.

You are also eating really well.  We have nearly depleted your second batch of homemade baby food from the most awesome Shannon, but I think we'll be ok because we are now giving you "real food".  (Although I am almost certain that anything Shannon made for you was also "real food").  In the past week you have eaten:

applesauce

bananas

cumin rice and beans

guacamole

massaman curry (you loved this)

banana bread

you turned your nose up at pureed pears of all things, I think you know when I buy the stuff at the store, or maybe you just didn't like it served with cumin rice and beans?

Dad taught you how to high five this week.  And he thinks that you know who we all are, by name.  I'm not so convinced.  We'll say "look at Gracie" or "look at Daddy" and eventually you do, but you also look at anyone else who is in the room and do a big smile. 

You are definitely in the out of sight, out of mind stage.  If you see me leaving the room, you SCREAM.  But it takes about two seconds of me being out of sight for you to forget all about me.  When I come back, you immediately scream again, as though you're saying, "HEY, YOU!  How come you're over there and I'm over here?  Come get me!"

You have learned what the signs we have taught you mean, though you're not doing them yet.  Milk, Eat, and More definitely get an excited reaction from you, whereas the sign for All Gone usually results in an ear-piercing scream.

You've outgrown your fear of Papa's scary beard (which I can't quite understand because I'm still afraid of it!)

You love Curious George.  (who doesn't?, it's the best. show. ever!)

Can't wait to see what month NINE brings.  I bet by next month you'll be really crawling, and maybe doing some signs, and trying to pull yourself up.  Please don't grow up too fast though.  I love you too much!

Kisses!

xoxo

Mom