Dear Evelyn,
I have several excuses for this month’s belated letter: your constant runny red nose, gray days that do not lend themselves to pretty pictures, and a busy schedule that keeps us out of the house most mornings. But here we are, little lady. Eight months old! (Plus nine days closer to nine months.)
You are busy, busy, busy. You are a fast and efficient crawler — moving from one end of the living room to the other in pursuit of a Matchbox car or a rubber block or a board book or a leaf dragged in by Lucy. You still explore everything with your mouth, and I have to remind the big kids at least a dozen times every day to pick up tiny LEGOs and Nerf gun darts and tubes of sparkly chapstick. You like to crawl under the dining room table and into the kitchen while I’m prepping dinner. You love to pull the magnetic letters off the refrigerator and splash your hands in Lucy’s water bowl. I’m trying to ignore the fact that I am a lot less productive now that you’re on the move!
You are also pulling up to standing position at every possible opportunity — Nora’s princess castle, the easel in the basement, the ottoman, the side of the bath tub, the stairs, your crib. You climb onto boxes, onto the bottom shelf of our console table, and up the steps. You seem to have reached these milestones much sooner than your siblings. Probably because you’re trying so hard to keep up with them!
The basement is your favorite place to play. One Saturday night, you entertained yourself for a solid 90 minutes while we watched a movie. You are obsessed with the activity cube — you push the wooden beads around the maze, open the doors to reveal the zoo animals, and flip the letter blocks. You tear paper off the easel and crinkle it in your hands. You make “voom voom” sounds with the trains. And you dump all of the Mega Blocks out of the bag. You also try to eat crayons and pull cords from the wall. So we can’t take our eyes off of you for even a second.
Other favorite toys include the music table and Bright Beats dancing doll (also current favorites of Sam and Nora), anything from the basket of kitchen toys, Leap Frog books, wooden puzzles, the Klip-Klop Castle, and B. Blocks.
You eat three solid meals a day. And I have yet to find food that you don’t like. Bananas, blueberries, raspberries, apples, pears, cantaloupe, cucumbers, steamed carrots and broccoli, sweet potatoes, zucchini, roasted red peppers, avocado, chicken, ground turkey and beef, pasta, cheese, eggs, pancakes. You eat everything on your tray, then bang on it, demanding more. You tear off your bib when you’re finished. You chug water from a sippy cup, then throw it onto the floor. And you have screaming matches with the big kids at the table. Yeah, meal time is loud and chaotic, and I’m sure that I will miss it some day.
You are wearing 9-month clothing, and I’m debating whether to buy 12-month or 18-month for summertime. You are still in size 3 diapers. You rarely wear socks because they just don’t stay on your feet, even the Zutano booties that I had such high hopes for. We’ve gotten a lot of use out of your fleece jumpsuit during winter walks to pick up Sam and Nora from school. But I’m ready to see those sweet chunky thighs on a more regular basis. Bring on the baby rompers!
You are down to just one wake-up per night, usually between 3am and 4am. A few nights, you slept until 5:30am, and woke up ready to start your day. Your crib is still in our room, though we’re inching closer to the big move in with Nora. If we’re home, you take two solid 90-minute naps. If we’re on the go, you seem to think that 15 minutes constitutes a full nap. But I can’t complain. You are content to sit through preschool concerts, gymnastics class, trips to Target, and doctor’s appointments.
You almost always have a smile on your face. Unless someone takes away a toy from you, then you scream at the top of your little lungs. Your top two teeth have not yet broken through. And your eyes are still the most beautiful shade of blue — just like your big sister.
I love the way you crawl into my lap and rest your head on my shoulder. The way you hold my hand while I nurse you. The belly laugh you reserve just for your big brother and big sister. And how your face lights up when Daddy gets home from work.
We love you so much, sweetheart!
Great post! Enjoyed reading it and going through Evelyn’s cute photos. Thank you for sharing!