Bella Rey - 8 Months

On December 21, 2014, Bella turned 8 months old! She is such a joy to have in our family. We are obsessed with her! Time is flying by and Bella just keeps growing and learning so fast. Before I know it, my little baby is going to be all grown up and leaving me. For now, I am trying to soak up as much of this fun age as I can

Here is what Bella has been up to over the last month:

• Bella started to inch worm crawl right after turning 7 months. Now she is pushing herself up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. She will get up on her knees, lunge forward on to her belly, inch worm crawl, and then go back up on her hands and knees again. Her preferred method of mobility is to hold our fingers and walk around. She is getting so good at it, and is now pulling herself up to standing occasionally by herself. If we place her standing and holding on to the couch, she will stay there and try to take some steps. 

• Bella still loves to talk and she loves to do it loudly! She will jibber jabber all day long at the top of her lungs with high pitched squeals. She also says "dada" but we don't think she knows what it means. She does say "dada" more often when Pedro is around. A lot of things Bella babbles sound like full on sentences. She will babble then Pedro and I will look at each other and repeat what we heard her say. Almost always we say the exact same thing. It has become a fun game for me.
• Pedro is Bella's best friend. She gets so excited when she hears the front door squeak open because she knows it means Daddy is home. They love to wrestle, give each other kisses (which Pedro taught her to do), dance, sing together, and come poke at mommy while she makes dinner. When I ask Bella "Where's Daddy?" she starts looking around for him. She LOVES her Daddy. 
• Bella loves food. Today at lunch she ate almost two whole containers of Gerber's baby 1st purees. She usually only eats one, but her appetite has been growing. I usually give her a mum-mum cracker and some puff cereals for breakfast, then feed her purees for lunch and dinner. She has started using a sippy cup and thinks she is so big. I am still nursing her and do so about every 3 hours and before naps and bed time (and once or twice in the night, boo). Bella loves nursing and I love it too. The only bad thing about it is Bella whines a lot when I am around because she knows I've got the good stuff. She was whining for her puree today when I wasn't opening it fast enough for her, and Pedro and I just laughed because it is the same way she whines for me.  

• Bella loves my hair. She pulls hand fulls of it out and eats it. She will pull her hair out too. She finds little hairs on the ground and runs them through her fingers. I have had to start wearing my hair in a bun every day so that she won't pull my hair, but she still gets a hold of it at times. I feel like she is always just staring at my hair waiting for the opportune moment to get a hold of it. She even pulls at my eyebrows and eyelashes. She is so young to teach her not to pull hair, but it is driving me crazy! I really hope she grows out of it. 

• As I mentioned above Bella wakes up to eat once or twice a night. She sleeps two 2-3 hour naps during the day. When she wakes up she gets up on her hands and knees and pulls her crib bumpers down to peek out. Or she will bang her toys on the crib so I know I need to come get her. She prefers to sleep in her crib so when we are on trips she wakes up more often. 
• Bella has a little attitude. She will throw things when she is mad and if something gets in her way she will hit it. The other day she barely bumped her head on the bedroom door and turned around and gave it a good whack. It is really funny, but I hope this does not turn in to a habit. 

• Bella has the cutest little curious face when she sees something new or something she wants. She will tilt her head to the side, give a gummy half smile, and just stare for a minute or so. 
• Socks. Socks everywhere! Bella does not keep her socks on. They will get pulled off immediately, then eaten, then thrown. 

• Bella has started to be mischievous. She will try to distract us so that she can get what she really wants. The other day Pedro was giving her a bag of rice puffs to play with. She would slowly hold the bag over the edge of the table then drop it. As Pedro would bend down to get the bag, Bella would reach for Pedro's plate of food. She did this over and over. It was really funny. 
• Bella has started to be shy around strangers. She will turn away from them and nuzzle into our chests, then peek out. She will warm up after a few minutes, but won't be her loud wiggly self around them. 
• Bella is busy, that is what everyone always says. She can't sit still so we definitely get a work out holding her. We love that she is so curious and that she loves to explore.  
• Bella is such a little girl. She loves to cross her feet and is just so dainty with her hand movements. She has such girly features. People always know she is a girl even if she is covered up and doesn't have a bow. 

I am so excited for Christmas with Bella. She is at an age where she is interested in ripping the wrapping paper so I know she will love it! Bella is so happy and smiley, and we feel so very grateful to have her in our family. Love you Tiny Town!