My beautiful blue-eyed girl is 8 months old…
Well, she WAS 8-months old two weeks ago already; however, since I was on my blogging break, and since I certainly didn’t want you to miss one month of cute Nora pictures, I figured “better late than never” right?
She’s growing like crazy, and besides a recent ear infection and stuffy nose, she seems to be extremely healthy.
We are thankful for that.
I’m also thankful that the hair on the top of her head is finally starting to grow in… so she no longer has a baby mullet {and I can put cute clips in her hair!}
We still haven’t totally figured out the sleeping thing, but for the past few weeks, she’s been content to sleep in her carseat {on the floor of her nursery} most of the night. She calms down the minute we put her in her carseat and usually falls asleep before we can finish buckling her in.
She still wakes up a few times during the night, but there must be something about being more “upright” that she likes. Yes, we’ve already tried medicine for acid-reflux and we’ve taken her to the chiropractor several times; but neither of those options helped.
We’ll see how long she continues to prefer her carseat, but right now… we’ll do anything that allows us to get more than 3 hours of sleep at night!
A few milestones from this past month.
1. She’s climbing stairs
We’re thankful for the door that closes on the stairs to our basement… but the stairs to the 2nd floor are wide open and oh-so-tempting in the middle of our living room!
I was washing dishes in the upstairs bathroom {yes, I’ll be so happy when our kitchen is finished} and apparently Nora wanted to come upstairs by me. When Dave found her, she was already on the 3rd step, and she just kept climbing until she was all the way to the top.
Time for a baby gate I guess 🙂
2. She’s on the move… constantly
The girl doesn’t sit still — I wonder where she gets that from?
Not only is she going up stairs, she’s also practically walking… and every time we turn around, she’s in a different room getting into all sorts of mischief.
Her new favorite “hang-out” spots are the newspaper pile, the toiletpaper holder in our bathroom, inside her nursery closet, and under our office desk.
But I suppose if I were less than 2 feet tall, I would enjoy hiding out in those locations too!
3. She doesn’t stop “talking”
Even though she never actually says anything, Nora jabbers away all day long… and she looks at you like whatever she’s saying is the most important thing ever.
I wonder what life will be like once she actually starts talking. I’m sure she’ll be one of those kids who asks “why” 87 times each day!
4. She’s turned into a beach bunny
Well, more like a “pool bunny”, but she sure does love the water.
We are so thankful for friends and family that let us swim on a daily basis. Even though we have air conditioning, we’ve found that Nora gets pretty antsy if we don’t go somewhere every day. So when it’s really hot and humid outside, our only option is water or the mall {and you all know I’d choose water over the mall any day!}
Nora will sit and float in the water for an hour or more without getting fussy — which means I can lay on a raft or in a lounge chair while Dave, my sisters, or my parents play with Nora in the pool.
No complaining here!
5. She’s officially the cutest Mini Flower Girl
Nora was part of two weddings this past month — Dave’s brother’s wedding at the end of June, and then my sister’s wedding in the middle of July.
She wasn’t actually “in” either wedding, but boy did she steal the show!
Of course, we had to make sure her cute little dress and blue sash matched the bride.
Two months from now, my other sister is getting married… and if Nora is walking by then, she might just get to walk down the aisle {we’ll see what my sister decides to do!}
In the meantime, I think Nora is sick of pictures 🙂
Happy 8 months Nora!
Jelli says
I love reading your Nora updates! I can’t believe how advanced she is for 8 months (or maybe mine is behind, who knows?) Anyhow, cute little girl you’ve got. So fun watching that pretty face change.
Gloria says
Could she get any cuter? I don’t think so.
Kathy says
She looks adorable in that white dress with the blue ribbon at the wedding. Adorable. I can’t believe she is 8 months old now I found your blog a few weeks before you gave birth to her. All I can say is all babies are different and what works for one may not work for another however when people offer advice on what worked for them you can give it a try and if it works for Nora great. I too was going to comment about elevating the mattress slightly as that is great for little reflux babies. A rolled beach towel sounds like just the thing. I know mothers do anything to get their little ones to sleep because the babies need sleep and so do the parents however sometimes we can create just another problem for over selves. The only way I could get my first to sleep during the dady was to push him in the pram in my lounge room while I watched dr Phil. While eventually I got him to sleep then I had to break that habit to get him to sleep in the cot. My onlly concern about letting her sleeps in there all night is for her spine but your dr could give you some professional advice on that. It’s just a thought. Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
Pani says
And about Reflux, what the doctor recommended us was elevating the head side of her bed for 30 degrees. we used to put a folded blanket under her mattress. also, I am pretty sure part of my daughter’s reflux was for her overeating. fortunately, this problem solves naturally as they grow a little bit older.
Pani says
Please be so cautious about ear infections! I have a 2 year old baby girl. during her 12-18 months she had ear infection several times and had to take antibiotics each time until we took her to an ENT specialist and there we found out what was going on. Simply put, there’s a canal connecting the nose to ear which should be clear all the time and by any simple cold, when nose gets stuffed (and surely the baby doesn’t let you clear the nose properly) this canal is clogged and infection gathers in inner part of ear. To prevent we found two quite easy and helpful ways. Salin nasal drops almost everyday and humidifier (cold mist) in her room during the night. this prevents the common cold as well and even is so helpful in recovery!
BTW, Fischer Price Rock N Play really worked for us too. In fact that was the only way to put her to sleep other than nursing.
And Big hug to your beautiful little angel. She’s SO ADORABLE! 🙂
Meeka says
I really feel like I’m part of your family. I look forward to opening my email to see how much Nora has grown or what new adventure she’s getting into. I remember when my Tinker was @ those ages. I think you are doing an amazing job with everything. I would like to encourage you to keep up the great work and thank you for letting me be part of yall journey. Hopefully in a month or 2 Nora will start sleeping better/longer.
Rachel says
Thanks for a wonderful blog. I enjoy your upbeat approach to life. Enjoying the present in the most efficient way. 🙂
I am a mom to seven beautiful children the youngest is 4 months old. I do believe that every child is different and moms do know best and can usually follow their gut… But if you are looking for ideas rearding sleeping / acid reflux… One of my children had acid reflux which i controlled by changing my diet. (i was breastfeeding) I took several different types of foods out for two weeks and slowly added them back seeing if there was a reaction. Regarding sleep… As one commenter mentioned there is a time that is easiest for each child to go to sleep and sleep for their longest stretch. Move their bedtime earlier untl you find the “perfect” time for them … until their schedule changes 🙂 Another idea .. From another child. I was feeding him too much. His stomach was too full and therefore made him uncomfortable waking him up several times at night. (at first i thought it was to eat – which made it worse) When I changed his feeding schedule giving him time to digest and nursing him just a bit before bed. He slept very well. I have usually found a way that my baby can be comfortable and sleep well during the night. That said some kids are just not good sleepers but it helps us moms when we discover ways to help them sleep. Sorry for the lengthy comment. Hope it can help. Good luck!
Andrea says
Thanks Rachel, I’ve actually thought about feeing “too much” because sometimes she wakes up needing to burp, and then she’ll fall back asleep again. One more thing for me to try I guess!
Laura says
I second the Rock N’ Play by Fisher Price. It is amazing! I dread the day my 3 month is too big fo it.
Debra says
Beautiful photo’s.
Organize 365 says
Our son slept in a swing – Yeah I know – but we were exhausted!
I say whatever works!
🙂
Lisa
Ruth says
Have you tried to put her in a NapNanny? I wish you lived closer, I would loan you ours. They are pricey, but VERY VERY worth it. My daughter had acid reflux and it worked like a charm. She was able to nap longer and sleep alllllll night!
Erin says
Our son Benjamin and your Nora share a birthday and I still can’t believe how quickly 8 months has gone by for us either!
We still have sleep issues with Ben, because he likes getting up every 3-4 hours, but it seems to be because he is hungry. This certainly Wasnt the case a while ago, because nothing seemed to help him sleep, and I read a ton of books trying to help getting him down for bed for any period of time. One book I read suggested that an overly-tired baby actually resists sleep because they are working on adrenaline. Although we felt like putting him to bed at 7 or 7:30 was already very early, the book suggested moving his bedtime up 20 minutes at a time until you find a bedtime where they fall asleep with little struggle.
We eventually ended up at 5:30 ( which I thought was ridiculous) but it really helped. Then, once Ben got more rested, we slowly started to move his bedtime back to around 7. Now I nurse him (because he refuses bottles) after his bath and story, give him his pacifier, And then turn on some white noise. It isn’t perfect, but this routine has at least helped to get us a little more sleep!
Good luck, I hope you can get her sleeping soon!
Andrea says
Wow — 5:30 bedtime. That would be fabulous!
I agree with everything you said and I KNOW Nora is over tired, but we just can’t figure out how to get her sleeping — and then KEEP her sleeping. We’ll keep trying!
And happy 8 months to your son too 🙂
Alice says
Happy 8 months Nora! And kuddos to you for making it so far! I am a first time commenter, but have been following your blog for awhile and I always enjoy the Nora updates. I am a mom to a 2 1/2 year old and an almost 6 month old. Our 6 month old has also been a challenging sleeper and I just wanted to mention that we hired a sleep consultant because I thought I was going to go nuts and it helped SO much. We’re still in the process of implementing the plan, but there has been a ton of improvement so far. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of babysleepsite.com, but maybe it would help to look into it. What I love most about the founder (who started the company because of the sleep issues she had with her son), is that she takes the baby’s temperament and your parenting style into consideration when developing a plan for you. So it’s not a “one size fits all” approach because every baby is different! The site also has helpful articles. Anyway, sorry to babble on for so long, but I know what it’s like to be extremely sleep deprived. Hang in there! You’re doing such a great job and Nora is blessed to have you as her mommy!
Heather says
My daughter is 21 months old and took naps only in a carseat up until a couple months ago when we switched her to a big girl bed after her brother was born. Whatever works to get them to sleep!!
Heidi says
Try a Fisher Price Rock-n-Play. My daughter would only sleep upright in a swing or carseat until we got the rock-n-play, AND you can buy them used alot of places.