eight months, everybody.

and we're officially loving this stage of babydom. I mean, they all have their merits and super-sweet bits, but it's really fun to see how responsive margaretann's becoming and watch her explore her little world and exert her independence (or dependence, as the case may be!). here are our photos with Raggedy Ann:

demonstrating our ability to pull up onto the ottoman:

and the coffeetable!

but I don't want to sit still while you take a photo, could you hurry it along?

seriously, take the picture, woman.

aaaaand, I'm out! stuff to do, things to see, you know...

it's not you, Raggedy Ann. you'll always be my homegirl.

some tidbits about this month... we got our first tooth and Magz got truly sick for the first time and was a sad, sad sight for a week. she pretty much wanted to hang out on Mama 24-7, and has had a bit of mama's girl-itis since. a little separation anxiety is pretty developmentally normal for her age anyway, so we're giving her lots of love while still encouraging her to have a good time with other people at places like the Y, church, etc. the sickness threw everything off, but we're getting good sleep again (9p-7a usually) and her appetite for food is back. this week we've tried roasted acorn squash, which has gone over well. magz seems to be a fan of mixing the food together... fyi, homemade squash and homemade pears are flipping delicious all mixed up. she's crawling everywhere and pulling up, and still takes two (sometimes three) naps a day. she likes a lot of her toys and still enjoys the exersaucer. we're seeing more of a strength in her personality... she babbles sweetly - sometimes it's reeely loud (which sounds fairly hilarious to us and has earned her the moniker 'the banshee'), and when she's upset about something I get the sense that she's really letting me have it in baby-speak. she experiences quite a few disappointments/spills/frustrations throughout the day as she tries new things and struggles to communicate wants and needs, but is generally pretty good about allowing herself to be emotionally redirected by mom & dad. and sometimes she just has to cry a little. :) she definitely likes to play and explore and then look around to reconnect with us, and it's one of my pleasures to stop and spend time with her throughout the day or plant her on my hip as I put away laundry. I love that she yearns for me right now... it's such a sweet time, and I'm grateful for it.

in short... we like her a lot and I'm so, so thankful for my little family.

-m.y.