Cate - 8 months

As of now, our little Cate-bug has 2 teeth!  They are the sweetest little pearls you've ever seen! She has mastered crawling and enjoys going on little adventures throughout the house.  She really seems to enjoy playing in her room.  Cooper loves to play in there, too.  They read books or he acts silly trying to make her laugh.  It's so fun seeing the two of them together!


Cate has learned the signs for more, all done and milk.  She can't actually sign them yet, but she recognizes the signs and knows what they mean.  If she is in her high and want more of whatever it is she has been munching on, she smiles when you sign "more".  Same reaction if she is acting like she is finished with a meal.  The reaction is a little more dramatic for "milk".  She knows that means she gets to nurse.  She gets a huge grin on her face, waves her arms and dives for momma.  :)


We had our first ear infection false alarm.  Turns out the fever was just teething.  Apparently the fact that she kept pulling at her ear didn't mean it hurt.  She just realized she has ears and wants to check them out.  When we took her to the after hours clinic, we realized that we had hit another milestones: 20 pounds!  My little baby weighs 20 pounds.  Cooper didn't hit this milestone until after his first birthday.  Seems she is, quite literally, growing like a weed.

She also had first case of actually being sick.  She would be pretty happy until her fever spiked.  I could tell by her mood that it was back up.  After a trip to the pediatrician for a fever of up to 104.3, we discovered it was just a virus.  She was pretty pitiful for about 5 days. Glad her Nana was around to take such good care of her.  Two trips to the doctor in a month and nothing to show for it.  Glad it was nothing serious, but this medical momma is feeling like a bit of an over-protective first timer.....

Latest trick - curling her tongue


Cate has learned how to pull herself up to standing.  Between that and crawling, taking her picture lying next to her giraffe is a thing of the past! She loves to pull up and stand at our big ottoman in the living room.  This much preferred to her previous habit of crawling up to the ottoman and pulling the stuffing out from underneath the fabric.  Sneaky little toot!


Little Miss Cate-Cate is happy as a clam most of the time.  We are having so much fun watching her grow and seeing her ornery little personality develop.  She has the most loving brother who is so sweet with her.  I never imagined how much joy it would bring to see them play and laugh together.  Best.  Thing. Ever.



Cate -7 months

Oh my!  Little Miss Cate is about to do big things!  She can now go from laying down to sitting all by herself.  She hasn't quite figured out how to lay back down gracefully, but she's learning.  


The physical milestones are really adding up.  Most babies get up on all fours and rock back and forth.  Apparently, Cate has her own style.  She uses her hands and feet to push her whole body up off the floor into a plank position.  Once her poor little arms get tired she lays back down and army crawls backward.  The backwards crawling thing is pretty frustrating for her.  She sees something she wants and works so hard to get to it only to see it get further and further away.  She has also scooted her way under the couch and the ottoman. Thanks goodness for her fluffy, cloth diapered tush or she might be able to get all the way under the furniture!


My baby girl got her first tooth!  She's been this face (see photo below) all the time trying to feel this new little pearl with her lips.  So far there has been very little biting, but this momma is nervous!  With all of the trouble we've had with her latch thus far, I'm concerned that having teeth may make it worse.  I guess time (and teeth) will tell.   




There are speculations that she may have her first word.  I'm not sure I want to count it if it is.  Pretty consistently when we take her into her room to change her diaper she starts saying, "Pppoooo, pppooo."  Really?!?!  My sweet baby daughter's first word is POOP!  See why I don't want it to count?  We'll see what word she comes out with next and then decide.

Being so mobile, she is kinda over taking
pics laying beside her giraffe.  I think we'll have
to come up with something else for next month. 

Cate still loves to feed herself but has decided it's okay to let us spoon feed her.  She LOVES applesauce and pea&broccoli puree.  She is also doing great with her sippy cup.  For a few months now she's been able to drink from a regular cup with a little help.  Now she's drinking water from her sippy cup like a pro!

Still not sleeping through the night consistently.  I know it will come someday.  Although I'm tired, I know the day is coming when I will miss our nighttime snuggles.  When you're this cute, you can almost get away with murder.  Which may be her plan - death by sleep deprivation.






And just for fun...here are a few outtakes from our little photo shoot.
Hey Girl!

Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
 Until next month..