ZJ is 8 months old!

6.6.12

ZJ started the month obsessed with rocking on hands and knees, but only on our bed. She is now rocking on the carpeted floor too and desperately trying to move forward but falling on her face every time she makes the first move. She is also getting into an almost sitting up position from her hands and knees and actually did sit up on her own the day she turned 8 months. It must have been a fluke because she only did it once. I don’t want her able to sit up yet because she is still unsteady in a sitting position. She can sit on her own but often doesn’t last too long before losing her balance. She went from struggling to hold onto toys to having an excellent grip and reaching for everything and anything that comes near. We introduced her to food this month (6 months old adjusted for prematurity) and are following the baby led weaning style by giving her soft, age appropriate foods to self feed rather than making purees or mashes and spoon feeding. She seems to enjoy tasting and exploring but doesn't seem too interested in eating yet. This style of eating is very messy so I have begun stripping her prior to eating and taking her straight to the bath when done. So far she is only eating dinner with a few tastes of things at other times of day. ZJ's sleeping is a bit inconsistent now. She typically naps twice a day but sometimes has more short naps because she falls asleep for a bit in the car or stroller. Recently she went all day with one nap. She often doesn't take a long afternoon nap and then is exhausted by 6 pm. She is much harder to get to sleep at night lately. She still wakes to eat at least 2-3 times during the night, in addition to her countless breastfeeds during the day. She loves baths and thoroughly enjoyed her first trip to the pool. She is a very happy and easy baby. She is very tolerant of her brother who has decided he must lay on top of her for cuddles now and is quite entertained by him. She has not been sick all month!