Selah B, 8 months (WHAT?!!)

You know when you’re on the first part of a roller coaster? And you slow-l-l-l-y creep, creep, creep you’re way up to the top? It’s exhilarating and exciting…so much anticipation builds in you as you slowly climb up, up, up. But it’s calm. It’s slow paced.

That’s what the first 5 months of having a baby is like for me. Like I said, for me, the first 5 months are a breeze! I mean, come on–all they do is sit there!! But then they hit that 6 month mark and, I am telling you…it’s like the moment your car rolls over the peak of that roller coaster, and life gets REAL up in here!!!

Cr-o-s-s-ing the 6 month mark…and holding my breath…

All within 5 days (the week after turning 7 months), our little Selah Bean got her first two teeth (FINALLY), had her first several vomiting experiences (SO SAD), started walking herself along the edges of things (IT STARTS…), started pulling herself up onto furniture (BINS, COUCHES, TABLES, ANYTHING IN REACH!) and learned how to climb up a step (TIME FOR A BABY GATE!). This girl is EVERYWHERE. I can’t believe how fast she moves, and she still pulls herself everywhere with her arms rather than doing the traditional “crawl”.

7 MONTHS: She-e-e-e’s…CRAWLING and EATING REAL FOOD!!!!! Weeeeee!!

8 MONTHS: She’s CRAWLING FAST and EATING REAL FOOD and PULLING UP ONTO EVERYTHING and CLIMBING STAIRS and WALKING HERSELF ALONG FURNITURE!!! OH YES, and EATING SMALL CHOKE-ABLE OBJECTS!!!!

THE REST OF HER LIFE: And it will only get wilder from here on out 🙂

But seriously, this girl is the essence of sugar and spice. The SUH-WEEE-TEST, SPIE-SEE-EST little thang that you’ve ever met. And oh, how we adore every square inch of who she is. Well, here she is…my big 8 month old girl!!!!

She walked her lil’ spicy self from the table to the couch all by herself!

She climbs…

…over…

…everything in sight…

And even taught herself…

…to joyfully…

…climb up stairs. She wants it, she goes after it, no matter what obstacle is in the way. In this case, “it” was a coat rack.

“Yes, Mom? Is there a problem? Why are you running towards me so quickly?”

She started pulling herself up…and now pulls herself up onto EVERYTHING… 🙂

“Oh, hey Mom! Watcha doin’ up there on the couch??”

“Now how do I actually DRIVE this thing?”

“Um, mom…could you give me a hand? I can pull myself up, but I don’t know how to get down yet!!”

Until the next week, when she learned how to get down, too!

This is where Selah usually camps out…she LOVES the backyard, and will just sit here, staring out the window like a little puppy until I let her out.

“Can I go outside, Mama?”

“Not right now? That’s okay. I’ll just squish my face up against the glass and dream.”

…and…back down!

She LOVES BEING OUTSIDE!

Can you tell who taught her what the coolest toy to play with is?

My sunshine.

She also LOVES…

…cabinets…

…chairs…

…drawers…

…t.v… (When both the kids had the stomach flu, I turned on a show for Elliott and it was the first time Selah had ever seen one! She was MESMORIZED, cocked her head to the side, and just STARED…)

…and I mean LOVES making the “raspberry” sound…it is HER FAVORITE…

…chewing on Elliott’s shoes… (I know, I know…we’re working on it…)

…AND, my feet.

She seriously can’t get enough of my feet.

She got her very first two teeth!

“Whew, Mom! That was a LOT of work for just two teeth!!”

And I started giving her REAL food… and, unlike her big bro, she picked it up quite well, and LOVES feeding herself…

“So I just pick these little things up and eat them? No problem. But how do I eat this Puff on the back of my wrist??”

She couldn’t pick up cut up banana chunks so I just gave her half a banana…

Only a little gagging…

“Hmm, the question is, ‘Do I LIKE this?'”

“Yeah…this is cool.”

She had some very special play dates this month:

Special friend Stella flew in all the way from Tacoma!!!

Here is Olivia! And the three of them started the “Big Blue Eyes Club”!

She adores her big brother, who also adores her. She follows him EVERYWHERE and wants to be EVERYWHERE that he is. Good thing that Elliott’s greatest thrill in life is being chased!!

This is the best summary of our days. Selah chases, Elliott squeals and runs (or drives) away. And she goes AFTER him. Maybe that’s how she got so fast at moving?!!!

She wants to be next to him…

…under him…

…over him…

(“Don’t mind me, Selah. Just a minor repair. Safety first!”)

…on a stroll with him…

…with him all the time!

Sing with me: “So happy to-gether!!”

Elliott usually finishes dinner first, and so when he’s through he runs around like crazy playing. She ALWAYS twists around like this so she can watch his every move.

But he usually can’t be that far away from her for very long, so he’ll pull up a chair and chat with her while she finishes… MELT.MY.HEART.INTO.FOUR.BILLION.PIECES.

Happy 8 months, my sweet little Selah Bethany. You light up our lives.