Dear Sadie: 8 Months

Dear Sadie,

So much has happened in the last month!

First of all, you finally decided you like to eat solid foods. Your little hands have mastered the "pincer grasp" which means that you can pick up the baby cereal puffs and feed yourself. Your accuracy is getting much better; only about 20% of them wind up on the floor. You still aren't fond of baby spoons, but most days you are willing to open up if the food is delivered on a big wooden spoon. We can get you to eat pear, apple, and sweet potato baby food sometimes, and you LOVE baby yogurt.

We think you have spoken your first word. We can get you to parrot back "mama" and "dada", but when we say "cat" you look around for Tom Fudge and make a noise that sounds a lot like "cat" when you see him. So therefore, we are making the call that "cat" is your first word because you know what it means.

You like to wiggle and dance when you hear music and you have figured out how to flap your fingers with your arms outstretched to wave at us. Both are profoundly cute. I think you've also gotten sweeter and more affectionate. You reach up and grab us when you want to be picked up and you hang on like a little monkey. When I'm holding you and someone new comes up to us you hide your face shyly against my neck. However, you have also started arching your back and kicking when things are not going your way. A little glimpse of things to come, perhaps.

You will be crawling any day now. From a seated position, you tilt over onto all fours and then your arms start heading off but your legs aren't quite ready to follow and you end up marooned on your belly. We can see you trying to get your knees back up underneath you and soon you will have it figured out. When that day arrives, yikes! We have some baby proofing to do around the house and Larry is going to need to find high ground.

We went swimming for the first time the other day. You loved it! You kicked and splashed and laughed. We are going to sign you up for swimming lessons at the Y soon.