Esther 8 months

Sweet little Esther is 8 months old!

- She is officially no longer sleeping through the night - sigh. She has had a couple bouts of sickness this past month, which lead to not sleeping well/some extra nighttime feedings, and now she thinks she needs to wake around 5:00 each morning to eat, then go back to sleep for a few more hours. Oh well, she doesn't cause too much fuss, and is otherwise sleeping well.....we can't complain!

- Esther is a good sleeper, falls asleep easily/on her own...but every single time I put her in the crib, she looks utterly betrayed, with the biggest pouty lip, and then starts shrieking, eyes squeezed shut, fists balled up and shaking. But a few seconds after I leave the room, she rolls over, sticks her fingers in her mouth and drifts off to sleep. Drama mama.

- Still army crawling all over the place, but also beginning to try to pull herself up. She is by far the best of the three kids, at this age, at going from to sitting to belly, back to sitting.

- She is a mama's girl - she loves to nurse or sit on my lap or be carried around....but she's also not clingy, and still goes willingly to just about any friendly face.

- Her fine motor skills have exploded this month and we have ditched pureed foods in favor of her pincer grasp. She is a pro at feeding herself, so we've embraced the DIY method at meals - a little messier...but SO much easier for mom! She continues to be a pretty good eater, enjoying almost anything we feed her. She also loves to pick up any tiny little thing she finds on the floor and try to shove it into her mouth before I swipe it away. She especially loves paper - she has eaten more paper in the last month than the first two kids combined!

Avocado face!

- Esther is SO ticklish! Most especially on her tummy. But also her armpits, thighs and feet. And she has the best belly laugh. Makes me smile every day. Love her :)

- I feel like she spends her days riding in the van as I cart the big kids around town, or just hanging out at home with Mom. No baby story time or "mommy and me" classes for this one. But she's a good sport and rarely raises a complaint. She's a dream third baby, and my favorite little side-kick.

Laundry helper :)

- She is still a big fan of her siblings, and gets a kick out of watching them run around and be crazy. I think Jonah still holds the "favorite person" title in her world - even when he's super rough with her!

Some fun facts: Esther definitely has brown eyes, and her hair continues to lighten up. She has two teeth, takes two naps a day, and still sucks two fingers on her left hand - but only when she's sleeping. She's wearing size 3 diapers and size 12-18 month clothing. And she is just so fun!