Eight months

Miranda is now eight months old. I can't believe how much she has grown. I worked in the NICU the other day and took care of three babies all born under 5 lbs. They were so small! Miranda was never quite that small but it was still a HUGE difference. When I look at her I still see all baby, yet in a few short months she will be considered a toddler. It is so sad how fast time flies sometimes. She is a great baby. I love it when they start to recognize you and smile when they realize you are still there. She loves her family already. You can really tell that she knows who we are. About three weeks ago we were laying in bed with Miranda sitting between us. It was first thing in the morning and Leonard had just gotten home from work and had brought Miranda in to our room with him. She was playing and smiling and laughing with us. There were no toys -- just us, and she couldn't have been happier. Leonard turned to me and said, "She is so CUTE! We're going to have another one aren't we?" I was SHOCKED! Our entire marriage Leonard has always said three was a good number for him. He came from a family of three and felt like it really worked. I never pushed the issue but always felt that when the time came I would be able to talk him into more if I felt it was right. So I was like, "What?!" He said, "It just seems kinda sad to think this could be the last time we have a baby this age -- they are so cute!" This is exactly what I have been thinking for Miranda's whole life! Even days after her birth (which wasn't a pleasant experience) I was thinking, "It would be so sad if this was the last time I _______-- fill in the blank. (i.e. was pregnant, had a baby, nursed a baby, introduced a new baby to my other kids, cuddled with a newborn for the entire time between feedings, ect.) I think that this means we may not have a complete family yet. It also means that (just in case) I feel like I need to just breathe in Miranda every day and enjoy the time that I am able to spend with her as a baby. I am truly enjoying being a mom right now.

Miranda is flying through her "developmental milestones". She is a very determined baby. She is crawling on all fours and is now very good at it. She follows me all over the house. When she gets tired she crawls out into the hall and cries for me to come get her. She pulls herself up on everything. Most of the time it is on my pant leg. She pulls herself up on me when I am cooking, doing the dishes, sitting at the computer, sitting at the table, ect. She is getting really good at it. She loves to put everything in her mouth and I am constantly pulling things out of her mouth. She has really worked out that "pincer" grasp.

She LOVES food! I have never had a baby react to food the way she does. She knows when we are eating and she wants to be a part of it. Every day she eats a bowl of rice cereal (my other kids hated that stuff) and at least one jar of baby food (the big ones) and some finger food throughout the day. Plus, she is still nursing as much as ever. She has tried nearly all of the bottled baby foods and she likes them all. She eats Cheerios and Rice Chex like they are going out of style. She also likes mac and cheese, bread, homemade applesauce, fresh bananas, yogurt, and anything else that I will let her try. It is so weird sometimes. I seriously wonder what is going on in that head of hers. She is so little, yet she eats like there's no tomorrow! Does she know something that we don't?

In an earlier blog I bragged about her excellent sleeping habits a little too soon as she now wakes up 1-2 times a night. Lately she wakes up about 3:00am to eat and then sleeps through the night until 7:30 or 8:00. Not too bad, but she just started that about a week ago so we'll see how long it lasts! She likes to sleep on her tummy or her side and she still LOVES her pacifier. When we were in Salt Lake we forgot her pacifier one time while we were out shopping. It was nap time and she wanted that pacifier. What normally would have taken about 5 minutes to fall asleep instead took two stops to nurse her and over an hour before she finally succumbed. She is definitely not ready to give that up -- at least I am not ready for her to give it up anyway!

She is a happy kid and she loves Kaydra and Kanyon. She is old enough now that we sit her down with the kids and let her play beside them with some toys. She loves it and feels like a big kid as long as I am not in the room. When she sees me it seems to be all about me holding her again. She loves to be held and it starting to show affection by laying her head on my shoulder or sucking on my neck. I think that she is "kissing" me when she does this because I often kiss her neck, but maybe she is just trying to find the food! I feel blessed to have her in our family. I know that she has a good spirit and that she loves us all very much. I am so thankful to have her in our home. We love you, Mandy!