8 months and what i've learned so far

Can't believe it! Elaina is 8 months old today. 2/3 of a year. T-Minus 4 months until her birthday party! Eeek!

The past month has been eventful. Elaina got her "new accessory" (helmet) shortly after turning 7 months.

She's adjusted to it so well and I hope it's a peek at how easily she'll adapt to things as a toddler, kid, pre-teen, teen, and adult. We've gotten use to the helmet too. Let's just say Nana, Mommy and Daddy all three have had a few good injuries from that thing. She is a "cuddler" when she gets sleepy, so she'll throw her head into you wanting to snuggle, but the helmet will about break your jaw. Ow. I speak from an experience or 12.



Let's see...what else has she done. Well, she's became a good screamer, loves almost all baby food she's tried, pulls up on the ottoman and her crib non-stop, says "Yummmmm!" and straightens her arms out when she gets really excited, loves the song 'This Old Man', shakes her head and smiles when you say 'No' (i forsee a problem with this in the future), still has ZERO teeth, and loves water. She'd chug water from her sippy cup all day if we'd let her.

According to our scales she's 22lbs (staying up there in the 95th %tile) and I haven't measured her length yet. I'll post that and her 8 month pics soon.



So...what have I learned in the past 8 months. This should be fun.

*Formula feeding =/= bad mommy. Before having Elaina I was damned and determined to breastfeed her for a year. Then she latched on and my toes curled. We did it for about 5 weeks. I hated it, she wasn't eating well, and I developed mastitis. Ow. Good-bye boob, hello bottle. I don't regret it. I plan on trying with our next kid too, but I think I have more realistic expectations now. Will I breastfeed for a year, probably not, but I will breastfeed him or her for as long as I can.

*Just because they're the "fancy diapers" doesn't mean they hold the poop.


The hospital sent us home with Pampers, which we liked. Friends and family had bought us Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs for our shower. Let's just say about a dozen blow-outs later, we do NOT buy Huggies. Actually we're 99% Luvs, all the time. I've tried Target's Up & Up brand, and I did like them. However, if I have a coupon for Luvs I can usually get them cheaper than the store brand.


*Sleeping through the night is not a skill...it's luck.
I was prepared for Elaina to not STTN for at least 4-6 months. I prayed she'd STTN earlier, but also knew I shouldn't press my luck. Well, thank God for answering prayers because by 6 weeks old Elaina was STTN 5 out of 7 nights. By 2 months old, it was 7 nights a week. I've had so many people ask 'How did you do that?!' and honestly, I have no clue. From day one I've never said "Elaina eats at 8, naps at 10, wakes at 11:30, eats at noon..." Actually, we've just went off of her cues, and she's basically set her own schedule. She wakes up between 6 & 7, eats, plays, naps (for about 90 mins) within a few hours of waking up, eats, plays, takes another nap around 4ish, and by 7:30 she's in bed.


*Do what YOU think is right. I had certain people telling me at 3 months old that Elaina was "starving" and needed real food. Mind you, she was in the 95th %tile for her weight. Did I listen? No. As soon as she started eating food, people were telling me to cut back on her formula and feed her more food. Did I listen to that? No way. That's nuts. Nor have I listened to "Give her some juice." (Actually to their dismay, I don't plan on giving her juice for quite some time. I'd rather her eat the real fruit.) "Give her a bite of this *insert crazy food here*" "Let her sleep with you." or any of the other unwelcomed suggestions. I do what I feel is right. Kevin and I make choices for her based on our thoughts. Sure, sometimes other peoples suggestions are helpful, but sometimes they're not. Sometimes they're just plain stupid. So take them with a grain (or cup) of salt, and do what you feel is best. Remembe, YOU are the parent. No one else.

*No mommy is perfect. Simple as that. Try as we may, none of us are perfect. However, I've stopped trying to reach that perfection and just enjoy every moment with Elaina. The way she smiles at me when I walk in the room tells me that she thinks I'm perfect and that's what matters to me :)