Eight Months

This little one is growing leaps and bounds. Hanna is popping teeth out at a fast pace and has added 3 teeth on top with the 4th visible through her gums, to bring her tooth count to 6. She spends a lot of time gnawing on anything firm she can get her hands on. She isn't really drooling at all and we have basically stopped using bibs. Hanna also brings her bottom jaw forward and clenches her jaw, making a funny face that reminds me of a toothless old man.

Hanna is starting to organize her movements into a coordinated effort to mobility. When we put her on the floor she gets right to her hands and knees. She wiggles herself a few feet this way or that and has begun rocking back and forth on all fours. The movements don't quite qualify as crawling yet but she is on the verge. When she is motivated by a specific thing out of reach she works at getting herself to her goal but it is a concerted effort and every few minutes she takes a breaks, lays on her belly and rest her head on the floor, then she is up again. Johanna has also begun to get from laying down to sitting again. It is such a gift to get to watch her gain these skills.

See the pretty teeth?

We have been giving Hanna baby food on a daily basis and have recently increased it to twice a day. She hasn't met a food she didn't like the taste of yet. In addition to the prepared baby food we have been giving her chunks of food in a mesh holder that lets her participate in the process without getting pieces that are too big. With all of these new teeth though finger foods are in the near future.

At the beginning of the month we had her appointment at John's Hopkins with the pediatric cardiologist. He examined her and has no concerns. He said the murmur was very minor and was normal and that it was probably caused by the normal flaps in the heart walls and not a hole. He said we could come back when she was 3 if we still suspected a hole she needed an echo-cardiogram.

All done with the EKG

I am happy to say that Hanna is sleeping much better, for longer periods and on a more consistent schedule. She cries sometimes when we lay her down at night but most of the time now she is falling asleep without much protest. Some nights she will chat in her crib before rolling to her tummy and falling asleep. Hanna usually holds a burp cloth to her face and sucks on it as she nods off. I think this self-soothing technique has made a huge difference in her ability to fall asleep. It has been such a relief to get regular sleep and to have a well-rested baby.

Hanna is a joy.

Hiking with Momma at Cascade Falls