8 Months- December

While the world celebrated Mary and Joseph knocking on Bethlehem inn front doors, Harper was celebrating her 8 month birthday. 

Sidenote: I only mention the Bethlehem innkeepers due to the fact that this was the primary part of the Christmas story that we focused on with Gavin this year.  We spent significant amounts of time this Chrismas season with our Fisher Price Little People nativity walking Mary and Joseph down the streets of "ahem", I would knock on the wall and say "do you have any rooms?" and Gavin would shake his head emphatically.  "No room, no room," he'd say.  Ergo, the shout out...and a sweet 2012 memory tucked away. 

BUT back to the main note. Harper is 8 months old (I can hear a little voice of mommy guilt ringing in my head saying "and has been for 13 days now." To which I say, "Shove it, mommy guilt.").  I'll say it again since I've clouded it with many superfluous other things- Harper is 8 months old!!!

Harper is a very sweet and sassy 8 month old; mostly sweet and occasionally sassy. 

She loves to smile, eat, clap, wave, make funny faces, laugh at her brother, crawl and be tickled.  All of the important things in an 8-month-old's life, I suppose. 

Two of the funnest things this month have been starting to clap and wave.  If you'll recall, Harper waved for the first time at Thanksgiving- in true hostess fashion, but has definitely fine-tuned the skills over her eighth month.  We were also thrilled to have her clap for the first time at my sister's birthday party earlier in December.  I'm pretty sure I stopped the party and bragged on her the rest of the night.  Not sure about any of the adult birthday parties you've been to lately...but I'm guessing we're going to see fewer birthday party invitations for Matthew and I in 2013...

Harper is still pretty little.  She weighs about 16 or 17 lbs.  I sometimes forget how old she is because of her size.  We went to the doctor this month and he diagnosed her with an upper respiratory infection and said "that would be pretty bothersome in a baby, but with a child her age..."  I was so sad to hear that she's not considered a "baby" any more.  

Harper does like to eat though!  So far she hasn't turned anything away!  Sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, peaches, pears, bananas, peas...and her new favorite- Cheerios!  I love watching her eat Cheerios.  Rather than pick them up with her two fingers, she'll make sure she gets the tip of her pointer finger good and wet and then will just point her finger out until the cheerio sticks to it and then will pop it in her mouth.  You can see the finger tip pointing motion situation kind of illustrated below.

Another big event this month is that Harper can MOVE!  She's a crawling machine- not really on all fours yet, but definitely on her belly.  Home girl can scoot!  She can also stand up against a table or something else supportive.  We're just waiting for her to balance and stand by herself.  She's almost there. 

When she's not busy dancing in her high chair or sucking on her socks, Harper is busy talking.  She's a very serious "dadadada" warner.  She tells us very adamantly and various times throughout the day.  She also likes to squeal in response to Gavin.  

 Another month of joy in the books- another month thankful that God knew what we needed more than we did.  We're thankful for our little surprise.  She's a delight to our lives.