At the start of 2015

Miss Kate, you are almost 8 months old and if I don't write these things down I'm afraid I won't remember them. Things like:
- you are almost cruising.  You want to walk so bad.
- you army crawl very well. I wonder if you don't crawl on your knees because we have so much wood flooring. You try and get on your feet but are still using your hands (bear style?).
- you've been rolling back and forth for months now- you used to roll across the floor until thanksgiving or so when you really started army crawling, but you haven't figured out how to get from crawling position to sitting up position.
- once you are sitting up though, you can pull yourself up to a standing position, so we've lowered your crib because it's coming soon.
- your first word was maaaaaaam.  Then bye-bye. Lots of babbling going on these days.
- you are a good eater, even eating broccoli and cauliflower which you get from dad, certainly not from me.  You aren't big on meat though- puréed chicken was a no go, shredded chicken you'll eat if it's on your tray with other things. You wave your hands, or bang them on the tray when you want food and I'm. to fast enough for you.
- you have just two bottom teeth, you've had those since five months or so, and those two top teeth are just about to arrive, I felt a sharp one poking through a week ago, but then it went right back up. Even without teeth you are good at gumming your food up.  You really like feeding yourself and you are getting better at it, the pincer grip is getting there, with both hands,
- you feed Shaylee,  but you haven't figured out just dropping food on the floor for her yet.  You sometimes hold food in your hand over the edge of the tray and she eats out of your hand.  I think you'll be in cahoots once you figure out dropping food on the floor on purpose.
- you've just started getting some separation anxiety, but it comes and goes, it's not consistent.
- you still are a great nurser, but now you make huffy noises if I'm too slow for you, which apparently is all the time.  I like to play with your hair when you nurse - it's so fine and straight and light.  I don't think it will last.  You will move my free hand (the one that isn't supporting you) where you want it.  Usually you move it down to your side / hip region, you don't like it in your hair usually.  Sometimes you want to hold my hand.  When you are done nursing you arch your back and lean back and make a big content sigh, sometimes you babble a little, or you start to doze off if it's a night feeding.  If it's day time sometimes you play with your dinner after eating by squeezing with your fingers, and usually you don't bite, but you get sad when I scold you when you do bite.
- you get really excited when you see me after a day at daycare. You squeal and wave your hands and smile real big.  It's the best.  You usually do the same thing when you see dad when he gets home from work, but sometimes you are fickle.
- you love when dad throws you up in the air and catches you.  You squeal and laugh.
- your laugh is the best.  I love to kiss on your tummy and face and make you laugh.  Peek-a-boo can make you laugh too.
- you love remote controls and cell phones and the iPad and the computer keyboards and mice and dad's headset and anything we don't really want you grabbing / smashing on.
- you like to run your fingernails on the fireplace grate.  So we are keeping the fireplace off.
-you love to splash and play in the tub and chew on the bath toys.
- you are a people watcher, you enjoy going to the stores and seeing things and you don't like being ignored - you want people to pay attention to you.
- you like playing with the older kids, at daycare or other places, because they like to play with you. You haven't figured out sharing yet - if you want a toy you go and grab it.
- shaylee doesn't mind sharing her toys, but she doesn't share her food treats.  We are working on that, and her not stealing your toys.
- you have so many clothes and shoes (even though we aren't really putting you in shoes yet).  I haven't bough you hardly anything,  you are quite spoiled in that, and I am so grateful for it.
- you are on the high side of the percentiles, 70th something percentile for weight, 80th something for  height and 90th something for head size,  you are currently about 19 pounds, and 29 inches tall.

That's what I can think of right Joe.  I can't believe it's been almost 8 months, and how much you've grown already.  It makes me sad and nostalgic.  But I am excited to see what you will become.