Convincing Marin to sit up, sit still, keep her hand out of her mouth, keep the bear by her side, smile, AND show the "8" on her shirt, wasn't happening today. We get the idea, right? She's growing, and she's adorable. Spoken from her mother, of course. :)
Marin is eight months old today! Eight months. I'll let that sink in for a little bit. Wow. Here is what the little stinker is up to:
** Marin is on the move! She crawls all over the place, pulls herself up very well, is starting to climb, and is very interested in walking to you with the help of your hands, or objects in the way.
** She has shown us her first little piece of critical thinking. When she was trying to crawl to the dog the other day, she realized it would be faster to just go under the coffee table than around. She even ducked her little head so it wouldn't get bumped. Of course, Norah just walked away once she got there.
** We have had to lower the mattress in her crib. Sigh.
** Marin is still loving her new culinary adventures. It is so much fun to give her something new to eat for the first time. Her expressions are very telling, and it is fun to watch someone try apple, who has no concept of knowing how it should or will taste. In the last month she has begun eating fruits in addition to vegetables, and we'll likely begin meats soon. We are still making all of her food ourselves. She's a good little eater!
** Marin does not have one single tooth. I feel like she has been working on these teeth for months now, but not a single one has popped through. If she never gets her teeth, we'll have to teach her how to smile with her mouth closed come kindergarten. :) My baby book this month said that I could start introducing her to finger foods like a little bit of bread. The girl is as gummy as the geriatric ward; so I guess we'll be skipping the cut up hot dogs for the time being.
** She continues to be the happiest little baby. She is easy and adaptable. And although she lets us know when she wants something, she seems to do so calmly at first. If only I could say the same thing for her mother... :)
** Marin is an animal lover! Either because they are at her level, or because they often times
have fur. She lights up around a dog, or my brother and sister-in-law's cats. She also loves their toys. :) Norah can tell the difference between her toys and the babies, but to Marin, they are all the same. :) And if they are on the ground, she's gonna play with it. :)
** Marin has learned how to repeat sounds. My dad and she love to make this sound with their mouths where they are like blowing out almost with the "b" sound. It is a really messy way to repeat sounds, and it is a little close to spitting for me, but it is certainly funny to watch her repeat it.
** She has started to make the da-da and ma-ma sounds. She doesn't do it as her first words, of course, she doesn't realize what she is doing or who she is talking about, but it is coming.
** Marin is becoming less a fan of the getting dressed process. Not great timing with the addition of layers that the cooler temperatures require, but she is usually pretty well distracted by a funny face or song.
** She is still loving her brightly colored toys; especially those with buttons. I mentioned a phon
e that my mom bought her. It lights up, plays songs, and has buttons. It was an instant winner. She loves her books too, but we're learning its best to read those with pages she can't grab at and crinkle up. The board books are a hit! She grabs at everything, plays intently and loves to discover. I love to put her on my knees when I am laying down and swing her high in the air while she giggles away. She still loves to dance and sing, and we so every day.
** Marin has three friends at her daycare that smiles brightly at each day. They are, Hayden, Lauren and Reese. It's a girls paradise there. The girls get so excited to see "baby Marin" as they call her. Marin also loves Ms. Kathy, who runs the daycare, and buddy the dog.
** She has a great little sense of humor. She loves when we make funny noises or voices. She is also just discovering the fun of peek-a-boo. A favorite game of hers is when Jason lays her on the bed and shakes the mattress saying, "rumble... rumble... rumble...... earthquake!!!!!!" She laughs and laughs and laughs at this. She also loves when we say, "squash, squash, squash, squash, squash!!" in this funny fast way. It started when she first has squash, but it makes her laugh so hard that now we find ourselves tickling her saying it or just saying it to make her laugh in general.
Most days it seems like our worlds revolve around Marin, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Not so far down the road, we will have to teach her the meaning of no, and set boundaries and give her responsibilities and teach her about accountability. In the meantime, I am eating up every second of being at her beck and call. She will always be my princess, and right now, it's fine by me if she knows that she is.
Jason's Aunt Laveda is here for two weeks watching Marin, while Miss Kathy, who runs Marin's daycare, is on vacation. Marin has been having so much fun with her Great Aunt Vee! We feel so lucky to have her help!
Luckily, Aunt Vee rolls with the punches and is literally the most easy going guest of all times. We are loving spending this time with her, and Marin is just thrilled to pieces when she wakes up in the morning and her Great Aunt is there 
again! Marin has been showing off all of her tricks- including how she walks around, and around, and around the coffee table, and with each rotation shows an excitement level higher than the last lap, as if it were all new to her. She has shown her Great Aunt Vee how she climbs stairs and pulls up on ev-er-y-thing and how she dances the day away! They have taken walks to the park, and have played with the Tupperware and in the pots and pans, and Marin has snuggled up in Aunt Vee's arms for a comfy afternoon nap.
Even Norah has gotten in on this gig! Of course she thinks Aunt Vee is here to entertain her, as well. But she is also taking advantage of the afternoon walks and two constant playmates on the floor.
