8.5 month Baby Summary Update {ww37 and babywise schedule}

Well, here we are; somehow Ila is 8.5 months old!  To think she is closer to 1 year old than a newborn baby … =(  It is going by so quickly.

8.5month Baby Summary {QuietInTheChaos.com}

But God meant for healthy things to grow, and she is surely growing!  She is a little over 20lbs and 28.5″ long; not as big as her siblings at this age, but that is okay.

Ila has 5 teeth and is working on one or two more.  She gave up nursing around the beginning of April, and though I was devastated and continued trying to get her to nurse, she was completely done by the third week of April.  Trying to nurse had become a battle that stressed us both out.  I really thougth she was going to nurse for the long haul; she was my best nurser out of my three babies.  But just like the others, once she realized the milk in the bottle came out faster, with less work involved for her, (even though it was the smallest size Tommie Tippee nipple), she was done with mama.  =(

She still has a head full of hair, and that is the first thing people notice about her.  The second thing they mention is how happy she is.  And she is happy.  The happiest baby ever; I know I say that on all of her summaries, but really.  She doesn’t get upset over much, she has never spit up a day in her life (which I attribute to not getting dairy protein through nursing or her formula), and the only time she has a hard time with sleep or not feeling well is during wonder weeks; she is even pretty happy while teething, with only one or two rough days.  I know this won’t last forever, at some point she will become a tiny tantrum on two feet, but for now, it is bliss!

Eating At 8 Months

Ila is eating every 4 hours … sorta?  =/  She is eating solids LIKE CRAZY.  If we are eating, she wants a bite of it.  Which means that she has been eating: burger meat, steak, meat loaf, rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, spaghetti, cooked carrots, cooked green beans, sautéed zucchini and onion, grapes, apple sauce, pears, banana, eggs … and really the list goes on (though no processed foods).  Basically if it is soft enough for her to chew, and homemade with real ingredients, she gets it.  I did give her some BBQ from a local restaurant the other night, and she liked that too.  =)

So at 3 of her 4 feedings she eats solids, then takes her bottle.  She refuses her bottle before she eats real food, and she won’t take it right after she eats … so a little after she has eaten she is ready for her bottle.  Oh- and if she hasn’t had a poopy diaper she won’t take a bottle, so basically her life revolves around when she poops!  haha  But I am working on not letting her eat as much food before her bottle, since that should still be her primary form of nourishment right now.

Schedule

Ila has moved seamlessly to a 2 nap schedule.  I knew it was time to drop the cat nap because her naps were being interrupted, but she was still tired after waking and about 20 minutes later she would go back to sleep.  Also, the third nap just seemed to be messing with her night sleep and first morning nap.  So … we dropped to a 2-3-4 schedule (loosely) and it has been working great.  Really it is more like a 2-2.5-4 hour schedule.  She hasn’t quite worked up to 3 hours at that second nap yet, but it won’t be long.  I imagine after this wonder week (ww37) she will be ready.

So at 8.5 months, her schedule looks like this:

  • 7am wake, bottle, solids
  • 9 down
  • 10:30 usually wakes, rest until 11
  • 11 up, lunch, bottle
  • 1 down for nap #2
  • 2:30-3 wake, solids, bottle
  • 5:30 dinner, bath
  • 6:30 bottle, bed
  • Asleep by 7pm

Development


Ila is doing new things every day!  Since my lsat summary, she has started sitting up, scooting on her belly, rolling all over the place to get to things she wants, clapping, and signing.  She likes to roll around on the floor and is really trying to crawl; she is thiiiiiis close to crawling!  But honestly, with the move, and rent house, etc.  I am not a huge fan of her crawling too soon anyway!

She has started signing for milk and more.  I think she started signing for milk about a month ago, but I wasn’t 100% certain.  Then she began signing for more, and it was pretty obvious what she was wanting!  haha  The baby is covered with fat rolls and loves to eat, what can I say?

The other day at the rent house Ila was in the floor with Scout (the singing talking dog).  It was singing a song and she started DANCING.  It was possibly the cutest thing ever.  So now, she just bounces and dances when it plays music.

Ila is working on grasping small pieces of food, and while she can usually pick them up, she has a hard time getting them into her mouth.  She has also discovered throwing things .. including her water cup!  NOT FUN.  Ugh.  But our little Mister is so sweet and gets it for her every. single. time she “drops” it.  haha  He is helping create a monster.  =)

Big brother and sister adore her.  I mean … just smother her to death adore her.  Including Mister- she is his “sweet baby girl Ila.”  I love that he is (usually) so gentle and good with her.  And big sister is mama’s BIG helper.  She is also in love with Ila and is always teaching her new things (works on signing with her) and cheering her on!  Did I mention Charlie loves her, too?

8.5 month Baby Summary Update {ww37 and babywise schedule}

As far as the WW is going … there is some fussing at sleep time and all around weirdness going on, but in the nest 3 weeks that should end.  *whew*

That is all of Ila’s 8month update I think … I *love* this stage! (minus the wonder week!)

What is your favorite “baby stage?”