I’m sitting down to write my baby’s 8 month update cannot believe she will be a year old in less than 4 months. I can’t believe I’ve experienced 8 months of motherhood. It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these posts and it’s crazy how much you forget, so I’ll try to squeeze one more before she’s a year old. The past month or so has been a dream. Margot is so much fun and is the happiest little babe. If you’re a new mom or are expecting (or just love babies!), you can find her 1 month update here, 4 month update here, and an update on sleep here.

8 Months of Motherhood

Margot has been such a JOY. Seeing her happy makes me so happy – there is nothing better than hearing her laugh or seeing her smile. It was so hard seeing her upset and not being able to fix it. I think about parents with sick children and it breaks my heart – we’re so, so lucky that she’s healthy. We took our first trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory and the nature museum and she loved both! It’s been so fun showing her new things. I’m excited for Chicago to warm up so we can take her out a bit more. We start swim class tomorrow and I’m so ready for the park, zoo, museums, lake, etc.

Sleep

If you’ve followed us the past few months, you know that sleep was a struggle and I am happy to report that it’s been so much better. Hearing “it will get better” always gave me hope and now that we’re on the other side, I can tell you it gets better. Long story short, Margot grew out of her pre-bed fussy stage and bedtime is now a happy, peaceful time, which is all I ever wanted for her. She sleeps through the night most nights now, but will occasionally wake up a fuss for a little bit. After what we went through, one wake up feels like nothing to us, so we’re feeling really, really good about where we are. She does struggle with naps occasionally – usually because she’s teething and not feeling great, but again, it’s all so manageable. She’s amazing.

Fussiness

This has been the biggest change by far. Those fussy days are behind us. Margot is happy most of the time – even when she won’t nap –  and if she isn’t, we can figure out why and help her get through it. She is such a sweet, happy, girl. I’d say she’s pretty laid back and likes to really take in her surroundings. It’s amazing seeing her see new things or people because she’ll really check everything out before making a move, if that makes sense.

Milestones

I have gotten a few questions about this, so here’s what she’s doing (that’s coming to mind).

At exactly 6 months, Margot said “bababa” and sat up unassisted for the first time. She doesn’t babble much otherwise and hasn’t said “mama” or “dada” yet, but I’m so excited for that! Margot has been reaching for me for about a month and will sometimes reach for Conor, too. She loves her dad but is a total mama’s girl and reaches for me whenever I’m nearby.

About two weeks ago, Margot started giving me a kiss when I ask for one. She leans forward with her mouth wide open and just smashes her mouth into my face. The sweetest.

At exactly 8 months, Margot crawled for the first time. Prior to that, she never army crawled, and she’s still not moving that much. She’ll go across the room but is pretty laid back and very distracted by different textures and patterns (that’s my girl!), so she’ll stop to play with the rug or chair along the way.

Food

We started solids (purees)between 5-6 months. She’s had purees (which she will eat!) but she’s more interested in smashing pieces of food vs. eating them. She really loves Happy Baby Puffs – they’re sugar free! I’ll do a more extensive food post soon.

Hardest Moments

Nothing that difficult comes to mind. Guess we had enough hard moments before this stage! After struggling with sleep and trying to take her out when she was really fussy, nothing feels that difficult. Margot did get a low fever after her 8 month vaccines but it felt super manageable. We’re doing them at a slightly slower rate but she’s mostly caught up.

Best Moments during the first 8 months of motherhood

We’ve experienced so many sweet moments and so many “wins” the past two months.

It used to be such a challenge taking Margot out. She hated her car seat and would lose it when she got tired, but the past few times we’ve taken her out, she has fallen asleep on her own in the car. This is such a basic things so many babies do but it took us a while to get here, so it feels huge and amazing!

Last week, she napped at our friend’s house (in their son’s crib!). That felt like a HUGE moment for us since she used to not be the most flexible.

Margot’s belly laughs are the best and never get old. And every time she reaches for me or gets excited when I walk in the room.

Her first trip to the nature museum was so fun and one of our best family outings. We got brunch at Summer House afterward and she was so good, then fell asleep in the car on the way home.