Kaydie is the sweetest little kid ever. I can't believe she's almost eight months old already, but she's got four teeth, she mastered crawling, she can stand up, and she's already starting the balancing act that precedes walking (so I've heard). She's very into grabbing things, she is practicing the 'pincer' grasp between finger and thumb and she's getting very very good. Vocally, she loves to play singing games with me, where I squeal and she mimics me - and she definitely got mommy's lungs because that girl can HOLLER! She's babbling the following sound groups: dadadada, nananana, and when she's stuck in her crib she cries, mommmmmm. Her favorite thing to play with right now: Gabe. She loves kids - and she loves kissing her reflection in the mirror (all my mirrors have her handprints and drool marks now - soooo precious). She doesn't like being cooped up in her bedroom very much - she stands at the baby gate and cries and cries... so I blocked off the top of the stairs and babyproofed the entire level. She can crawl around and practice standing up on things, pulling out drawers and investigating socks... she's incredibly happy entertaining herself - I hear her in my bedroom now, talking and sqealing with delight at the sound her fingernails make on my mattress (the sheets are in the washer because she spit up on them, of course). Which reminds me, I need to trim her fingernails again. They grow so quickly, it is hard to keep up. It is important that I keep up, though - earlier this week she managed to get one fingernail deep into my left eyeball, it hurt for a full two days... it's still tender, but I'm just relieved that I can still see clearly!
We went through about month where our schedule broke down. She was popping out two teeth on top, and then she got a stomach flu, then she got a nasty cold... I thought I'd never see another 2 hour nap-break again, and was beginning to get used to sleeping with her in my arms in the recliner so she could breath... However, she kicked the bug and she's back to taking her naps again - a 2 hour nap in the morning around 8:30, and another one around 2:30... then Dad puts her to sleep at 8:30 for the night. She wakes up for a snack at 10:15, again between 12:30 and 1:30 and usually one last nibble at 3:30ish. It's really not that bad though, as she just wakes up for maybe 5 or 10 minutes each time...and she falls straight back to sleep afterwards.
She entered the 'seperation anxiety' stage about the same time her top teeth began to come in, where when she sees me leave a room she freaks. Seriously screams and cries and freaks out - she hasn't figured out just yet that mommy will never leave her. I try to keep talking so she can hear me even though she can't see me, and it seems to help. The other interesting thing, is that she does not mind if she leaves me - she crawls away from me and doesn't look back! She's so independent already...I can already hear her first sentence, "let ME do it" which is wonderful. She's the little girl that I hoped for. She has already developed so much character; she is strong, willful, beautiful, smart, and I know she's going to be charismatic and find a way to acheive any goal that she sets for herself.