Baby Milestones — Eight Months Old

My sweet eight-month-old baby is hitting milestones left and right

I am now over eight months into motherhood, and I fall more in love with Charlotte every day. It doesn't matter if I play a song off iTunes that reminds me of pregnancy, or if I'm just watching her sleep at the end of my long night . . . Either way, every part of my days makes me fall more head-over-heels in love with this little girl.

Not only have I been blessed with an extremely happy and easy-going baby, Charlotte is also very strong and confident. I am so beyond grateful to be Charlotte's mama, and I find myself wondering what exactly I did in a past life to deserve the gift of her presence in my day-to-day. My girl has always been ahead of the curve in her growth and development, so it is no surprise that she has continued with mastering milestones.

What milestones are we enjoying at eight-months-old?

Crawling. Charlotte is an all-star crawler. She has finally mastered clearing the landing between her room and the hall. She is always up to her own agenda, deciding to crawl away when her mom and auntie are playing in her room with her.

Pulling Up to Stand. While a box, couch, chair, knee or dog are all great options, my eight-month-old baby's favorite object to pull herself up to stand on is her kitchen set. A hand-me-down from my parents, this kitchen set is interactive and full of music and learning activities. Charlotte tears it up dancing, leaning and playing on her kitchen set for up to two hours.

Standing. Using just about anything, short or tall, to pull herself up, Charlotte then stands and balances free of any help for up to 30 seconds. I was almost certain she would take her first step today, but the stars haven't quite aligned yet. We'll get her until nine months to commit to walking.

Clapping. If you're happy and you know it . . . Charlotte caught onto clapping quite quickly. After her dad taught her how to clap one night, and she remembered it the next morning, her understanding of this action has only grown. When Charlotte and I found ourselves at House of Ruth's Rally Out Against Domestic Violence last week, she was clapping along with the crowd and celebrating between speeches and performances.

Snacking. Charlotte enjoys snacking on small pieces of bananas and organic, gluten-free puffs . . . as well as anything else mom approves. Her hand-eye coordination is spot on, while her ability to navigate food between her pointer finger and thumb and into her mouth is only successful about half the time.

Communication. Conversations between Charlotte and her chosen person (stranger or family member) are a lot more deliberate than they used to be. She has two different waves, and she is quick to mimic all her favorite people. Her favorite words and expressions (besides growling constantly) are dada, hi, baba and yay.

Another note that I'd like to make, even if only for myself in the future, is how Charlotte makes friends with everyone in her path everywhere we go. I cannot leave my house or go into public without multiple comments on Charlotte's giant smile, friendly growls and sweet demeanor. It's adorable now, but I'll definitely have to teach her to not talk to strangers someday! ;)