Daily Life with the Taylors: Eight Months.... & Some Change

Dear Sophia,

On September 12th you turned eight months old. Every time we look at you, we can't help beaming with pride at all you have accomplished this last month and how much you've changed from the little baby who slept peacefully in our arms to the little girl who explores our home nonstop. Literally.

This month you mastered your balance. Two days after you began crawling you were pulling yourself up on everything. Now that you know you can stand on your own two feet, our house has become your exploration zone. You crawl at the speed of light, and pull yourself up on anything and everything within reach! Your enthusiasm for this newest hobby is infectious, especially as your daddy and I watch you discover your world in bits and pieces.

Besides your never-ending movement, you have become quite interactive with us! It's amazing to watch that little mind of yours work and imitate what we do. You wave at us when we wave to you. You clap with us when we clap with you! And it melts our hearts. Each and everyday it seems that you are becoming more and more of a little kid, and losing your baby side. Which really, and truly breaks our heart.

This month also brought about a few challenges for you; You had your first sick-day at daycare. When I got the phone call at school about a fever of 103', I wanted nothing more than to be there with you. But having the kind of job I have, I did not have the luxury of taking the rest of the day off. Luckily Daddy was on lunch and he was able to scoop you up, take you home and take care of you. And you shared! Daddy got sick too. However, Daddy's flu lasted over a week! (Hence the late 8 month blog post!)

Another challenge this month has been 2 more teeth. Two weeks ago they were making their way through your gums, right next to the tiny pearly whites you already have. Gums swollen and puffy, we could see the two little white beads. Of course, this comes with no small amount of discomfort on your behalf. It's been so hard to watch you cry your way through those days and nights of pain when all your daddy and I want to do is to make it better. And sleep through the night again!

Watching you go through this teething experience and get some of your very first bumps and bruises as you began to crawl and stand up has taught us what it means to be good parents. We've learned that we can't protect you from everything. We can do our best to keep you from nibbling on electrical cords and sticking your fingers into light sockets. We can protect you from falling down stairs and discovering the bottle of toilet cleaner under the sink. But we can't protect you from everything.

To be good parents, we have to let go, knowing that you will get hurt. When you learn to walk, you will stumble and fall down. When you begin to run, you will trip and bump your head. When you learn to ride a bike, you will fall and scrape your knees.

Through it all, we will be here waiting for you with open arms. We will pick you up when you stumble, kiss your boo-boos when you fall, and always be prepared for those skinned knees with a stockpile of band aids.

We love you tons baby girl,
Mama and Daddy

A little preview of our Life in the Fast Lane:
(Excuse some of the blurry pictures, but I think it accurately portrays a day in our life!)