Eight Months Old

Eight months old.  And here are the giraffe pictures!

Jovie is curious, observant, and really tries to figure everything out. From inspecting a new toy very carefully to watching the kids on the playground, Jovie seems to notice everything.

And she's at such a fun age!

One of our favorite funny things she's been doing lately is that she'll make a hard "H" sound over and over like she's laughing or being demanding. It's usually done with a twinkle in her eye and smirk on her face - it's her little joke with us, and she knows it makes us laugh and when we do it back, she laughs too. She'll also cough when we cough, and even imitate the number of coughs we do, and then she'll laugh.  She's going to be a silly one!

She sometimes calls for me in the morning from her crib now, usually making a pretty good attempt at "ma-ma!"

She makes a new facial expression, sound or movement every day, it seems.  And she can really move herself now, even though she doesn't crawl.  She launches herself off of our lap, rolls around everywhere, twists and rotates, and from a sitting position will lean down and start rolling.  She just hasn't figured out how to move forward yet.

Here's some pictures to demonstrate.  She started on the blanket, and just kept rolling.

 She couldn't roll any further, so she started moving backward.

 And this is finally where she stopped.

 Baby on the move!

Jovie has always watched us intently while we're chewing. But she's added a new funny twist: if I'm holding her when I'm chewing, she'll stare at my mouth for a few moments then will open her mouth and lean forward toward mine like a baby bird waiting to get fed! I don't know where she got this, and it's a little weird, but it makes me laugh.

Jovie's into seeing under and into everything. When we play peek-a-boo with her, she now knows how to pull the blanket off herself, and you can "hide" her toys under the blanket and she'll "find" them by pulling the blanket off. And, one funny but not socially acceptable thing is that she grabs your shirt collar and pulls it, trying to look down your shirt.

She's so sweet and gives lots of kisses, and a hug now and then.  She's even started giving Howie a kiss now and then. Still working on those teeth.  They seem to be close, but we've thought that for several months now. Who knows when they're coming.  Every day is an adventure!