What is Ellis doing now?

At 8 months:

Physical Progress

1. Sits without support - occasionally losing her balance.
2. Moves her hands using her wrists as hinges. Makes a fist and unclasps it.
3. Flings both hands together in a clapping motion. She also holds up two toys, one in each hand and bangs them together.
4. Picks up toys, her pacifier in particular with two fingers.
5. Plays with her pacifier - likes to pop it in and out. Eyes the pacifier - will look for it if it drops, pick it up and pop it back in. Pops it into her mouth crooked but manoevers till she gets it straight. Will remove pacifier from mouth with one hand so she can bite on a toy in another hand, hold on to and replace the pacifier once she gets bored with the toy.
6. Favourite words/sounds: Ah-da! (loudly and excitedly accompanied by both hands raised and flung downwards) or Ah-da-da-da (low and gutteral). Ma-ma-mum. Screeches (very loudly) all the time. We call her Ellie-raptor.
7. Started off crawling commando style - pulling herself by her arms. Then started getting up on fours and rocking back and forth with her bum in the air. Now making crawling motions, but still a little unsteady.
8. Can balance for a short if pulled up to her feet.
9. Can lift and flip the pages of a kiddy book. I find this quite funny because she looks like such a little adult when she does it.
10. Has two lower incisors, half way out.
11. Puts everything and anything in her mouth. Her favourite things to play with and bite on are remote controls, mobile phones, book corners, tissue boxes.


Emotions & Personality

1. Her personality is definitely showing more - she will indicate displeasure by looking straight at me and protesting loudly with a disgruntled look on her face.
2. Responds to her name - she'll turn to look at whoever's calling. Sometimes she will pretend not to know but will look at you out of the corner of her eye and give a coy and cheeky smile instead.
3. Laughs alot and very loudly. Sometimes so much I worry that she will choke! When she gets too excited she screeches.
4. Likes up and down motions and being sung to.
5. Appears to understand when I say "No!" because she will stop whatever she's doing and look at me - but then turn back and resume the offensive action.
6. Already knows how to pretend - if she notices that I am watching her crawl toward one of the forbidden zones (floor mat, rubbish bin, CD cabinet) she will pause, roll on her side and pretend to be playing with something else. Then when she thinks I'm not looking anymore, she will carry on!
7. Seems to understand what I say more because she will watch me carefully as I speak to her and respond by smiling.
8. Raises both arms to signal that she wants to be carried. Happens everytime I unbuckle her from the car seat.
9. Started having a preference for who carries her and recognises familar faces. Will cry or turn away if she doesn't want to be carried by a stranger.
10. Looks forward to Daddy returning home. Will keep looking at Kisu until he carries her.
11. Seems to be cautious initially in new surroundings but warms up after a while.


Eating

1. This girl loves her food. If she knows I'm preparing her meal, she gets super excited and starts bopping up and down in her high chair making lots of noise. Can't keep her waiting, otherwise she will cry.
2. Every spoonful goes down in a flash, replenishment must be quick or she starts crying.
3. Cries at the end of every meal, when food is all gone and she's given water. I have to distract her each time.
4. Blows with food in her mouth if she doesn't really fancy it, or if the consistency isn't thick enough.
5. If she really doesn't like it (peas were the most recent culprit), she makes a face and sticks her tongue out - still covered with the uneaten food.
6. Now does 2 meals a day - so far all home cooked meals. I'm going to increase it to 3 with an added snack. 4 milk feeds a day, at 4 hour intervals.
7. Just started on veggie crackers. She can now make chewing motions and bite and pull the cracker out of her mouth.

Sleeping

1. 2 - 3 naps a day, about 1 hr 15mins each.
2. At night - is like clockwork: Starts getting cranky around 7. She will crawl to me, cry and lift her arms out to me indicating she's ready for her last feed and then bed. Sleeps at 7.30 pm all the way till the next morning 7 am.