eight months.

This baby is getting HUGE. Whenever I say that, people always laugh and comment about how small she is. But, trust me, this is a huge baby for my standards. I love how thick and solid she is, and that she allows you to hold her and cuddle. There's so much to cuddle! 

I call her "Chunky McChunkerson" and "my little cream puff." I don't know where this stuff comes from. Nicknames for my kids just sort of appear in my life, and I am sometimes embarrassed of them when they pop out of my mouth in public. Like, for some reason, I used to (maybe still do!) call Eliza "Chewbacca." Not because they have any sort of resemblance, or anything. I honestly don't know why. 

Anyway, Sadie is a chunk. And we love her. And she loves... FOOD. She had an epiphany a few weeks back, in which she realized that at any point in her day there is most likely food within reach. She will eat anything, and never really stops. She doesn't like it if we are eating and she is not. She doesn't like it if she can see food and it's not in her mouth. And, she really doesn't like it if you stop feeding her, even for a moment. She will start screaming at you. When it comes to food, this girl is a beast. But, really, it's so nice. I don't have to convince her to eat. She just does it... all day long. She's also very calculating, she will wait until I am not paying attention and then launch herself over the edge of the picnic blanket to grab a mouthful of clover flower. Little stinker.

A few snippets of our girl:

mover!- Sadie has finally learned how to scoot around on her belly. The problem: she can only go backward. So, she scoots herself back into corners and bookshelves all day long, and then gets extremely upset about it. When I put toys in front of her to try and get her to go forward, she only scoots further and further away from them. She still hates to be on her belly in the first place! So, mostly she sits up on the floor and plays with whatever she can reach, too lazy to actually go for anything beyond her own bubble. I'm torn with being annoyed that she won't go for it, and relieved that I still have a baby that isn't mobile!

dimples- Sadie has dimples all over that chubby, little body. My favorites are the dimples on her hands, when she reaches out to grab something. Or, when she is clutching my finger tightly. We also love those yummy dimples on her bum. It has been such a cold and wet winter here in the Bay Area. I feel like Sadie has been bundled up for her entire life. The houses and buildings around here are chilly, as well, since they are not equipped for extreme weather. So, whenever I get a chance to actually see that soft, creamy skin I am so happy. 

thumb sucker/hand hold- Sadie is really settling into her thumb sucker faze. I think it's adorable, and will gladly pay the thousands in ortho work to fix her mouth after she destroys it, because it makes her so happy and calm. Lately, she has developed the cutest, most comforting hand hold where she sucks one thumb and then uses her fingers to grip the outside of her other hand. It's so sweet. When she's just bored and sucking her thumb, she will use that free hand to tug on her ear or stroke her cheek.

worried eyes- Sadie has inherited the sweetest eyes, which many people claim come from my Dad. They tilt down just slightly. And, when she's sad they crinkle and turn down even more. We call them her "worried eyes." They show up when she is crying or sad, or feeling neglected. My favorite "worried eyes" sighting is when big sister is "playing" with her and Sadie looks over at me like, "Why are you allowing this!?"

screams- Sadie has definitely found her voice. I know I have mentioned that before, but this past month her voice has amplified times a million. She screams and screechers like an animal for no reason than to hear her own voice. She loves to pull her new vocal tricks out when we are in quiet places, like church meetings or restaurants. And, if you try and gently cover her mouth she will blow raspberries into your palm.

pinches- Remember how I waxed nostalgic about how sweet Sadie's wandering hand is when she's nursing? How she would stroke my arm or hold my finger gently. Well, lately that sweet, little wandering hand is more like a painful crab claw. She will grab folds of skin on my forearm and pinch with all her little might- which is actually pretty hard! Or, she will take her tiny thumb and dig away at my flesh with her sharp, little fingernail. Ouch, baby.

little flirt- Sadie loves to flirt and make friends in public. It makes my job easier, because they entertain her when I am standing in lines or eating at a restaurant. She has this funny fake laugh that she does when she is happy. It's kind of throaty and high. She will smile and laugh her funny laugh, and they are totally stuck because who can look away from that?!

Here is a pre-shoot outtake! Tasty baby!