8 months

 Itty Bit is now 8 months old.  It amazes me to look through pictures and see how much my little ginger baby has changed and developed.  This month, she has really embraced solid foods, and sleep.  A girl after my own heart.  She is so quick to smile, loving attention from anyone, especially Pyper.  In the picture above, she was Pyper's guinea pig for playing beauty parlor.  ha!  She takes it in stride. 

She shakes her head from side to side, as if to say, "No, No, No!" when she's being silly or has had enough to eat (particularly vegetables!)  She bends down, touches her nose to the floor and then pops back up thinking that is the funniest thing.  She loves to be worn (I wear her on my back as often as possible) and loves to be rocked to sleep.  She plays with my hair and pats my face as I feed her and I see her eyes roll into the back of her head in a milk coma.  She is so loved and so very different from Pyper.  I love that they look so different, but they still share a sweetness that only young children have.  

Baby Wearing, Teething Tablets, Knitted Hats & Necklaces

Raegan has been teething. She's not been a happy camper--at all. My friend, Brandy, knitted this adorable little hat for her. I think it makes her look like a little elf. It keeps her warm, and a warm baby is a happy baby. Except for when they're teething. Oh, I could kiss those cheeks forever.

One night, I ended up just walking the floors for HOURS while I wore her. Anytime I would stop walking and patting her bottom, she would wake up and scream. Needless to say, Shannon and I were exhausted. I wore her, the nanny wore her, Shannon wore her...you get the point. Wearing a baby is so comforting for both the baby and caretaker. There have been studies that show that a baby that is worn grows faster physically, developmentally, cognitively, and emotionally. She frequently nestles down and takes naps while I putter around the house while I wear her. In the above picture, she drooled some of the left-over teething tablets onto the wrap. Tylenol has become our friend as well.

After 3 days of teething and a nasty cold, she graced us with one of her trademark smiles. This makes going to work with one eye open (with a toothpick, at that!) and falling into quick sleep just to be jerked awake by cries, worth it.

A sad note--we thought that by mid week, she was finished with teething. Until she started waking up crying again. Co-sleeping didn't even soothe her. From what I have researched, babies can teeth on and off for MONTHS. YIKES! Pyper never suffered this badly. Today, the nanny has had to wear her nonstop. So now I'm going to try one of these:

Not the random baby. The necklace. It's a Baltic Amber Teething necklace.
Amber is a natural analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory. When amber is worn on the skin, the warmth of the skin releases trace amounts of healing oils on the skin. Commonly known as "teething jewelry," baltic amber has been a natural and traditional European remedy for teething discomfort for hundreds of years.

It may sound a little out-there and wacky. Perhaps even bordering on mysticism. But I'm willing to try ANYTHING people! My friend Brandy, the same knitter-extraordinaire, has used these amber necklaces for both her kids. She says they really do work. They were on sale, so I bought one. I do believe in natural remedies, even if I am married to a Pharmacist. :)