Rowan’s Eighth Month

Well here we are, eight months in! I honestly can’t believe it, and to be a month away from 2021 is crazy to me! Rowan is not my little baby anymore, well she is, but she’s growing so fast! I can’t keep up. Every time I sit down to write one of these posts, I am astounded at how this time has passed so quickly. I know it will only continue to pass quickly too. Before I know it, we’ll be celebrating her first birthday (*cue tears*). But, here we are 8 months in, and well, we are surviving.

The past month just flew by, I feel it was Halloween just yesterday! We had a lot of fun dressing her up, you can see her Halloween post here. I might still dress her in the outfit at least one more time before she grows out of it, why not right?

Rowan now loves to play with toys that light up and talk, so I bought her a remote control and a spinning globe thing haha. Big hits in our home! And since we go to music class once a week, she now loves to shake her rattles and clap! It’s such a great time, even though it’s 1.5 hours once a week, it’s nice to get out of the house and see her interact with other babies. They keep it a safe environment and we feel safe attending!

Still here to report that no teeth have appeared yet! It has to be soon, I bet by 9 months at least one comes around. We just did her flu shots and the pediatrician says it’s normal and she probably will start having teeth sprout towards the end of the year. I will miss that gummy smile, it’s just too adorable to see each day. What will she look like with teeth?

Rowan is still crawling, standing, walking around the coffee table and couch, and even has attempted a mini step or two! She also has begun to hold onto nothing while standing, so I feel walking is coming any day now. My life will officially be over. She’s just always on the go, never not just sitting down. She is an active one, Curtis and I think she is going to be an adventurous one when she’s older.

Reading at bedtime, or any time of the day has become exciting for Rowan. She enjoys looking at the pictures, and if it’s a book with textures she just gets very excited touching all the pages, especially sticky or fluffy pieces! It’s fun to see her face when that happens, she makes this scrunched up face with her mouth open like she’s annoyed but really just absorbing what she’s seeing. I live for it!

And she is still a big eater! Loves to eat whatever we are having, so we give her small pieces, and still have her three meals a day. Trying out all the foods, kiwis are new favourites around here. Same with cucumbers and olives, which is one of my favourite foods. She also had a lemon, and enjoyed it! Definitely loves a good pucker this one.

Let’s talk about sleep, Rowan gives us all the cues when she’s tired, so I don’t keep a rigid schedule, but I try to get her down for a nap every 2-2.5 hours. Generally, she starts pulling at her ears or rubbing her eyes, and I know ok, it’s time for a nap. And this past month, she went through a leap, so bedtime was back to rocking her to sleep, she would just scream and choke on spit if she left her awake in the crib to fall asleep. Sleep training will commence once the leap is done, she was doing so well with it before.

She loves touching faces, especially mine and will stick her hand in my mouth while nursing. I think it’s a comfort thing for her. Oh, and she LOVES peek-a-boo! Rowan definitely now understands when something disappears, Curtis plays with her every day after work, she just giggles non-stop.

I’m just trying to enjoy all these days with her, they go by so fast! Now that we have daylight savings, it’s dark by 4 PM. I now have a car again, so I’m able to take Rowan to the store or when it’s nice out to a different park for a walk. I want to fill her days with fun activities and get out of the house this winter more.

Her schedule lately
7 AM: Wake up for a feed, a diaper change, day time outfit, and playtime while mom showers
8:30 AM Breakfast – oatmeal with nut butter, fruit puree, some breastmilk, and naptime follows
11 AM: Wakeup, diaper change, playtime on the floor or a walk
12 PM: Lunch, followed by milk, a book, and playtime
1 PM: Nap
2:30-5:30 PM: We try to get outside for a walk, play, feed every couple of hours
5:30 PM: Dinner and milk
7 PM: Bathtime, pajamas, have a pumped bottle, and storytime
7:30 PM: Go down for a 10-11 hour sleep, lights are turned off, white noise machine goes on

Mommy Update

I am still trying to juggle Rowan and work. My work has slowed down this season and I don’t have as many deadlines. But I still have content I want to put out there and I have resorted to doing it at night when she goes down for bed. Which isn’t ideal, it’s my time to relax before I go to sleep, and instead, I am working.

To be honest, I have barely worked out, I never have time during the day and at night, as I said above, I mostly work or relax. I struggle because I’d love to get fit again and lose some of the baby weight I still have. Hopefully, with winter coming, Curtis has more time at home and I am able to take care of myself more.

Other than that, she’s at a fun age, so I am just trying to take it all in and enjoy it!