8 crazy months

It's been a crazy 8 months because I'm still in awe of the fact that I am a mama to this sweet little lady Charis Root. Seriously!? This is such a fun age! People are so on when they say each new stage is so fun even though you miss the one before. That's been true for us. I can't believe she's already 8 months old. That feels so grown at times.

This past month has been a bit crazy for us. Just days before Charis was 7 months old I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. That alone is crazy. I had to wean her, which made me so so sad. In the midst of lots of appointments and starting chemo God has gifted us with the most delightful baby girl. Without depending on her too much for joy these days I am so very thankful for her life. God totally knew what He was doing when He gave us Charis Root.
So, I feel like it's been a jam-packed month for her:
- We went for shots today and I checked her weight...17 pounds! 17 scrumptous pounds at that. She is like a little gummy bear.

I just love the way she's looking at her daddy
- Since I had to wean her from nursing, some friends "donated" their breast milk. I know some of you out there think that is weird, but I don't and she didn't seem to notice. She's had a mixture of breastmilk and formula for the past month. Fortunately, she'll take anything in the bottle.


kisses from daddy!
- She made her first road trip to Louisiana!! And she did AWESOME. Seriously. It was about 11 hours there and 13 hours back and she was a gem. She got to meet some new friends, walk down Magazine street, hang out with her grandparents and auntie, and visit the Mandeville lakefront. We loved getting to take her to some of our favorite places, even if she wasn't fully aware of it.

at the lakefront
- She is getting on all fours a lot and trying to crawl. I'm so not ready for this. She's definitely made a few moves. She is way more mobile now. She goes from sitting up to "crawling" on her tummy and back up. She can totally get to what she wants now.

she can "crawl" with something in her mouth!
- She went on her first bike ride. My mom got us one of those kid bike trailers for Christmas and we broke it out over the weekend. She is still a little too small, but totally seemed to enjoy the wind in her hair.

riding with daddy
- She LOVES to eat and will eat ANYTHING. A friend made me some baby food, which was a huge gift, and Charis is loving it. Peas, chicken, squash, black beans, green beans, carrots, apples, oatmeal, watermelon. You name it she'll probably eat it. She is such a good eater. Watermelon is the most fun b/c she attacks it when you put it out in front of her.

eating blackbeans
- She's had lots of babysitters. She gets lots of loving from all sorts of friends. That's so awesome.

- She loves her dollie that she sleeps with. The moment we lay her down she reaches for dollie and cuddles up with her and her thumb. It's super cute.

hanging out way past her bedtime with some girlfriends!
- Waking up is the best. She is always in a good mood and walking in her room is a blast. I know that sounds weird, but she is so excited to see us. Recently, we went in after a nap b/c we heard her squealing and she was sitting up! I think she was even a little surprised at how she ended up like that.

- She loves the pool. We don't go that much, but when we do she loves the water.

splashing in the pool...strap in mouth the whole time
- We tried the johnny jump up recently and she's still a little too short, but she loves to bounce.

look at those toes!