ellie's 8 month pictures

I did take 8 month pictures of Ellie.  Really, I did.

But there was just one little problem with them.

They weren't very good pictures.

No problem, I thought.  I'll just retake them later.

And now, one-and-a-half-months later, I think we both know that didn't happen.

Nonetheless, I will show you some of the ones I did take.

And because she is her father's daughter, more than half of the pictures made it look like she was high.

Even when she looks drugged, she's still the cutest baby I know.

I know, I know, I'm behind.  But by eight months she was crawling for real, as opposed to her "inchworm" movements across the floor.  Music became just one excuse for dancing all the time.  She also started waving, albeit somewhat vigorously, every time she saw someone new.  Pulling herself into the standing position, on literally anything she could find, became a favorite hobby.  Two little bottom teeth began to emerge, and as soon as they had, a top one popped through.

AND...she started sleeping at night for more than 45 minutes at a time...most of the time!  It's still only 2-3 hours at a time, but I'll take it! Almost anything is better than 45 minute intervals, am I right?  Do you want to know our unorthodox trick?

One night, as I was trying for almost an hour to put her down, I remembered that in the car when I want her to go to sleep, I just turn on the radio.  But not just on any station - it has to be a country station.  [I'm so proud.]  She'll cry for a few minutes sometimes, but then she'll almost inevitably go to sleep.  The books I'd read about nighttime sleeping advised against any music that wasn't calming and against leaving music on for any great length of time.  Forget that! I thought.  I'm gonna try it!  So I put her down in her bed, turned on a country station, and left the room.  And wouldn't you know it, she only cried for about five minutes, and then she fell asleep!  And it's worked every night since, save one.

Maybe someday she'll sleep through the night, but in the meantime, anything is better than waking up every 45 minutes!  My mental health was about to be flushed down the drain.

Wanna see some other cute pictures taken in her eighth month?  She la-la-loves this doll one of my aunts left her:

The plan is to get somewhat caught up on this here little blog in the next couple of days.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.  [And be prepared for some pictures of the most adorable snaggletooth you've ever seen.]