Currently, we are living in Georgetown with Jeff's mom, Susan. We finished the job in California and are trying to decide what to do from here. While we do that, Jeff is helping his mom and step-dad with their new project, a large plot of land about 20 miles from here. The land is beautiful, but needs a lot of work in order for them to be able to live on it. There aren't even roads on it yet, and it's over 300 acres.
Since we have gotten here, Sonja has become quite verbal. Her first real sounds just started out of the blue about 2-3 weeks ago when she started saying "Nana" and then a few days later started saying "Dada" and now says sounds like "Gaga" and "Gog."
She's been a little unhappy the last few weeks especially the week before Jeff came back because she's been teething, but now she has her two front teeth and right tooth next to her front teeth in addition to the two bottom ones she already had. Now that those teeth are finally in she is my happy girl again.
She is still not crawling. She's a little bit lazy, and will settle for the easier to reach toy rather than work for it, but she still LOVES to jump, and is a pretty fantastic stander. She can stand and hold on to stuff (although she doesn't know not to let go yet cause I always catch her) and she can pull herself up to a stand using just our outstretched fingers.
Susan just bought a little yorkiepoo puppy who is not quite 2 lbs. Sonja has a love-hate thing going on with little Jojo Jolie. She loves her but hates when she licks her face. Sonja also loves Susan's cat, Stella, and the two bigger outside dogs, Mozart and Pedro. She laughs so hard at Mozart, the German Shepard, and just adores him. It's so cute. She even has a word for them that sounds a lot like "Gog," and she says it over and over again when she's with the dogs.
She has a really cute laugh and is a very happy girl. She laughs when I tickle her and laughs when we make chicken noises at her. When I saw "Bock Bock Bagaw!" She says "Ga Ga GAW!" It is SO cute.
We have been hashing out halloween costume ideas but are thinking about dressing her as a chicken now haha.
Sonja is still doing well at the gym childcare center, although I have noticed she doesn't like it when I leave now (beginnings of separation anxiety? I hope not). She loves it when I come back, though, which makes me feel special.
Sonja is eating more solid foods now. She loves to eat puffs, rice husks called "baby mum mums," baby cookies, and fruit.
Sonja rolls like a champ! She's been rolling for a while now, pretty much since we got here, but she doesn't use rolling very often now that she's sort of mastered going from sitting to a crawling position and then ending up on her belly. If I were going to bet on it, I would bet about a hundred dollars she's crawling by the time she's 9 months old. But we'll see.
I have taken Sonja to a few Gymboree classes in the past few weeks and also a swimming class. Sonja swims VERY well. She is a natural swimmer, and naturally kicks her legs in the breast stroke kick. She loves the water and I will probably put her in swimming classes when we have a little more free cash. She wasn't quite ready for Gymboree. I think when she's crawling I will consider signing her up for it.
Sonja is pretty funny. She's really sweet with Jeff and snuggles in to his chest. She is a lot more willing to sleep when it's him putting her to bed. That's their time, so I just let them have it.
Sonja is FINALLY holding her own bottle. It's only taken a million months. In the past 2-3 days she started holding it on her own, she's not a pro yet, but I am so excited to have her feeding herself, it just frees me up while she eats to get things done in the mornings.
Sonja's smart with technology. She's already sent a few texts and posted one facebook message I didn't even KNOW she had posted until people started commenting on it.. granted I was all messed up from my Wisdom Teeth removal, but it was pretty awesome. She posted something that said "quack" on it.. honestly, I got chills when I read it.. but I have to assume that autocorrect put that in for her. lol. Still.. I had just been going over animal sounds with her like 30 minutes before...
I love being a mom to this little bug. She is truly the perfect child for me, and even though I find motherhood to be exhausting at times, and find myself missing the carefree days of pre-Sonja... I can barely go an hour without her without missing her so much it hurts my soul. She is truly the best thing that has EVER happened to me. I will love her forever... and I will always feel a strong protectiveness over her.
As she gains her independence and learns to navigate the world, it brings new challenges for me, but it is SO cool. I just want to share her with the world, I want everyone to know what a beautiful soul my daughter has. I can tell, even this young, that my daughter is special and she's going to be kind and smart and intuitive. She's a thinker and she pays attention. She reminds me of her dad when she discovers new objects and explores them, turns them over in her hands with an inquisitive look on her face, and eventually/inevitably puts them in her mouth for the final test. lol.
She's her own person. She gets mad when things are taken away, but recently has learned to accept that some things will be taken away, which I think is amazing. It took her about 2-3 weeks to start accepting that sometimes she cannot have things, and I swear she's logically thinking it out... like she sort of gets mad for only a second, and then finds something new to play with. She used to be inconsolable unless I distracted her with something new, now she finds something new herself.
I wonder if it's because her teething is over so she is more calm anyways.
Who cares? My baby is amazing. Excuse me if I sound braggy.. but really, I'm her mom and I'm supposed to be amazed and in love with my child.
So to make this not last FOREVER, I'm going to close with a special little segment.
Sonja's Favorite Things (at 8.5 months old):
* Mozart (the German Sheppard)
* Pedro (the Lab Puppy)
* Rubber Ducky
* Mommy's iPhone
* Elmo Phone
* Mommy's Keys/Key Chain
* Swimming
* Jumperoo
* Standing
* Stella (the tuxedo cat)
* Being Tickled
* Kissies (ok maybe that's Mommy's favorite)
* Chicken noises
* Dancing around with Nana
* Putting everything in her mouth
* Smiling at strangers (especially women)
* Touching and pulling on hair
* Feeding herself (she wants to hold the spoon.. so I usually have to give her a spoon and then feed her with a different one)
* Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob, Naruto, Any Cartoon really (I promise she doesn't watch these that often but sometimes I put them on to distract her while she jumps so I can go to the bathroom or eat or stuff like that)
* Her stuffed white tiger
Sonja's LEAST favorite things:
* Getting out of the tub
* Not getting to hold something Mommy holds
* Having something taken away
* Men with Deep Voices or Beards
* being forced into her car seat
* being dressed
* getting her diaper changed
* not seeing mommy or daddy in the room
* Jojo kisses
