Dear Julia, You're 8 months old

Dear Julia,

You are 8 months old. Do you know how much I love you? I love your siblings too, but I love holding you. I love laying down with you. I want to take a nap with you for all of your naps. I want to wrap around you and let you prop your feet on me too. I lay with you in my arm pit or with my cheek on your head and do not want to get up even if I am not tired. You turn all of my obligations into second-- or last place. I do not want any more photo clients. I do not want to go to my dental job. I have not made play dates or gone to any. You are my only priority. I do not even brush my teeth before bed sometimes. I intend on getting up but usually leave dishes in the sink and crash. Then if I wake up before you, I don't want to get up before you wake up. 

On one hand I need to put you on a schedule for my sanity and so I do not feel guilty when leaving you with babysitters. But on the other hand, I looked up a little about baby scheduling and I do not know if it's for us. We would need to be all in, of course. And they suggest we stay home. So It is a catch 22. I want to schedule you so you will be happy for babysitters, but they say i should stay home to do it. See why I want to just stay home and not have any outside influence? 

You like to stand and hold on to us or furnature.

You like to dance. My favorite is when you stand, hold onto something and bend-straighten-bend-pop-bend-straighten-down-straighten-booty-shake-bounce with your big smile. Your sitting bounce is not as cute as when you stand. 

You were racing your cousin Scotty up grandma's stairs on Christmas. 

You like to be held. 

You have a big smile.

You like to play peek-a-boo and laugh. You also like tug-o-war. 

You cut letter F December 27th. You had a fever the next day and a snotty nose. 

Your hair is dark. Darker than your brothers. You do not like hats or headbands and pull them off. You do wear bows. 

I call you my bayyyby grrrr or bayyy-b' grrr. The "L" seems not necessary. 

You stick your pointy little tongue out now too. 

You have a cold so sometimes it is hard for you to suck on a pacifier or to nurse. 

You really like to cuddle and mostly like to stay in my arms. 

You do not like to get into your car seat but when we give you a pacifier, often turn your head to the side and close your eyes to go to sleep. When you caugh it out, you don't need it.