8 Months!

Sweetheart,

For the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about what I will write to you. With each letter I hope to reach out to the future you...to the amazing woman you will become. I want you to know how adored you are. How loved you are and how happy you have made us simply by being present. You are still very quick to smile and to be tickled is your favorite! You have a new ticklish spot actually- under your chin. You have started to giggle at merely the anticipation of being tickled as I warn you I'm coming...it's a whole lot of fun for us!
Amelia, you have gotten incredibly mobile in the last few weeks. You are fully capable of crawling, and rapidly at that. However, most of the time you still like to scoot and roll and lunge and crawl a step or two to get what you want. Two nights ago was a different story, however. You and I are in Houston visiting and we were FaceTiming Daddy before bed. I propped up the phone across the room from you and he kept encouraging you saying, Come on, come to Daddy! Come get me! You melted our hearts as you bowed your head giggling so hard at simply hearing his voice. Then, with a smile as big as Texas, you raced towards him with speed and coordination I hadn't seen before. I kept moving the phone away as over and over you raced to your Daddy, each time reaching out with your arm as you got close. You are a Daddy's Girl and not time nor distance could ever change that.
Two days ago you also learned a new trick- to get from any position to sitting. Three times I put you down for your nap and as you rolled around apparently you got yourself upright and then just cried until I came in to lay you back down. Haha, I walk in and you're looking up at me like, How in the world did this happen?! 
You are eating lots of baby food now and are starting to slightly taper on the formula you're wanting. You also like to eat baby finger foods- little num-num cookies, rice puffs, and anything else you can get your hands on :). Rarely do you enjoy a food at the first taste, it almost always takes introducing the food several times for you to like it. For example, I tried avocado again today for the 4th time and you were finally interested. Mommy likes avocado a lot and so I'm hoping you will as well!
When you and I last saw the pediatrician they said that I should feed you and lay you straight down in bed so you learn to fall asleep the rest of the way on your own. All day I remind myself that really is what's best. But then evening comes and after you drink your milk I hold you and after a minute you always turn your face towards mine. The sweet snuggle washes away any rough spots in the day we had. It often brings my emotions to the surface and I am overcome with love and gratitude for you. As I hold you I marvel at how big you've gotten. You were so tiny when you were born and now you are my big girl. I know I cannot stop time or even slow it so instead I plead with my Father in heaven that he will help me remember these sweet moments with you as you snuggle to me.
Haha, oh sweet girl, getting you to sleep is not often the challenge, it's getting you to stay asleep :). Lest you think I'm sugar-coating everything, you are certainly still a baby and are keeping this Mama on her toes. You will be surrounded by fun toys and will somehow find a tiny staple on the floor. We will be walking and you will suddenly throw out your arm and catch it on the door frame. You will be eating your squash and as I lean in to airplane a bite in you will suddenly blow your lips and the.food.will.soar. One day you'll take three 2-hour naps and the next, you'll take one 15 minute nap. In other words, each day is brand new and I have really learned to roll with the punches. You make me laugh at the most unexpected times and no matter how hard the day has seemed I still can't fathom wanting to spend my time doing anything else.
I love you,
Mommy