Just Because

Samantha has begun to talk and understand words. She is also learning signs and will sign Dog and Boba (bottle). She can say Momma and she says Addy or Ada for Daddy/Dada. It has now become apparent that she understands what we mean when we say certain words. A couple days ago when Samantha was woke up an hour earlier than usual I brought her downstairs to play I was still very tired so I laid beside her as she played. Of course she didn't want to stay and play with her toys she wanted to crawl around and explore. As she made her escape she spotted Sparky's toy but just before she could get within reaching distance I said NO. She stopped and looked at me as if to know exactly what I meant. I was so surprised, I had never told her NO before but she has heard us tell Sparky NO before. It was really cute to see her understand what I said and listen even if she didn't want to. (we'll see how long that lasts!) :)

Spa Day

A spa day for me has new meaning!

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Cruising

Samantha has quickly mastered the art of crawling and she seems to be enjoying it. She has also begun to pull herself up and walk along the couch while holding on, however, getting back down was a different story! I loved watching her looking down at the floor with slightly bended knees and toes grasping the carpet like fingers. You could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to figure out how to go from standing to sitting. She practiced this over and over...up and down...up and down. Some attempts were more graceful than others but she has proven to be one strong little lady. If she is determined to do something she'll find a way, even if it's by giving us a little pouty face! Samantha also seems to love the outdoors especially water. She and Daddy go in the spa at least twice a week to practice swimming and get her comfortable in the water, we've adjusted the temp of course. Samantha also enjoys people watching she notices everything and everyone.

Toothy Smile

Little Pout

Backyard Pool

8 Months Old

Samantha has become such busy and determined little girl. She has mastered the army crawl and has started to crawl part-time with her belly off the ground. She loves to crawl (chase) the dog and the cat. Sparky and Mox usually lay around the area Samantha plays, they let her just get within reaching distance before the move to another spot. I've been using signs for some of Samantha's favorite things and you can probably guess what her first sign was...Sparky (Dog). She loves Sparky, we'll see if that's her first word! She has been doing a lot of babbling with some ma and da sounds but I have yet to here a clear mama or dada. Although I see her mouthing dada the sound isn't there yet. We have been having such a fun summer and Samantha amazes us everyday with what she can do. She has such a great smile and is such a happy girl.
I let her sit in the shopping cart for the first time and she loved it, she was absolutely beaming with joy. She had smiles and giggles for everyone she saw. She even had a group of Macho teenage boys baby-talkin to her!

This Month

Army Crawl
Crawls to something grabs it then sits up by herself
reaches for things
points
starting to crawl w/belly off the ground
pulls up on things
stands while holding on
sits up
signed Dog and Bottle (milk)
started eating finger foods
feeds herself
uses a straw
loves peek-a-boo