Likes: Staley is happy most of the time. She loves Mommy and Daddy, lighting up when she sees us. She enjoys going for walks and runs in her stroller, swinging and sliding at the park, and watching other little kids. She is intrigued by animals, and Jake and Elwood still excite her when they are around. Staley's favorite toys are her stacking cups, Noah's Ark animals, barrel of monkeys, her new toy kitchen, and her activity table. However, she still loves non-toy toys too--spatulas, cups, bowls, laptops, notebooks, cell phones, water bottles, Kleenex packages... I don't need to take her toys when we go out--my purse contents are much more fun! Staley still loves to eat. Her current favorite foods are sweet potatoes, any fruit, and Gerber Puffs.
Dislikes: Staley does not like when preferred 'toys' are taken away from her. She still isn't crazy about homemade carrots, although will eat them without gagging. She is now scared of her Move and Crawl ball (which used to be a favorite toy). And she still gets fussy when she is hungry or tired.
Skills: It amazes me how quickly Staley is changing. She sits like a pro, rolls to get what she wants, pivots on her stomach, and loves to stand holding onto things. She is trying to get on hands and knees, trying to scoot forward on her stomach, and trying to pull to stand from sitting on the floor, but hasn't quite achieved these skills yet. Staley loves to examine her toys, turning them over and transferring them from hand to hand. Opening and closing things is great fun, which is one the reasons her new toy kitchen provides hours of entertainment. (The day she got it, she spent about 10 minutes straight opening and closing the little refrigerator door.) Staley loves to take things out of containers, bang toys together, and drop toys on the floor from her high chair. She is daily improving with finger feeding, and now can consistently pick up Puffs off her high chair tray with her thumb and finger and get them into her mouth. She also likes to 'help' pull her spoon into her mouth when I'm feeding her. Clapping, waving, and doing 'so big' remain Staley's favorite tricks. (The other morning when Staley woke up, Zach went into her room to get her out of her crib. She smiled big, waved at him, threw her arms in the air for 'so big', and then clapped for herself.) Staley is making lots and lots of new sounds (with 'm' and 'b' as her favorite two consonants), but nothing that we are ready to label as a first word. She will occasionally do the sign for 'more', but not consistently. She has a lot to say--I just wish I could understand it. Life with Staley is great! I thank God every single day for the blessing that she is to us.
Staley at 8 months
