Not In Kansas Anymore (NIKA)

T + 8 Months

Today is Dorothy's 8 month birthday. She's now been outside her mommy just about as long as she was inside (remember that she arrived a month early). She looks nothing like she did when she was born, and she has developed so much in so many ways.

I feel a vast number of emotions about being a father and about what a wonderful girl Dorothy is, yet I feel utterly unable to put those feelings into words. (Of course, I had the same problem right after she was born.)

There have been many small occurrences over the months that I've felt I should mention in the blog, but I forget about them too quickly, or they pile up too fast, and as a result many of these cute stories aren't recorded. I'm not too stressed about the loss, since most babies' lives weren't even documented this much before the advent of blogs. But still, I wish I could record the tidbits at the speed of thought, immediately after they happen, so as to have a more complete documentary of Dorothy's first years.

I don't know that I was "expecting" anything in particular of being a father, or of what Dorothy would be like at eight months old. But she has accomplished so much - who could have expected it all? She's eating solids (often acting like a little baby bird with her mouth wide open for the next bite), including Cheerios and (for the first time today) bits of grapes. Her sleep schedule still isn't great, but it is regular and predictable. She's starting to roll, and will willingly get onto her tummy and grasp for things - she's close to crawling, I suspect. She laughs the most heart-warming, infectious laugh in the world. I think she's inherited the volume of her laugh from her parents, because at daycare they commented on being able to hear her hysterical laughter down the staircase!

My brain is starting to fade this evening, due to lack of sleep, so I'm going to end my rambling here. Happy Eight Month Birthday, Dorothy. I love you, and I can't wait to see what the next eight months bring!