8 months

We have a big weekend in the Sweat household and in the middle of it all Helena is 8 months old today!  Last weekend we went out for breakfast and saw a family with a little girl, I asked the parents how old their daughter was and they said 3 months.  Time goes by so fast and one thing I hate about it going so fast is how that time seems like such a blur.  I told the parents "I know you get told this all the time, but it really does go by so fast."  I've always known that a baby changes so much by their first birthday.  To go from this tiny little being that truly just lays there, to this walking toddler, in 12 short months is just crazy.  And now that we are in the middle of it, and nearing that 12 month mark, to see all of the milestones that happen in-between, it is nothing short of a miracle.  She's been crawling for about 7 weeks now and when she is on the move I think to myself "there used to be a time when you couldn't move, you would just lay there, or sit there.  And now you are moving." 
The past month has been a big one!  In addition the celebrating Christmas, meeting Santa Claus, going on her first airplane ride, she also had her first trip to Urgent Care.  The Sunday before Christmas she vomited for the first time.  And this immediately had me concerned, as she had a horrific sounding cough with the vomit.  I called the after hours nurse, and she advised we bring her in.  Once we were there we found out she had a fever of 101.5.  We were given some Tylenol and a new method to clear out her noise, and sent on our way.  I was super thankful when her temperature was back to normal the next day, and that even though she wasn't feeling well, for the most part she was still a happy baby.
She loves to talk, and everything is on repeat.  She's working on waving, and moves her wrist back and forth.  She's eating more and more solids, and eats super fast!  She also gets tastings from whatever is on Mom and Dad's plate.  She loves toys that make noise and had has lights.  She's always on the go and is a super fast crawler, and she can pull herself up onto anything, which is pretty impressive.  She has the most joyous laugh, and has even snorted a few times!
She still only has one tooth.  I call her the "one tooth wonder" as she's had this one tooth since the beginning of December, with no other teeth in sight.   
She's still in size 2 diapers, and just started wearing her 9 month clothing.  She can still wear some of 6 month stuff but the sleeves and pants aren't really long enough.
I'm still pumping twice a day (at night and in the morning) and I still nurse her around 6pm.  But I know my nursing days are coming to an end.  I only pump for about 5 minutes and can only really nurse her if she is tired.  I know we'll both miss the comfort it brings.