This was supposed to be Kate’s 6 month update that I started when she had just turned 7 months. She’ll be 8 months this weekend, so here’s a recap of 8 months with Kate. It’s my first Kate update (sorry, my sweet, second baby) but life is just nonstop with two and it’s all a blur. Can’t believe she’ll be a year old this summer! Kate is the happiest, most laid back little girl with the sweetest disposition, and we’re pretty crazy about her. 

8 Months With Kate

Even when she’s teething and takes short naps, she continues to sleep through the night and has since 4/4.5 months. We’ve had to go in there less than a handful of times within an hour of bedtime, and I just once in the middle of the night. I don’t say that to make other parents feel badly, and can tell you that we experienced the opposite with Margot who didn’t sleep through the night most nights her first year.

 I was worried the helmet would be a transition for her but it took about 15 minutes for her to get used to sleeping with it the first night, and she’s been fine since. She’s perfectly healthy and just needs to round her head out a little bit, so she’ll wear it 23 hours a day for 3-4 months. As long as Kate can see someone around her, she’s happy, and she loves being held. She’s a dream. 

Going from one to two

I’ve meant to say more about this but have felt like I’m the last person that should be able to give advice on this given our circumstances around her arrival. Things weren’t normal, and what would have stressed me out in a normal scenario didn’t, and I don’t know…it just seems like I can’t fairly speak to this. We started isolating in March, Margot was diagnosed in May, and I had Kate during a pandemic in June. 

For what it’s worth, going from zero to one felt like a lot more of an adjustment than one to two. We were already so used to life with a baby and things for us were so fragile, that Kate was a welcome, bright little light. I didn’t overthink a lot, but looking back, probably didn’t prepare Margot as much as I should have. We talked a lot about Kate but she had been alone with us through some pretty difficult moments, and when you factor in treatment, it was all pretty heavy. We hit a rough patch, or I did, when Kate was maybe 6-8 weeks old. She fussed a lot before bed and I was just so tired.

Adjustment and anxiety

Most of the fear and anxiety was around navigating treatment, clinic days, and hospital stays with two. I was a lot less anxious about having a baby this time around and just wanted to enjoy her, but was afraid I couldn’t going into it. The fear of not loving her as much as I’d love Margot was just ridiculous looking back. It felt real but wow, I was so wrong and am crazy about both my girls. Margot didn’t want to touch Kate for a while and loves her baby sister now. She’s so sweet with her, has never been rough or tried to hit her. There have been normal moments of jealousy but that’s normal. Not sure how helpful any of that was. Just know you’ll figure it out, and everything will be ok, but it is nonstop and the laundry is unlike anything I ever could have imagined. 

Milestones

She’s been sitting up and rolling for a while and pushing herself up when on her stomach, but isn’t crawling yet. I never crawled as a baby and walked at 9 months so we’ll see how this goes. She babbles and laughs nonstop, and will look back and forth at us to see who’s going to say what next. She’s very snuggly, loves baths, and is fascinated by every single thing her big sister does. 

Kate’s Schedule at 8 months

Our schedule isn’t very rigid. She wakes up between 6-7 and goes down for her first nap around 8:30/9. Her naps are not very consistent and vary from 30-90 minutes. She’s taken a couple 2 hours naps and those are heaven. 

6:30am wake-up
6:45am bottle (7oz. Hipp formula) and breakfast (baby yogurt with some apple or another fruit that I steamed for her)
7:00-9am play
9am first nap (lasts anywhere from 45-an hour and a half – not predictable yet).
Plays after nap, another 7oz bottle and some fruit/veggies)
11am or 12pm nap 2, usually an hour or less
1-3pm play
3/3:30 takes a 30 min cat nap
4:00 play
5:00 dinner and another 7oz. bottle
5:30 bath and books
6:15/30 bedtime

No idea why she’s wearing a cloth bib in this photo. We love these and use them at every meal.

Food for an 8 Month Old

I’ve been steaming food for Kate and blending in this NutriBullet. Just wait until it cools before blending, then freeze in this tray. Once it’s frozen, I place in a stasher stand-up bag, and most nights, take out a fruit and vegetable and put them into this or this in the fridge. She loves pears, apples, blueberries, sweet potato, and carrots. Hates peas and broccoli. 

When I forget to take food out of the freezer, we use Once Upon a Farm pouches. She loves all of the flavors here. I’ve given her some smashed banana, and some fruit in this, but haven’t really done much else yet. Since she’s stable when sitting and things are a little less hectic for us, we’re going to start some more solids, like eggs and steamed veggies.

Favorite Toys at 8 Months

We love the 8 month kit from Lovevery. She plays with the basket, balls, and cups daily. We use the play gym, too. 

She really likes this activity center, but we aim for more time on the floor, so she spends a lot of time on her Toki Mat. We’ve had it since Margot started sitting and always have it out. Can’t recommend it enough. 

We love this Fat Brain Toys stacking toy and these blocks, too. 

These keep her busy when she’s in her lobster seat.

Both girls love Linkimals