8 months old

Already? I know I sound like a broken record but really? Time is flying, I guess that's what happens when you're on maternity leave and one day drifts into another. Thankfully the troubles of last month are far behind us, this month has been really good. I think she has finally 'settled' or at least she now sleeps for good chunks of time and follows a routine of sorts. I can't tell you how amazing this is, I feel like a new woman.
This is the month Lizzie conquered crawling. She went through the awkward only-able-to-crawl-backwards phase (full of plenty of hilarious stuck-in-a-corner-under-her-cot moments) and then after lots of practice, coaxing and demonstrations started to move confidently forwards. Her main use of crawling? To find an appropriate spot to pull herself up to standing. She loves a good stand. I can leave the room and come back 10 minutes later to find her just standing there with a big grin on her face. Other physical accomplishments this month: pulling herself up to sitting from lying down, clapping and enthusiastic head waggling.
We have a tooth! After 5 months of teething a tooth has finally sprouted on the bottom right side. And it is sharp. I no longer offer up my finger for a chew and there is no way a nipple is going anywhere near her mouth ever again. Eating is going well, we're doing a combination of puree and finger foods. I try and make most stuff from scratch but the odd Ella's kitchen pouch sneaks in - we have a small freezer and I'm a bit lazy - what you gonna do about it?
She is a happy little soul, all smiles and out stretched arms, making friends wherever she goes. She learns the things that make people laugh - a silly face, a head waggle, a funny noise - and then performs them over and over to the delight of her audience. I love her so much. I've been on maternity leave for 9 months now and decisions around my return to work are looming. I've been thinking things through this week (hence lateness of this post and general lack of blogging...sorry) but I haven't reached any conclusions. Motherhood seems to be series of hard decisions and this is the toughest yet.