First Thing's First..

I know I'm somewhat partial, but couldn't you stare into those eyes forever? Notice the alps behind her too!

This was after her much needed bath. She looks like she's sitting on a cloud.

I know you may be expecting a post about our trip, but first thing's first: Julip is EIGHT months old! Yes, it is true... once again, we've reached the time of the month where reality is somewhat unbelievable. Julip weighs 19 lbs and is... taller (she is too squirmy for me to get an accurate measurement ha). However, there are some other rather unbelievable developments Julip just acquired overnight (or so it seems).

She almost always prefers to play with things other than toys... like plastic wrapping, wires, or umbrellas...silly girl.

Julip loves paper though... especially when she can eat it, like this Indestructibles book here!

So I might have mentioned already, but Julip has a tooth! A real, tiny pearly white peak poking through her tender gums. And we had no idea! I thought she'd let us know through some teething pain, but one day she was biting on my finger and I felt a tiny tooth!

I tried my best to get a picture that shows her baby tooth...can you see it? Bottom, left front tooth.

And, with the tooth has come an improved appetite. Julip has only had a taste for her special edition, one-of-a-kind, not in stores, fresh daily milk. She didn't go for the colorful sweet potatoes, bananas, or apples at first. But while we were in Germany, all of the sudden she started eating...and she liked it. She LOVES yogurt, and apples are up there too! She's added peaches and snow peas to the list of yummies! Julip's absolute favorite thing is water, though. She loves it and if she sees you drinking some, she'll reach out and go crazy trying to get some. She has been drinking out of a sippy cup on her own, but also has nearly mastered a regular cup, possibly out of necessity while the sippy cup was absent in Germany! (And as we know, when solids go in one end, they come out of the other end too... which is also a new experience...both is smell and texture. Eww.)

Dustin is the BEST high chair ever! And arm restrainer. And sound effect maker. And DADDY! :)

Yummy breakfast- We had coffee and brotchen, she had organic bananas and rice!

Julip is not only crawling beautifully but has also started pulling up...on her own...to a complete standing position. That just kind of happened too. She did it first in her crip, then in her pack-n-play. Now, she pulls up on anything and everything- tables, the couch, chairs, and legs. It's so cute seeing such a little person standing. Wasn't she completely dependent on us for every little thing just a few months ago? Crazy!

She was holding onto the fence, with Bobo's help, watching the pigmy billy goats!

Playtime with Bobo in the hotel room... her toy of choice is the diaper bag because it has a zipper and she loves zippers.

Showing Momma how she can pull up... and letting Momma know she found a new toy... Daddy's books!

This is our "one little monkey jumping on the bed!"

She's much more talkative and has a wide variety of sounds and squeaks. She can also scream...like foreal. She has many new expressions that are quite amusing, and sometimes when you laugh, she laughs back at you! A new unexpected surprise is her hair is turning blonde! It has lightened so much from when she was a newborn. Both Dustin and I had (still have) blonde hair as kiddos, so this is something we could easily imagine and is now actually happening.

Bobo loves showing Julip new things like the goats and these balloons, and everything else! There is lots to see! :)

Julip's first time on the playground! Riding the rocking duckies!

Julip's first time swinging... I'm not too big to swing! :)

Some other firsts involve nothing really special....Julip just flew across the seas TWICE and visited TWO new countries! That's right, we flew home from Europe the 10, the day before her eighth month birthday. She is quite the world traveler and did so well adjusting! I expected the worse so that anything better would be a pleasant outcome. But Julip blew us away with how well she did on the airplane, adjusting to the time change, eating new foods, and sleeping on the go! We're so happy to have pictures to document her first world adventure (pictures to come soon, don't you worry!) She is our little travel gnome!

This was nearly a daily nap spot for baby Julibelle.

So many unfamiliar cribs... and new spaces to explore!

Riding in her fancy car seat....she's reclining.

Look at this expression! So cute! She's telling all the Europeans, "Hello! I have arrived!"

She spent so much time in her daddy's lap on the plane ride... so sweet!

Everyone always tells you that babies grow so fast... but you don't realize how fast until they've already grown so much already...sigh. Time to stick her in the freezer!

With all the love in the world,

the Jerngians