Eight months

Look what Helena decided to do to assuage the unpleasantness that was the Backyard Photo Shoot, Take Three:

She started clapping! For the first time! While I was taking pictures! And then Harper and Hudson started showing her how to do it and encouraging her in the sweet, high-pitched voices they use with her and it was Extremely Cute.

Then the fun wore off and it was time for the solace that only this can bring:
Hudson was so pleased with the clapping that he forgot to be pitiful. He was also fresh off of a three hour nap, which is helpful. We did lots of going this week--the zoo, the park, the Museum of Fine Arts (free on Thursdays!) AND the Children's Museum. The weather started to feel ALMOST autumnal, which in Houston basically means that highs were in the mid-80's and humidity was slightly less than 90%. The glory days are coming soon. We will exult accordingly. A few more things about the baby girl, since this is decidedly her only "baby book":

EAT: She has eaten, and enjoyed, sweet potatoes and bananas several times. I remember about every third day that I should probably give her something. Maybe we'll do peas this week. She's still nursing every three to four hours during the day.

SLEEP: She still goes to bed between 6-6:30p and has started waking up somewhere between 4-5am for an early morning feed, after which she falls back to sleep. She wakes up to start the day between 7:30-8:30. She takes a good morning and afternoon nap if we're home. She doesn't sleep much when we're out, but neither does she get fussy, which is so nice.

BE MERRY: She has gotten really good at entertaining herself. As long as she can see one of us, she will play happily in her little play yard for extended periods of time.
When she's ready to get out, she does this:

Changing her diaper and getting her dressed gets increasingly difficult. She actually stood on her HEAD at one point tonight as I was trying to get her diaper on after her bath. I was holding her legs and she managed to upend herself and get completely upside down, while holding on to the changing table with an iron grip. When she crawls she uses one knee and the other foot to propel herself forward. She can stand up in her crib, even while encased in a fleece sleep sack. She isn't much of a talker yet, but she says 'dah-dah' pretty often, and sometimes when she is actually looking at the Daddy. I carry her around lots. Because I like to and because she only weighs 13 pounds. That will have to be all for now because it is late and I am tired. A side note: I've started keeping a list of the books we've been checking out from the library over there in the margin. I was keeping a list in a notebook until Hudson found it and colored over it with a black crayon. I might start a separate list of books that we own and would recommend.