joining us for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Berkeley. The night before Daddy’s big race.

Playing on the hotel bed

In the Marin County Park right after Daddy’s race. He ran 30 miles in dirt roads and trails!

On the bus on the way back from the race

Hanging out with Zealand and Avery. Many more fun times ahead with this family!

Playing at home

relaxing after a big meal!

The last time you were able to fit in these hand-me-down cupcake PJs!

Your sweet new North Face fleece

On the beach in Encinitas waiting for Daddy and Mauricio to finish surfing

You don’t mind the sand at all!

Daddy, Mauricio, and you!

The world’s greatest dog Ponch. He was made to hang out with babies!

Daddy playing ping pong with Mo and trying to get you to go to sleep at the same time. It worked!!!

Hanging out in our new (used) pop-up tent trailer

Granny, Don, and you at the Christmas cookie decorating party at Auntie G’s house.

In Costco. Daddy’s favorite store. Usually Daddy comes here with you and runs around the store with you in the Ergo. But this time I got to come too so you rode in the cart.

Meetig Uncle Danny and Katie’s new chicks on Christmas day

Trying to feed yourself black beans!

How you fall asleep at night. My most treasured moments.

Sitting at the dinner table in our new pop-up trailer on our camping trip.

Starting our hike in SLO

Our little camping spot!

Daddy reading you a story at camp

On a sunset walk right near our campground

Dear Sage at 8 months,

 This is the month of movement! Right as you hit your 7-month birthday you started pulling up on everything and days later became a pretty confident crawler. You have the funniest way of crawling because you use your right leg as a paddle. Instead of using the knee of your right leg to propel you forward you use the foot of your right leg. It’s so cute. In fact, today on your 8-month birthday I noticed that you stopped doing it.  I find it bittersweet that almost as soon as these special little characteristics pop-up, they pass and you move into the next stage. As of today, you are crawling almost entirely without your right foot and instead have embraced a more traditional crawl. You go everywhere by crawling but your main focus is to move from one standing position to another. You really prefer to stand. You also like to let go! Again, your cognitive abilities are farther ahead than your physical and I think you believe you are ready to walk. Your body isn’t but your head certainly is!

We took a trip up to San Francisco to visit the Kubischta family and so your Daddy could run in a 50K off road race in the Marin County Headlands. It was so fun watching you take in the new place and smile as the big kids (Zealand and Avery) bolted past you. You were so friendly with them and didn’t even care when Avery poked you in the eye. She didn’t mean any harm by it but was curious about your little face. This is you. You aren’t easily ruffled, you go for tumbles and sometimes cry a little but quickly recover and get right back in the game.

We went on a camping trip right after Christmas up the coast to San Luis Obispo. It was cold, it was all new, your schedule was completely off, but you rolled with it so well. On the way home after hours in Santa Barbara traffic and hanging out in the car outside your carseat, we stopped for the afternoon at a beach in Malibu where we relaxed and cooked dinner. You were playing at the top of a big sand pile. Daddy made a chute for you to slide down but instead you launched head first and landed with an open mouth right into the sand and got stuck feet over head, mouth in the sand. You didn’t even cry. You really are and always have been so resilient! You love when we wrestle and toss you around. You don’t mind the rollercoaster ride in the least.  Maybe the big rides at Magic Mountain are in your future!

Compared to last month, you are much more opinionated about things being taken away. When we replace the off-limits item with something you should be playing with, you don’t fall for it. You scream and until we find a way to distract you. Also different from last month is that you are eating everything in sight and enjoy many different surprising flavors. You destroy restaurants because your insistence on feeding yourself means that most of your food ends up on the floor. Lucky for us that you will eat anything and everything but this means we do have to be careful. One day I was eating a mixed green salad with vinaigrette and you wouldn’t stop reaching for it. I let you have what you could fit in your hand and you shoved it in your mouth. The tangy vinaigrette made you shudder (which of course made me laugh) and then you gagged on the lettuce. Even when it came back up you were happy about it and would have eaten more!

You started this month as a screaming Pterodactyl testing your lungs and how loud you could be. You were loud. It was pretty funny. Screaming for fun was a new hobby. That passed though, thank goodness, and now you are on to grunting.

You still prefer to stay close to me when you are playing. You don’t venture off too far on your own yet. You aren’t timid but not bold either. You fall somewhere right in between.

You are so incredibly close to putting the words “Dada” with the right person. I think within weeks you will be saying this accurately. We have only heard a few utterances of “mama” but they are more you testing your sounds than any real association with me. You love looking at pictures of yourself and pictures of yourself with your Daddy and me. When I show you pictures on my phone you get a huge smile on your face. It makes me smile too.

I think when I look back on your first year this age will be one of my favorites. You are an active participant in our lives now and we love your company. It’s hard for us to do anything without you. You have us completely enraptured and I bet if you knew how to ask for a pony you’d get it.

Love you Sage Brush,

Mommy