On The Move

Every week on my blog I talk about the fun things we have been doing as a family. It has been a busy summer filled with many firsts for Baby O. But I realized that in the midst of all the excitement I have not filled you in on all of the new developments Olivia has accomplished recently.

She is a little over eight months old now and is weighing in at 21lbs 4 oz. She has slowed down gaining weight, and has only gained about one pound in the last month. She is still quite big for her age but I think she is starting to grow into her chub a little! I still can't get enough of those rolls! She still only has her two bottom teeth but I swear those two top teeth are going to make an appearance any day now. One of her favorite things to do right now is blow raspberries. We call her the motorboat because she does it non-stop and sounds just like one. She loves to spit all over you...especially if you are the first one to blow a raspberry at her. She will immediately mock you and give you one right back! Here is a picture of her acting like a motorboat and a video clip of her showing off her skills...

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s179/zatchman2/?action=view&current=Spitting-Video.flv

Another cool trick she has taken on recently is giving kisses. A few weeks ago we noticed that when we leaned in and asked for a kiss she would open her mouth very wide and lean forward... waiting for you to reciprocate. It is the cutest thing! But she does not give them up easily. You must catch her at the right time otherwise you will just get a smack in the face instead! But even though you just get a face full of slobber, it is worth it when you are lucky enough to get a sweet kiss!

She has also started waving bye-bye! Everytime we leave someplace we always say bye-bye. She has decided that waving her hands in the air is a lot of fun and typically keeps waving long after we have left. I think she also realizes that this gets quite a reaction out of people and she loves the attention! I think it is great that she is catching on to these skills so quickly.

Here is a video clip of Olivia waving bye-bye. It is quite dark but you can see her arms moving like crazy!

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s179/zatchman2/?action=view&current=bc7ce614.flv

Finally and most importantly Olivia has finally begun to crawl! Up until about three weeks ago she really did not show much interest in moving while on her tummy. In fact she has always preferred to sit up and play. But recently she has begun to move...but only backwards! It doesn't matter how many toys are in front of her, within a few minutes she will be at the other end of the room. She can manage to get to just about whatever she wants by moving backwards and in circles. And she can cruise a room in minutes! She mainly scoots but has been trying to push up onto all fours more and more. She has also been trying to pull herself up a little too so I think that skill is not far behind! I have a feeling that I will be chasing this child everywhere in the very near future!

She is still a very smiley, happy baby! She is very animated and typically the center of attention everywhere we go. She likes to put on a show and knows that when she does all eyes are on her. She is very entertaining but also very exhausting so bed time is a nice time! Luckily, she is and always has been a very good sleeper. We rarely have any trouble sleeping at night or taking our naps. I am so grateful for that!

It is hard to believe that in less than four months our baby will be turning one! I knew it would go by fast...just not this fast! Olivia amazes me each day with her bright personality and all of the new things she has been doing. It seems like everyday she is doing something new. You just never know what the next day may bring!