1. Her laugh. Both of them, actually. She has her real laugh, the sweet little giggle that gives her hiccups. This laugh sounds like music and she sometimes giggles so hard, especially if she's being tickled, that she can hardly breathe. Then she has this other laugh. It's more of her "I'm up to something and trying to distract you with my cuteness" laugh. Luckily, I get to hear the sound of her laughter many times a day. Our kiddo is a silly girl and loves to laugh!
2. Her sweet baby babble. My kid is a chatterbox! Imagine that...Ha! She talks a lot and I think she's often telling me or Mike how it is! I'm a little nervous to hear what she has to say when she learns a few words! She usually talks all the way to daycare and on the way home and often when I'm trying to put her to bed and she's ready to play. She'll look up at me as I'm rocking her, point her finger at my face or poke me in the mouth, and tell me very seriously "Da da, ba ba, eeehhhh!" I think that means, "Suck it, mom, I am NOT tired!"
3. Our new bedtime routine. Our new routine is to give her a bath, let her play until she's trying to climb out, get her in her pj's, and then she and I will lay down on the living room floor and watch tv while she nurses. She usually fall asleep next to me, then I fall asleep, then we just sleep there together for a little while until Mike wakes me to go to bed. Then he carries her into her bed. I just love cuddling up with her every night and feeling her sweet breath on my skin, smelling her baby shampoo scented hair, and the feel of her tiny body curled against me. It's the best part of my day.
4. Her smile. She's got these 2 little bottom teeth and that's it and they make her grin that much cuter! Whenever she sees Mike or me, her whole little face lights up and we get this big 2-teeth grin that could melt your heart. Her little eyes just light up and she has this amazing dimple in her left cheek. I will do anything to see that kiddo smile!
5. The way she eats. I cannot explain why this is so fascinating to me. I could watch this kid eat all day long. We've pretty much given up on the pureed baby food so we just give her a little of what we are eating. We usually just cut it up into bite sized pieces and put it on her tray. She picks up each piece individually, slowly guides it toward her mouth, then she crams the food and her fist into her mouth in one not-so-swift move. About 80% of the time, the food makes it in her mouth. The other 20% of the time, we find it in her chair, on the floor, and, on more than one occasion, in her diaper when we get her ready for her bath. It's just so fun to watch her "operate" her own hands. Seriously, she stares at them in total concentration like she is operating a delicate crane. It is so neat to watch her discovering her own abilities.
6. The way she meets me at the door. Whenever I come in, Mike will say "Who is that??" Olivia will race toward the door to meet me! She does this at daycare too. When I go to pick her up, I peek over the door and say, "Hey boog!" She looks up and starts crawling like a mad-woman! It's so incredible to see that tiny person crawling toward me like we haven't seen each other in years. She gives me a huge grin and she sort of grunts and pants as she books it toward me!
7. The way she giggles when I tell her no. I think this says something about whether or not I'll be the disciplinarian around here! Seriously, whenever I tell her "No, Olivia Anne!" she looks at me, gives me a little giggle, then goes right back to what she's not supposed to be doing. Then I start laughing and have to look away as I pry her off of whatever she's getting into.
8. Her determination. When Olivia sets her mind to something, she does it! And she does it usually with her tongue clamped between her gums, sticking out just a little bit. That sounds weird but it's super cute. Now that she can pull up, she is determined that everything that is up, must come down. So if there is something on the coffee table, it doesn't stay there long. If she decides that is going to unroll the toilet paper, there is nothing that can stop her! When she is done eating and no longer wants me to help her, she will push my hand away with authority! She definitely has a mind of her own.
9. She's a socialite. This kid has never met a stranger and she LOVES being around other babies. I love that she is so social and we have really had a blast having her around our friends and their kiddos. She's already had fun at 2 friends' birthday parties and she's kind of a celebrity at church. Most of the time, we don't really get to see her when we are out and about with her! The gym daycare girls get so excited when they see her and she's always flirting with people at the grocery store. I'm pretty sure she's more popular than we are at this point!
A couple of months ago, a friend told me that her favorite baby phase is this 9 month stage. I have to agree with her. This is pretty amazing. Olivia is growing and learning so fast and it is incredible to see her exploring her world. I can't wait to see what she learns in the next month!
 |
| In her pj's but NOT ready for bed |
 |
| She's on the move! |
 |
| Yum, prunes! |
 |
| Her favorite new toy box |
 |
| 9 months today! |
No comments:
Post a Comment