Okay, okay, so this blog is about 2 weeks later than normal. However, due to my work schedule, our vacation, and the doctor's vacation, Olivia didn't have her 9 month check-up until this past Friday. I wanted to wait and do the post AFTER we had her latest height and weight measurements, and she is now 2o lbs 10 oz and 29 1/4 inches long (still in the 95 percentile for height, and average for her weight). So much has happened since the last post, so here goes...
It's amazing how much a child will change in just 6 short weeks! Since the last post, Olivia has really become a girl on the move. She started sitting up on her own shortly after the last post. Richard went in to her room one morning to get her up and there she was, sitting up looking at him with a "what took you so long" look. She sat up on June 1st, started cruising (walking by holding on to things) on June 6th, crawled on June 9th, and we found her standing in her crib on June 10th. Talk about a quick progression! She is cruising around the living room and will occasionally let go for a few seconds and stand before plopping to the ground. She's also developed the balance to be able to bend over and pick things up while standing. The cruising improved her muscle strength so she has gone from army crawling to regular crawling, and she loves chasing after a ball that she rolled away from her. She has an activity walker that she likes to pull up on and play with, but she hasn't quite gotten the hang of using it as a support while she walks. Though I'm sure that's just days away.
She has developed quite an independent streak when it comes to her food, and with 7 teeth (and an 8th on the way) she's having fun using them. She'll only take about 5 bites of something off a spoon, then all she wants is finger food! She's not even interested in holding the spoon her self, just wants to pick up stuff with her developing pincer grasp. Her favorite item, of course, is Cheerios. She still loves chunks of banana, and she loves cheese, pasta, frozen waffles (toasted, of course), and the Gerber Graduates yogurt melts and puffed stars (they are sorta like baby corn pops that melt in your mouth). She has also started eating pieces of turkey and chunks of chicken (sorta). I also regularly give her carrots and green beans... some days she loves them, others she spits them out. And she still gets a variety of fruit combos with her cream of wheat cereal. She also loves drinking from her new "Olivia" sippy cup that Nonny (Richard's mom) gave her, and will happily let you know she is done eating by ripping off her bib. Definitely opinionated, this one is!
Speaking of Nonny, Olivia took her first road trip to see Nonny and PopPop in Franklin, NC over the July 4th weekend. We spent almost 12 hours in the car each way and she was a GREAT traveler. I sat in the backseat with her while daddy drove, and we played with her toys, sang songs, read books, and slept. I bought her a travel pillow (called a cradler) that prevented her head from bobbing around while she slept, and it was great! When I noticed she was starting to get sleepy, I put it on her and she'd doze off. By the end of the trip, once she woke up from her little naps, she would pull it off herself!
But we had a great time with Nonny and PopPop. We sat on the porch swing quite a bit (enjoying the cooler weather!), blew bubbles, played with a Tickle Me Elmo and Talking Kermit, visited PopPop at the farm and took pictures, and met all kinds of new friends and relatives at the July 4th cookout! Olivia was very happy to see that Nonny also has cats and spent time petting Willow (Patches didn't hang around to be groped by Olivia). PopPop will have Olivia fishing and picking vegetables in no time, and we know that Olivia will LOVE baking with Nonny. We're looking forward to our next trip to NC at Thanksgiving!
In the meantime, Olivia gets to spend some quality time with Grandma (my mom) who cares for her two full days and two half days per week. The half days I work have allowed me to start taking Olivia to Gymboree, and she's just loving it! The first week she was very much a cautious observer, but now she will crawl into the middle of the circle and clap! (yes, she's also clapping now...for everything and everyone!) It's a great opportunity for her to socialize with other babies her age, and for me to talk to other moms. I've even met a mom of an adopted boy named Tyler, and it's always nice to meet other adoptive parents.
And we can't forget to mention Richard's first Father's Day! His only request was a Fudgie the Whale cake from Carvel. Apparently their advertising is quite effective because Richard grew up with the idea that fathers should get Fudgie the Whale on Father's Day. So that's what he got (along with lunch from Carrabba's and the new Lego Indiana Jones video game).
All in all, it has been an eventful six weeks! Unless something really amazing happens in the next two weeks, I'll probably save the next post until she's about 10 1/2 months old. I'm also going to figure out how to post the few videos I've taken, especially her giggling one...it will crack you up!! Till next time...
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