9 Months Old and Gorgeous!

Today our little princess is 9 months old!

It has been quite the month - the highlight of course being her FIRST STEPS!
She is teetering around, taking up to 20 steps at a time. She is still most confident holding onto someone's finger, but is rearin' and ready to go. I'm now in search of some good shoes for her little chubby feet, gotta protect those cute feet from the outdoors!

Livi loves her solid foods, and is quickly losing interest in her bottle. She is far more interested in sippy cups, finger foods, and dinner plates. :) She has also determined that ice cream sandwiches are divine. We are all addicted to them, and of course, we love to share. Well, I had no idea how quickly my little one would recognize what was inside those white wrappers! Anytime an ice cream sandwich makes its way out of the freezer, you are guaranteed to have a little Livi trailing behind you asking for you to share! Olivia eats her 3 meals a day. Breakfast usually consists of a bottle, some yogurt and fruit. She'll have a snack mid morning of crackers and cheese. For lunch she'll have a veggie, a protein, and of course some fun finger foods. An early afternoon bottle is followed by another snack - she loves string cheese, mandarin oranges, and graham crackers. Livi loves to eat dinner with the family, she'll eat with us and also enjoy some of her own veggie/fruit blends. Her favorite dinner has got to be chicken and sweet potatoes though. :) Before bedtime, she has a big bowl of oatmeal (sometimes with bananas) and a bottle to fall asleep.

Olivia still only has her 2 bottom teeth, but we can see her upper teeth...hopefully they cut through soon! She has such ambition to eat solid foods --- sure would be easier with some more teeth!

We visited Dr. Eyre for Livi's 9 month checkup. She weighs 20 lbs 11 oz, in the 80 percentile. She's going to be taller than her mother any day now - already 29 inches tall (91 percentile)! Olivia loves

Dr. Eyre, she flirted with him throughout the visit - big smiles, laughs, and of course she had to show off her walking skills. Dr. Eyre was quite impressed.

I must admit - my daughter needs a haircut. Thankfully, my friend Amber will be giving me some pointers in a couple of weeks. I've trimmed Livi's bangs and the back of her hair, but with her hair as long as it is, a little help will be appreciated. :)

Olivia loves to dance. My mom and I watch SYTYCD every week, and Livi is a huge fan. It's impossible to ignore her love of music and movement, so every morning we have our "music morning". I found a great station on Comcast - Toddler Tunes - that plays quite the variety of kid songs. Livi giggles and squeals, stands in front of the tv, then she does a little booty bounce - it is DARLING. I love to dance with her (I sure miss dance) - and I can't wait until she's a little older to start teaching her some Lindy Hop.

Olivia steals the hearts of everyone around her. She loves to entertain, to give big open mouth kisses, and snuggles (we say "love the baby" and she tilts her head to the side and puts her cheek to whatever toy she's got). She squint smiles all the time and is starting to say more "word sounding" sounds. She says da-da, ma-ma, and ba-ba. Livi also has the most contagious giggles and laughs. We are all in love with her. We know it is hard for her grandparents, aunties and uncle in Utah to be so far away ... and her uncle Jordan, Grandma Laurie and Grandpa Gary are already plotting to kidnap Livi and keep her here when Aaron and I finally move out! :)

Here's to another month! Happy 9 months sweet girl!