Olivia: 9 months!

Weight: 22lbs 2oz
Height: 29 3/4 in.

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY:

• respond to simple requests (such as "Give Mommy the toy.") Olivia will look when you call her and sometimes waves when asked.
• use consonants as she begins saying "mama" or "dada" She hasn't said the words mama and dada, but she does say the consonant/vowel combinations that she needs to say it.
• learn and say one other word No words yet, but her pediatrician is not concerned and neither are we.
• pivot in a circle as her coordination continues to develop and her muscles strengthen She is great at standing and turning around.
• feed herself, although she may be a bit messy Yep! She has always fed herself. When she does she is messy and honestly she actually prefers to be fed for that reason.
• manipulate tiny objects, such as veggie dices and cereal, between her thumb and forefinger Her pincer grasp is getting great. She can even pass items from one hand from the other.                                                    
• drop toys on purpose to watch them fall and then look for them—a sign that your baby is curious about how she can affect the objects around her She has discovered pushing or throwing things off her highchair tray. To her it's hilarious.
• develop the instinct to bounce to music She is a dancing queen. She loves moving her body and especially her head to music or really any time. She has even started doing this head shake that is reminiscent of hair band performances.
• point and poke with her index finger as a sign of her growing curiosity If I get poked in the eye only 3 times at night it's a good night. She also loves to stick her finger in my mouth while she nurses. Unfortunately her nails grow so fast and now I have to be really diligent of cutting them regularly.

Twinkle Twinkle

Two and a half year olds are hilarious. Every night before bed I read Avery two books and then we talk a little before I sing Baby Beluga to her and we snuggle while she falls asleep.

Recently Avery has learned the first part of the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So far she knows,

Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

She's also learned how to tell jokes. She's actually pretty good at it. Well the last couple nights she has asked to sing what she knows of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star before I sing Baby Beluga. Tonight she started

"Twinkle twinkle little star"

Then stopped. She turns to me and says, "Is that it?" :::long pause::: "NOPE!" and bursts into hysterical laughter. This continued a few times with her stopping at various places in the two verses that she knows to ask "Is that it?" Finally when she was laughing so much she couldn't make it through the question I had to stop her. She was never going to sleep if I let her keep going.

She is learning so much every day and it's just so fun to see her mind work and experience things for the first time. It's always an adventure listening to her talk.

8 months: A comparison

Everyone always wants to know if Avery and Olivia look alike. Honestly? I usually say yes they look very much alike... until I did this comparison. They definitely look like sisters, but they look less 'identical' than I thought. 

Olivia: 8 months!

Weight: 22lbs 9.5oz

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY:

• "rake" small objects toward her and pick them up as her coordination skills and dexterity continue to develop Yep! This is especially true of food. She is always hungry!
• clap and bang objects together as her muscle coordination improves Clapping is her favorite!
• use her arms to invite someone to pick her up She has recently started reaching for mama when she is being held by any one else. She is a real mama's girl.
• reach for the spoon when you feed her at mealtimes We usually offer to let her feed herself  so she has always been grabbing the spoon or my hand or whatever is holding the food.
• turn away when no longer hungry She definitely knows when she is done and will hit the spoon/food away or move her face away.
• babble random consonants: "di, ba, ma" Olivia has really blossomed with the sounds she makes. It's so cute! Words are to come soon.
• understand "no" (although your baby may understand the meanings of other words by now, the word "no" is key because she’ll also understand the actions she must take when hearing it) Oh yes. And she does not like being told no at all.
• understand a rough idea of "in" and "out" (the first instance of recognizing a spatial relationship) I'm not really sure actually. Maybe though.
• add tongue movement to change the sound of a word She really likes to make sounds with her tongue. Her favorite is making the kissing sound with the her tongue on the roof of her mouth.