Olivia: Lover of Vegetables

We've been enjoying the great weather and trying to get out whenever possible.  We love our new house, especially the hikes that are available from our backyard!  We got this hiking backpack for Christmas, and we tried it out for the first time; Olivia loved it!

She loved watching the dogs run around and being outside in the fresh air.  We're definitely going to get some great use out of this backpack!

Olivia is getting bigger and more interested in everything going on around her.  She has become incredibly grabby, and is shown here enjoying Bob's mountain biking magazine.

She has grown to love solid foods!  Cassandra has been making her various vegetable purees, and she eats each new food with relish.

Butternut squash is my absolute favorite!

Her newest food is a puree of sweet potatoes and broccoli.  She can't get enough of it!

We have also given her a slice of fruit to gum.  Here she is with a slice of apple, she went crazy for it; you can see the drool coming down her chin and onto her shirt in the picture!  Without any teeth she really doesn't ingest much, but she enjoys working for it.

One day, Cassandra was drinking out of a glass of water, and Olivia reached for it with her mouth open like she knew exactly what to do.  Cassandra gave her a sip, and ever since then she has been obsessed with drinking.  She tries to drink from everyone's cup, especially if you're holding her.  After her solid food meals, we'll give her a small glass of water and let her do her best.  She usually ends up spilling most of it on herself as she drinks with gusto.  Watch out though, she's a huge backwasher -- gross!

Hanging out with Maggie

Olivia had a great Valentine's Day!  She sent out the following Valentine to some of her friends and family (and boyfriends!).  We had a fun time putting the card together and we got some fun pictures as well.

Some of the outtakes from our Valentine's photo shoot:

Maggie couldn't help herself, she had to give Livvy a kiss!

Olivia got a beautiful dress from her daddy for Valentine's day.  Her Nana and Papa also sent her a gift, but she was most interested in the bag it came in!

They didn't have any 'big sister' shirts in her size at the store, so we got her the 'little sister' one instead!

However, her biggest accomplishment lately has been mastering sitting on her own!  She can now sit unaided for indefinite periods of time, though she will occasionally get overexcited or grabby and fall over.  She's such a big girl, we're so proud!

Check out her adorable chubby little arms!  We love them.

It's still hard to get a picture of her next to her dog, because she loves rolling over so much!

Olivia is such a joy and a treasure.  She brings happiness to all who know her.  She has developed such a spunky and insistent personality; she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it!  We love experiencing everything for the first time through her eyes, she approaches the world with such wonderment and glee.

Gotta love those gorgeous blue eyes of hers!