Yikes!!

Ok, so last doctors appointment on Feb 24 Olivia continued to be top of the charts for weight, height and head circumference. So, logically we have deduced that since she's simply a big baby (4 lbs heavier than avg. so 20% heavier) she'll probably crawl, stand, walk much later. After all, 20% weight difference is a lot of baby to move around when your little muscles are only 6-7 months old (as of Feb 24th she weighed in at 19.8 lbs).

Last night changed all that. While Livy isn't yet crawling (she's spinning on her Daddy-like protruding belly and pushes herself backwards) and she isn't getting into a sitting position on her own (though she does sit steady and plays well in the sitting position) she has determined that she LOVES to stand and in the last few days has deduced that she wants to stand alone (keeping in mind her standing entails a very wobbly back and forth motion much like Dwayne looks when he's had a few drinks). She still hasn't realized that she can't stand on her own but she continues to let go of what she's holding on to (our hands, the foot stool etc) or even tries to push our hands away if we're holding her middle.

As of last night she's also decided to try getting into the standing position from a sitting position. Using her little karaoke machine (thanks again Auntie Deanna) I caught her mid-attempt pulling herself up into a standing position. She managed to get up on one knee with the other leg, foot on the floor, bent at 90 degrees. She didn't even flinch when I yelled her name (another thing we learned - she doesn't spook easily).

We tried to sit with her and practice getting up with mom/dad's help/assistance but nope, she doesn't want it. On two separate occasions she tried again on her own. I have a feeling we're going to have a few bumps and bruises in the near future as she realizes that she's not invincible.

Dwayne then had her holding on to the bars of the baby gate...sure enough, after warning Dwayne to simply "be careful because she's getting cocky" I hear a wail. Yup, Olivia was standing at the gate, holding on (Daddy sitting back a bit to give her her independence) and decided she's able to let go both hands at once. We may be investing in a baby helmet if this keeps up!!

As of the beginning of March she's also been aware that things simply don't disappear and if she's actually interested in an object/person, when they disappear/leave she'll do what she can to crane her head/body to try to follow or find them. Its quite amazing to see how her little mind develops and works at this stage of her figuring things out.

We'll work at getting some photos up but certainly at a minimum I wanted to post an update since its been so long and sparse.