Seven months come and gone

The fastest 7 months in history have passed in record time. Olivia is sitting well on her own, waving, clapping her hands, exerting her independence, and showing her (at times quite dramatic) personality. Her hair is getting lighter, and definitely taking on a reddish hue. She loves to kick and splash in the bathtub -- she protests at getting out of the tub before all the water is gone. She loves all kinds of fruit, squash, and sweet potatoes. Mangoes are her favorite. She gags and makes drama-queen yuck faces at peas, green beans, and carrots. She says "da-da", "ba-ba", "gu-gu", but no "ma-ma" yet. We're working on it though. I say "Ma-ma" and she looks at me and laughs. At least she knows that Mama is me!

I love her more than I ever thought it would be possible to love someone I've only known for a little over a year (I'm counting knowing her during pregnancy -- she definitely had her personality at that time as well). We are going on vacation in a little over a week and I cannot wait to see how Olivia responds to her first visit to the beach. I cannot wait to see what she does with sand on her feet and in her hands. She's so funny when she's learning about new things. You can see the gears turning in her head.