Olivia is growing and learning so much right now. It's really fun to watch her play and learn. That has been one of my favorite things with Abigail, and it holds true for Olivia, too. There is something very amazing about that expression that they get when they are learning and figuring out how to do something - an expression of deep concentration and a glimmer of purpose and self-achievement all rolled into one. She is on solid foods now - has been since right after Christmas. She's eating apples, bananas, pears, and to a lesser extent...squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. She has also been pulling her knees underneath her on the floor, and rocking back and forth - I think crawling is coming fast! She can sit unsupported for a brief time, but then slowly rolls back down to her side/back/front. She is still a very happy baby, smiling and cooing and laughing and singing - as long as she has an audience. If you're looking at her, she'll perform! Also, she is grabbing at EVERYTHING! I can't multi-task anymore - I can't hold Olivia in one arm and open mail/talk on the phone/use the computer/eat/read a book for Abigail at the same time...she will grab whatever I have and try to eat it. My only complaint with Olivia is her current sleep habits, but we're working to fix that and making some progress. She wants to sleep with me, and I want her in her crib. She doesn't sleep through the night anymore, and it makes for a very tired mommy during the day. There are nights that she gets up three or four times, and those nights are very hard on me. But, like I said, we're working on it and trying to get her back to where she was before she got sick.
Abigail's sleeping habits aren't much better than Olivia's. She fights sleep during each nap time and each bedtime. She is overtired much of the time, and fights sleep with her iron will. At our PAT visit last week, my parent educator recommended some more physical activity for Abigail, so we've signed her up for a dance class. On Thursday nights, Abigail has a tumbling class. She went for the first time last week and they worked on forward rolls, log rolls, cartwheels, and elephant walks. It was really cute to watch! She's also signed up for an hour-long class on Saturday mornings which focuses on tap, ballet and more tumbling. Her cousin, Maddie, is in both of these classes with her, too. We're still looking into preschools and it is really looking like that will wait until the fall, which was my original plan anyway. Her vocabulary is growing at an astounding rate. She hears a word one time, and begins using it. She picks up phrases, too, and will tell me, "I don't know the word" if she can't communicate what she wants. I LOVE that! She is still a wonderful big sister to Olivia - she hugs and kisses her often, and last week held the spoon and helped feed Olivia. I mentioned above that we're planning Abigail's third birthday party. We're hoping for a party at the skating rink on April 10th - so mark your calendars!
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