Mirror, Mirror

Layla was entertaining herself on the floor of the bedroom today while I was getting ready. I have to say this was one of the cutest moments I have ever seen!

She also had fun with her reflection. It is so cool to watch how she discovers herself and the fact that it is her own reflection.

Pulling Up In Her Crib

So now that Layla can pull herself up she loves to do it while she is playing in her crib. I knew the moment she first pulled up on something that I had to drop her crib all the way down immediately so she wouldn't fall out. I hate that when she does it she stands on the bumper pad, cause it is eventually going to ruin it, but it is so cute.

So Many New Things

Layla is now almost nine months, and as I haven't been great about keeping up with my blog, there are so many new things to report. She is getting so big and is showing her independence in a lot of ways.

Just recently she has learned to crawl. She isn't tearing around the house yet, but she has the motion down. I think she is more concerned with trying to walk, so when she is crawling she will lift her knees off the ground and stand on her feet. It is pretty funny to watch.

She takes her first crawl steps towards the end


Her silly foot crawl

She has also just started pulling herself up on things. I had to drop her crib down to its lowest setting so that she can't fall out. I am sure that walking is just around the corner, since she loves to be on her feet.

Layla is quite the vocal little monkey too. She loves to scream and stick her tongue out to blow raspberries, and her favorite is to have people echo different sounds she makes. Her sound vocabulary is increasing all the time, too. She now says mama, dada, baba, nana, yeah yeah, blah blah, babo and a plethora of other random noises and sounds.

Babbling and crawling

We are working on teaching her to hold her hands up when we say, "touchdown", which is so cute. She has mastered waving both with her whole arm as well as just the finger wave on both hands. She can also do high fives and clap, which is so funny because she keeps her left arm steady and claps with her right. It cracks me up. She seems to be taking after her daddy and drums on everything. She just started doing the rhythm back and forth with her hands, instead of always banging with both hands together. She is going to be my little percussionist.

Waving


Clapping

She is getting so big and her beautiful red hair is filling in more and more all the time. I can now mess it a bit and get a little curl in the back. She has her two bottom front teeth now, which are the cutest thing ever when she flashes that smile. No sign of any of the others coming through, but she loves to chew on things, so I am sure they are on their way soon.

First Visit to Vancouver!!!

Layla and I took our first plane flight together a couple weeks ago to go home to Vancouver. What an amazing trip we had. I was so worried about her ears on the plane, as I had a horrific experience with that once, and can only imagine what it would be like for an infant to have to endure that kind of pain; but she was a trooper! She hung out and people watched at the airport since we were an hour and a half delayed, then she played with Grandma and me almost the whole flight there, nursed and then fell asleep for the last twenty minutes.

Getting ready for takeoff!!!

She had such a great time seeing everyone. She is pretty attached to me at this point, but considering the mass of new people that she was introduced to, she did great. As always, I wish that I would have taken more pictures, but it is hard to when you are carrying a baby around and having a good time. I managed to snag a few adorable shots of my little munchkin while we were there, though.

Love this picture. Playing in the morning at Grammy's.

At the pumpkin patch with her cousin's Lexi and Mia.

Her boots were falling off, but what a cutie!!!

Looking ever so cool in the Walmart shopping cart!

Teddy Grahams and sparkling water, breakfast of champions.

Telling Grandpa about her day.

Strapped in with Smith and Wesson, her shoulder bears.

Pete's favorite picture!

Chillin' in the ice bucket at the Gores'.

Loves her oatmeal and pears!

Taking a walk with Grandpa.

Sitting like a big girl at Auntie Nikki's house.

Enjoying the fire on a cool fall day.

Someone has learned to pull herself up!

Looking beyond cute at Jenn's housewarming party.

When Mom doesn't let you watch TV, you have to try to see it somehow.

Enjoying the Alaska Airlines cup while we wait for Daddy to pick us up.

Cheese!!!

8 Months Already!!!

My baby girl is already eight months old! She is growing up too fast. She now has her two front teeth on the bottom, which is just so cute that I can't even stand it.

Such a big girl!!!

Trip to the Long Beach Aquarium

Pete, Mom, Layla, and I went to the Long Beach Aquarium for my birthday this year. We had such a good time and Layla was really intrigued by all the underwater life.

Layla intrigued by the giant fish tank

Sea Turtle, my favorite!!!

So beautiful

Sea Dragons are so cool, they don't look real.

Daddy and Layla touching the giant rays

Jellyfish are the coolest to watch
(and photograph)

Getting a ride back to the car

Layla enjoying her new key chains

Entertaining Us All the Time!

Layla is growing up so fast. She is doing something new and different all the time, which means that I am constantly taking video of her. One of these days I will get proper editing software so that I can actually do more with them, but for now just posting a few of them here will have to do.

Layla taught herself to wave the other day! It was so cute. She just started moving her fingers and staring at her hand. So I kept telling her that she was waving, and now she knows how to wave when asked. I'm so proud of my little munchkin!

Pool time is one of Layla's favorite things when it is warm. She loves to splash and doesn't even mind when she soaks her face.

I got her some bath toys that can squirt water, but her favorite is when they are empty and you blow them in her face. Her reaction is just too cute.

I love it when she just sits in her highchair and screams. Not in anger or frustration, but just because that is what she wants to say at the time. She is like a balloon that is deflating in a scream. What a nut!

Layla loves to be outside. So we are out there on the blanket all the time with her toys. She loves it when Daddy joins us. It cracks me up how when she is really happy and excited lately she just keeps her mouth wide open.