A busy 8-month old

Lizzy has had a busy month. Since learning to crawl a few weeks ago, she has been very busy learning the next big things for a baby who can now get around. She learned to go from crawling back to sitting up, which was a good step for her. She also started pulling herself up on everything and walking along the couch or chairs or whatever she can. We had to move her crib down so she didn't fall out but she loves to pull herself up and talk to us over the side of that, which has made bedtime a little bit harder.

She loves to talk now and is trying out a lot of new sounds. It is hard to be tough with her at bedtime when she is so cute holding onto the side of her crib just talking away. At least her naps are getting longer and more consistent. She likes to talk on the phone to Mommy and Daddy, loves to swim at her grandparent's pool, and loves being outdoors with the family, which is the best thing about August in Utah. Here are some pictures of the busy little girl:

Playing on Grandpa's scooter with her cousins

Hiking the "Y"

All of these kids walked to the top, even Ali

The whole gang at the top

Pretty awesome view of the valley

Anna and Maggie at the park

Hanging with her cousin Max on a warm summer day

Lizzy loves the swing

Hanging with Seth at the clubhouse

Lizzy loved the cool water at the Children's Gardens

Taking a dip with Daddy

She seemed less impressed with the Dinosaur Museum

Playing in a box at Grandma's house

Hitting 7 months is bittersweet

We were so excited for Lizzy to get a little older each month for the first 6 months, but hitting 7 months was really bittersweet. She is at such a great age right now, we really wish we could just keep her like this for a while, but she just continues to grow up so quickly. She is doing lots of new things and it's amazing how fast she learns now.

This last week she started waving, which is so cute. One evening we went to dinner and a waitress waved at her and was shocked when she waved right back at her. She is also learning to eat lots of new things, and we finally found something she doesn't like: peas. Can't say that I blame her, but I'm surprised she hasn't found more she doesn't like with these baby foods. Still no teeth, though.

Lizzy has been pretty mobile for a while. She can get anywhere she wants with her mix of rolling, scooting on her back and kicking off and lunging at things. The Bumbo doesn't contain her anymore. If she's on a hard surface, she will just put her feet on the floor and scoot herself around. If she's on carpet, she will just tip herself over and crawl out. The most exciting thing is she has actually started to crawl this week and is catching on really fast.

She is an unbelievable handful right now, so I can't even imagine what it will be like when she can get around better. When we're holding her she will knock something on the floor and then while we're distracted picking that up she will grab at something else. Whenever we put her down in a room, she's not just content to sit there and play with one toy. She scopes the joint and takes inventory of everything within 360 degrees. Then she sets off in the direction of whatever she sees that is the shiniest and most electronic-looking. She doesn't just sit and watch things work, she wants to put everything in her mouth. On the bright side, she is the happiest, sweetest girl who loves to smile and wave at people and she sleeps and eats so good most days.

Lately, she is being watched during the day 3-5 days a week by her cousin, who we call Maggie Poppins. She loves Maggie and I think this is helping her be more okay with other people. Besides hanging with Maggie Poppins, she likes to do the regular baby things like crying with her cousin Max and sleeping in her swing with her mouth wide open. She also enjoys rolling around on a large ball, sleeping through scenic locales, tubing and 4-wheeling all of which keep her pretty busy.

Here's a special bonus video of Lizzy crawling:

6-month Family Shoot

Here are some pictures we took at the Murray City Park for Lizzy's 6-month photo shoot. We took Lizzy's cousin, Maggie, who she loves to smile at and Maggie stood by the camera and got her to give us all these great smiles.