Happy half year old!

It's unbelievable but our girl is six months old! Every bit of time that we have had with Olivia since she arrived home has been, by far, the most exciting and awe inspiring of our lives. That said, the past few weeks have been our favorite so far! Olivia is SO MUCH FUN with all of the new things she is doing - sitting up, rolling over (both ways), eating solids and chatting it up - it's a whole new world! The best, by far, has been the development of a very special friendship between Olivia and Mattingly. All of our angst about Matti accepting Olivia into our family has quickly faded and been replaced by daily moments of adorable behavior (as captured in the many pictures to follow). Matti has assumed the role of chief protector and Olivia looks to him for ultimate consolation in times of frustration and sadness. It's too cute for words.

We've spent the last two weeks holed up a bit due to a stomach bug Olivia contracted, but have still managed to have some fun and record some firsts - Olivia's sitting up skills have quickly strengthened and she's added rolling from her back to her tummy to her repertoire. (This has introduced some challenges to nap time as she's not quite sure what to do with herself once she gets on to her tummy.) Olivia has delighted in the discovery of bubbles, as well as the infant swing (we logged 20 minutes on the swing at the park yesterday!) We also have added solid foods into our routine and Olivia has quickly established her preferences (yes to sweet potatoes and a powerful no thank you to barley). We also fit in some fun time at the Takata-Waller country club pool with Kira and Claire and a visit to Ryan Moseley before the stomach bug grounded us. We're hopeful that it will pass shortly as our full schedule of fall activities is due to begin week after next!

Until next time, enjoy the photos!