So, of course when I tried to take video of her moving all over the place and standing on everything, she stops! This is a kind of round-about way to show you, but you get the idea. Excuse my foot, I was stabilizing the ottoman so she wouldn't fall.

Also, if you haven't yet seen or heard the "mom song," you HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

THE BOO-BOOs HAVE BEGUN

Well, the good news is, Hava is very mobile. She will pretty much attempt to go anywhere and everywhere in the house. The bad news is, she doesn't understand what danger is. So, since she pulls herself up to stand with the support of anything she can find (no matter how unstable it is - like the rocking chair), she is hard to keep up with. She can even pull herself up from sitting to standing with the assistance only of a straight wall! She stands alone in her crib and she is so confident in herself (which is great) that she will decide to hold on with only one hand, and sometimes none at all. We try to keep her in "safe" places....like not allowing her to go in the kitchen or bathroom by herself - but we do let her wander around the living room and bedrooms. Regardless, we leave all doors closed, all electric outlets are covered, all breakables are above her level. Ok, so now that she is so able to move around, she has started to have quite a few falls. Nothing serious, but it's hard to determine how much to let her do...when to let her fall so that she'll learn, but when not to let her fall so that she doesn't get hurt. Just today she has bruised her little face twice. Sometimes she falls and no harm is done - not even a tiny cry. But sometimes she pulls herself up and falls so quickly, we can't catch her. Any ideas out there are welcome.
yours truly - the overprotective mommy :o)

NOT MUCH NEWS

We're doing good. There hasn't been too much new going on to catch you up on, but Hava is now pulling herself up to standing ALL THE TIME. We always find her standing in her crib and she is perfectly independent now at home. She also has 2 teeth now. The second one came in right beside the first about 3 days later.

Here we are just playing with the webcam....Hava got her sweater stuck on her head and she and I were both laughing.She loves the camera.

Also, check out Rachel's personal blog where she has updated her life stories including the detailed story of her personal life and death testimony. http://www.amazonmk.blogspot.com/

People have been asking if Hava is teething for the past few months. I said I wasn't going to say she was until I was absolutely sure because she has been a drooler and chewing on her hand since about three months of age. Yesterday, I saw the first glimpse of white under her gums, so we knew it was coming. We just didn't know it would come this soon.

YEP - SHE HAS A TOOTH!!!!!!!!!It was hard for me to get a shot because that silly tongue of hers is always in the way, but you can see it....the white spot in front of my finger, bottom left of the front 2 teeth. It is already out and nice and sharp. So, to everyone who has asked - yes, Hava is teething! :O)

Hava is now 8 1/2 months old. She likes her big girl jeans and, as do most kids her age, Hava LOVES the outdoors. So, we decided to go play in the backyard today. She was quite distracted by all the birds and noises, so it was hard to get her to look at the camera. Oh well, she's cute anyway. :o) There are a BUNCH of these pictures, but I just uploaded a few for your enjoyment!

Every Wednesday morning, we go to a playtime at the local library. Hava loves to have playtime and sing songs -she will literally stop what she is doing to hear a song. Since we can't take you to the library with us, here is a little bit of playtime with Hava. (Remember to click the pause button on the music in the left hand column before you start the video.)

Here's a short crawling video. You will probably have to click the pause button on the music to the left of this column.

Rachel's blogs are back - see left hand column.

She's Officially Independent!!!

Hava showed us her stuff starting yesterday - she is crawling forward - using her arms and legs together and getting something when she really wants it. She can easily make it from one side of the room to the other in a matter of a few minutes. This morning she cralwed down the hallway. I don't have any pictures right now, except for a home video, but I will get some up as soon as I can.