Wow! Holly is really growing, both in size and personality. She is really coming into her own, showing her independence and mind of her own, but still being the sweet, cuddly little girl that she has been.
We have had a busy last few months. Holly has gotten sick twice, but was a real trooper through the stuffy nose and coughing fits. She is busy learning to walk and will take 5 of 6 steps at a time if she's not in too much of a hurry. If she really wants to get somewhere, walking is not the way to go still.
Here is Holly at Rgional basketball, intently watching the game...or more likely, the cheerleaders! She is so good when we go to basketball. She had a great time at the State Tournament, watching both the boys and girls teams. I actually had someone come into my room and asked me if she cried even once during the basketball tournament. Proudly, I was able to say "No!" She just loves being around people and the action too much to bother to cry.
Shortly after Valentine's Day, we went to visit my parents. While we were all out shopping, Holly met her first boy and we stopped to play for a while with him. It kind of stopped EVERYTHING that was happening in the store for a while. Sorry, I can't remember his name, but I think he was about 7 months old. They had a fun time getting acquainted and I think Holly would even be ok with a guy who has less hair than her. That's about everyone her age, right?
We made it to Chinese New Year in Spokane and met my parents there. I had both Holly's and my name written in Chinese with the meanings of our names underneath. It was really great to have people there who could tell me what her name means. She got lots of comments about her cute pigtails while we were there. Afterward, we went to a new Chinese restaurant in Spokane called P.F. Chang's. It was heavenly!
This is what Holly does while I check my email. I don't know if she's going to be a computer geek or a mountain climber, but she has way too much fun in the office. This is why I don't get my blog updated regularly. :-) 
If I am lucky, Holly will type for a while, or play with various other things around the office. She sometimes plays with quilt and fabric scraps, a pair of chopsticks, or a telephone book - these are my favorites for her to play with. She also loves the shelves full of file folders, mailing envelopes, the stack of owner's manuals I HAD neatly stacked to sort through and throw away, or the pretty blue button on the computer...the one that puts it in sleep mode...these are HER favorites to play with while in the office.
This is what I wish she would do while I check my email, but she loves to read before bedtime. This is her favorite book "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" with all the additional verses that nobody knows.
Holly has 2 new top teeth that you rarely see, unless she decides to give a big smile to you. You can kind of see them here, which is the only proof that they are actually there, unless you put your finger in her mouth. She is also teething 3 more teeth, so hopefully she will get a little break after they come in.
The bathtub shot that no child ever wants her parents to show anyone. She loves bathtime and will often crawl into the bathroom to bang on the side of the tub, trying to convince Mama to turn on the water.
How can you resist a face like that? Marie, the cat, was hiding inside the box, but had to come out once Holly started beating on it to see what was going on. Marie hopped up on the box and they played together for a while. I didn't realize that diaper boxes had such entertainment value!
The end of another long, hard day for my precious little girl. And sleeping in Mama's bed again! This is her favorite place to sleep (still) and she has become quite the bed hog. Her favorite sleeping spot is right in the middle of the bed. Add 2 cats who claim their favorite places, and where is the Mama supposed to sleep? A queen sized bed is looking better and better all the time!
