The Many Layers of Me

Project 366: Week 6

2012-02-12T06:29:00.021-05:00

There were a quite a few long and skinny pictures this week, so I made them into 2 collages.

Also--a lot of the pictures are from our phones. Therefore, the quality isn't fantastic.

36. Eating a mum mum

37. You can't see her face that great in this picture, but it still cracks Michael and I up. She seriously is so sassy! She has been putting her hand on her hips for months now. Lately, she's added the head tilt. She was playing with her teddy bear and then out of no where...attitude!

38. One of the skills that we are working on at TLG is standing. So when we got home we put the legs on her activity table and gave it a try. She does alright, but it's not strong enough to hold her weight and she's not stable enough yet. The legs came back off, but we'll keep giving her opportunities to stand.

39. This was one of the pictures from her little yoga/crawling session. Her face cracks me up!

40. Michael and Olivia were watching one of the videos of when I was a clown in the first grade circus.

41. She's not quite sure what to do with the necklace daddy made her.

42. This is how she handles phone calls.

Yoga!

2012-02-11T06:21:00.041-05:00

...Or trying to learn to crawl!

(Baby talk edition)

"Hi Mom!"

"Oh, you want to take pictures?!"

"This is hard work!"

"I need to rest"

"Fine, I'll try again"

"I like your pink camera. I want to put it in my mouth!"

"Now what?"

"Check out my new trick!"

(drool, drool, drool)

"I will figure this out!"

"You're still here?"

"I'm done!"

Olivia's First Haircut

2012-02-10T07:00:00.024-05:00

Peer pressure has never been my thing. Really. I have never cared or given in to what "everyone is doing" or people trying to pressure me to do. I am my own person. I think for myself and I make my own decisions. However, I did give in to the haircut. Partly because it was scraggly and out of control. Partly because people I don't even know that well would say, "It is scraggly, but...". If it's bad enough for you to tell me, then it probably needs cut. Plus, it seemed to be getting worse rather than looking long and cute. Not to mention that every time my friend Alycia saw us she'd say, "So you haven't cut her hair yet?" I got the hint!

I really just wanted to trim the back, but I couldn't trim the back and leave the sides.

So I evened it out all around as best I could.

She did pretty good. She didn't have a clue what was going on. She just talked through the whole thing. She moved around on me some, but that was to be expected. Michael took a video and the hair has been saved in a baggie. :)

Teething and a little "Hippy Magic"

2012-02-09T06:34:00.009-05:00

WARNING: If you already feel I have lost my mind... gone a little too "crunchy"... or have gone off the deep end, it's probably best you skip this post and come back another day when the post is filled with pretty pictures of Olivia. :) You've been warned!

Teething is one of those things that we all have to endure as parents. You hear all these stories about all the things that could happen. Rough nights, crabby days, and frazzled moms are often caused by teething. At least this was my impression. I braced myself. I made sure to have a variety of teethers. I stocked the bathroom cabinet with tylenol, teething tablets and orajel. I also collected those bibs that are meant to be water resistant. (Apparently those makers have not met my daughter!)

Olivia started drooling at 3 months. I knew that it was possible to start getting a tooth as early as 4 months, but I didn't think she was teething. Around the same time, she also started gnawing on anything she could get her hands on. One of the "your baby is this old" emails said that extra saliva was normal at that age, hence the drooling. (I've since decided that her tongue is just too big for her mouth. It has to be. She is the only baby in her Little Gym class that has to wear a bib-and sometimes change it mid class!! Seriously. 13 kids and she's the only one with a bib!)

So on we went. Drooling. Chewing. Running my fingers across her gums and nothing. Drooling. Chewing. Checking. Drooling. Drooling. Chewing. Since she is constantly in a bib, people would ask "Is she teething?" I would say, "Um... I guess?!" How do I know?! She didn't seem in pain. Nothing was ever poking through. Sometimes people would tell me she was teething. Like at Thanksgiving when people were insisting her cheeks were red and that it had to be teeth coming in. Pause that thought.

On to the "hippy magic"... You may have noticed in the pictures that Olivia has a necklace on. It's not for looks. It's to help with teething pain. I had heard about baltic amber teething necklaces online. The first time I heard about it I rolled my eyes. (As I'm sure you are doing right now.) I shrugged it off and went about my business. It kept popping up though. People online were raving about it. I met a few bumpies for lunch and there were some that were "believers". Sometime shortly after Thanksgiving, the site babysteals had them on sale for 50% off. I thought, "What the heck, it's worth a try". I ordered Olivia one and she has been wearing it ever since. Someone claimed that it was suppose to help with the drool too. It did not. I was a little disappointed about that and was wondering if it even worked.

A few days before Christmas, I noticed that her neck was a little red. This has happened on and off--not from the necklace. It gets irritated. I took the necklace off and didn't put it back on after her bath. Christmas Eve she was miserable. We had plans to go look at Christmas lights and didn't even leave the house because she was being a beast. I noticed that her gums were white and swollen. We tried teethers. I froze a wet spot on a burp cloth for her to chew on. I put orajel on her gums. Nothing was helping. I was convinced she was going to wake up on Christmas morning with teeth. Christmas day was much of the same and we were actually nervous to go to our friends house. She was a mess. It wasn't really like her. After giving her a dose of tylenol and trying all the teethers we could, I remembered that I had taken the necklace off. We put it back on. We haven't had an issue since. She didn't get teeth then, but her gums were swollen so I think she was still in pain.

Her first tooth popped through sometime in the night on her 7 month birthday. I wouldn't even have known had I not looked in her mouth during a diaper change. She had NO reaction. She wasn't fussy prior to it cutting. She didn't have a fever or runny nose. She didn't lose any sleep. Her mood never changed. These are all things you hear about with teething. She did drool and gnaw on things, but she has been doing that for 4 months! Her second tooth popped through a few days ago. Again, I wouldn't even have known except I noticed it when she was eating. I am a serious believer in the baltic amber now! Someone on the bump jokingly referred to it as "hippy magic". Call it what you will, but once again, I'd rather have my daughter wear a necklace than drug her repeatedly with tylenol and orajel.

What is a baltic amber necklace? Well, I could try to explain it. I could also copy and paste, but this post is getting too long as it is. You can check out the site where I got it. It's not just for teething either. They make them in youth and adult sizes and it is suppose to help with a variety of ailments such as arthritis, joint pains, headaches, reflux and more.

In order for it to work, it needs to be on the skin closest to the place of pain. It is also suppose to be worn 24 hours a day. Yes, Olivia sleeps in hers. Don't have a heart attack! I am normally a rule follower and am captain of the safety patrol. I would obviously not do anything to put my daughter in harms way. They are meant to break under pressure (without the beads coming off) and there is nothing in her crib that it could get caught on. It gets tucked under her pajamas and we have never had an issue. It's not really worth it to me to have her wear it if it's only while she's awake (8 hours a day) because it wouldn't really work.

So there you have it.... 2 teeth... no drama... and a little hippy magic! :) I tried to get pictures, but she doesn't let me see the teeth too often. She just sticks her tongue out and covers them. I'm working on it though! Oh, and they are her two bottom teeth.

Project 366: Week 5

2012-02-05T06:24:00.002-05:00

29. Having fun during an early morning play session

30. I had the day off, so we made a trip to a different park. We went on an hour long walk and then did a little swinging. This is when we were getting ready to go home.

31. "Standing" on one leg at The Little Gym (TLG)

32. A little blurry, but the head tilt is one of her new things. She got a new toy from Grandma.

33. Learning to user her pincher grasp to eat puffs (I found soy/dairy free ones!)

34. Daddy thought it would be funny to put her hood on

35. Happy girl after her bath--posing in her new monogrammed owl towel!

Oh how I long for the day when a bib won't be in every picture!

Making Baby Food

2012-01-30T07:29:00.065-05:00

I already told you that I love my babycook.

It makes making baby food so quick and easy.

I enjoy making Olivia's food, and I'm pretty proud of the fact that she is getting the best, most natural food possible.

So I thought for any of you moms out there that may be interested, I'd share how it works.

First, it comes with a little booklet that tells you exactly how much water to use to steam each food and vegetable. You then just fill to the line. We use bottled water because sometimes the water is reused (I'll explain that in a minute).

For line one foods it takes about 5 minutes to steam. For line 2 it takes about 10 minutes and for line 3 it takes about 15 minutes.

You then pour the water into the steamer side.

There is a little steamer basket that sets inside the main compartment.

On this day I was making pears.

I cut the pears up and put them in the basket.

I leave the skin on for apples and pears.

That is another reason why I buy organic. (Obviously I still wash them well before steaming.)

Leaving the skin on helps keep in more of the nutrients. You can blend them with our without the skin. I have blended the skin on with apples for more fiber. I have also made both apples and pears by peeling the skin off after they are steamed.

Then you just put the compartment on the cooker. It locks in place.

Then click to the steam side.

It knows how long to steam the food by how much water your poured in.

It's done steaming when the light goes off.

It comes with this little spoon type tool to lift the basket out.

Since I wanted to take the peels off of the pears, I let them sit for a little bit.

Taking the peels off added maybe an extra 5 minutes to the process.

Keeping the basket out, you put the food into the main processor.

Here is where that extra steamed water comes into play. Pears (and apples) are already pretty liquid-y. They don't need extra water to thin them out. Other foods such as sweet potatoes need the water. So you would take the water that was used to steam the food and use it here to help thin your food out to the right consistency.

Blend to preferred consistency

I used 2 1/2 pears and it made 10 ounces of baby food.

So at most it took me 30 minutes to make a weeks worth of breakfasts.

(She won't eat pears every day for breakfast. We'd be having a problem then! :) I'm just giving an example.)

Besides homemade food being healthier, it is way cheaper!

I bought a bag of frozen green beans for $1. (Remember to look under ingredients if you do this. It should just say green bean or peas. You don't want any added ingredients!) That dollar bag of green beans made 14 ounces of puree. That is 7 of my little "jars". If I was buying baby food, $1 would get me ONE jar. Maybe two.

We buy organic for some fruits and vegetables. Especially ones on the dirty dozen. We buy frozen for ones that are out of season (i.e. peaches) or would be more work than it's worth (i.e. peas).

About an hour a week and this is what we have

Ahh, this picture makes me so happy! :)

Project 366: Week 4

2012-01-29T07:53:00.002-05:00

22. This was from our Sunday afternoon photo shoot--She was telling me something!

23. Apparently everyone and their mother wanted to have a dinner/party with my boss before she switched jobs, so I had to watch Little Man late almost every night for two weeks. When we watch him, we generally go out to dinner (on the bosses). Olivia was enjoying her menu.

24. This was one of the pictures from our Little Gym class that didn't make the blog the other day. It's a super cute picture, but it's a little blurry. :(

25. We can finally just sit her on the floor with some toys and let her play. She has definitely mastered sitting unassisted. Yay!

26. Speaking of sitting unassisted...this was her first time sitting in her bathtub instead of laying.

27. After our lunch date with friends, we headed to Target to get some formula. Olivia loves the wind and sticks her tongue out to "catch it" every time. As we were walking into the store, this is what she was doing.

28. We decided to take Olivia to a park. It was her first time in a park swing. She loved it. We couldn't stay long though. It was a little cooler than we thought. We'll be back...many times, I'm sure.

Giddy Up!

2012-01-28T07:37:00.028-05:00

So if you haven't figured it out already, this blog has gone from book reviews, recipe raves, craft examples, and my opinions to a giant MOMMY BLOG. I can't help it. I don't have much of a life outside of working and being a mommy. Plus, my daughter is just too cute! :) Sorry for those that are just over the pictures of Olivia. (Ok, I'm not really sorry... you don't have to read it every day!)

My friend Laurie got Olivia a shirt that says "This Ain't My First RODEO" with a picture of a cowboy on it. It was a size 12, but I figured I'd give it a try. I hate when I wait too long for clothing of the next size and then it doesn't fit. It fit perfectly. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer.

I paired it with her jeggings and the cowboy boots from Little Man. I also added my cowboy hat.

We did a quick photo shoot before heading to lunch with a friend.

The boots are still a little big.

She thought the cowboy hat was hysterical!

She kept cracking up whenever it would fall down and I had to fix it.

Cutie

Funny faces

More cracking up at the hat

And since she couldn't wear the cowboy hat to lunch...

we replaced it with a Texas sized bow

A true Texan for sure!

The Little Gym

2012-01-27T06:39:00.077-05:00

The Little Gym was one of the first things I signed Little Man up for when I began working with him. He has always been pretty athletic, but we could tell that it made a difference in his motor skills, agility, and balance. In fact, now at age 6 he consistently wins the balance game at TKD. He is also does some of the moves better than others and I know it's because of his years at The Little Gym. I knew it was going to be something that I wanted to do with Olivia.

Besides the physical benefits, it's a great way for her to be social and be around other babies AND adults.

We took her in for a "free preview class" this week.

Honestly, I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to go. She has been having a rough time in the church nursery. She can go either way when it comes to loud noises, and at library story time she just sits and looks stunned, in awe, and maybe a little overwhelmed.

Thankfully, she LOVED it!

She was smiling from the minute we walked in the door.

So much so that the workers kept commenting on how smiley she was.

Clapping her hands for the opening song.

They did an introduction game where they went around the circle asking for names.

After every child's name the adults would lift up the parachute and say "Hi (Olivia)"

This is her watching the parachute go up

We were singing some song with hand motions and such.

I can't even remember what it was teaching--eye hand coordination?

There was so much information!

She watched the teacher intently.

Doing shoulder stretches

Doing a flip. As soon as the teacher explained it, I passed Olivia right back to Michael.

20 pounds over my head and then not drop my child?! I'm not sure how I would have done.

This is suppose to help with their inner ear and balance.

Hey Mommy, I love this!

Strengthening her core

(Most of the class is set to music)

Sitting/bouncing on the air track

Bouncing/standing and bearing weight on her legs

Watching the bubbles come down while doing some leg stretches

More core strengthening

Ball time

Baby foos ball! :)

More bubbles before the bye bye song

We will be adding The Little Gym to our Tuesday routine thanks to Olivia's grandma.

We are so excited!!

Eyebrows

2012-01-26T06:18:00.036-05:00

It always amuses me when people say that Olivia looks like me. I'm 100% convinced that they see the cheeks and nothing else. She doesn't really look like me. She has Michael's hair color, light eyes whereas mine are very dark, Michael's baby cheeks, Michael's forehead, Michael's chin and Michael's/Michael's mom's nose. I have said from the very beginning that the only thing I can see that is mine is her mouth.

Every once in a while I see a little Gjertson in her. And by Gjertson, I don't even mean the Gjertson characteristics that I have. I mean I see my brother Jared. She looks a lot like his baby pictures as well. I even pulled them out at Thanksgiving to prove my point and all the naysayers agreed.

That brings us to this last Sunday. We were all dressed up nice for church so I thought we should take some pictures. I mentioned to Michael that we have a ton of Olivia, but not a ton of pictures with us in them. We took a few pictures while playing on the the floor with her. Michael uploaded them to the computer and I was browsing through them. Then the conversation went something like this....

(Looking at these pictures)

ME: "Man, you guys are twins. You practically look identical. I really don't understand how people say she looks like me."

MICHAEL: (glances at the picture) "We don't look exactly alike"

ME: "Pretty darn close. Look! She looks just like you"

MICHAEL: "You don't think she looks anything like you?"

ME: "NO!"

Then I scroll over to this picture

ME: "See!"

MICHAEL: (looking....looking...looking...pause) "Well, like I said, she has your eyebrows"

Really? My eyebrows?!?! Then he clarified that she doesn't even have my eyebrows...her eyebrows are just "spread far apart" like mine. To which I responded, "I PLUCK!" LOL!!!

Anyway, here are some other cute pictures from the day

In her cute dress and shoes that I got for cheap at a consignment sale back in August.

Relaxing--Church is stressful! ;)

I LOVE this picture! This is what she does when Michael kisses her with his scruffy face.

7 Month Loves

2012-01-25T09:13:00.004-05:00

Olivia is really enjoying all of her Christmas toys. I could probably put them all on this list. The only one she isn't sure about yet is the elefun ball popper. It's a little loud and it scares her. She likes to watch it from a far (and if you are holding her), but she is not the least interested in playing with it yet. It is a 9 months + toy, so she has some time. :)

One thing she LOVES that she didn't get for Christmas is....

a water bottle! She is constantly trying to grab at ours. She'll stare at them from across the room. If she is actually lucky enough to get one in her possession, she either sticks it right in her mouth or twirls it around and inspects it. I'm going to make her some discovery bottles. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Boppy

I originally got the boppy because everyone said how I would love it and need it when she was first born. I did use it from breastfeeding some, but ended up liking the my breast friend pillow better. I also used it to lay her in from time to time. We are now using it to prop her up when sitting. She is getting better by the day (and just recently I try not to use the boppy as much), but she needed it as support for the past month while she was learning.

Fisher Price Little Superstar Classical Stacker

I registered for a few toys and this was one of them. A stacker is just a classic toy. I thought that fact that this one lit up and played music was a bonus. We have been playing with it off and on for months now, but she has really taken to it the last month or two. So much so that we just had to change the batteries. (I say "we"--that means Michael. ha!)

Bright Stars License to Drool Keys

I'm not even sure where these came from. I'm pretty sure I just picked them up on a random trip to Buy Buy Baby while I was pregnant. Olivia hasn't really been much of a rattle girl, but she has recently taken to these keys. She loves to chew on them or inspects them. Her most favorite thing to do is bang them on her high chair. She likes them so much (and they are cheap!) that I bought a second pair to keep at work. If she wants to bang on her high chair while Little Man and I are doing workbooks--then go for it!

Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker

I pretty much knew before I was even pregnant that I was going to make my own baby food. Hey-- that's what you do when you wait until you are 31 to have a baby. You have it all planned out! :) So while I was hardly pregnant and definitely not even close to showing, I asked for this for Christmas. Don't get me wrong-you can make baby food without a fancy tool. I know lots of people just use their stove/oven, steamers, blenders, and food processors. I have a few tools I probably could have used. BUT, I knew I would be a working mom who was also taking care of my daughter full time. I was looking for ease and convenience and I got it! I love this thing. It's so easy. I'll probably do a post about how it works some day soon. It is has made making Olivia's baby food a breeze.

Fresh N Freeze Reusable Containers

Along with the baby food maker, I got 3 trays of these containers. I know lots of people just use ice cube trays. I didn't want to be messing with that. These have worked out great. They are easy to measure the 2 ounces and when I have to take food to work with me, it's just like grabbing a jar of baby food instead of trying to put thawed ice cubes in a container, etc.

O ball

I mentioned she was getting an O ball for Christmas because people on the bump were raving about it. My bumpies did not disappoint. She really likes it. It's easy for her to grab on to. She swings it all over the place. It was probably her cheapest Christmas present ($4 at Target), but one of her favorites. At least at first it was.

Seven Months!

2012-01-24T09:08:00.047-05:00

Olivia Grace, you are SEVEN months old!

What have you been up to?

*You are about 21 1/2 pounds and somewhere between 29 and 29 1/2 inches. You outgrew the mats we measure you on, so we had a hard time getting your length.

*You are still in size 6 to 9 month clothes. You have a few Old Navy things and in those you wear the size 6 to 12 months. You still wear about half of your 6 to 9 jammies. I had to put 3 pair of one brand away, so we've also started using some of the smaller size 12 jammies as well.

*You are still in size 3 diapers. Since you started sleeping on your stomach, and you sleep so long, we were having some night time leaking issues. We bought some night time diapers and we haven't had an issue since.

*Speaking of sleep, you go to bed around 7-7:30 each night. This is the bedtime you have chosen for yourself. You wake up each morning between 7 and 8. You take a nap two hours after you woke up--almost to the minute. You usually sleep 30 minutes. You keep this pattern up throughout the day.

*You still wake up some nights. It's usually between 3 and 5, but generally closer to 5. If you do wake, we just feed you and you are right back to sleep. I have tried putting you back to sleep without feeding and it just never works. You cry for an hour and then daddy says it is time to eat as to not upset the neighbors. I think you probably are hungry. Otherwise you wouldn't go back to sleep so easily.

*You don't move around much for your naps, but at night you prefer the top corner of your crib. It doesn't matter how we place you, you somehow squirm all the way up and put your head right in the corner.

*Right after you turned 6 months you discovered your hands. You've been holding them close to your face... well, since you were in the womb. You've been sticking them in your mouth for months. Now you realize they are attached to you and you will examine them for great lengths of time. You slowly turn them and inspect your fingers. It's pretty cute.

*Along with finding your hands, you've started opening and closing them. You will open and close them around our fingers, around objects, at your side, or just in the air.

*We started doing some sign language with you. So far we just do mommy, daddy, milk, eat, more, and all done. You definitely know the sign for milk and eat! :) You don't do it back to us yet (although your opening and closing of the hand looks pretty similar to milk-I know it's just a reflex), but when we do the sign(s) you get all excited and start bouncing and making noises. I've read that even though you may start to understand the signs, it may take you months to be able to do them back to us. Even if we only do a handful of them, I will be happy to have a way to communicate basic things.

*You have started solids. We are following the 4 day rule. This isn't really all that popular anymore. Especially with those who do baby led weaning (BLW). Since you have a know allergy, it's just wise for us to go this route. You have had avocados, sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash, bananas, pears, carrots, apples, and green beans. Sweet potatoes and bananas have been your favorite. You weren't really a fan of peas, but you ate them just fine when mixed with sweet potatoes. You had a weird reaction after carrots, so we only did it for 2 days. I'm not 100% positive it was from the carrots and not something else, but we are just being cautious. We'll try them again in a few weeks. You hate green beans! I couldn't even disguise them in sweet potatoes. It could be a texture thing though. Peas and green beans don't puree very well. I've heard it takes something like 20 times for a baby to decide if they really don't like the taste of something, so we'll keep trying! :)

(Her hand on her hip cracks me up.)

*It took you about a week and you were a pro at eating. You have been eating one meal a day. Right now it's dinner. You usually eat about 2 to 3 ounces. You have about 2 ounces of the "new" food and one ounce of a food you've already tried for 4 days (or more). When it is a food you don't like, we are lucky if you get an ounce in you.

*You take 5 bottles a day and have anywhere from 28 to 36 ounces. We are about to add a second meal to your day, so I'm hoping we will drop a bottle...or at least a few ounces. The doctor said you should be taking about 30 to 35 ounces a day. I'm hoping to get closer to the 30 ounce side of that scale.

*If we had to choose one word to describe you it would be sweet. I tell you that you are sweet all the time. It seems others have the same impression. I have had both friends and relative strangers tell me repeatedly that you are sweet. I don't know if it's your cheeks, your smile, or your disposition that makes others think this of you. I think it's probably a mix of all the above. :)

*You can sit up unassisted now. You can sit for a long time if you want to. Although sometimes you throw your back out or you wobble to the sides. For this reason we use pillows (or the boppy) around you.

*You are in the beginning stages of figuring out that you can move around. You get up high on your hands a lot. You've just recently started to try to get up on your knees too. You scoot around on your belly. You mostly go backwards at this point, but you can get some distance.

*I don't believe you are getting teeth. Ever. You have had the "signs" of teething since you were 3 months old. Literally. You drool through 7 to 10 bibs a day. You chew on anything you can get in your mouth. Your gums have been swollen and have the little white lines on them since before Christmas. I think it's all just a joke. (EDIT: This was written Sunday night. She woke up Monday morning with a bottom tooth poking through! More on that in another post!)

*You love Little Man and Little Man loves you. You stare at him. You reach for him. You track his movements around the room. He makes you smile.

*Daddy calls you squiggs (short for squiggle bug) and I call you punky (short for 'punkin')--because apparently our nicknames needed nicknames. I also call you booga. No idea where that came from!

*You still aren't fond of the church nursery and you won't let anyone except mommy or daddy hold you. How long does separation anxiety last?

*You've started babbling. You definitely have /d/ down. We've also heard /h/, /n/, and /g/. There are probably a few others as well, but these are the ones you stick with the most.

*You love any silly face or sound we make with our mouth. You've started trying to make your own silly faces and sounds--including making fish lips. (We've yet to capture it on camera, but it's coming!)

Things you love right now: the itsy bitsy spider, the computer on your activity table, your jumperoo, water bottles, baths, eating, Little Man, Mommy, Daddy, and your paci.

Your least favorite things right now: anyone that is not mommy or daddy, green beans, trying to get somewhere but not being able to do it

(She kept trying to get my cupcake!!)

HAPPY SEVEN MONTHS BABY GIRL!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Stylin'

2012-01-23T09:12:00.006-05:00

Since last Monday was a holiday, I had the day off. It was a beautiful 70 degrees out, so we decided to go to the park for a walk/picnic. It ended up getting windy, but it was still nice to be out in the fresh air. Olivia hung out in her stroller while Michael and I ate. She looked so cute with her sunglasses on. I decided to snap a picture. Only.... I couldn't snap just one. She kept making funny faces. She cracks me up!

Project 366: Week 3

2012-01-21T08:28:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted last. I have some ridiculously cute pictures of her in a pair of sunglasses... those are coming. I have a handful of recipes that have been waiting to be posted about for months now. Literally. Those are coming. Ugh. I need to get back in the swing of this blogging thing! Plus, I got an email this weekend that picnik (what I use to edit my pictures) is closing. How sad. So after April 19th I'm going to have to find a new way to make these fun collages.

I decided to make this weeks collage x-large instead of large. I know this means you have to scroll to see the pictures. Let me know what you think. Do you like it the size they have been (large) or is it easier to see when it is x-large like this one?

15. Enjoying a tag on her taggie blanket.

16. She was jumping in her jumperoo while I was making dinner. She was squealing away as usual and I was talking to her while chopping some veggies. I look up and this is what I saw. I literally laughed out loud. Then I grabbed my phone and took a picture before helping her out. Ha ha!

17. Reading one of her favorite books

18. Library story time started up this week. She sat in awe the entire 20 minutes.

19. She has started using her exersaucer. She just took a break to smile for the camera!

20. Apparently she got a SHOCKING email!

21. Just chillin

Project 366: Week 2

2012-01-15T07:14:00.002-05:00

Well don't you know... it's a leap year. So it won't be Project 365. It will be project 366.

Now that I am trying to be more diligent about taking pictures every day, I am taking WAY TOO MANY! It was so hard to pick one per day. I'm just going to need to do a weekly picture dump too. :)

8. Reading a good book--she's so advanced! ;)

9. Reading with daddy after her bath

10. After she ate her bananas, she wasn't too into the avocados. She kept grabbing for the bowl though, so daddy decided to just let her play with her food. Some actually made it to her mouth. She loved it!

11. She is really into tags lately, so I bought her a "taggie" blanket. I was introducing it to her in this picture. I love it when she looks down like this--pretty eye lashes, chubby cheeks, button nose, and her tongue peeping out.

12. Using her new cart cover for the first time. It was her first time sitting in a cart. She did pretty good, but got tired towards the end.

13. Having fun at bath time

14. Bundled in towels after her bath. Daddy caught a quick smile on his phone.

*Just a reminder that you can always click on a picture to see it a little bigger. In this case, it would be the entire collage.

I confess...

2012-01-12T06:52:00.084-05:00

I confess...
I really enjoy making Olivia's baby food, but I bought jarred prunes. I can't bring myself to make them. You don't just get the Sun Maid kind and blend them up (hello sugar and preservatives!). You have to get dried plums and rehydrate them with water and blah blah blah. For the few times she'll eat prunes, I'm alright with the store bought kind.

I confess...
I bought organic fruits and vegetables for Olivia and then horribly unhealthy stuff for Michael and I. I know I need to be healthier, but I was in a hurry and it was cheap.

I confess...
The doctor called and I have high cholesterol. This isn't shocking, since it has been high since I was a preteen. I suppose I need to stop buying said crap and start eating oatmeal every morning. I'll start next week. ;)

I confess...
I'm pretty sure I would be alright to be "one and done". It's not because I don't love my daughter or that I don't love being a mom. I love both. But working and being her full time caregiver is a lot. I can't imagine adding another child to the mix. Plus, kids are expensive. I'd rather give one the best of me than spread myself even thinner. I'm sure my mind (and circumstances) will change in time. I don't think we will be one and done simply because we want Olivia to have a sibling.

I confess...
Being a working "stay at home" mom isn't all it's cracked up to be. Don't get me wrong--I am very grateful to have a job. I am also very grateful that I can be with my daughter all day. However, it's a LOT of work. If I don't have one, I have the other and sometimes I have them both. Some might say that would be like being a parent to two, but it's not really. I have to play by someone else's rules. I have to be on someone else's schedule. I miss out on some of the benefits of being a stay at home mom (if it's a rough day you can just stay home, etc.). I also miss out on some of the benefits of being a working mom (having a half hour lunch break to eat in peace and gather your thoughts, etc.) My daughter is on someone else's schedule. Depending on the day and the activity, she is in and out of the car up to 5 times. I hate that. Like I said, I am grateful. It's just not as peachy as everyone makes it out to be.

I confess...
I am SHOCKED at how ignorant some of my mommy friends are. To the point of covering their ears and saying "la la la" when they don't want to hear something. Or not knowing basic things, like crib bumpers aren't recommended for babies under the age of 1. (It's one thing to not agree. It's a different story to not even know.) I realize that I read and research a lot. I also realize that I am always spewing out facts and tidbits of information to my friends. However, wouldn't you rather know? Why would you not want to do what is best for your child? Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is ignorance. Yes. I said that to one of my friends. :) (I'm not even going to share the examples with you that I really want to. That would just be mean. I'm pretty sure you'd be shocked too.)

I confess...
I just bought a shopping cart cover. I wasn't going to get one because Consumer Reports said they are just as germy as using the cart. But now I have a baby... and she doesn't sit up very well on her own... and I can't push her in the stroller and get everything I need to get... So I caved. Also, I'm not a germaphobe, but the thought of her leaning over and sucking the cart handle grosses me out. I'm positive it would happen. I'm hoping the cover works out. We've yet to use it.

I confess...
I rock Olivia to sleep and I don't feel a bit bad about it. (gasp!!) I keep reading all these posts online about sleep training and "Help! my baby wakes up every 2 to 3 hours now" and blah blah blah. I'm not saying I'll never sleep train. I absolutely will if and when it becomes necessary. The way I see it, she's only a baby for a little bit. Back in the day--before the 8,000 books on what to do to get your baby to sleep--lots of babies were rocked to sleep. Generation after generation turned out alright. Babies are meant to be rocked. She falls asleep in minutes, transfers to her crib just fine, and sleeps for 12 hours. I don't see how that is a bad thing. If I am creating a bad habit (which I very well could be), I'd rather "train" her when she's a little older than when she's still so young.

I confess...
I can't really get into pinterest. Everyone thinks it would be so my thing. Normally, I think it would be. Having a baby has zapped my creativity. Plus, I have no money to craft, so why look. "Pinning" clothing ideas or movies seems very strange to me?!?! I don't get that. I got an email from a friend saying she expected me to have "awesome boards" and they are blank. Why yes they are. I may still get into it. However, half of what I see pinned is literally from years and YEARS ago. Seriously. I realize it's new to some people, but for someone like me who has been looking at craft blogs for 5 years--I get annoyed.

I confess...
While I'm at it, I don't get TOMS. I mean, I know that they give shoes to those in need. But they are UGLY. Why is ugly so popular? And expensive. I would much rather give $25 to buy someone in need a pair of shoes, then spend $60 on cheap and ugly shoes. Peoples toes are constantly peeping out of those poorly made things. Yuck. I don't get it... right along with Coach purses, Louis Vuitton and Uggs. Man, I'm so glad I don't buy into the names.

I confess...

I wrote out a confession three times now about Olivia not being vaccinated and being as healthy as can be. Unfortunately, I feel as though the rest of my thoughts on that topic wouldn't come across as being very nice so I've deleted it. I confess that I am now censoring my OWN blog even more. How frustrating. So much for the many layers........

I confess...
I think I need to choose a new font. This one makes all my exclamation points look like I added an L to the word.

Not Even CLOSE to a Wordless Wednesday! :)

2012-01-11T06:13:00.054-05:00

Ha ha! I was slacking on posts towards the end of the year. I've just been really tired lately. Sitting down and thinking about what to write was the last thing I wanted to do after Olivia went to bed at night. I finally uploaded some pictures onto the computer the other day. So instead of a Wordless Wednesday post, I'm just going to do a picture dump post. Enjoy.

Sitting up like a big girl (with the pillow behind her just in case!)

She is loving this toy lately.

Looking at herself in the mirror. LOL!

(Also, a good view of her crazy hair.)

I sat Olivia on the chair real quick so I could put my tennis shoes on.

She put her arm up on the arm rest on her own. It cracked me up.

So I took a picture.

But she was so cute, so I couldn't just take one.
She's such a sweetheart.

This is how I find her after nap--

raised up on her arms, crazy hair, squinty eyes, rosy cheeks, and a smile (or a tongue!).

How can you not just smile at this?

To Cut or Not to Cut

2012-01-10T06:52:00.001-05:00

Olivia's hair is a bit ridiculous.

Michael wants to cut it.

I do not.

What do you think?

I'll give you a little tour of her head. :)

First, she has this crazy little cowlick. Her hair literally parts right in the middle.

Then there is this funky little triangle that goes the opposite direction of all her other hair.

I'm hoping that when it grows out and she has bangs or something that it will be easier to train.

Oh, and that front patch and the crazy patch next to it are NOT growing.

It's really scraggly. That's why Michael wants it cut.

There is a really thick patch on the front sides and then it thins out some.

Her bald spots are growing in though.

It's super long

Then it gets short again.

Then in the middle of the back it gets long again.

The funny thing is, the long part isn't even the hair that is on the bottom.

The long hair comes from the middle of her head.

Some other views

I will admit that it is a little out of control.

I also have no idea what to do when I put bows on her.

Half her hair stays under her bow, half her hair goes above the bow and it just looks crazy.

The thought of cutting it makes me sad though. I want it to grow and grow and grow.

I think I'm afraid to cut it. What if it looks awful?

Do you think we should cut it or leave it?

Project 365: Week 1

2012-01-09T06:40:00.006-05:00

Have you heard of this? It's where you take a picture every day of the year. Obviously, it's most popular with moms. :) I saw lots of bloggers doing it last year. I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon for this year. I'm hoping I can stay on top of it. I already had a day or two with no pictures and had to ask Michael if he had any on his phone. Since the 1st was on a Sunday, my weeks will go Sunday to Saturday. I'm hoping to post my new collage every Sunday.... but you just never know. :)

1. New Years Day we hung out with our friends Wil, Alycia, and Cammie.

2. Daddy and Olivia were taking a nap.

Unfortunately, when I turned the camera on to snap a picture they both woke up.

3. Olivia was sitting on my lap eating her rattle while Little Man was at Tae Kwon Do.

4. "Hi Mommy!" (just playing on her play mat)

5. We weren't going to do a walker, but she really wants to be on the go. Plus, I needed somewhere else to put her while at work. My brother got her a gift card for Christmas, so we put it towards a walker. She hasn't figured it out yet, but Little Man likes to push her around.

6. She was literally laying face down on her paci. She moved a little when the flash shined on her. Oops.

7. Hanging out in her jumperoo. Fingers are yummy.

Rest in Peace Purple Paci

2012-01-08T09:03:00.002-05:00

We knew we were going to let Olivia have a paci. It's recommended by the AAP for the first year. Going into it, I had read that babies can be picky. We bought a few, were gifted a few, and were given a few unused ones by a friend. Needless to say, we have a bucket full of pacifiers. At first we just used the hospital paci. We also used the wubbanub because it had a similar nipple. She would take them, but wasn't loving them. At a random trip to Target, I grabbed a pack of pacifiers that were latex as opposed to silicone. It said for ages 0 to 24 months. We gave it to her while still using other ones. When my mom was here she said that it seemed Olivia really liked the purple one. Once she mentioned it, we noticed the same thing. It sort of just became her go to paci.

(July 13th)

She loved that paci and it ended up being the ONLY one she would take.

She did this funny little thing with it since the beginning.

She would flip it sideways. Sometimes you'd put it in her mouth and she would do a quick flip and make it touch her nose. Sometimes it would be a gradual shift. I tried and tried to get it on video. It was hysterical. The number of people who tried to turn it was CRAZY! My boss... people at life group... people at Tae Kwon Do... nursery workers... more than half the people she came in contact with at Thanksgiving... They would either try to turn it, or tell me "Her paci is sideways". Then I would have to explain that she liked it that way. I have no idea why. Sometimes it would even make her nose temporarily red. The only thing I could come up with was that she liked it hitting her nose because it was sort of like breastfeeding?!?!

I wasn't worried about her having only one paci. It was a two pack and I carried the back up in my diaper bag. Then one day we were talking with our friends about it. I went to get it out and noticed...

the nipples were two different sizes!!!

What? I had no idea. Why would I have chosen the larger nipple when she was only a week and a half old? This still baffles me.

So I shrugged it off and went off looking for a replacement.

I could not find one anywhere. I looked at Target where I had originally got it. Nope.

I looked at every grocery store, convenient store, and online.

I even went to the Playtex website. All I could find were the smaller nipple ones.

I casually started looking until right around Thanksgiving. The plastic around the outside started ripping. I tried to switch her paci to a different one then but she was NOT having it. So... I tore off the plastic edging.

I almost sent out an APB for all of you to look for one for me.

I'm still not convinced that we didn't end up with some sort of factory defect.

Then, the unthinkable happened

...on Christmas Day no less.

So I went to the bucket. We had tried all the ones we had over and over before.

I started giving the ones we had and one by one she'd make faces and spit them out.

Then, by the grace of God, she took one!

It's a MAM 6 months plus one. It was one of the biggest nipples we had.

It's not nearly as big as her old one, but she's taking it and that is all we care about.

Plus, it's so much prettier. I've already purchased more for back up. They come in multiple colors. Bonus: Now people won't give us the side eye for the ginormous nipple. I am going to miss her paci flipping though. :)

Milk Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI)

2012-01-05T06:30:00.030-05:00

The results are in. Sadly, we have to go back to the Alimentum. Olivia was doing great. She had no change in mood or temperament. She didn't develop any eczema or diaper rash. Surprisingly, her spitting up (and even drooling??) seemed to diminish some. She wasn't coughing up a hair ball or wheezing. There can be multiple signs in a diaper that can show an allergy--color, smell, texture, and consistency. We had issues with all of the above when we were originally going through her issues. This time around all was looking good except for one little thing. Every other diaper (or so) had the stringy/clumpy mucous type stuff in it. (Sorry!) I knew from experience exactly what it meant. Since everything else was going so well, we weren't ready to jump ship just yet. We gave it a week and it kept happening every so often. Olivia seemed happy as can be, but we were worried that it may be doing something on the inside that we didn't know about. I called the doctor to ask if we could keep on with the Sensitive or if we had to switch back. She said that we needed to switch back and try again when Olivia is 9 months old. If there was stringy type poop, then it means that her digestive system isn't fully handling the dairy. It could cause her GI tract to get inflamed or infected, which would not be good. It could also cause issues and allergies with other solids. So back to the liquid gold we go. I'm bummed, but hopeful. It's not really even about the cost. If she continues to have these issues then it means things like no yogurt, no cheese, no puffs (soy), and on and on we go. I'm hopeful that since there were no other issues, and our doctor said to try again in 3 months verses 6, that she could still grow out of it sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we'll just keep praying and believing for healing.

Good Bye 2011

2011-12-31T17:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2012!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about the new year. Besides having a beautiful daughter, 2011 didn't turn out quite how I had pictured or imagined. With us being on one income for almost the entire year, times were tough. I still believe the move to Texas was what was right for us. I'm looking forward to enjoying Texas more this year. I'm looking forward to watching my daughter grow and learn and change. I'm looking forward to change. It has to be coming...

But for now I thought it would be fun to take a look back.

JANUARY

We arrived in Texas on January 1st and moved into our apartment on January 2nd.

Let the adventure begin!

FEBRUARY

Lots of baby things happened in February.

We found out we were having a GIRL and not a boy like we thought.

We registered, started putting together baby furniture, and took a hospital tour.

OH, and the Packers WON the Superbowl! :)

MARCH

Two fun things happened in March--we found our church home and we started getting the nursery put together.

APRIL

In April I traveled to Ohio for my baby shower.

I was incredibly blessed, got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends, and enjoyed a "vacation" of sorts. Then I had a fun road trip back to Texas with my friend Laurie.

MAY

My blood pressure started to creep up in the beginning of May.

A few weeks later it was made official that I would be having a June baby instead of a July baby.

We got a 3D/4D ultrasound done. We also picked our pediatrician.

We didn't know it at the time, but we spent one of our last weekends as "just us" in Ft. Worth visiting the stockyards.

JUNE

June was a BIG month for us! :)

We finished the nursery, packed our bags, and froze meals.

Then I got put on bedrest. :(

We went in for our weekly doctor's appointment on June 22nd and my doctor asked if I wanted to have a baby that night. We went in that night to start the process.

Olivia Grace was born on June 23rd at 7:21 PM.

She came in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long--

with a nice cone head and fire hose sized umbilical cord! :)

JULY

We got her professional newborn pictures done. I'm so happy we did!

My mom came and stayed with us for 10 days.

I was on maternity leave, which was so nice. We spent the month trying to avoid the 100+ temps, work through Olivia's jaundice, and figure out breastfeeding. Also, there were lots of kisses and snuggles! :)

AUGUST

August was a TOUGH month.

Olivia would scream, be unpredictable, projectile puke, and be overall fussy.

I cut out dairy. It seemed to help for a bit, but then we ran into the soy issues--and the ten days straight of excessive and nasty poop.

On top of that, I had to go back to work.

Thankfully... we got that all figured out AND my friend Laurie came for a visit!

SEPTEMBER

Thankfully September went much better.

Olivia got put on her special formula and became a totally different baby.

We got in the groove and she started doing all sorts of fun and new things.

OCTOBER

Olivia was dedicated to the Lord on October 1st.

She enjoyed lots of pumpkin activities.

She went to her first library story time.

And she was the cutest little lady bug around!

We also had a visit from my friend Amanda. Olivia go to meet her and see all sorts of Dallas sights!

NOVEMBER

We took a 20 hour (one way) road trip to Indiana.

Olivia got to meet most of her aunts and uncles, some of her cousins, some of my cousins, my aunts and uncles, and her great grandma. We had a really nice time and Olivia traveled well.

DECEMBER

Olivia experienced her first Christmas.

She met Santa, got lots of gifts, and had fun hanging out at home with mommy off of work for two weeks.

She also tried real food for the first time.

She has such a fun personality that has started to blossom.

I can't wait to see what this next year brings...

So Proud

2011-12-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

Remember this?

If you missed it... BRU had the Alimentum Ready to Feed (purple) bottle in all their emails under the buy 9 get the 10th one free deal. When you looked at the fine print, you realized that the Alimentum was the ONLY one not included in the deals. So I wrote them and complained about false advertisement. Then they sent me a survey. The emails had not been changed yet, so I once again stated my issue.

Guess what shows up in the emails now?

My voice was heard!

It's the small things in life. :)

6 Month Check Up

2011-12-28T06:27:00.007-05:00

We went to Olivia's 6 month well visit yesterday.

She is 28 1/2 inches, which is the 99th percentile.

She is 20 pounds 1 ounce, which is the 98th percentile.

Her head circumference is 18 inches, which is the 99th percentile.

Near perfect! ;)

When the nurse took her temp and length she couldn't see me and started crying. I just got her calmed down and the doctor came in. He didn't even go near her and she screamed bloody murder. She's never been that upset about a stranger before. He said, "So she's starting the stranger anxiety?" I said yes, that it had started last week. He said it's a good thing and is normal. He was so good about it. He did the rest of the visit with her on my lap. He even handed his stethoscope to me and had me put on her chest and move it around. He is not our normal doctor, but rather a different one in the practice. I really liked him.

(How can a 6 month old have so much sass? Oh right--she's mine!)

He was not the least bit concerned about her size. He just kept saying how healthy she was. He said, "She must be a good sleeper." Ha! Sure. No, really, 14 hours a day is good. He said that she is proportionate and there is nothing to worry about. If she was 98th in weight but 30th for height (or something like that), then we'd have a problem. He said we are feeding her exactly the amount we should be. Michael asked if it was an indication that she would be tall or big when she grew up. He said not necessarily. He said some babies are just big. He went on to say that if she goes well above the 99th percentile for weight and stays there, then we would talk about decreasing the formula intake and upping the solids.

He reiterated what I said yesterday--that her main source for her first year should be formula and solids as "the icing on the cake". He asked if we had started solids. When I said she had avocado and sweet potato he enthusiastically said, "Good! Good choices!" Ha! Yes, I knew that. Thanks doc! :) Then he went on and on about how good avocados are and that it is a great food for babies. See all you people who judged (who don't really read my blog anyway)--I wasn't crazy!

We asked if we could go ahead and try a different formula. Babies can grow out of MSPI.

Some doctors say to wait until they are 6 months. Some say to wait until 9 months. Others say wait until a year and then try cows milk. $300 a month for formula is killing us. If we can at least try something different then we'd like to. He gave us the OK to give it a shot. We have about a day of Alimentum left and then we are going to try the Similac Sensitive. Since she is already drinking the Ready to Feed, we decided to go ahead and try that to start. If it works, we will likely switch to the powder (which she's had before). Even if we have to stick with the RTF, it is $3 cheaper a bottle, which would save us close to a hundred dollars a month. If she needs the Alimentum, then by all means we will continue to buy it for her. We'd just like to at least see if she's grown out of it. (PRAY!)

We can't introduce any new solids while we are trying this experiment. Otherwise we wouldn't know if it was the formula or the new food that is causing a reaction. I guess it's a good thing she likes avocado and sweet potatoes! :)

She got her DTaP booster. When she was crying after the nurse took her stats I joked that she was probably crying more at that point then she would when she would get her shot. I was right. She didn't even flinch when she got the shot. I'm honestly not even sure if she knew she got one! :) We go back in a month to get the Hib and PCV booster.

I asked the doctor if we had to get her the flu shot. I am not a fan. I have never had one--even when I was teaching. I don't plan on getting one ever. I think the last time I had the flu was in 5th grade. Even if I get the flu tomorrow (knock on wood that I don't), I stand behind my decision to avoid the flu shot. Therefore, I really didn't want to get it for Olivia. However, if the doctor had said it was a must then I would have done it. When I asked if she had to get it he kind of chuckled. Before he answered I said, "Because I'd really rather her not". Then he said, "Well if you'd rather she not then I'd prefer she not". Meaning, he wasn't a fan either. He gave us a name of an over the counter homeopathic spray that we can use. For babies you spray it under their tongue a couple of times a week to prevent it. If they get the flu, you can use it to help improve the symptoms. I like the idea of that much better than injecting her with all that gunk. I'm really not a hippie. I swear. But I sure do love my holistic pediatricians! :)

SOLIDS!!!

2011-12-27T06:47:00.002-05:00

Olivia turned 6 months on Friday and we decided to start "solids" just a few days before. Like most things, solids aren't done the same way these days as they once were. Back in the day it was always "start with rice cereal, then do all the vegetables before doing fruit". The thought process was that fruit is sweet and if you give sweet stuff first, then they won't eat the veggies. That has sort of been proven wrong in the recent years. Besides, breast milk is SUPER sweet, so that thinking doesn't even really make sense. Plus, I figure with formula that smells (and probably tastes) like dog food, all food has to taste better than that. Also, you no longer have to start with the cereals. Since I am making my own baby food, I've been using a few different resources. One website that I use is found here if you are interested.

Going off the advice of that website and my pediatrician, we started with avocado.

(Apparently this is shocking to ~~some~~ most people!? :) )

I'm not sure how much she actually ate. She was trying to figure out what to do with it. She kept gagging too. I don't think it was because she didn't like the taste. It might have been a texture thing. The next night I added more water to the smashed avocado to make it even thinner. She still gagged. She got into it a little more, but was still trying to figure out what this whole thing was all about. We also broke out the high chair.

(As you can see, we played a little before eating.)

By the third day she was all about the solids. She was opening her mouth for the spoon, leaning her head forward, and looking for more. She also was done with the gagging. I guess she got use to swallowing. She might have eaten a little more than she needed to that night. She ended up puking some of it out later. :(

So far we've been doing it at night. Since she's still learning what it's all about (and pretty much has a constant fountain of drool coming out of her mouth), it's sort of messy. We go right from there to the bath. We aren't being super strict about it. Babies main source of nutrition is suppose to come from formula/breast milk the first year. Solids are "just for fun" at this point. There have been two nights where we weren't home, so we skipped solids those days. If she was underweight or a preemie then I may be more anal about it. At this point I'm just going with the flow. We went from avocados to sweet potatoes. She seems to like them. I'm still trying to decide what we are going to do next. She has a few more days of sweet potato (following the 4 times rule). I'm thinking peas...or maybe bananas.

Here is the video of her trying the avocados for the first time.

Our Christmas

2011-12-26T06:19:00.005-05:00

Warning: This post is going to be a little picture heavy and is mostly for the grandparents... but feel free to take a peak if you are interested! :)

Our morning started at 7:15 with Olivia awaking after sleeping 12 straight hours! Woo hoo! She is right on the verge of cutting a tooth, so I was expecting her to wake up in pain a few times throughout the night. Her bottom gums are swollen and you can see the two white lines of the teeth, but they haven't quite poked through yet. We had a yummy breakfast and then set out to open some gifts! Michael and I didn't exchange gifts this year, so it was all about Olivia!

I tried to pick some of the best pictures. I am not looking my prettiest, but that's what Christmas morn is all about. :) We didn't wrap everything she got. I didn't want it to be too overwhelming. We did make sure she had something to open from everyone who sent her a gift. She had a couple things from most people.

I tried to get a picture of her sitting in front of the tree, but sitting was not on her agenda for today.

So I laid her down and took a picture of her reindeer butt!

She did have socks on, but after kicking them off 3 times I gave up.

One day I want to get matching stockings with our names on them.

It was not in the budget this year. Plus, I couldn't find any I loved.

Then I couldn't find any "O" stockings or even an "O" pin to put on a stocking.

So we went the kiddie route and got a moose stocking. :)

She almost always knows when the camera is on her.

She was looking at the camera instead of the gift in most of the pictures.

(Look Gramma Kathi-no bow! Just crazy hair)

She really did rip the paper.

She liked this package because the paper crinkled after she unwrapped it.

She loved the red tissue paper too.

She started getting sleepy.

We had a bit of a rough mid day due to her discomfort.

I think she was having tummy issues on top of teeth issues, but we eventually got it all resolved.

We headed over to our friends John and Alison's house. Michael went to high school with John. They ended up moving here just months after us. It was nice to be able to hang out with them and their family.

Silly girl!

When the teether isn't close by, the fingers will do.

That was our Christmas. We hope you had a great one too.

From Us to You

2011-12-25T06:42:00.001-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Six Months!

2011-12-24T06:47:00.026-05:00

Olivia Grace, you are SIX months old!

(Holy cow, how did you get to be half a year already?)

What have you been up to?

*I don't know your official height and weight. We'll find those out at your 6 month appointment on Tuesday. From what I've seen, you haven't gained a ton of weight since the last appointment, but you have gained some length. At least according to all of your high water pants! :)

*You are still wearing mostly 3 to 6 months clothes, but I have got all your 6 to 9 month clothes ready. You've worn a few already. (So we did make it a month like I said.) You are still in size 6 to 9 months for footed pajamas.

*You are in size 3 diapers. I was told you would be in that size forever. I don't think you'll be in them as long as I was imagining.

*You are still drinking 6 bottles a day. Most bottles are between 5 and 6 ounces. We have just started to try to give you 7 ounces in your bottle in hopes of weaning down to 5 bottles a day. It's worked once so far. We'll see if we can keep it up.

*We tried switching to the faster flow nipples, but it was just too fast. Surprising for how fast you eat. We'll try again in a few weeks.

*You now know what your bottle is. If you see it, you want it. Since it takes 4 minutes to heat up, we try to make it a little before it's time to eat. We now have to hide it until it's time for you to eat it. You will even stare at empty bottles...even if you are not hungry.

*You are not on a set schedule, but we do have somewhat of a routine down. You go to bed anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30 (depending on when I get home from work), and you sleep 11 to 12 hours. You usually wake up once to eat--somewhere between 3 and 5 AM. You nap every 2 hours, which means 4 naps a day! I wish we were on the 9 and 1 o'clock nap schedule like all the books say. However, you don't nap for an hour to 2. You nap for 30 minutes exactly. I have come to terms with this. Ultimately, you are getting the 14 hours a day you need. I have tried everything I can to extend your naps and it just doesn't work. For now you eat every 3 hours.

*I forgot to mention this last month, but you sleep un-swaddled now. You've been doing this since about 4 and a half months. I did a week with one arm out, two days with both arms out, and then just got rid of it all together.

*You always want to go, go, go. Your mind wants you to move about, but your body just can't do it yet. So instead, you rock your upper body trying to tell us to move you. I have a feeling that once you learn to crawl, you will be non stop!

*You learned to roll from back to belly on December 3rd. Since then you are a rolling machine! Unfortunately, you still haven't figured out/remembered how to roll back.

*You have sat up by yourself for a few minutes now. You aren't great at it yet, so I never leave you sitting by yourself, but you are getting there.

(She lunged at me, so I had to catch her!)

*Since you can roll over, you now sleep on your side or your stomach most nights. Stomach sleeping made me nervous at first, but there really isn't anything I can do about it.

*You are still a fountain of drool, and you shove things in your mouth with force. Those teeth have to be coming soon!

*You have also become a thumb chewer. That's right. You don't suck your thumb(s). You chew them. It's usually because you can't find anything else to shove in your mouth.

*You have started to hold your bottle on your own. You don't do it every time, but if you aren't holding it by yourself, you like to help us hold it. It won't be long before you'll be able to do it independently.

(She's a nosy one. She's always trying to see what daddy is doing. He walked away into the kitchen and she peered around to see what he was up to.)

*You've just started having some separation anxiety. I got called to the nursery last Saturday. I kind of figured it was going to happen. You hadn't even wanted to go to daddy during the day, and you started crying the minute I dropped you off. You had never done that before. Then we went to Little Man's house for dinner and Nana was dying to hold you. You started crying immediately and didn't stop until you were back in mommy's arms.

*I think you reached for me for the first time last week. Although, I haven't really seen you do it again.

*You laugh so much more now. It's so fun to get you going. Your laugh makes me laugh! :)

*Because of your new tub, you now LOVE bath time again. You will kick and splash and play with bath toys. You seem to do a lot of your laughing when you are in the tub. Now our problem is getting you out.

*You blow lots of bubbles and are back to sticking your tongue out a lot.

*You are pretty much over most of your big toys. You will tolerate the bouncer and play mat for short periods of time. You will also tolerate the swing if it is in the upright position. If it is reclined you cry almost instantly. Really, the swing and bouncer need to go to storage. I just keep putting it off because I like having a place to put you in a pinch. I know... I know... You are a big girl now! :)

*I have said for years that I had no doubt our child was going to give us a run for our money. You are a sweet, sweet girl, but you know what you want/like. You've started throwing little tantrums when you don't get your own way--screaming, kicking your legs with force!, and squirming about. I've started telling you no and that we don't act like that. Surprisingly, you seem to understand and stop or calm down at least half of the time, if not more.

*You've also started watching us with intent any time we put something in/near our mouths. I'm hoping this means starting solids will be easy.

*You seem to be an outdoors type of girl. You loved the heat this summer. Now you enjoy the wind in your hair and on your face. I wonder what this means for your future?

(The swing REALLY is about to go into storage! Also, I never put her in there without buckling her in. She would sit up and then topple right out. I just put her in for a quick photo.)

*Things you love right now are: watching the squiggly line screen saver on the computer, your jumperoo, that snail musical thing, eating, baths, anything you can get in your mouth, watching daddy and being held by mommy.

*Your least favorite things right now are: not being able to see mommy, not being able to move, move, move, sitting still, reading (sometimes--only because it requires sitting still), and the reclining in the swing.

HAPPY SIX MONTHS BABY GIRL!

WE LOVE YOU!

6 Month Loves

2011-12-23T05:54:00.011-05:00

Here is our list from this past month.

Blackout Curtains

I have been meaning to get these (or something like them) for a while now. It seems Olivia is sensitive to light. Michael says that his eyes are sensitive because they are so light. When I rock her to sleep, I have to cover her eyes with my hand....even if we have all the lights out. I really wanted the roll shade that you just pull down, but our apartment already has really nice shades. My cousin told me about the curtains at Target, so that's what we went with. I got the $13 ones. They work really well. They are suppose to help with keeping the cold air out too. She took an hour and ten minute nap in her crib the first day. That's the longest crib nap we've ever got. Unfortunately, she's back to her 30 minute naps. I'm still happy to have the curtains though. I think they will come in handy in the future.

Fisher Price 1-2-3 Crawl-Along Snail

I probably could have added this to the list a month or two ago, but right now this is one of her favorite toys. It's one I registered for so we've had it since birth. I've actually been using it with her since she was around 1 month old. It lights up and plays music, which are her favorite things! :) She's just started to look in the mirror too. She'll knock it around. Sometimes she hits herself in the head with it! :) She tries to eat it too. As long as she doesn't knock it over, she will lay on the floor and play with it for a good length of time. I am learning that I really love Fisher Price! We happen to have a lot of Fisher Price items--from our swing to all the rainforest stuff to small toys. I didn't do it on purpose, but it seems that the Fisher Price items we have are some of her most favorite.

Manhattan Toy Winkle

I got this from a friend at my shower. She said it was one of her girls most favorite toys. I remember thinking "Really? It looks kind of weird to me." Once again, I started playing with this with Olivia when she was really small. It's a rattle. I would shake it and talk to her about the colors. It was one of the first toys she could hold (which is one of the reasons my friend said her girls liked it so much). She plays with it, grabs it, pulls it, and puts it in her mouth. :)

Sophie the Giraffe

Last month I told you that Olivia wasn't that interested in Sophie. Well, that has changed. She now holds her, gnaws on her, attacks her, licks her, and bites her. It is one of her favorite teethers and it now goes with us in the diaper bag. I remember seeing a friends kid with it a few years ago and thought "Who would pay $22 for a squeaky giraffe?!" Well, it was a shower gift, but I am the crazy one that registered for it. Everyone raved about it. Lots of people said it was their kids favorite item. It is suppose to be made with food dye so that if any of the stuff comes off while being chewed on, it's not suppose to be harmful. I guess that's why it's so expensive? Either way, I'm happy to have it and so is Olivia.

Munchkin Arm and Hammer Disposable Bags

These are little bags that smell all nice and hide the poopy smell of dirty diapers. Originally I got them for the diaper bag, but we use them all the time. For example, when we are at someone's house (like life group) or at my bosses house, we can put the diaper in one of these. I've even started using them at home. Her diaper pail has started smelling awful. (Darn dog food formula!) They are also good for putting dirty clothes from a blow out in.

Primo's Eurobath

Some of you may think we are crazy, but we bought another bath tub. This thing has saved bath time for us! I loved having the tub we had for when she was young. The sling worked out great and then we she outgrew it, we transitioned well to the next phase. Then she grew... and grew... and grew. Our tub is suppose to be for up to toddler too, but it was not working. I almost wrote a whole post about it. It was one of those things where I thought "Clearly we are missing something. The solution has to be right in front of our face, but we are just too close to the problem." The bathtub had a hump for her to sit on. I'm sure you've seen it in my bath time pictures. The problem was that her head was literally 2 inches above the top. This led to a mess every time. So we tried taking the hump out. But... she can't sit on her own so she would slide, slide, slide. We put the hump back in and tried washing her in the tub so that it wouldn't matter if the water went everywhere. She hated it! Plus, our tub is a garden tub and it makes it hard to bend down. We don't have a sink big enough to bath her in. I tried bathing with her at my grandma's. She screamed and screamed. Then I read a post about "what tub do you use with big babies". This tub was mentioned numerous times. BRU had a sale so we got it. It was well worth the $20! Olivia loves it. I think it's because it's comfortable and she fits!

She even plays with her bath toys, kicks and slashes, and giggles when daddy uses the squirty toys.

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-20T06:33:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday!

We love you!

At Home Christmas Shoot

2011-12-13T06:55:00.007-05:00

People's signatures on the bump were slowly turning to pictures of their babies from at home Christmas photo shoots. Apparently the idea came from pinterest. They looked cute, so I figured I could give it a shot. I've checked out pinterest a time or two, but haven't gotten the bug like so many. I went and did a quick search to see what all the fuss was about. Then I bought a roll of wrapping paper that I thought would be a good back drop. I actually hadn't purchased Olivia's Christmas dress yet, so I wasn't sure what to go with. Thankfully it all went together just fine.

The shoot didn't go great (paper crinkling up, me sweating trying to maneuver everything, Olivia not getting my vision-lol!)........ but it didn't go awful either. It was just Olivia being Olivia. That's all you can ask of a baby! :) I edited these with some different effects just for fun. Here's what we got.

I just love her!

"What is this?"

"I don't know what it is, but I'm going to try to get it in my mouth!"

Then we tried out the tummy

Typical.

I tried sitting her up. I thought maybe I could get a quick shot if she sat for just 5 seconds. It wasn't working. So then we just did some more laying down.

Isn't she so cute? She's the best! How can you not smile when you see that face? :)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cards and Santa

2011-12-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

We went to see Santa on Friday afternoon. Since we are going to do the whole Santa thing, I figured getting an annual picture would be a fun tradition. Plus, Michael really wanted to do it. I wasn't sure how Olivia was going to do. We tried to get there early to beat the crowd, but still ended up having to wait in line for about a half hour. By the time it was our turn, itt was right around when she needed to take a nap. My fingers were crossed. I told Michael that even if she ended up crying and screaming, I was still going to buy the picture. I've come to terms with the fact that she is her own little person. So now, when things don't go as planned, we just look at each other and say "Well, that is Olivia!". Thankfully, she did great. She didn't cry or fuss or anything. It took us a few takes to get a smile, but we were there a fraction of the time that some people were taking! We got two shots that I think are adorable.

I decided to use the one on our Christmas card. Since I didn't send out baby announcements (I know--slacker mom!), I figured a picture card was in order. I have been using shutterfly for all of our picture needs recently. Here is our card for this year. (Most of you will be getting it in the mail in a few weeks. You just get a sneak peek!)

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly is giving me $10 off my next purchase for putting this in my blog.

Olivia's Christmas List Part 2

2011-12-10T06:38:00.001-05:00

Olivia got her Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair from her Grandma (Pryor). I had honestly been eyeing them since I was pregnant (and probably even before that). They are so cute and I had a couple of friends who said their little one loved their chair. I'm so happy to have one for her.

Her Grandma (Pryor) also got her:

This Elefun Busy Ball Popper

Ball poppers aren't anything new. They are tons of fun for the kiddos and can get annoying for the parents. It's just one of those toys where you have to suck it up and enjoy the fun! :) I thought this elephant one was super cute. I can't wait to see what she thinks about it!

A Shape Sorter--because every kid should have one

My First Mirror

I've read all sorts of places that babies should play with/look in mirrors. I guess that's sort of common knowledge. It's suppose to encourage social skills. They don't realize at first that they are looking at themselves. We have a few tiny mirrors on some of the toys she has, but nothing big enough to play with. We do hold her in front of bathroom mirrors, but I wanted a safe one to use for play. This one can fold up (as shown) for tummy time, or it can attach to the crib.

I already told you that she is getting Jacque the Peacock. It has all sorts of fun colors, textures, and noises.

Olivia didn't have many soft plush toys, so I thought this would be a great add to her collection. I'll be honest--since I knew Michael's mom wouldn't mind, we took it with us on our Indiana trip. Again, my reasoning was that new toys might keep her attention in the car. She really seems to like him. I'm glad we have him and Olivia the owl! :)

Grandma (Hartman) got her:

My Pal Violet

You can hook it up to your computer and it learns your babies name. You can add songs and other things that are babies favorite. I'm not 100% sure how it all works yet since we haven't done anything to it. It's suppose to grow with your child (ages 6 months to 36 months), so I think you can change the information as they grow. I love leap frog toys, so I'm sure this will be an awesome (and educational) toy.

Grandma Hartman also got her some outfits and pajamas in the next size up. Thankfully, I got to pick them out at Thanksgiving. ;) All of the clothes that were given to me by my friend were for 9 months and under. Olivia is in 6 to 9 month pajamas now--all of which are the hand me downs. We needed to stock up on some size 12 months for when she needs to make the move. This gift will be very helpful for us in the months to come!

Michael's sister Jenny wanted to get Olivia some books. I have hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of children's books. Unfortunately, they are more geared for ages preschool to 2nd grade. We have been slowly adding to our baby book collection. We made an amazon wish list and Olivia is getting some AWESOME books! I am so excited.

I am all about the library. I've mentioned that on here many times. I am not all about board books from the library. Babies put those things in their mouth. Then my daughter is going to shove it in her mouth? I think not. So we really wanted to get her some board books.

I love these bear books! I stumbled upon them a few years ago at a library trip with Little Man. Both he and I fell in love and we would pick them up often.

Olivia is getting Bear Snores On, Bear Wants More, Bear Feels Scared, and Bear Stays Up For Christmas. There are a few more in the series, but they didn't come in board books. I know they were Kohl's $5 books once, so I'm hoping they do that again. I'd love to get the others. Even if I have to get the hardcover instead of the board ones. (Michael has already been reading some of these to her and every time he reads them he comments on how much he likes them. We made a believer out of him too!)

We are also Llama Llama fans. We already had two and she is getting 2 more.

She is also getting God Gave Us You, 2 of the My Very First books from Eric Carle, and a Rainbow Fish Cloth Book. We read to her every day. Most days she is read to on multiple occasions. Both Michael and I are happy to add some new books to the mix. :)
(NOTE: Some of these books are from Michael's mom. His sister and his mom bought together, so I don't know who got what. I'm not trying to point out who got what here. I'm just sharing my ideas for those who are interested.)

Overall I think she is getting a good mix--practical, fun, educational, and necessary. She's blessed. :)

Olivia's Christmas List

2011-12-09T06:56:00.013-05:00

There have been so many posts on the bump about "what are you getting your little one for Christmas?". Then I had a friend say to me, "How do you know what to get Olivia for Christmas?". She is wondering what to get her daughter and seems to think that I have some super knowledge on the topic. :) My cousin was also asking me for a few ideas for her daughter. I figured, with all the talk about "what to get your child", I'd share Olivia's list. There may be a few of you out there that need an idea for a friend, niece/nephew, grandchild, etc.

I use to say that we weren't really going to do much for our child's first Christmas because they won't remember it anyway. Why not save our money for when it counts? Yeah, that was until I had a child! :) So then I decided that we'd just get a few necessities. We are on a tight budget and aren't even exchanging gifts ourselves. Our list of who we are buying for is getting smaller and smaller this year. My intent was to just get what we would need already. Of course... I went a little above and beyond, but I don't think I went too out of control. :)

First, I got her an O ball. People on the bump were raving about it. It's suppose to be easy to hold, etc. Lots of moms said their little one (around the same age as Olivia) loved it.

Note: The link and picture are from Amazon, but I got it at Target. I couldn't find it on the Target website, but I paid under $5--not the $8.99 listed.

I also got these baby flashcards, which I think are a-dor-able! They've already come in the mail and I am happy to say that I was not disappointed.

Since Olivia will be turning 6 months two days before Christmas, we got some of her eating items. We may not use these right away, but I used them for Little Man and loved the suction cups on the bottom.

Spoons

and Mesh Feeders are going in her stocking.

(Again, I bought these items at Target, but was having problems finding some of them on their website. I just linked up to Amazon.)

Traditions--I am all about traditions, so there were a few things I wanted to do. One, was get Christmas pajamas every year and open them on Christmas eve night. Then she can wear them that night and have them on Christmas morning when she opens presents. We stopped in a local second hand store a few weeks ago and I happened to stumble upon Christmas pajamas in Olivia's size (with the tags still on!!!) for $4. Score! I couldn't find the link, but it's the Carters one that says "I love Santa" and has a reindeer on the butt.

I also had to get her a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. I want to get her a new ornament each year. I found this Hallmark one for 40% off at Kohl's. I love it! The ribbon says "Babies First Christmas". Then on the front of the carriage is the year. It's simple and classy. Timeless.

We are thinking of doing another tradition where she gets a Disney DVD each year. We figured we need to start the collection now. We haven't gotten it yet, but we are thinking of getting The Lion King this year.

That was going to be it. Not bad, considering half our list is under $5. But... then Michael got a job and we had a good after Thanksgiving day coupon, so we ended up getting one (sort of) big gift.

This activity table is going to be from Santa. ;)

That's all from us. My mom and Michael's mom and sister have already shopped for her. I'll share that list tomorrow. It's probably more exciting! :)

This and That Thursday

2011-12-08T06:56:00.045-05:00

Don't you know that as soon as I put on here that Olivia can't quite roll over yet...she rolls over! :)

Last Friday she was playing on her play mat and I was messing around in the kitchen. I could see her and kept talking to her while I busied myself with dirty bottles, a snack, and cutting some fruit. I looked at her, said something, turned to put something in the fridge, grabbed my water and went to sit by her and this is what I saw:

It took a second to register, then I shouted "Oh my goodness, you rolled over!"

Since Michael wasn't home, I quick grabbed the camera and took a few shots. Then I sent him a text and told him. I said not to be sad that he missed it, because I missed it too! ha!

She rolled from tummy to back almost two months ago. She's only done it a handful of times though. Either she wasn't interested or she forgot what she was suppose to do. Not this time. Now that she can roll from back to tummy, she is a rolling machine. Unfortunately, this means at night too. I would be fine with it if she would actually just sleep on her stomach. Instead she wakes up and gets mad that she's on her stomach. Hopefully she'll either get use to it and just fall asleep, or she'll remember how to turn herself over. This momma is tired!

She is also not going to make it a month in her 3 to 6 months clothes like I had predicted. I don't know what happened there either. She seemed to be fitting in them just fine. Some even had some room to grow. She must have had an over the weekend growth spurt or something, because twice this week I have tried to put something on her that is too small. Most of the issue seems to be in height. Two pair of pants were literally like an inch too short. I seriously laughed out loud after I put one pair on. I couldn't believe how short they were. I busted out a pair of 6 to 9 month jeans and they fit perfect. It appears we may be slowly moving our way up to the next size sooner rather than later.

She's sat up on her own for a few seconds, too. I am working hard on this skill. I have never been one to wish away my child's days. I am trying to enjoy each and every phase (whereas Michael is ready for her to walk and talk. I don't think he knows what that really is going to mean! lol). However, I would love if she could just sit unassisted. That's all I'm asking. She doesn't have to crawl for months. I'd be alright with that. I just need her to sit. It would open so many new doors for us--grocery carts, high chairs, the floor at work (and at home)... you get my point. Needless to say, those few seconds she sat up on her own were super exciting for me! :)

Michael started his new job. I hate it. Hate. It. Don't get me wrong--I am thrilled to have another pay check coming it. That is the only thing I am happy about though. The schedule sucks. Just like at AT&T, the time you are suppose to get off means nothing. The norm is 60 to 70 hours. Yeah, I'm not OK with that--no matter how much money it would bring in. Not only that, but he's dealing with lead and acid and all sorts of big scary machines. It's just not good. He's not too thrilled about it either, but it could get our debt paid off fast and give us a nice down payment on a house. I'm not sure how long he's going to try to stick it out, but I am looking online every day for a new job for him! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T06:25:00.002-05:00

To My Husband (and all other dads with little girls)

2011-12-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

This article is so sweet. Except number 11. Feel free to skip number 11. I mean, you can say yes... just not about a puppy! :)

5 Month Loves

2011-12-02T06:26:00.001-05:00

Olivia has made lots of changes in the last month. She is holding items. She is more into playing with toys. She has great head control and likes to be in the upright position. That has led us to many new "loves".

First, she really likes her jumperoo. We started using it with her when she was little over 3 and a half months. She enjoyed it then, but she has really gotten into it in the last month. She knows just what to do. Sometimes she likes to bounce like crazy. Sometimes she plays with and inspects the toys in front of her. Sometimes she just sits there, enjoys being upright, and checks out her surroundings. We like to use it because it's somewhere to put her where she can be squirmy (which she is all the time), see what's going on (which she loves), and give our arms a break! :)

Summer Infant Video Monitor

I've mentioned on here before how a video monitor was a must in my book. We are still using one with Little Man, and I plan to get years of use out of the one we have. Thankfully, because of a gift, we were able to get a nice one. Now that Olivia is sleeping in her crib, it has become an every day used item. The big screen is a 7 inch LCD screen that we have set up in our living room. It's nice because she goes to bed so much earlier than us. We can take a quick glance at the monitor from any position in the living room/kitchen and see what's going on. I keep the little one by my bed.

Bright Starts Rattle Teether

Olivia is wanting anything and everything to go into her mouth. She sucks on her hands. She chews on her bibs and burp clothes. She tries to stick almost any toy she can hold on to into her mouth. My mom got her this toy at Thanksgiving and it is one of her new favorites. It's easy for her to hold and she really likes chewing/sucking on the the lollipop side. She practically sticks the whole thing in her mouth! She also enjoys this hand and foot teether. She's not really into them being chilled yet. I assume that will come with the full on teething hits. She is just getting into Sophie as well, but doesn't love it as much as everyone said she would.

Olivia the Owl

I really enjoy all the developmental and educational toys that Lamaze puts out. That is why I put Jacques the Peacock on her Christmas list (for her grandma). I happened to stumble upon a clearance bin at Kohl's a few days before Thanksgiving. I figured I'd take a peek and see if there was anything we could use for the trip. My thought being that a "new" toy may hold her attention in the car. What did I find?! An educational toy (my favorite).... that was an owl (hello, awesome!)... whose name was Olivia. Must Have! The bonus was that it was on sale. Even better, she really likes it!

Lamaze Cloth Book

Speaking of Lamaze, she really likes this cloth book. She enjoys being read to in general, but she likes this one because it has crinkle pages. It's one of the only soft books she has, so we play with it often and it's easy to shove in the diaper bag too.

Baby Einstein Take-Along Tunes Toy

Ok, I know I changed the title to "loves" instead of "must haves", but this one really is a must have in my book. Olivia loves it. We've been using it since soon after birth, but it has recently become a staple in our diaper bag. She can be full on crying in her car seat or getting fussy when we are sitting at Tae Kwon Do....I put the music on and she immediately stops. Sometimes she watches the lights and sometimes she just likes to listen to the music. It's just the right size to take along with us too. Plus, it's cheap. I call it her baby ipod. :) (Ours looks a little different. It's an older model that I bought on sale while I was still pregnant. It's basically the same thing though.)

Five Months!

2011-11-30T06:41:00.001-05:00

Olivia Grace, you are five months old!

(Ok, so I'm a week late. Forgive me!)

What have you been up to?

*Well, for starters, you were totally in to this months photo shoot. It went so fast, you cooperated, and I got some great pictures. I swear, you even posed yourself for a few. I was thrilled! Finally! :)

*You are still wearing size 3 to 6 month clothing. I don't quite understand it since you are in the 98th percentile. It seems you should be in bigger clothes, but not yet. I think you'll be making the switch to the next size in about a month. You have such a great wardrobe for this size. I hope you stay in it a while longer! :)

*You have moved to size 6 to 9 months for pajamas though. You are too long for the smaller size.

*You moved to size 3 diapers right before our trip. We probably should have moved you a week or two sooner, but we were trying to use up the rest of the 2's.

*You are using your hands MUCH more now. You will grab for toys and hold items for good lengths of time.

*You haven't rolled from your back to your belly on your own yet, but you are *this* close. Your one arm always seems to get in the way.

*You've decreased your formula intake. You now take anywhere from 4 to 6 ounces per bottle. Your norm is 6 bottles, but every once in a while a small seventh bottle is thrown in. Either way you take between 30 and 34 ounces a day.

*Apparently you are a fast eater (like your mommy!). We sort of already knew this, but it was confirmed by the large number of people who commented on it during our trip to Indiana. You average about an ounce a minute.

(This picture cracks me up!)

*As seen above, you have personality! :)

*You have started to giggle and laugh more regularly, which makes me happy!

*You are still the little talker. You've added some squeals and throat gurgles to the mix.

*You have a constant fountain coming from your mouth. A bib is generally soaked (and I do mean soaked) within a half hour. You are constantly shoving everything in your mouth as well. There are still no signs of teeth coming through though yet.

*I'm happy to announce that your cradle cap is gone--with the help of some olive oil and a baby brush!

*Unfortunately, you started losing your hair. You've been losing large amounts of it for the past 3 to 4 weeks. Thankfully it's starting to grow back in quickly.

*Despite losing a lot of hair, you still have a ton and it's super long in parts. It's to the bottom of your ears on the sides. Its also pretty long in the back when straightened out. If you were a boy, you would have already had your first hair cut!

*We officially made the switch from the car seat carrier to the convertible car seat. We figured the more room you had for the trip, the better.

*You are not sitting up on your own yet, but we are working on it. It would be oh so helpful now that you are in a convertible car seat instead of the carrier. (Sitting in the chair does help her sit up some, so it does appear that she can do it. She can't without support and even then she topples over a lot.)

*You have gotten much better at lifting your head when on your tummy. Yay!

*Your sleeping is a MESS. I have tried everything I can think of. I have read and read and done what the books said. Nothing seems to be working. You fight sleep like it's your job! You hardly nap and since our trip, you have begun waking up more often in the night. Ugh!

*I'm not sure how it is, but I think you are getting cuter by the day!

*We adjusted some things at bath time and it seems to be getting better. (Except at my grandma's house where you had to take a bath in the big tub and you screamed bloody murder the entire time!)

(Yep, the swing is still around.)

*Your favorite things right now are: your jumperoo, Olivia the owl plush, your fingers in your mouth, watching daddy move about the kitchen doing dishes, mommy holding you, and anything music related.

*Your least favorite things right now are: SLEEP!, NAPS!, and getting buckled into your car seat.

HAPPY FIVE MONTHS BABY GIRL!

WE LOVE YOU!

A few more... for the grandparents, of course.

Ok, so I like them too. :)

A Week of Thankful

2011-11-28T06:34:00.008-05:00

Our trip to Indiana was wonderful. It was just what the doctor ordered! I'm so glad we went.

We got a little later start that we wanted. We hit the road around 4:30 on Friday night. Unfortunately, we hit some rush hour traffic that slowed us down some. We stopped for dinner after a few hours. That lasted way longer that it should of. After getting back on the road, Olivia fell asleep quickly. She woke up whenever we stopped for gas, but she did great otherwise. We also stopped for a sit down breakfast. We all needed to stretch our legs some. We ended up getting to my grandma's at 12:30 eastern time, which is 11:30 our time. (Yep. 19 straight hours in the car with a 5 month old. Where is our gold stars?)

I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I should have.

We went to a birthday party for my cousin's twin boys. We went out to eat with other family. We played cards. We talked. We relaxed. We played with kids. We shopped. We ate. It was delightful.

Four Generations

For whatever reason, my grandma wasn't looking at the camera for 2 out of the 4 pictures taken. (And we did ONE CAMERA AT A TIME!?!) One was blurry, so this is what we get.

Olivia with my grandma

My cousin Sonja had a baby a few months after me, so my grandma wanted a picture of the babies together.

We took quite a few trying to get a good one.

We didn't pose them like this. Somehow Olivia put her hand on Emersyn's knee.

Then by the end of the photo shoot, Emersyn had her hand on Olivia!

A cute one of Olivia

Olivia played her first card game. She grabbed for the cards right away.

Olivia and my cousin Sonja

My mom bought Olivia this rattle teether.

Since Olivia is all about putting everything in her mouth right now--she was pretty happy with it.

Thanksgiving day

Thankfully Olivia went to pretty much anyone who wanted to hold her.

The only time she had a problem was if she was really tired.

I think the whole "stranger danger" phase is suppose to set in around 6 months, so we just missed it!

I mean really, can you get any cuter? I think not! :)

And because she's so cute... her are a million more pictures of the same thing! ha ha

My cousin Erica's kids were in love with her.

They kept wanting to touch her and kiss her. It was so sweet.

My little turkey

You can see how sleepy she was.

She fights sleep normally, but she was all out of sorts on this trip.

She was worse than normal when it came to sleeping.

Thankfully, about 5 minutes after this was taken, she was asleep in my sister's arms.

After a nap...

This picture just cracks me up!

Olivia was great for the drive back too.

She gave us a little bit of a hard time at Jenny's house with sleep, but it's to be expected.

(All the pictures of her with Jenny are on Michael's phone. :( )

Over all, I'd do it again. Although, I hope next year we are flying!

Are we crazy?

2011-11-18T06:58:00.026-05:00

Maybe just a little! We are actually going to drive to Indiana for Thanksgiving....with a five month old BABY! Yep. It's happening. Today, in fact. Google says it will take 17 hours. That is not factoring in any food stops, gas stops, bathroom/diaper change stops, bottle feeding stops, or baby-is-having-a-meltdown stops. I'm scared and excited all in one! :)

It's super important to me, so that is why we are doing it. Thanksgiving isn't just about a meal to me. It's not even about the day. It's about so much more. First, it's about tradition. I have been traveling to my aunt and uncles house for Thanksgiving since I was around 10 years old. I have gone every year since then. When Michael and I got together I told him I wasn't interested in this year we go here for this holiday and this year we go here for that holiday business. All I cared about was that Thanksgiving was still at my aunt and uncles house.

The day of Thanksgiving is in and of itself worth the trip. A lot of my extended family gathers--aunts, uncles, my mom, my grandma, some of my siblings, in laws and nieces and nephews, my cousins (who are like my siblings) and their kids. We usually have around 30 people. Some years it has been more. A few years it's probably been a little less. Either way, it's big and loud and fun. We eat our Thanksgiving meal at lunch. Then we sit around and play games, talk, watch football, and do a craft. People don't just leave after a little while. We stay until it's time to break out the leftovers for dinner. Last year I was at my aunt and uncles house playing games with my cousins until about ten o'clock when we lost electricity.

The fun doesn't stop there. My usual trips were the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to the Sunday after. Those days are filled with lunch dates with my cousins, hanging out at my grandma's house with any and all random relatives that stop by, shopping, playing more games, and much more.

When I was younger and we actually spent the night at my aunt and uncles, the tradition included: a blueberry pancake breakfast the Friday after, watching home videos, homemade pizza the Friday night after, playing hide and seek with the cousins, and lots and lots of card playing.

I am just meant to be in Indiana for Thanksgiving. This year I am super excited to introduce Olivia to lots of her family. She'll get to meet some of her own aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as my aunts, uncles and cousins. My grandma is super excited to meet her, and of course my mom can't wait to see her again.

I'm not ignorant enough to think that it's going to be a piece of cake trip. Traveling any length of time with a 5 month old can be tricky. That is why we are driving through the night. Olivia sleeps about 12 hours a night (with one wake up around 5 AM to eat, but she goes right back to sleep). If we can have her sleeping 12 of the 17+ hours that it is going to take, then I am game. We also have a portable DVD player just in case. Don't judge. I'm no fool! :)

We've stocked up on "on the go" cans of formula for the car ride, diapers, snacks for mommy and daddy, the only caffeinated soda we agree upon, and books on tape/DVD's from the library. We are rolling out as soon as I get home from work, which will hopefully be around 3:30/4. We aren't sure how many times we'll need to stop or how long the stops will be. We are hoping to get in to Ft. Wayne by noon.

We will spend the week with my family and then start the journey for home bright and early on Friday morning. We are driving to Michael's sister's house which is about half way for us. We will spend Friday evening with her, as well as most of Saturday. We are going to leave soon after dinner on Saturday night--in hopes that once again we can cash in on Olivia sleeping. Then we will spend Sunday resting and recuperating.

Needless to say, I won't be on here this coming week. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll try to take lots of pictures and fill you in on our trip!

Bountiful Brunch Pizza

2011-11-17T06:57:00.002-05:00

When I was meal planning for Amanda and Hieu's visit, I asked Amanda what kind of things they liked and didn't like. She kept telling me they'd eat anything. I wanted to make sure they would eat and like what I made, so I kept pestering her. :) Finally I got a small list of dislikes and an even smaller list of likes. On the list of likes was eggs. She said Hieu loved eggs. What can you do with eggs? I'm not a huge egg maker. If I do make them it's either scrambled or an omelet. Neither of which are too exciting in my book.

I remembered a recipe my mom use to make when we had company. It was a Pampered Chef recipe and I happened to have the cookbook containing said recipe. I figured I'd give it a go. It had eggs!

What you'll need

Crust:

1 package (24 oz) frozen shredded hash brown patties, thawed and broken apart

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Egg topping:

7 eggs

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped ham

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup green onion slices (I used regular onions)

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 cu (6 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cover a baking stone with parchment paper. I didn't have parchment paper, so I used wax paper. I thought they were interchangeable. They are not!

In a bowl, combine potatoes, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Spread potato mix into a 14 inch circle on prepared stone.

Pat down with back of spoon

Since I knew that Amanda, Hieu and Michael would like it to have salt and pepper. I added what I thought was a fair amount. I also sprinkled some garlic powder on the top. Because who doesn't love garlic. I'm not sure I did enough though. I don't think you could taste it.

Bake 20 minutes.

While the crust was cooking, I cut up the veggies.

I sort of measured, but since it was just a pizza topping I was a little generous.

I also used 2 cups of cheese verses 1 1/2 called for and a little more ham.

Remove crust from the oven.

(This is when I found out that parchment paper and wax paper are not interchangeable. Needless to say, my smoke detectors went off.)

To make the egg topping, whisk eggs and milk in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Again, I felt I added a fair amount.

I know this is going to sound weird, but it's the directions...

Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes; stir

Microwave an additional 3 minutes; stir.

Spread cooked egg mixture evenly over potato crust.

Top with ham, mushroom, onions and peppers

Sprinkle with cheese

Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes

Cut into wedges and serve.

It was a hit!

Check up

2011-11-16T06:31:00.005-05:00

We had Olivia's 4 month check up yesterday. Yes--one week before she turns 5 months! :)

This is her new party trick! She found her bottom lip and keeps making ridiculously funny faces.

She is 18 pounds, 5. 5 ounces which is the 98th percentile

She is 27 inches long which is also the 98th percentile

They measured her head at 17 inches. I must have measured the wrong spot.

Her head is 88th percentile instead of the 97% I said it was.

She got two shots and took them like a CHAMP!

I had heard the 4 month shots were worse than the 2 month shots, so once again I was scared.

She didn't even flinch for the first shot!

She started to whimper a little for the second shot. Then she cried for a split second, but had already stopped when I went to pick her up.

I don't know if it's because we are doing a delayed schedule and she got less than what is normal....

OR if it's because she's a chunky monkey and thick thighs helped...

OR if she's just that good. :)

Everything looked good with Olivia. The nurse practitioner was pleased.

We got some questions answered concerning solids, naps, and cradle cap.

Her six month appointment will be on December 27th.

NOTE: All these pictures were taken right after we got home from the doctor. You can see that she was doing just fine. She got a little crabby in the afternoon and ended up taking a 3 hour nap. Other than that, she did great.

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T07:01:00.007-05:00

This picture was an action shot in the jumperoo so it turned out a little blurry.

Her face is just too funny not to share though!

Art Projects

2011-11-07T06:48:00.017-05:00

Little Man and I don't do many crafts anymore. We just don't have the time. He's at school for six hours a day. He naps for an hour. (Yes, he STILL naps!). Depending on the day, we do an hour of our own "workbook" time--which is more like learning time, but we call it "workbooks". He also has Tae Kwon Do twice a week, gymnastics once a week, and soccer practice once a week. Any time we have left is his "free time" to play what he wants or watch TV. These days it's mostly play.

So when he brought some art projects home from school that I thought were sort of cute, I thought I'd share. (Please ignore my fingers. I was covering his name.)

As much as I don't like cats, I think this project with the yarn is pretty cute.

Ft. Worth

2011-11-06T06:00:00.037-05:00

Amanda and Hieu wanted to make sure to make it to a rodeo while they were here. We hit up Fort Worth on Friday. They were able to see the cattle drive and then we did some site seeing and some shopping.

Being such a good girl in her stroller

We ate dinner at the highly recommended Cattleman's and then headed to the rodeo.

Yep. I was "that" mom that I myself would have judged about 6 months ago. I took my baby to the rodeo. Under normal circumstances I never would have done this. We just didn't have anyone to watch her. Even if we did--we were gone from 2:30 in the afternoon until about 11:00 that night. That's just to long to leave her for the first time.

So.... I put little cotton balls in her ears. Then I covered the ears with more cotton balls and put a headband on to hold the exterior cotton balls in place. The rodeo is loud and I wanted to protect her hearing as much as possible. Plus, I was hoping she would sleep. Yeah. I should have known better. She doesn't sleep well in the first place and especially not when there are things to see! :)

She was dead tired by the end of the night, but she stayed awake the whole time and seemed to enjoy it. She only cried a little bit at the very beginning and that was because I was trying to make her go to sleep. I thought for sure that she'd pass out when we got in the car. Nope. She was awake most of the hour drive home. Crazy girl.

(with her slobber all over my shirt!)

So sleepy

All in all, Amanda and Hieu go to see a little bit of stereotypical Texas. We all enjoyed a fun rodeo. Olivia was awesome. It was a good time and I'd do it the same again. Yee haw!

This and That Thursday

2011-11-03T05:58:00.036-04:00

4 month check up
We were suppose to have Olivia's four month check up on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the nurse practitioner (who we were to see) got in a bad car accident and is out for a bit. Another provider is out for some reason, so our appointment got pushed all the way to the 15th. She'll be almost 5 months at that point! Oh well.

Unofficial Stats
There was a baby scale in Little Man's closet so I asked if we could use it. G said we could just have it. We weighed Olivia earlier this week and she is 17 pounds 4 ounces. I guess our scale was right. We measured her length at 26 inches. We laid her on a disposable changing pad and drew the lines just like at the doctor. I also measured her head. The girl has a BIG head! We only have two hats (both bought during pregnancy on clearance). One is 0 to 6 months and just went in the bin with clothes she's outgrown. I couldn't even attempt to get it on her head. The other is 6 to 12 months and barely fits. Normally I wouldn't have cared about the measurement, but I need to get her a hat before we head north for Thanksgiving. Lots of the etsy sellers give measurements, so I needed to know what size to order. Are you ready for this? 17 and a half inches! She's a half inch away from needing 12 month to 24 month old hats! We happened to have a Christmas santa type hat (also purchased on clearance during pregnancy). It said size 24 months and fit perfect. Oh boy! Anyway, I found some kind of calculator online to figure out the percentiles. According to that she is 96% for weight, 91% for height and 97% for head circumference. At least she's still proportionate. Plus, she's technically 4 1/3 months so the percentiles could be off just a little. :)

Car seats
Our original plan was to wait until Christmas and ask for/buy her convertible car seats. Even though she isn't at the 22 pound weight limit yet, she looks big for the carrier. Not only that, but it's a beast to carry around. Plus, the car seat check ladies said that when she was an inch from the top that it was time to move her. She's getting very close to that inch. We used our online consumer reports subscription and checked out what was best. For years it's been Britax so that is what I was going to get. It's what Little Man uses. Britax car seats are a fortune so I wasn't upset when there was a Graco one with higher rankings. :) I found a good deal online at Walmart and they will ship it to your local store for free. We got two--one for my car and one for my work car. It would be nice to have one for Michael's car, but it's not a necessity at this point. They will be in on November 10th. It's suppose to last until she is 65 pounds, so hopefully that is a looooong time from now! :)

Crib
We moved Olivia to her room/crib last week and she has done fine. For logistical reasons, when Amanda and Hieu came to stay we gave them our room. We stayed in the guest room/nursery. So technically we were still sleeping in the same room for her first five nights in the crib. She did fine when we went back to our room though. In fact, the first night she slept for ten hours! She's back to getting up twice a night, but she sleeps 12 hours so I can't complain too much.

Swaddle
We are in the process of trying to break the swaddle. I've tried off and on for the last few weeks, but I always end up giving in. Why is it so much work? :) She busts out of it every night though, and that makes me nervous. Most people said they stopped when the baby could roll from back to belly. I don't imagine that is going to happen any time soon, but she was so fed up with the swaddle. She definitely sleeps better with it, but she fights it so much that I figured it was just time. Right now we are doing a few days of one arm out. I tried cold turkey twice and it didn't go so well. I'll let you know how the gradual wean works.

Solids
Everyone keeps asking me if we've started solids yet. I had decided when I was pregnant that I was going to wait until 6 months to start solids. I was pretty set on it too. Then Olivia came and she is a big girl. I started second guessing myself...wondering if maybe she needed more to satisfy her. Of course, that was silly because she is not showing ANY of the signs that would indicate it was time to start solids with her. I called and asked my pediatrician what she thought (since my appointment got pushed back) and she agreed that it would be best to wait until 6 months. I knew that is what the AAP recommends, but I wanted to know what my pediatricians view point was. That's why you choose your pediatrician. She said that if I absolutely thought it was necessary, I could start rice cereal when she was 5 months. After some research, I had pretty much already decided that I wanted to skip cereals. Baby rice cereal and baby oatmeal cereal have little to NO nutritional value. (Of course grinding your own is a different story). I told the nurse that I would rather her just have more milk than eat cereal as a filler. She laughed and said that was what I should do anyway, so it's settled. When to start solids seems to be a hot topic. There is a debate whether starting early vs late helps with future allergies. That was another reason I was questioning my 6 month decision. Obviously Olivia already has allergy/tummy issues, so I wanted to make sure I was making the right choice for her. I feel that I am. I could list all the many reasons I feel the way I do, but if you are really interested you can just go here.

Cowboys and Longhorns

2011-11-02T07:18:00.051-04:00

On Thursday, Hieu and Amanda treated us to a tour of Cowboy Stadium. The Cowboys are Hieu's favorite team, so it was a must-see for them.

The ginormous screen

and field

Jerry Jones on the field giving some sort of interview

The tour guide was giving all sorts of fun facts and statistics.

None of which I could recall enough to share with you.

Olivia thought the screen was pretty cool.

Jerry Jones has three places he can go during a game. This one is the only one we got to see. It's called his "perch". This is just moments before Olivia puked all over the floor. :)

Cool lighting

The field again-It says Horned Frogs because TCU was going to be playing there Friday night.

Inside the locker room on the offense side

Still in the locker room... Amanda taking a picture of Hieu

Where the players run out onto the field

Olivia was falling asleep sitting up while daddy was carrying her.

We moved her over to me and she was out in seconds.

Amanda's reaction to the sign that said "Cowboys Cheesesteak" LOL!

The night before we headed out to a park to take pictures with the longhorns.

These statues are everywhere!

Being the responsible one ;)

Until I got suckered into it!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T13:14:00.000-04:00

Trick or treating is one of Michael's favorite childhood memories. I, on the other hand, wasn't allowed to trick or treat. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted my kids to go trick or treating, but it was so important to Michael that I gave in. So Olivia and I went trick or treating for the first time together! I ended up having a great time!

Since we live in apartments and Little Man lives in a gated community with mammoth houses, we decided to go trick or treating with him. Of course, he was thrilled.

Waiting to head out...

I was a little worried how she was going to handle the hood. She hasn't liked hoods on from hoodies in the past, but she didn't seem to mind one bit.

We put her in the stroller without the carseat for the first time.

She's not necessarily strapped in right, but we wanted her costume to be able to be seen.

She did really well.

Little Man wore the same dinosaur costume for the THIRD year in a row.

Last year he chose a storm trooper costume. It was purchased, yet he went with the dinosaur.

This year a ghost AND Optimus Prime costume were purchased. He went with the dinosaur.

It's already getting too small, so I'm pretty sure it won't even be an option next year. :)

Taking it all in...

This house is across the street from Little Man's house.

You can see just how big it is by the teenagers there to trick or treat.

Guess what they gave out? A dum dum. Umm... really?

One single dum dum?! The cheapest bag of candy you could find!?

She really started to get into it. She was talking and all.

She was a big hit with the all the ladies we came in contact with.

With all "her" candy

Our first Halloween

Since the pumpkin patch was a bust, we tried to get some pictures with the decorations at Little Man's house. It's really hard to do with a baby that can't sit up on her own yet! :)

K got her to smile!

Home with the candy!

Still trying to figure out what happened

This picture is blurry but I wanted you to see how she's sitting. Such a big girl!

She was watching daddy sort her candy. Then she laughed her first laugh.

This was me reacting to her laughing:

Michael had to sort out all the candy. He and his sister Jenny did this as a kid and he was dead set on doing it this year as well. I was about to eat a piece of candy in the car and he told me not to eat any until it had been sorted! :) I asked him what he was going to do if Olivia didn't want to sort her candy and he said, "She will". ha! :)

I think she was done with pictures!

The Dallas Arboretum, Take 2

2011-10-31T15:29:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much time to post recently. As I mentioned, my roommate (from college) Amanda and her boyfriend Hieu came to visit last week. They were here from Monday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. It was packed with lots of food and fun.

On Tuesday we took them to the Dallas Arboretum. I didn't mention it in my last post about the Arboretum, but you can get free tickets if you stop by a Dallas Rec Center. Totally worth it! It covers parking too.

Olivia in her castle

Hieu riding the armadillo

Ok, so this isn't the most flattering picture, but it's funny. It was super hot the day we went. It got up into the 90's and we walked around the place for a couple of hours. (I changed Olivia into a sun dress soon after getting her pumpkin shots.) We stopped at a water feature for a bit. Hieu was taking pictures and Amanda was dipping her feet in the water. Olivia had just woken up from her nap. We decided to dip her feet into the water. Even though it was hot outside, the water was cold. She screamed bloody murder the minute her feet grazed the water. I pulled her away so fast that Michael didn't even get the picture. He did, however, get the reaction! :)

I'll try to get Halloween pictures up tomorrow and then more pictures of our fun week to come.

Wordless Wednesday--Chill

2011-10-26T06:38:00.003-04:00

(Breaking the wordless rule--Yes, that's spit up on her pants/shirt...despite the bib. What can we do.)

4 Month Loves

2011-10-24T06:22:00.000-04:00

Yes. I changed the title. I felt guilty calling these lists "must haves". They aren't must haves. They are just things we are blessed to have and are loving.

I don't have quite as many items this time around. We haven't moved into the next phase yet. We are just getting there. She doesn't use teethers (as much as I'd like her to try). She doesn't grab things yet or play with any toys. We are still using the swing, the bouncer, and the play mat. I think there will be lots of fun things next month! :)

Bottle Labels

I loved these when I saw them on a blog--long before I was even pregnant. Right now we are only using them for the church nursery. I don't think they'd mix up a bottle at this point, but you never know. Plus, since Olivia takes special formula it makes me feel better. I like that it can grow with her.

Bumbo Baby Sitter

We've been using the bumbo for a little while now. Olivia did not love it at first. She would sit for a few minutes and then would just be done. I kept at it though. It has been really good for her head and neck support. Plus, she loves to sit up in general, so it works. I hope to use this more and for longer periods of time soon.

Munchkin Stroller Hooks

We have two of these. I would probably never have bought them or registered for them or whatever, but Michael wanted them. We have yet to use them on the stroller, but we carry our groceries in with them. It makes it so nice and easy. We can usually get everything in one trip this way. Every time we use them Michael says something about how he loves them or how they were worth the money or how he's so glad we got them. :)

Bibs

I know I said this in my 1 month post, but we are back at it. We originally just got a ten pack of cheap ones at Babies R Us for the puke. We are now using them for drool. We just had to go out and get a bunch more. She is soaking about 4 a day. I made sure to get cute ones this time. It's so sad that her cute little outfits have to be covered by bibs. :)

White Noise Machine

We already had this. Michael needed it. We now use it for Olivia too. We use it at night and for naps. I think it really helps. I've read multiple places that you should use a white noise machine for a baby because it sounds like the womb. I also like that it drowns out the noise of the rest of the house. We will be (attempting to) moving her to her own room/crib this next week. I plan on using music as background noise then. If that doesn't work, we may be purchasing another one of these guys. :)

You can check out months 1, 2, and 3 here if you missed them.

Four Months!

2011-10-23T06:36:00.000-04:00

Olivia Grace, you are four months old!

(NOTE:Once again, my child was not interested in getting her picture taken.)

What have you been up to?

*You are in size 2 diapers.

*You are wearing size 3 to 6 month clothes. I moved you up because your 0 to 3 month clothes were summer clothes. The 3 to 6 are a little big on you, but they work alright.

*You are taking 6 to 7 bottles a day. Most of them are 6 to 6 1/2 ounces. I was hoping to drop a bottle when I upped the ounces, but that didn't happen.

*I don't know how much you weigh. We will go for your 4 month appointment on November 1st. Daddy tried weighing you on our scale (weighing himself first, then holding you) and it says you are 17 pounds. I'm not sure if I trust it. I think you might be a little more.

(Bored with this photo shoot!)

*I'm also anxious to find out how long you are. People are making comments all the time on your length and size. I don't think you are going to make it until Christmas in your current car seat.

*You continue to drool all over, shove your hands in your mouth, and try to gnaw on your bib. I've checked for teeth. None yet.

(You can see--she's almost outgrowing her swing, even though she hasn't met the weight limit yet.)

*You gag yourself often when trying to jam your fingers in your mouth. Silly girl.

*You have very strong legs and kick often. You like to stand as well.

*You don't use your hands yet for grasping things, but you are getting close.

*You are still not on a schedule. After mommy's friend leaves we are working on this!

*If I let you nap on me, you will sleep anywhere from 1 and 1/2 to 3 hours. If I put you in your bed for nap, it is 45 minutes like clock work.

*You still wake up in the middle of the night to eat. You can stop that at any time. ;)

(Someone got an early Christmas present from Grandma! Love the chair!)

*Your hair is getting lighter and lighter. It has a red tone to it. Enough so that strangers sometimes comment on it.

*Your eyes seem to be getting bluer and bluer.

*You rolled over from your tummy to your back for the first time on October 3rd. You did it again the next day, but haven't done it since.

*You will stay on your tummy for quite some time during tummy time, but you still don't lift your head up very high. You like to just lay and suck on your hands instead.

*You have started hating bath time. We don't know what changed. You use to love it. Now you spend half the time screaming.

*You've started arching your back when you don't want to sit in things--your car seat, your bouncer, your swing. I'm not a fan.

*Daddy's nickname for you is squiggle bug because you are always squirming around.

*You are "talking" more and more and we love it.

*You LOVE music. (I'm sure all babies do.) My new favorite thing that you do is "sing". I sing "This is the day that the Lord has made" to you every morning. You can be as quiet as quiet can be, and when I start singing you join it. It's softer and more drawn out that your talking. You do this most times I sing to you, but you seem to like some songs more than others. You sing in the car too. Once, the radio was on and it was commercial after commercial. I switched to your Praise Baby C.D. and you immediately started singing. When I turned it down, you stopped. You started again when I turned it back up. So cute.

*You also love to watch the TV. I don't really want you watching TV, but daddy lets you sometimes. You are fascinated by it. You'll even crane your neck around to try to see it.

*Daddy carried you around in the Baby K'tan and you really enjoyed it. He enjoyed it too and will probably be doing it more often.

*You are generally a pretty happy and content baby. However, when you get mad--you. get. MAD.

*Your favorite things right now are: singing with mommy, your fisher price rainforest bouncer, reading books with daddy, and toys that light up or play music.

HAPPY FOUR MONTHS BABY GIRL!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Library Story Time

2011-10-22T06:39:00.038-04:00

We took Olivia to her first library story time this last week. I wasn't planning on going so soon, but I read all sorts of reviews from people who took their 4 month old to Gymboree classes and they loved it. Classes aren't currently in the budget. Plus, since we aren't on a set schedule, I didn't want to pay for something and have her sleep through it. Hence, story time was the next best option.

There were songs, hand motions, a puppet, sign language, toys, and a story. We think she really enjoyed it. She spent the whole time checking everyone and everything out.

Typical...

This look pretty much sums it up! :)

It was daddy's first story time too.

We will definitely be returning!

Friday Flashback--Friendship

2011-10-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

13 years ago I traveled across a few states to start the grand adventure known as college. I didn't know what to expect, but I was pretty sure of two things: 1) I was going to get a degree in Elementary Education and 2) I was going to make some new friends. I had no idea how amazing those friends would be! Going to Evangel University was one of the best decisions I have made. Even though I am still paying for it to this day, I wouldn't change a thing. I loved my time there. One thing that made my time there so great was my roommate Amanda.

We didn't live together at first. We did, however, live on the same floor. For whatever reason, we didn't even like each other at first. Then through a weird turn of events we bonded over getting our cartilage pierced at the mall. We both had CUH-razy roommates. That also bonded us. Moving mid year was rare, but when her roommate moved out at the end of the semester, we jumped at the chance for me to move in with her. We spent the next three and a half years as besties and roommates.

It's odd how well we get along. We are sooooo different.

She...is a brunnette

I...am a blonde (yes, naturally)

She...admittedly crushed on geeky guys

I...thought they were geeks

She...says "wooder"

I... say water

She...came to college never having had a job

I...started working at age 13

She...is a city girl--and will call out anyone who says they live in Philadelphia, but really grew up in the fancy pants suburbs

I...(while growing up in the city limits) am a suburbs type

She...is a fan of art

I...don't get it

We grew up very differently. Not that one was right and one was wrong--just different.

She...salts her food before even trying it

I...never salt food. Never.

She...knows everything there is to know about pop culture, movies, music, current slang

I...am clueless

She...is passionate about social work and helping the homeless.

I...could never

I...am passionate about teaching and working with kids

She...could never

We have a very different sense of humor.

She...is unbelievably generous. She gets it from her parents.

I... am not so much. :( I'll leave it at that.

Her accent is east coast. My accent is midwest. When we get together, I start talking like her and she starts talking like me and it turns into our own Beth-anda accent.

She...is a democrat.

I...am a republican.

(We have a rule not to discuss politics!:)

She...went to a college class once wearing: boxers with red and orange tomatoes on them, a men's navy blue plaid shirt over a t-shirt, and brown fuzzy socks with white "shell tops".

I...wouldn't be caught dead in that outfit, or any other that didn't match! :)

(This is how she picked me up at the airport when I went to visit. Yep. Even with her pajama pants peeking out the bottom.)

She...grew up taking public transportation any and everywhere, including school.

I...wasn't allowed to take public transportation.

She...is a rule breaker.

I...am a fierce follower of the rules.

But even with all our differences, we remain the best of friends. We use to say we were "two bodies, one mind". We can go forever and not talk and then call and pick up right where we left off. We get along so well because we have the same basic values. We are loyal to the core. We appreciate social etiquette and are baffled by those who do not follow it. We can agree to disagree and appreciate our differences. We will always have each other's back. We are best friends.

She's coming to visit next week and I can't wait. I love you Amanda!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-20T07:50:00.002-04:00

Traditions give me the warm fuzzies. I think they instill feelings of comfort, security and love. I didn't necessarily grow up with a ton of traditions, but I have always loved the idea of them. I knew that I would have all sorts of traditions when I had a family of my own.

I was bummed to find out that apple picking is just not something that you can do in Texas. Who knew? Tradition number one--fail. So when it came time to go to the pumpkin patch I was super excited! We got Olivia dressed in her cute little pumpkin dress, packed a lunch, and headed out to what was sure to be a good time.

Wrong.............

We went in the middle of October, yet it was still 90 degrees out. The sun was shining super bright and there was little to no shade. Not to mention that the place was crowded.

We got out and started walking around and got nervous about the sun. We didn't want Olivia to get sunburned. Our whole visit lasted a total of 5 minutes and we didn't even leave with a pumpkin. Once again my best laid plans were foiled. Oh well. Here's what we got.

Ha ha! Michael was trying to help her sit up and she wasn't pleased.

There was one little tree in the middle that was the only shade in the place.

We hoarded it for a while. Then there was a slight breeze.

Babies R Us

2011-10-19T16:33:00.000-04:00

Michael and I went to Babies R Us today to stock up on our Alimentum for the week. Yes, oddly, in our area Babies R Us has the lowest price on the formula we need. Who would have thought?

We clear the shelves every time we go. No. I am not a hoarder. We buy one case (6 bottles) and then the 6 bottles that they have for sale individually. That is all the carry at one time. I find it quite annoying. One bottle is 32 oz and right now Olivia is drinking anywhere from 30 to 36 ounces a day. Therefore, we have to go back every week and a half to get more.

While we were clearing the shelf today Michael noticed that the cases were on SALE! What?!? GASP! Alimentum is actually on sale! I completely and wholeheartedly contribute this to my email to Babies R Us. :) It probably had absolutely nothing to do with it, but it makes me feel better! :) Anyway, the sale was a case for $45 as opposed to $54. In a sense it was like buying 5 bottles and getting the 6th one free. That is a good deal in our situation and since it NEVER comes on sale, I wanted to try to stock up. So I went and asked if there was any other formula in the back. No. I asked if there was a way they could order some. Sure, it would cost $20 in shipping. Yeah, that kind of negates the sale. I asked if they could order more for their shelves in general, since I clear it out every week and a half. No. They get sent what ever the distribution center wants to send them and they have no say. Ay yi yi!!!

So after a few laps around the store tracking down the right people (3 different managers), doing all sorts of craziness to get around the system, having the SLOWEST girl ever helping us, calling 1-800 numbers to fix a problem, and on and on.... we finally were able to order 8 cases that will be shipped to our house and we don't have to pay for shipping. Praise the Lord!! Now if only it wouldn't have taken two hours. (You think I'm kidding---but I'm not!) I guess in this case, our time was worth the money saved.

Oh, and I got another email this week from Babies R Us. Guess what was in it?

Sigh......