One Month Old...Already!

Time really is flying by! It's hard to believe that it has already been one month since I gave birth to sweet Olivia. Where did the time go? But, when I look at her, it definitely looks like she is a month old. She is already a different baby than we brought home from the hospital. She is more alert, is starting to stay awake more, and her features have changed so much.

We went to the doctor today and she weighed in at 8lbs, 6.5oz. She's also grown over two inches since we brought her home from the hospital. The doctor said that she is very healthy right now...so her next appointment will be to get her 2-month shots...that should be a fun visit!

This picture was taken on Tuesday when she was four weeks old. From week to week she changes just a little bit. It's definitely hard to tell just by looking at her, but we can see the difference in her weekly photos. To see her weekly pictures, you can go to http://picasaweb.google.com/cincychelle and click on the Weekly Photos album. There are also other new pictures in the Olivia - Month One album. Starting today, I'll post new pictures in a Month Two album.

She is starting to sleep a little better at night now. Although, she still cries after about 20 minutes of sleeping alone in her crib. But, that at least gives us SOME time to stretch out in the bed by ourselves without feeling like we are sleeping on pins and needles with a baby in the bed! Monday and Tuesday this week were really rough and she just wasn't sleeping well at all during the day or night. Things have calmed back down now though and she's back to her semi-schedule of sleeping for 3ish hours at a time.

**Big Sigh**

Now we're jumping into month number two. This month we have lots of things to look forward to with Olivia. She'll travel to Ohio with us again to watch the UC Homecoming game and meet a lot of our friends. She'll spend the week with me at my parents' house and get the chance to meet her great grandparents. Then we'll drive to Montpelier to spend with with the other great grandparents. She'll go to Michigan to pick up Chris at the airport and then will get to meet A LOT (if not all) of her extended family on Chris' side. She'll get to go apple and pumpkin picking with us at Stewart Farm and then end the month with vaccinations. Off we go...

We will be sure to post pictures on Picasa, Facebook, or MySpace. Check back for updates!

Like Mother-Like Daughter

I definitely think that Olivia gets her sense of wanting to be cuddled ALL THE TIME from me. She sleeps so soundly if she's in your arms or on your lap. She sleeps 4 & 5 hours at a time during the night if she is in the bed between us. But she wakes up within 5 minutes of us putting her in her crib. I can't tell if we are spoiling her by holding her so much, or if it's too early in her life for her to get used to that.

We are still trying to figure her out and we are still learning her signs of being sleepy and her signs of trying to go back to sleep on her own. The books all seem to have different opinions, as do people...so we're just trying to learn about our daughter on our own...we'll see how far it gets us!

Baby Blues

...not that I have the Baby Blues...but that I love taking time to just look into Olivia's big, baby blue eyes. She loves to take in her surroundings and just watches everything going on around her. When she gets tired, she lies in my arms and just looks at me. It is such a blessing to look down at her, talk to her, and know that I'm her mommy. Her soft skin is so kissable and I spend part of the day just cuddling with her.

It's hard to believe that she is already three weeks old. Time sure does fly when you become a parent!

It's already going so quickly

I completely agree with the sentiment that time flies as you get older. I'm not sure where the past 20 days have gone! It doesn't seem like it's been that long already since Olivia was born. She is already growing (6lbs 14oz at the doctor last week), and she seems to be more alert to everything going on around her.

In the past 2 1/2 weeks, Olivia has already accomplished so much! She's traveled to Ohio and back, been to a wedding, went on two boat trips, spent four nights in a hotel and had a 'playdate' with five other babies. She is a great baby and I can't wait to see how our family grows together.

I'm a Mommy!

A lot has changed since my last post! Olivia Grace was definitely worth the wait! Labor pains started around 1:30am on Tuesday August 26 and Olivia arrived at 9:17am.

Childbirth was a surreal experience and Chris was an amazing and supportive husband throughout the entire process.

Olivia is a great (not to mention adorable) baby so far and we feel truly blessed to finally have her outside of my tummy!

She has blond hair, big blue eyes, and a cute little baby smile. She is already a snuggler - she must get that from me. But Christopher eats up all the snuggle time possible with her.

She had her first sponge bath yesterday, her maternal grandparents have come to visit/help, and her first pediatrician's appointment went very well.

We are off to a great start - so please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Making the most of it

Well, it's Sunday already, three days past the estimated due date, and this little lady is giving no signs that she wants to come out. That's okay though, because I'm still enjoying being pregnant. Yeah, it's annoying to need Chris' help to get up off the couch, and rolling over in bed is no easy feat - but feeling the little baby continue to move inside me is such a blessing.

Chris and I are trying to make the most of our time together (just the two of us) before she arrives. We went on a 'last date for a while' several weeks ago...and still have all this time to ourselves! Yesterday we went to a cute town in New Jersey along the Hudson River and walked around for most of the afternoon. It was nice to be able to talk, enjoy each other's company, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

So, we're doing our best to keep ourselves occupied, that way we don't spend all of our time wondering when the baby will arrive.

We have done our fair share of trying to induce labor naturally - but we've decided that my body just isn't ready, so we're not pushing it. This baby will come when God decides its time.

Although my estimated due date has come and gone, I'm not worried. I'm counting it as a blessing to have the opportunity to be pregnancy more than 40 weeks. After all, not many of my family members have had the opportunity to go into the 41st week of pregnancy! :)

The baby is moving around a lot, which the doctor says might be leading up to the impending labor...but I think it's because of all the sugar in the ice cream I've been eating! I was dilated 1 1/2 centimeters this morning at the doctor's office...although I think she just gave me the extra 1/2 to not make me feel bad about still being at a 1!

I have several options for ways to naturally make myself go into labor, but so far none of those have worked. I'm not trying them because I'm anxious to get this baby out - I'm trying them because I would rather not have to attend the scheduled induction at the hospital for Wednesday night. I would much rather it happen naturally than artificially.

Besides, feeling this baby move inside of me is an amazing experience. Last night, Chris was talking to her, then he'd kiss my belly, and she responded right away by pushing her foot out. They did that three times and it brought a huge smile to both of our faces. She's constantly moving, and constantly reminding me what a blessing it is to be pregnant. Thankfully, this has been a great pregnancy and I'm not extremely miserable waiting on her to arrive. Anxious, yes. Miserable, no.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to wait patiently. We are very excited about being parents - and can't wait to meet our little girl.