6 Months Already?

Have 6 months really gone by since Olivia was born? It's hard to believe that she will be 6 months old on Thursday. These past several months have been a bit challenging for Chris and me, but they have definitely been full of blessings.

We went to get her 6 months pictures taken this past weekend, and the pictures are pretty cute. She just woke up from a nap right before the session, so her smiles aren't the biggest...but she's still cute!

She's doing well with eating cereal and after her doctor's visit this Friday, we'll probably start adding fruit to her diet as well. She loves to watch us eat and often smacks her lips together and sticks out her tongue while we're eating.

She's started waving bye bye and hello, even though her hand is not always out in front of her. It's pretty cute to watch and it's nice to see her recognize you when you walk into the room - not only does she smile, but now she waves too.

We're headed to Ohio for a visit next week and we are all very excited. Family hasn't seen Olivia since Christmas/New Year's, so it will be good for them to spend some time with Olivia in person instead of through pictures and videos online.

We had another Open House for our apartment but not too many people came by to see it. The weather wasn't that great, so we're attributing the low visitation to that. We have several people who have said they are interested, but their finances don't quite fit with type of buyer we need.

Chris started his position on the Planning Board this evening. He is enjoying being part of the community and it is a great experience for him to be involved with.

I'm constantly looking for things to do, whether it's going to the library for Mother Goose Time, taking walks when I catch a glimpse of nice weather, or even running an errand just to get out of the house. I love staying home with Olivia, but it's definitely bothersome at times because I have no one to talk to except her. Baby conversations are great and I always find myself telling her exactly what I'm doing just so I can talk to someone. But it's not he same as living by close friends or family, having people to go to lunch with, or even going over to someone else's house for an afternoon. I'm definitely struggling right now and yearn so much to move back closer to friends and family. We're being patient and waiting for God to open the door for us and show us when the time is right...but being patient is not always easy. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to follow the path He has laid for us.

Next week will be busy as we prepare for our trip to Ohio. This will be Olivia's first time in an airplane, which means going through security at the airport gets a little more interesting for us! I'll try to post again before we leave. Until then, God Bless!

An update on the three of us

Olivia's Latest Accomplishments

She sits up with support all the time and loves to be in the upright position. She prefers to sit up on the couch and play with toys rather than lay on her stomach or back. She can sit up for a tiny bit on her own without any support, but quickly falls forward and ends up sucking on her toes.

Speaking of toes, she loves to grab them now and often puts them in her mouth. I especially like to dress her in outfits that have cute things on the feet, that way she has something to look at when she's interacting with her toes.

She has also been talking a lot more lately. She has started using a very quiet voice when talking to her toys, but continues to use a louder voice when talking to me or Chris.

Olivia constantly chews on her index fingers. She usually has one or the other in the side of her mouth and chomps down on it until her heart is content. When she pulls her hand away from her face, her finger is bright red, but she's as happy as can be. She's also been sucking on the backside of her hand lately, and yesterday I actually caught her sucking her thumb!

She seems to like the cereal we've been giving her. She's had it three times now and is getting better at swallowing while sitting up. She likes to stick her hand in her mouth with the spoon though, which leaves a nice sticky hand to be smeared over everything it touches during the feeding. She also tries to talk while the spoon is going in, so she blows bubbles in the cereal and it flies everywhere. Sunday evening she blew it all over Chris' face!

She still doesn't have any teeth and we can't see that any are ready to come through - so we'll just wait patiently.

She's rolling over from time to time, but isn't that interested in the process.

Michelle's Dilemma

I went to the place I used to work this week just to visit and say hello to everyone. Low and behold, there is a social work position available and it seems as if everyone wants me to return. While I completely loved the work I did and enjoyed going to work each day, I also love being at home with Olivia. I enjoy watching her grow and develop each day, I like being able to do things for Chris while he's at work during the day, and I like the quality time that I get to spend with my daughter. God has blessed us greatly with allowing me to stay home. However, it does get lonely and I yearn for adult interactions on a daily basis. I know my colleagues enjoyed having me at work, as did the administration...and I enjoyed being there. But the thought of having to find (and pay for) day care out here seems daunting. We don't really have any family friends who she could stay with all day, so that's not an option either. Plus, we're still hoping to move in June (if we sell our apartment by then) so if I did go back to work, it would only be for four months - and that's not very fair to the agency or the kids I would be working with. I keep going back and forth between my options...and I just seems to confuse myself even more. I'm praying about it so that God can grant me the wisdom to see His plan for me, but if you could pray for me too, that would be great.

Chris' Achievement

Chris and I have been attending town meetings where we live to discuss parking arrangements in front of our apartment building. Chris (my over-achiever husband) drew sketches of the streets, buildings and parking spaces to show the village committees his thoughts and possible solutions to the problem. Well, in doing this, the Mayor took a liking to him and personally asked him to the join the Village Planning Board. This is a Board of professionals in several different fields who get together and make decisions about Village projects and proposals. These board members are appointed by the Mayor and chosen specifically because of their talents and expertise in the areas in which they work. I'm very proud of him for getting a personal invitation from the Mayor to do this!

Two Weeks Full of Photos

This will be another photo update, along with brief explanations to let you know what the three of us have been up to.

This is Olivia trying to sit up on her own. She loves to try but hasn't completely mastered it yet.

Having some tummy time - trying to get those arms nice and strong.

Happy Girl I'm usually the one taking pictures, so I don't have many pictures of Mommy and Baby.
She's reaching out to touch our faces a lot lately. She likes Daddy's fuzzy face.
21 Weeks Old - 1.20.09

She loves sitting by herself and playing with toys.

She can now reach her feet and likes to lick her toes!

Just a cute picture.

Headed outside in her snowsuit - bundle up tight!
Trying cereal for the first time...
Cereal all over her face!

A video of Olivia eating cereal

More fun with tummy time and a colorful outfit - Five Months Old Today!
Watching Mommy eat a pear

Stay tuned for more.......

A Huge Update

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated the blog. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed to fly by quickly with shopping, making gifts, and packing. Then all of December flew by with family situations, the possibility of having a buyer for our apartment, and being away from home for two weeks. Now we're finally back and getting settled into our routines again. Here are some picture updates for those who are interested to see how Olivia is growing...

1st time in a booster seat

The Family at Rockefeller Center (Olivia's 1st time on a train and her first trip to Manhattan)

Olivia's 1st Christmas Tree

Olivia's 1st time lying in the snow Opening presents on Christmas Morning Hanging out in her cousin's rocking chair

Ready for church on Sunday morning after

Hanging out with Daddy in her Christmas dress

Watching UC play in the Orange Bowl on tv

Happy girl after just rolling over for the first time Sporting her camouflage dress - ready to go hunting with her cousins

Kissing Great Grandpa Marion's reindeer
Eating Chicken Legs

Playing with all of her toys

Twenty Weeks Old - 1.13.09

A Busy Week In NY

Olivia is twelve weeks old this week...soon approaching the 3-month mark. It's hard to believe that almost three months have passed since she was born. The past three months have been great though. I love being a mom - and I love the feeling of knowing that she needs me every day.

She has been spending more time awake during the days, so I have been spending more time with her lately. She still hasn't rolled over yet, but she's pretty close. I bought her a mirror this week and she has enjoyed spending time looking at herself in that. She is getting more comfortable with tummy time and doesn't get frustrated so easily.

While she naps, I've been busy sewing. I finished a Christmas present for one of my nephews this week...and I have to admit that it's pretty darn cute! I've also been donating my time to sew a quilt for a local church. One of our family friends told me that they are creating 9 quilts for a halfway house in Yonkers, but they don't have enough help to complete them all. So, I've been spending my time sewing squares together for them so they can complete their project on time. I would rather be sewing more Christmas presents, but it's also nice to donate time to others as well. My next project is another Christmas present for another nephew. Then a project for my grandparents, then finally I'll make something for Olivia!

Chris has been at meetings almost every night this week. I've barely seen him at all. Yesterday, Olivia had a rough day around here and was pretty cranky. Chris had a business meeting at church...and he is such a great husband that he offered to take her with him so that I could have the night off. It was nice to be able to sew and do the dishes without being interrupted! And it was nice to know that I could trust Christopher to take Olivia with him to the meeting...and everything would be just fine. Sorry ladies...but I have the best husband of all! :)

11 Weeks Old

Over eleven weeks have passed since this cute little bundle of joy has arrived. Our lives have changed immensely since she was born and we feel so very blessed. She is babbling so much more, especially to Chris and me. Her favorite two words now are "Goo" and "Ga" - typical baby sounds. Her face lights up with a beautiful smile when she sees us, and she loves interacting.

She is still at the point where she doesn't mind if other people hold her, so she is getting to know other faces at church, as well as when we have guests over or get together with friends.

She tries really hard to roll over but hasn't quite mastered that skill yet. She can push herself up while on her stomach, but quickly gets annoyed and bored that there isn't anything to look at underneath her except a blanket. I'm looking forward to borrowing my sister-in-law's activity gym so she can have something to entertain her while she is lying on her stomach and on her back.


Olivia really likes to be in the sitting position lately too. If we put her in her Bobby pillow laying down, she tries really hard to sit up, almost like she's doing stomach crunches. As soon as you sit her up, she is happy as a clam and will sit like that for quite a long time (propped up or our our laps of course).

She hasn't started laughing or giggling yet, but we can definitely tell she is getting close. She makes a funny noise that we think will turn into a laugh eventually, but she's still just smiling a whole lot.

She is really getting long too. Her 0-3 month clothing is finally getting to small because her legs poke out the bottom of the pant legs. I think she gets her height from my dad and brother. She'll probably be tall and skinny like her cousin..but only time will tell.

We are looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving so that our families can see how much she is changing. We will spend 1.5 days with my family and 1.5 days with Chris' family. It's not exactly ideal, but we are just thankful for the time we do have with them instead of sad about how little time we have.

I'll post her 12 week picture later this week - and maybe by that time she will be rolling over - so I'll have a video to post too!

Three Shots and a Princess

Olivia went to the doctor today to get her first set of shots. To make the day seem a little more happier, I decided to dress her in a costume. (Perhaps more happier for me than for her!) None-the-less, she was Daddy's Little Princess for the day. I even made Ellie an outfit to match! Surprisingly, she didn't mind wearing it at all. She actually purred when I put it on her and she let me take several pictures without running away. Now we have two little princesses in the house!

Overall, Olivia did really well at the doctor's office. She was tired when we got there, so she didn't mind just lying still through the exam part of the visit. She even fell asleep in my arms while we waited for the nurse to come back in and give her the shots. She got three shots, two of which were a combination for several different things. I felt so bad for her though - she was sleeping soundly in my arms and suddenly the nurse stuck her with the first needle. Her eyes opened wide, then they shut and the tears poured out the sides. She took a deep breath in and waited about 10 seconds before letting out the ear-piercing scream. Her face turned bright red and she screamed even louder as the nurse gave her the next two shots. Thankfully she let me hug and cuddle her and she was then able to calm down. But the look in her eyes still said, "Mommy, why did you let that happen to me?." I know it's best for her, but it still breaks my heart to see her in pain. I did decide to take pictures of her before and after the shots so that we could remember the moments though. (Before=Above, After=Right) She is weighing in at 10 pounds, 9 ounce and she is 22.5 inches long. According to the charts, she is between the 25th and 50th percentiles...which means she is healthy and strong!