Tennyson's Birthday Party

Olivia's friend, Tennyson, had his first birthday party today.  It was football themed, his Mom and Dad put a lot of work into it!  Olivia hung out with several of her little friends, Kennedi, Presley and of course Tennyson.  We had such a great time.

Here I am showing everyone how strong I am!

Mmmmm, Daddy's finger tastes so good.

Let's see if I can push this thing . . .

. . . whoopsie!  Good thing Daddy is holding on tight!

That's Tennyson eating his birthday cake

No cake for me but this foot sure does taste good!

Mr. Rabby

Mr. Rabby is a organic cotton blanket that has a rabbit head and arms.  HE is pink, I'm sure we will have to explain that at some point.  We introduced Mr. Rabby in November in hopes that he would become Olivia's security blanket . . . mission accomplished!  Olivia takes every nap with Mr. Rabby and at night, when she's fussing in her crib at night, she gets Mr. Rabby to calm her down.  I think we may have created a monster there.  She can't sleep at night with Mr. Rabby so if we give him to her to calm her down, we have to wait in her room until she falls asleep and then take him away.  It would be one thing if she slept holding on to her Mr. Rabby, but she sleeps with him over her whole face, which is why we sneak him away from her.  We love him so much that we recently got a second Mr. Rabby just in case something terrible happens to one of them!  Introducing Mr. Rabby . . .

The first time Mr. Rabby appears on film

Mr. Rabby travels with Olivia . . .

 . . . every time we travel.

Mr. Rabby helps us fold clothes

You can find Mr. Rabby in the Bumbo . . .

 . . . you can find him on Mommy and Daddy's bed . . .

 . . . and frequently you can find him Olivia's mouth.

Very frequently.

Olivia often has a "death grip" on Mr. Rabby

Yeah!  You better not touch  my Mr. Rabby!!

Can you tell which Mr. Rabby is brand new and which one has been loved, slobbered, on washed, barfed on, washed . . .

The "D" word

You know, I didn't really think this "having a baby" thing through all the way.  I forgot one, tiny, sticky, unavoidable detail . . . DROOL.  I am not a fan of drool or excess saliva in any form.  Part of that feeling comes from constantly choking on my own spit, of which there was a lot, while I was pregnant.  Now my sweet little mouse is producing enough saliva on a daily basis to soak through at least 3 bibs and I have no choice but to get used to it.  I mean look at this face!  Note:  If you look closely, you can see a drop of drool about to fall off her chin.

Music to my ears

The sweetest sound I've ever heard . . .

Olivia's first tooth

Our sweet little mouse has her first tooth!  It came through while she was in South Carolina with Mike visiting Nana and Papa.  You can just see it above her gum on the left side of her mouth (our right if you're looking at the picture).  We're waiting on #2 to break through any day now.  

For the record - that's Mike's fingernail, not mine!

Tigger

Our friends Kris and Thomas sent a huge bag of clothes home with Mike for Olivia last week.  Kris and Thomas have a sweet little girl named Kennedi and about 90% of what Olivia wears was once Kennedi's and for that we are so greatful!  In this last bag of clothes, there was also a brown and orange Tiger hankerchief blanket that has been named Tigger.  Tigger (Mommy and Daddy) growls at Olivia and in the video below, she growled back . . .

5 months

Our sweet girl was 5 months old yesterday!  I say this every month but where has the time gone??  Here's a little bit about what's going on in Olivia's life:

• No doctor's appointment this month so no official weight or height but she has to be pushing 17lbs
• We have the reflux under control, hurray!
• She's on Soy formula now - part of the reason the reflux is under control
• Axid is still her only medication - another part of why the reflux is under control
• Olivia drinks between 24 - 28oz of formula a day and 2-4oz of diluted juice (for her digestion)
• No solid foods yet for our mouse but if we eat in front of her, she moves her mouth and "shows" us how she can eat. 
• Olivia has 1 tooth (bottom left of center) and another one on the way.  I'm expecting # 2 any day now judging by how fussy she's been the last couple of days.
• She can hold her own bottle now if she's at the right angle
• Olivia can roll over from her tummy to her back.  We don't get a lot of tummy time in anymore because she has realized she can get out of it if she rolls over
• She's oh so close to being able to roll over from back to tummy which I believe is closely follow by scooting and crawling - eek
• If you pull her arms gently she will sit up and often engages her stomach muscles to try on her own
• We still love the Bumbo but . . .
• She is so interested in her feet that she sits in it sideways so that she can reach her right foot
• She is so interested in things on the couter that she sits in it sideways so that she can reach them
• She likes to bang things on her Bumbo and we just got a Bumbo tray which intensifies the noise and therefore increases her enjoyment.
• Olivia can play peekaboo!  This is a new development as of a couple of days ago - Mommy is very proud.
• She still likes to read books and reaches for them now
• I think singing songs is still for Mommy and Daddy's entertainment for the most part but I'm starting to see a flicker of recognition when we sing the favorites.
• Her favorite toys are Mr. Rabby, Elaphiny, her teething ring, and the newest addition - Tigger
• Olivia still gets a bath every night as part of her bed time routine but we are getting close to moving her out of the kitchen sink because she's started kicking and splashing
• Our sweet little girl still does not sleep well.  She'll sleep 9 hours before she MUST have a bottle but we are up 1-4 times giving her back her paci during the night. 
• Still at 3 naps a day but they are getting a bit longer, 45-60 minutes
• If you sit and talk to her, she reaches for your face
• Olivia smiles and talks non-stop and her communication changes frequently. 
• She still has stranger anxiety but I was able to go to the office for a few hours while a friend watched her with minimal upset.

Our sweet, sweet Olivia mouse is the center of our universe and we cherish every day with her because they are flying by so quickly.  There are a lot of "almosts" in this post so I expect major developments next month!

Gotta make sure my flower doesn't go anywhere while I snooze.

Where's Olivia . . .

There she is!

This is my new fish face

Daddy!  Touchdown Bears!

I'm watching you

Getting Olivia used to her spoon because in 4 weeks there will be food on it!

Happy 5 month birthday Olivia!  We love you!

New hats

Our little monkey

Serious alligator

Sweet court jester

This one is a little big still :-)

Olivia's first vacation

Mike and Olivia had a great time in South Carolina.  They spent lots of quality time with Mike's parents and his sister and met several of Pat and Bill's friends - they had to show off their Granddaughter after all!  They enjoyed nice walks, dinner parties, tummy time . . . well Olivia didn't enjoy tummy time.  There was another big development while they were there, Olivia cut her first tooth!  I honestly didn't believe Mike when he said that it had pushed through but sure enough, you can feel and see actual tooth above her gum.  Let the drooling commence.  The only glitch in the weekend was the travel home.  Mike got a call 12 hours before he was scheduled to leave South Carolina saying that his flight had been cancelled because of bad weather in Dallas.  He was re-routed on another airline through Atlanta instead and they barely got out of there before the winter weather started delaying/cancelling outbound domestic flight.  Whew!  They didn't arrive in Austin until 9:30pm by which point Olivia, who had been very good the whole day, was very tired.  Mike waited for their bag while Olivia had some much needed milk . . . well Olivia said quite loudly that she NEEDED milk and who are we to argue?  I actually ran into a friend from high school who I hadn't seen in years which was nice.  He and his new wife were returning from their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic and had been on Mike's flight from Atlanta.  With my constant reminders (nagging) they diligently took lots of picture to document Olivia's first vacation so let's take a look . . .

Sitting with Nana at the restaurant.  Clearly, I've already had my dinner.

Sitting in my borrowed Bumbo in front of Nana and Papa's Christmas tree.

Snuggling with Nana.

Oooooo, presents!

Out for a walk all bundled up.

The dreaded tummy time on Nana's yoga mat . . .

 . . . wore me out!

My Aunt Karen borrowed a pack n play for me to sleep in.

First attempt at bath time was in the sink in the laundry room.  From what I understand, Olivia spent a lot of time trying to stand up and splash around.

Any given day is not complete without a picture of Olivia in a bumbo.

Who needs a teether?  I've got Nana's Tupperware!

Tupperware makes me drool.

Nap time again.

Bath attempt #2, this time in the kitchen sink.  I think this one was more successful.

Papa, you'll never guess what happened next!

Hey, what's going on over there?

Olivia and Bill at the Mellow Mushroom.

These people think they are sooooo funny. 

Please note that because they were getting home so late and to insure her comfort, Olivia is in her Winnie the Pooh jammies.

Silence

I am writing to you from a silent, lonely, empty house.  OK, that's a little bit of an over exaggeration, I have the TV on and 2 out of 3 cats are sitting on the couch with me but there are two very important people missing . . . Mike and Olivia. 

My husband took my sweet baby on her first plane ride(s) today, off to South Carolina to surprise Pat, Mike's Mom, for a very special birthday - 39 is a big one after all!  Once his ticket was booked and the "you're taking the baby!!" moment had passed, we started planning for the trip.  There are a lot more ducks to get in a row when you have a little one one in tow - sorry, couldn't resist :-)  There was the question of where Olivia would sleep.  Answer: Pack n Play.  Challenge: the $50 it was going to cost to check it onto the plane . . . each way.  Solution:  Karen (Mike's sister) reached out to her friends in the Knoxville area and was able to borrow one that she brought with her, much easier considering she drove instead of flew.  She was also able to find a Bumbo that we could borrow so there will be no shortage of Bumbo pictures.  Then there was the stroller, car seat and car seat base to consider.  We were happy to find out that American Airlines checks all child restraints for free which scored the car seat base a complimentary spot in the cargo hold.  Olivia's car seat is a component of her stroller which Mike checked at the gate.  He did check one bag.  The huge suitcase that he packed all of his things in for the 10 day trip that we took to England last March and it was just as full this time.  I don't want to hear it, I KNOW that they were only going for 4 days, I KNOW that Olivia probably didn't need 9 onesies, 5 pairs of pants, 3 jackets, 5 jammies, 4 bibs (OK those were probably necessary), 6 pairs of socks, etc, etc, etc, but I wanted to make sure that all climate possibilities were covered.  Then there are the toys, books, monitors, blankets, sleep sheep, bath stuff and other misc. things that stuffed that suitcase to the brim.  Mike was smart and didn't comment on the amount of stuff that I packed.  I think he knew it was my way of taking care of my baby even when I wouldn't be with her.  So here I am, alone with E! and the cats missing my babies. 

These aren't the first nights that I've spent away from Olivia thanks to my 2 stays at Seton Medical Center in October and November, but during that time Mike brought her to see me every day.  For the next few days all I get are pictures and videos courtesy of Mike's iPhone.  "Take advantage of the peace", "Sleep", "Relax", I've heard it all.  As a first time mother of a 4 1/2 month old baby, I happen to love my chaotic, sleep deprived and hectic life and won't be whole again until my family is back thank you very much.  Here's a look at Mike and Olivia's day . . .

This is Olivia at home this morning.  I took this picture and sent it to Pat mid day to make her think that I was home with the baby today - tricky!

I took Mike and Olivia to the airport and walked them into the terminal.  Once they were checked in, we made our way to the security line and said our goodbyes.  Off they went into the depths of the airport and off I went to the parking garage in tears.  Mike sent me a text once they were settled in the plane and said that she was happy as a clam and had already been passed around the flight attendants.

Hi Mommy!  I'm on a plane!

Olivia sleeping with Mr. Rabby during their layover in Dallas.

Flight number 2 . . .

Look Mommy, I have my own seat!

Daddy changed my diapy right before we got on the plane, but as soon as we boarded, I had a stinky surprise in store for him!  If I'd known that he was going to take me into the smallest bathroom known to man, I might have reconsidered my timing.

After a little winge and a bottle, Olivia was napping in Daddy's arms.

Phew!  We made it to Augusta.  My Aunt Karen picked us up at the airport and took this picture.

Mike, Karen and Olivia waiting to surprise Pat at the restaurant.

Here I am with Daddy, Papa, Aunt Karen and Nana who cried when she saw me . . . and Daddy and Aunt Karen.

I love you Mike and Olivia.  Have fun and take lots of pictures for Mommy to use in her next blog post!