Fall is here!

The mornings are cool when we walk:



The afternoons are breezy and perfect for playing in the grass with our colorful cups:







And laughing at the dogs:



And enjoying the wind in our hair:



And playing with our hair while we have it: (I think it might be falling out! I'm not sure, but it looks thinner. I don't see hair on stuff, but I see lighter colored hair coming in underneath.)

Another day in paradise

We know we have it really, really good--a healthy, happy baby, a great marriage, a beautiful home, and good jobs. So, some clips from another day in paradise:

Eating and discovering

So, I can't remember how much I blogged about Olivia's changing eating patterns. I never had enough breast milk for her, as she was eating four ounces 8-9 times per day by the time she was three weeks old. (And I was pumping every feeding because she wouldn't suck. Unfortunately, breast feeding just didn't come naturally to Olivia and me the way I had envisioned. Maybe next time!) We did breast milk and formula until she was a month old, then went to Enfamil Premium Lipil totally for a week. That's when she had obvious blood in her stool and we switched to Nutramigen Lipil, also by Enfamil. When she started on Nutramigen, she started taking quite a bit less...say three ounces per feeding 7-8 times a day. By the end of July, she was only taking about 2.5 ounces per feeding 8-9 times per day. At the beginning of August was when she only gained 2 ounces in two weeks and it freaked me out. Around mid-August things picked up again and Olivia started taking 4 ounces per feeding 9 times per day. Now she is taking at least 4.4 ounces and sometimes 5 to 6.5 ounces per feeding 8 times per day.

The rice cereal is going better, too. I am only doing it once a day, but she is a happy eater! She is sure that the cereal comes from the spoon, and so by holding onto it and biting it there will be more. Sometimes it is a struggle to get it back and get more cereal onto it.




I know this looks dangerous, but I am right there! Olivia loves to take the place mat and pull. Whatever is on it goes into the sink, as does the place mat. I never have the TV on when she is around as "THEY" say that kids aren't supposed to watch TV until they are two. We're doing well so far. (We'll see if we make it, though! Seems like Sesame Street might be appropriate for an 18-month old.) But, Olivia loves the remote!



And this is Olivia on the way to my dentist appointment. (We still don't have a babysitter. Yes, I know we should find one.) She hadn't worn this dress yet and I was afraid she would outgrow it before I got her in it, so she was all dressed up for the dentist. The women working there LOVED her...and held her and played with her while I got my teeth cleaned. Seemed like the reception she'll be sure to get at my dad's office!

Play time

Olivia just gets more and more fun! I added photos for those of you who don't want to watch videos, which I totally understand as they are long and probably only interesting to Nicholas and me:

In her pack 'n play looking at Puck:



Playing with Mama:





In her musical jumper/entertainer thing. (Olivia just finished a bath, and I dried her hair very haphazardly with a dry wash cloth. I think she looks like her cousin Wilson here. Doesn't her hair look red?!) :

Rolling and eating

As of two Sundays ago, Olivia can officially roll from back to belly (since nine weeks) and belly to back. It's been a long time coming, but she seems to do it pretty easily. I didn't catch it on video, but here she is in her Pack 'N Play lifting up her bottom and acting like she wants to crawl, which she seems to do at night since she can get all over her crib:



And for the eating video. Olivia is doing better with eating her rice cereal. I remembered at the pediatrician's office that when they want her to swallow her vaccine, they put a little in and then put in her pacifier. I tried it and it kind of helped her understand what she was supposed to do with the white stuff I was shoving in her mouth. The video is bad because I set the camera on the table.

A mother's work is never done...

A quick post about all that I didn't get done today... I only work four nights a week for two hours, plus the two hours in the afternoon on Wednesday. That doesn't sound like very much, but it seems that time is harder to find than you might think. One of the problems is that I get "urgent" requests from work, and I hate to disappoint, so I work more than ten hours a week. The other problem is that entertaining and caring for Olivia, in addition to trying to keep the house in order, dinner made, lunch packed, laundry done, bottles washed, dishes done, dogs walked, and myself presentable is exhausting. So, when Olivia goes to sleep, there is usually more to be done around the house. Here are the things I would like to get accomplished in the next couple of weeks:

1. Edge all the flower beds (front and back).
2. Trim all bushes (right now it looks like our house has been abandoned with the overgrowth.)
3. Finish the beds on the back hill.
4. Dig up raspberry bushes and vegetable garden and plant blueberry bushes (which are MUCH easier to maintain).
5. Mulch all beds.
6. Wash baseboards in all rooms of the house. (In addition to the weekly cleaning of everything...which seems to take a week as I do bathrooms one day, floors one day, kitchen one day, etc. since I do it during Olivia's naps.)
7. Put 4-month pictures in the album.
8. Clean out office; bring books home and organize. (They haven't kicked me out of my work office since they haven't hired anyone yet.)
9. Get new bedskirt for guest bedroom. Put it on.
10. Get new side table for Olivia's room. Take mine back.
11. Pack up small pack 'n play.
12. Wash curtains, iron, hang again.
13. Wash our duvet cover.
14. Hang pictures in office.
15. Start going to Children's Hands On Museum on Monday afternoons with Olivia and some other mothers and their babies from the neighborhood.
16. Start going to reading time at the library on Wednesday mornings.
17. Get out Halloween decorations.
18. Figure out how to get to one yoga class a week and start going. Doing it on my own just isn't as challenging...because I don't challenge myself!
19. Help Nicholas finish the bookcase.

We had a great Saturday today, though not too productive. After walking this morning, playing, and napping, Olivia and I went to the grocery. We made home-made stuffing and chicken (thanks for the recipe, Steph! It was a hit!) and carrot cake. After Olivia went to sleep, I finished laundry, washed bottles and finished dishes. I also started pruning the bushes in the front, but only got about half-way before I decided it wasn't such a good idea to be doing that in the dark. While I was cooking, Nicholas played with Olivia outside.



After I gave her a bath, Olivia rolled over and didn't want to roll back. I can't blame her since I was just going to slather her in Eucerin, Aquafor, and prescription cortisone for her eczema. She is as slippery as a greased pig by the time I am done!



I am now convinced that Olivia is teething. She drools all the time; I have to keep a bib on her even when she is not eating. She puts her fingers on her gums all the time, and her schedule is just off. They say that will happen when she is going through a change. We'll see when we find that first pearly white!

Drinking water

Olivia has been reaching for my water glass for weeks now. Yesterday I let her drink. She can do it pretty well. Tonight, Nicholas filmed:



Also, here is a complaint about baby clothes sizes. They are so weird! Olivia has some 0-3 month clothes that fit her, even though she is pushing 16 pounds and is 26 inches long. Stephanie just sent a dress from The Children's Place that was 0-3 months and Olivia wore it today. The Juicy Couture outfit from Grandpa Bill is 3-6 month and it looks a little big. But, I buy a pack of Gerber sleep-n-plays, and the 3-6 month size was too small for her at 8 weeks. She is wearing size 9-month in her sleep-n-plays, and all kinds of sizes from 0-3 up to 12 months in her dresses. What is this?! It is just like women's sizes. Why? Why? It makes sorting clothes really hard! She is in 6-month clothes in general right now and has been for about a month.

Glamour Shots

Boring for everyone but me....


Olivia in her first Juicy Couture outfit:

Back into a routine

Olivia is settling back into her old routine. She is on about a two and a half hour cycle of eat, play, sleep. She had been eating almost four ounces nine times a day, but she is now skipping one night feeding, so she is down to eight. She takes three naps a day. She is officially "sleeping through the night" since she goes to sleep around seven and wakes around two or three AM to eat. However, she wakes still around ten and midnight, and Nicholas or I give her back her pacifier, reposition her if need be, and she falls back to sleep. She is sleeping all night in her crib. We haven't used the pack 'n play yet. Nicholas took the bassinets out of the pack 'n plays since she is over the weight limit. I use the one in the kitchen for her to play in while I am cooking, cleaning, etc. but we haven't used the one in the bedroom. We are thinking about packing it away now.

We have started "solids" in earnest. She is not too thrilled with the rice cereal yet. I'll take a video soon, but she has barely swallowed any. She opens her mouth and lets me put it on her tongue, but I don't think she likes the texture. So, she spits most of it out. We are just doing it at one feeding per day now. I might skip a day or two and reintroduce in a few days. They say not to force the issue.

Here are some random pictures and videos.





The pediatrician said to practice the "tri-pod" sitting position, so we are doing that. Olivia can hold herself for a few seconds, although she doesn't in the video.



This video of me singing would have been better if Nicholas had taken it because Olivia loves the hand movements, which I couldn't do while holding the camera.

The first flight

Olivia and I made our way to Denver on Friday. She was a GREAT traveler!

Here she is on the plane,



and a few minutes later asleep,



and a while later on the floor playing,



and even later trying to tell me something.




When I asked if two seats next to this older gentleman were taken, he said no and got up. I went in and sat down, and the guy never came back! I guess we scared him! At the end of the flight, though, the man sitting in front of us told me that she was the best baby ever, since she just played and slept. I agree!

Mom met us out there, and we stayed at a B&B on the Platte River. It got down to about 40 degrees at night. Brrr! But the scenery was beautiful, and we went for a little hike in the morning. Olivia fell asleep in the Bjorn.





And the reason for the visit was Rebecca and Andy's wedding. It was breathtaking...the perfect outdoor, intimate wedding.







And last, but not least, Olivia finally got to meet Grandpop Steve! He flew in for Saturday night and we all visited.

Growing like a weed!

Today was Olivia's 4-month well doctor's visit. She weighs 15 lbs 7.5 ounces and is 26 inches long! That is the 90th and 95th percentiles, respectively! Whoa! Awesome! And to think that I was worried about her growth!

Also, while we were there, I asked about this never-ending cold she seems to have. The doctor said she is having a series of colds and it might seem like she has a cold for the entire first year! Yuck!

The heart murmur is still there, but not worse, so we are just keeping our eye on it.

The eczema is worse, so Olivia now gets lubed up with prescription cortisone, Eucerin, and Aquafor after her baths. Also, we are to only use soap on hands, feet, and bottom--places that really need it.

We are sticking with the Nutramigen until six months at least. I brought in a dirty diaper to see if there is still blood in her stool. As of three months, there was. We have a green light for rice cereal!!! Hooray! But, we aren't starting until we get back from Denver so as not to disrupt her schedule too much.

Here are pictures of Olivia with her band-aids from the vaccinations:

Olivia, Olivia, Olivia

This week will be a big one:
Wednesday: 4-month appointment complete with vaccinations and me begging to let Olivia start on solid foods
Friday: Olivia's first plane ride. We're off to Denver for my grade school friend Rebecca's wedding. Mom is meeting us there to watch Olivia.
Monday next: Olivia's four month photo shoot! Can hardly wait!!

In the mean time, here are some pictures for Steph. This is the outfit Abby wore for her first Christmas pictures. I'll have to have Jeana take some better pics, though.





And Olivia getting so big:



Finally, Daddy and Olivia playing with her dog "Spot," even though the tag says "Spunky." I was making cookies prior to the filming.

The Krafts walking

Plus Ringo and Puck, but you get the picture! Olivia is now strong enough to face outwards, and she loves seeing the view! She grabs at leaves on trees and talks to the dogs as they walk. Today she was enthralled by our shadow. The bonnet is necessary for protecting her little head from the early morning sunshine. Yesterday I forgot it and used a burp cloth instead. I don't think she cared, but I'm sure some people wondered!

Olivia is going to sleep around seven now, so she doesn't make the evening walk with us anymore. But, Ringo and Puck are happy to go with or without her. (Olivia is still getting up every three-four hours, though, since Nutramagin is gross and she doesn't take much at a time. She sleeps the first shift in her crib in the nursery and the rest in the bassinet by me. She is dangerously close to the weight limit of 15 lbs, though--she weighed 15 lbs 5 ounces with her clothes on at the doctor's on Monday. So, after we go to Colorado, we are getting the bassinet out of our room and moving her permanently to her crib. I don't want to think about it! My baby is getting so big!)

What Olivia's doing now...

Olivia can hold her head level with her body as you pull her up, and she is starting to pull herself up when she gets a hold of something stationary like the side of her bassinet. She is talking a lot (see video of Mutti and Olivia), rolling over (from her back to her belly) all day and night, working on pushing herself up, and still not quite getting how to roll over from her belly to her back. She is laughing, smiling, and drooling a lot. And, as Mutti discovered, she really does smile a lot even though I rarely catch it on film. Olivia is mesmerized by the camera, so once she sees it, it is hard to get a good shot. She is eating better now, but I am SO ready for solid foods, which I am hoping Dr. Roberts agrees to at four months. She has all the signs of being ready--she can sit supported, she grabs at our food (and my hair--what a grip!), and her tongue thrust reflex is diminishing. Of course, she is putting everything in her mouth, but that's a given!