6 Months! (And 9 days...)

I cannot believe you are already 6 months old. You are so amazing in all the things you can do, and everything is adorable. Especially your dinosaur screechy noises and your beautiful smiles.

Listing all your various accomplishments would take forever, but suffice it to say you are incredibly talented.  You have enamored everyone; your doctor, your teachers at day care and everyone who meets you with your winning personality and ninja like serenity in public. Sure, you have had your meltdowns, but even they are easily subdued with your favorite thing (or so it seems to Daddy and me) food! You have tried an liked so many things, things most babies would probably turn their noses at but you love to taste new things.  In fact, you seem frustrated that you do not have teeth yet, because you are VERY persistent about grabbing our big people plates and exploring whatever goodies we are having for our meals!

You had your very first Christmas and Hannukkah and you loved the tree and you also LOVED ripping the paper off the presents! It sure tuckered you out though. 

You are growing so fast- Daddy and I had to lower your mattress on your crib because your teacher showed me a picture of you pulling yourself up on the crib rails! You are sitting up on your own with very few spills and you are all set for crawling, except for that pesky balance problem when you lift an arm to move. Even your doctor was very surprised to see how far along you have progressed.



I've mentioned school twice now.  You are in day care where I work, how lucky are we? That means I can come play with you any time I want and your teacher Marlene thinks you are just awesome.  You are the only girl in your class and there is a little boy Dorian who is 10 days younger than you.  You smile and point at each other, and we think you are helping him grow up faster too. He isn't sitting up by himself yet, but he is finally rolling over on his own!
You went on your very first plane ride with Daddy and got spoiled rotten in North Carolina by your Grandmas, Grandpas, aunts and cousins. Daddy said you were very well behaved and I was so proud, even though I had to stay home and take care of Sydney and Marbles.




You are a perfect mix of me and your Daddy, but sometimes, it seems that you are a Daddy's girl through and through. It makes me sad, but then you look at me with those big blue eyes, smile your perfect smile, and laugh that perfect laugh and I forget all about it. Because you are my girl too. And that's just fine with me. You have becoem a little person now, and there is a lot more of this world to learn about. I'll be there the whole way through, Oli.

I love you so much, I cannot believe it has already been 6 months since the first time I saw you.  I can't believe you haven't always been here.

Sometimes I look at pictures of you from way back then and can't believe you were so much smaller than you are now, and that it was such as short time ago.

Here take a look:

Anyway, I just wanted to get back to this blog to tell you how much I adore you and follow along with your life. I hope you can look at this one day and feel the love. I hope you will like looking at this and knowing what your life was like "way back when". And that your Daddy and I were pretty cool at some point. 

3 Months!!!

That's us!

Wow.. time sure does go by fast! I can't believe you are already 3 months old, little OG!

Let's see what have you learned in the past month:

Cute picture break!

-first shots
-grasping
-lots of smiling
-giggling
-cooing
-looking at books and pointing, grasping at the pictures
-playing with toys
-sitting upright (almost)
-standing A LOT
-dancing
-kicking
-turning over
-*almost* crawling (sort of)
-sleeping on your own and not needing to be rocked to sleep
-YOGA!
That's right Olivia, we went to our first 2 Mommy and Me Yoga classes and they were so much fun! Mommy stretched and made funny faces at you and then it was your turn. You touched your toes and we massaged your back as your rolled around.  And you love seeing the other babies, you smiled and cooed at them a lot!

awes...

Finally, this is the week we are going home to NC to see your Aunt Dani and Uncle Joe get married on the farm. Everybody is so excited to see you! Your Aunt Krissy and cousins Macey and Gray plus Grammy and Poppy and then we will see Grandma and Grandpa Goldfischer, your Aunt Aimee and Uncle Kevin, plus all kinds of new friends! Sydney is coming along too, which will be lots of fun.  We are driving down so it will take a while but we'll take lots of breaks for you to stretch those crazy legs and play with Sydney outside.  I hope you will be okay in your car seat for so long, I know you sometimes get cranky after a long drive.

Do you know what ELSE is this month? HALLOWEEN!!! We are so excited for you to go out on Halloween, we have the cutest little bear outfit for you to wear and Daddy is going to be a hot dog! I have no idea what I'm going to be yet, but I hope to come up with something soon.

whatchu talkin' 'bout??

We have been super lucky to have such great friends who have given us a TON of clothes for you! They are so cute and you will be able to wear them proudly before passing them on to the next baby friend. There are A LOT of babies around us these days! You've met Lily, Brigid, Ayela, Summer and the 3 other babies in yoga class and there are still more to meet like Marlowe and William.

Soon, you'll be going to day care where you will meet lots of other kids and learn how to play nicely and share. I have been a way from you only 1 full day since you were born and you stayed with my mom and dad.  I thought I would be okay because you are going to be at the day care at my new job. But, the closer we get to it, the more nervous I get.  I know you will be fine, because you are the most awesome baby ever, and you take everything in stride.  Just don't be surprised if you see Mommy every 5 seconds the first week!

If it's possible, Olivia, your daddy and I love you more and more everyday.  You are truly remarkable and we could just kiss and watch you all day long if we could. You are so open to new places and people, we can't wait to wake up everyday and see your beautiful smile. And every night when we read Goodnight Moon and put you to bed with a kiss we are already thinking about what the next day will bring.

Two months

Yay!

Olivia... I cannot begin to tell you how much your Daddy and I adore you.  Everything you do is amazing! Not to mention, now that your little personality has started to come out, you are one of the coolest kids ever! Two weeks ago, when you first smiled at us, we were so excited! It was the most beautiful smile ever... until the next one, and every one after.

that's a pretty nice boat!

Last week, you started cooing, and mimicking sounds of words.  How smart are YOU! You can pretty much stand on your own, with only our hands to keep you steady.  You have the world's strongest baby legs!!! You can inchworm your way across your bedroom when you press your feet against our hands. You love tummy time, if fact, you'd rather be on your tummy than on your back.  And you continue to Houdini your way out of even the most perfectly folded swaddle. You are staring to grasp at items and you love to look at the Shapes, Color and Numbers books that we read every day.

big smiles!

I should also mention, you LOVE being out of the house.  Anywhere we take you, people always comment what a well-behaved and calm baby you are and you are perfectly happy being passed around to other people.  Because you are so interested in the world around you, home is a little boring for you, I think.

 Grammy and Grampy are coming up to meet you next week and hang out with you, they are so excited- I wonder what kind of yummy things Grammy will make for us! When you get a little older, you will be able to taste all of the wonderful cooking she does.  Then, a few weeks later, we're going on our first big trip- to see your Aunt Dani and new Uncle Joe get married on their farm!  You'll be able to meet their chickens and turkeys and their dog Sarge. (I'm going to take you to the work farm so you can practice meeting the chickens there first... Dani and Joe have a LOT more so we're going to start small.  'Course, they don't have a piggie, but meeting Milkshake will be fun!) We're going to stay in a hotel and play with the whole family.  We have a very pretty dress for you to wear and lots of great outfits to show off your fabulous style.

Just the other day, you slept in your own crib, in your own room! You are growing up so fast







Ollie-by Gollie, we are so excited to see what the next amazing thing you will do. You are growing up so fast already, we can't believe that just a few months ago, you looked so small in your car seat, and now you fit in there very well. There are so many exciting things for you to see and experience- your first fall with all the pretty leaves... maybe even your first snow! By this time next year, you will be such a big girl probably walking and starting to talk, playing with Sydney and Marbles. We love you so much!!!

L-I-V-I-N'

Whirlwind

These last two weeks (and 3 days!) have been crazy, beautiful, stressful, wonderful and strange all at once.  Sometimes, I wonder how I lived 34 years without you, and others, I marvel how just a month ago, you weren't here. I'm so lucky I've been able to spend so much time with you, learning about you and loving you.  I feel bad for Daddy sometimes, because he has to go to work and misses all the fun we have without him.

see how sad he is?

Of course, I still have to be careful... I'm still having some recovery issues, but we hang out and talk, take small walks, play with Sydney (when she'll let us!).  We've also been getting so much yummy food from my friends at work! We took a short trip to the market the week after you were born and everyone loved you.  Yesterday, we took a trip to the farm & daddy's store. You slept most of the time (or so it seemed... I think you were taking it all in with your other ninja senses!) You met Milkshake the pig and Ping the duck and the turtles and the chickens too plus Uncle Nick was there and all of daddy's work friends.
We've had lots of visitors! Grandma Iline and Grandpa Mike were here for two whole weeks helping out; you've had Skype calls with Grammy Kay and Poppie Jim, Aunt Krissy and cousin Macey. Your Great-Aunt Ann and Great-Grandpa Paul (he is so excited about his first great granddaughter!), Aunt Dani and Uncle Joe and Aunt Aimee and Uncle Kevin have also seen you on live video--- you are an internet star, gorgeous!

Uncle Nick is in love!!

I can't believe how much you've changed already... you are just so beautiful, funny and smart. 

tough like your mama!

You've rolled over so many times, you love to watch the ceiling fan and one of your favorite things is to go outside and watch the trees. You are beginning to get the hang of the whole diapering thing and not crying EVERY time and you had your first big-girl bath!
All in all, you are just the most amazing person already and I can't believe how lucky I am to be your mom. I can't wait for every day we get to be together.

You're here!!!!

Olivia Grace, you arrived with much fanfare! A VERY dramatic entrance for such an amazing little person. I'm not going to go into the details; the only thing that matters is that you didn't seem to notice all the hubbub that was happening outside. You maintained a calm, cool attitude for an entire 36 hours and made your grand entrance at 9:12 pm on July 13, 2012 weighing in at 6 lbs 8 oz and 18.25 inches long.
The last 4 days have been spent learning quite a few basics about you:
1. You LOVE being swaddled! Unless you are lying on someone's chest, then you prefer skin to skin.




2. You were able to lift your head within 12 hours! Already so strong!
3. You were born with superior ninja skills! You have already figured out how to escape a swaddle that is not perfectly folded AND you rolled yourself over within 5 minutes (once)
4. Your first trip in the car and in public were met with that calm, cool attitude.




Ollie, I knew you were going to be special regardless. But, you have surpassed even my expectations. You are such a beautiful, perfect baby. You look just like your daddy and I cannot wait for every single day I get to spend with you. Everyone keeps saying how fast your life will go by, but I'm enjoying every single second so far and not thinking about what other people say.
I love you so much!

So...

36 weeks, baby!  Whoooo! I don't know about you, but Daddy and I are ready for you to make your appearance. Your room is finished, including your mobile:

Super Ninja will protect you!

We have all your stuff washed and ready to go and my hospital bag is almost fully packed.  All your grandparents are prepped to come up as soon as they hear from us that you are on your way! But, there is no rush, kiddo... you stay put as long as you'd like (well, not THAT long...)

Today, Daddy and I are heading out to Lancaster, PA:

to get some fresh honey and just to take a day trip out of town for relaxation and fun.  We are also about to buy a new appliance... a juicer! The juice aisle in the grocery store is so confusing these days and I LOVE juice.  I figure with all the healthy fruit and veggies I get from work, we should just make our own. Daddy and I have a hard time making decisions, but I think we are about to take the dive and get one.   Things are super busy around here... not only are we anticipating your arrival, but your Aunt Dani is getting married in October, and YOU will be there! She and her soon-to-be-hubby Joe just bought a farm and house in North Carolina and they are going to have the wedding there and have chickens and other animals, and grow all kinds of yummy things to eat.

PLUS... Daddy has been busy building a cellar:

mmmm, cellar!

to cure meats and cheeses, store wine and veggies. I know, I know... you think we are crazy, but trust me baby. This is the GOOD stuff :)

What else?  Well, my hands and feet hurt due to them being swollen... but I've been able to keep my heartburn under control with some medicine.  I've been doing my yoga at home for the past few weeks because I usually try to rest on Sundays after long days at work outside. 

We just can't wait for you to come! I hope you are happy and healthy. Love you!

Mobile time!

Remember the post in which I said I was making this mobile?

Well, kiddo... I just ordered 1 ninja:

and 2 moustachios:

Why just one ninja you ask? Pshh, because we already OWN two that are just jumping at the chance to be a part of this little project! (we already own a moustachio as well, but it's too big for your mobile) Plus, I wanted to make sure Daddy was represented in your mobile and we didn't want you to have the same mobile as some other kid.

Hopefully they will arrive soon so I can get started making it for you!  This is the last thing I have to do for you and then it's just keeping everything together while we wait for you.  I hope you are as excited as you are!