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.

baby, baby baby oh baby

Well, we certainly had a whirlwind week! Most of it was spent making sure everything was ready for the baby shower and working. You were kicking up a storm earlier in the week, but it seems you have tired of the poke, poke you kick game... I keep trying, but you don't seem interested.  We've been playing music for you, which makes you swimmy!  Friday, Daddy and I went to school and picked up a bunch of plants to give out to our friends and family to thank them for coming.  We also walked around Philadelphia putting up posters for the beer store.

Not looking my best, but Batman doesn't seem to mind

 Before we knew it Grandma Iline  and Aunts Dani and Aimee had arrived and we were off to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. Chef Robert made us a delicious Pastrami burger, but you and I had already filled up on amazing pork belly and octopus fried rice! Apparently, all the foods we are introducing you to will help you be a good adventurous eater.

Saturday, Daddy and I were getting the final preparations for the party; he stayed up late to get the pork smoked just right, we orbdered buffalo wings and all the items Jodie and I bought were brought up to be placed out. But... we were so ready... we had lots of time left over! So, Grandma and your two Aunts and I had some time to sit and relax, we made signs for the soda and beer and soon, people starting arriving.

Baby, you are such a lucky kid... we have the BEST group of people who are so excited to meet and play with you.  Everyone commented on my pretty dress that Aunt Dani gave me (so comfy!) and how good I looked and what an awesome kid you are going to be.  Your daddy and I are so proud to have such good friends who love and support us. Oh, and we got so many amazing gifts! You are going to be the most stylin' kid!

Soon, Jodie and Erica and I will start painting your room... it'll probably take two days, but it will be really great.  I already have it planned out; big blue sky with puffy clouds and a big tree and a pond with lots of animals. Makes me want to paint something fun for Daddy and I to sleep with too!

Update!

Last week, we spent BOO-Koos of time in a baby store looking at all the stuff we are supposed to buy for you.  Cradles and toys and books... whew!  I don't know... you seem pretty happy just floating around with skin cells and some music.  We picked out a car seat and stroller, a beautiful crib and a pack and play so when we go visit the family down south, you have your own little place to be.  We are leaning toward a jungle theme for your room... hope you like monkeys!

That's your monkey counterpart! But, your bed won't be hay... probably

 We are going to go to thrift stores and garage sales to find you some books and toys (ones that can be cleaned and are safe, course!).  The best news? I found MY baby blankie and teddy bear!  Hopefully you will love them as much as I do.  One of my co-workers is going to make you a blankie as well!  SOOOOO many people are excited to meet you!

I felt you kick the other day! We were talking about names and we came up with a really silly one... you kicked, what I can only decipher as, your disapproval. 

Grandma Iline sent us a package of home-made cookies which you seemed to like... which is great because cookies are delicious... but not too many!  Speaking of food, you seemed REALLY happy with the pho I had for lunch one day and the crab feast we had on Thursday! Yay! Pho and seafood are two of my favorite things. Grandpa Mike can teach you how to use chopsticks (he taught me AND your two Aunts!) and as soon as you can manage crab legs and all the tools you need to crack 'em, we'll be sure to take you.  There is a WORLD of yumminess awaiting you, kiddo! :)

it's YOU sized!

 That's about all that's been happening outside. I'm glad everything has been going so well.  I'm proud of how you are growing and getting your bones formed and all your parts in the right places.  We don't know if you are a boy or a girl, but it doesn't matter.  You are a special baby, and Daddy and I love you very much.  We'll see you again in a few weeks and we are excited to see what else you've managed to grow.

Plugging away

Well baby, here we are in week 17. We're just moving right along now, you are now the size of an onion! You are growing so fast!

Things have been really busy around here, the bathroom is almost finished, Daddy has been working really hard on it and it's beautiful!

Just a short note to let you know that no matter how long it's been since we've talked, I love you so much and I think about you constantly. If you need something, just give a little kick and if I can decipher it and I'm able to, I'll get it for you.

Plants!

Another thing I love, baby, is plants.  All kinds of plants, but I especially love plants that make food! Right now, its cold outside and food doesn't grow very well.  There are special places called farms where they grow lots of food and have big buildings called greenhouses where they can grow food all year around.  There are plants that do better in the cold, like potatoes, beets and green leafy plants like kale and collard greens and they can be outside. I work at a farm and we grow food plants!

I go to school at a place where I learn about trees, which are BIG plants, and pretty other plants that are not for eating. I am able to get small pieces of trees and other plants and bring them home to grow them to make the house look pretty from spring to fall. I also get food plants from work and grow them so we can have fresh food from right in our backyard.


Here are some of the plants I've gathered:

I can't remember what this plant is called, but it's very unusual with it's spotted leaves and I love the little purple flowers that have come up all winter.

This is called a Cissus dicolor, Begonia Vine.  I love the stripes on the leaves and the red veins.  The underside is red also.

This is a Persea americana, an Avocado seedling.  I grew it from that seed you see in the bottom of the picture. It's going to get to be a big tree!

Soon, we'll be out digging in the dirt, planting little seeds together and seeing what grows.  It could be something tasty, or beautiful or both!

Here's a fun song about plants!

Yoga

I am really enjoying my yoga class, baby.  I hope you are as well. I feel taller and stronger, and I feel like I'm giving you more space to grow and giving you cleansing breaths to relax you and make you feel safe.  It's different than other yoga classes I've taken, they are less about keeping your core strong during positions, and more about relaxing and opening.

This one is called "One-Legged Pigeon":

Coo-coo

This one is "Warrior II"

Hi-ya!

This was is called the "Deep Crouch"

Get deep, baby!

There is so many more.  But, do you know what else, baby?  After you are born, we can do yoga together!

Could this be us?

Wistful

This is how I'm feeling today, baby.  Sort of wanting something but not really sure what it is.  I'm a little worried about things, but that's not for you to care about.  You just keep on growing and getting all your body parts in order.  I just wanted to share with you how I was feeling.  I wonder if you know that already, but just wasn't sure what the word was.  There ya go, I just taught you a word.

Yesterday I bought 2 new shirts with a gift card your Grammy Kay gave me.  They are stretchy and have lots of room for you and my tummy as you grow.  I also bought a pretty purple sweater, that will also grow with us.  Good thing, because here we are at 14 weeks and you are already giving me a little bump!

Anyway, I just wanted to say a little "hey" and tell you that I love you and I'm always thinking about you.  I hope you are doing okay in there.