Liv

Miss Olivia Update

Miss Olivia is growing up way too fast.  Here are a few updates from the past few weeks.  She is getting much better at holding her head up.  She loves lights and turns her head toward them.  She notices people's voices and will also turn to me and smile when I get home from work.  The smiles are readily available and melt away all the stress from the day. She is also sleeping for longer periods of time.  We still have our little chats, and I can tell she has her opinion.  Watch out for the day she learns to voice them.  I have been doing the early morning feedings and really enjoy them.  She wakes up happy and hungry.  Once finished eating, she curls up on daddy's chest and falls back asleep until mom and James come downstairs.  Miss Olivia is a great traveler.  We have already made several outings to the track, the beach, restaurants, and of course shopping...this is Amanda's baby after all.  She is finally fitting into her clothes and looking quite cute if I do say so myself.  As for her parents: we are getting sleep when we can and continue to thank God for the most incredible blessing he could have given us: Miss Olivia Grace.

Olivia: Recap of the first week at home

There have been a few requests for new pictures from some of Olivia's fans.  Some have been more vocal than others (Aunt Annie P).  So I thought this might be a good time to update you all on Miss Olivia's first week at home.

She has done a great deal of sleeping, and we feel that she is sleeping better than most babies her age.  We can already tell that she is a dreamer and will do great things.

She has already experience dissappointment as a Longhorn fan.  We thought the Longhorn's newest fan might help bring home a new title, but we were wrong.  I told her not too worry and to stop crying.  Football season is just around the corner.  She is very excited and thinks that Colt McCoy is going to be her new boyfriend.  As if that guy is good enough for my daughter : )

We are getting better at sleeping and as a result, we are getting to see those bright eyes of hers.  I often get a couple of confused looks and I can tell she is thinking about all the great time ahead together.  We found out that she likes country music.  After dinner last night we just hung out on the couch and I sang her some George Strait and Tim McGraw (I sang along with the music).  A lot of great life lessons in country music.  She is a fan already.  

Speaking of life lessons, we are having all kinds of great discussions.  I am not sure if we were discussing politics or religion or new innovations in baby bottles...either way, she has her views and will be an independent thinker.  We can't wait to see what she is passionate about.

She is a great traveler.  The car seat immediately puts her into a deep sleep.  It has served us well for emergency runs to Babies-R-Us, quick trips to get mom out of the house, and for her daily walks.  She even got to go to the beach on Sunday.

Here is Mom and Grammie with Olivia (inside the Ergo baby carrier: thanks grampa Gary).  Olivia loved the beach...at least that is what we think.  She slept from the moment we put her in the car seat, transfered her to the Ergo carrier, and then back into the car seat.  

Olivia has a lot of really cute outfits, but most are still way too big for her.  She is a little shrimp for sure.  Her nicknames so far have included: Beauty, Love, Munchkin, Bug, and of course Princess.

Our days usually end up here, and this is where I will end this post.  We continue to thank God for our little angel. 

T-minus-7 days or less

Amanda went to the doctor today for her weekly check-up.  The doctor walked in and was shocked she was still pregnant.  He was convinced she would have had the baby by now.  Now he is even more convinced she will have the baby soon.  He is also still very concerned about the swelling Amanda has in her feet.  As a result, if she does not have the baby before next Thursday (6/18), he will induce her.  There have been a few contractions here and there, but still nothing consistent.  Stay tuned for launch.  T minus 7 days and counting.

Pregnancy Holding Pattern

We are in what you might call a pregnancy holding pattern.  The bags are packed, the nursery is ready, the car seat is installed.  The baby is full term, and seems to be pretty comfortable.  We have made arrangements for James, set up Skyp with the grandparents, charged the cameras, and are now just waiting.  We even took a ride in the Jeep to try to jiggle the baby a bit.  Still waiting....

James playing with friends

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there and mothers to be. We went to church this morning and the preacher mentioned something very special and true all you mothers already know. The Lord has a special place in his heart for prayers from mothers for their children. So true and so amazing. Amanda had a great day, got a new toy and a special dinner from her hubby. I made a lemon butter caper white wine reduction over grilled halibut, angel hair pasta and asparagus. Not too bad for my first attempt. Made a mess in the ktichen, but Amanda did not have to clean a dish. Well worth the trouble for the baby maker. Miss Olivia or Joslin 1.0 is due in a short 5 weeks. Time to get some sleep people. Happy mothers day to all the moms out there!!!

Amanda's Assistant

James is a big fan of Amanda's new office. He provides his thoughts on HP's new green packaging during one of her conference calls.

More Picts of nursery

Nusery Progress

Test post

Working on the new blog