Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from our precious Lamb! 🎃

Eleven Months

Eleven Months

Note, I started this the day before her 11 month birthday and am just now publishing...that is life these days, running a couple weeks behind constantly!

You guys, in 1 month (well now 20 days!), Olivia will be one year old!  Where has the time gone?  

I know I sound like a broken record but each month I claim it is my favorite age and here I am again, this has to be the favorite!  She is very interactive and active and its just fun to really see her personality development, and even a little bit her stubbornness and will.  Check back with me in a year or two when we are in the terrible twos or troublesome threes and I doubt I will be claiming it is my favorite age then!

She has ALREADY mastered the side eye!

 This month, we saw major progress in the realm of crawling....

As of her 11 month birthday she was not crawling, but spoiler alert, she is now!  We have been without her PT for about a month in a half now as they are short staffed and our PT quit, but it seems that Olivia is saying she really does not need it anyway!  

We have enjoyed the beautiful weather, taking in Oktoberfest with Uncle Andy....

The Norfolk Zoo with Tiffany and the kiddos, where she walked with Daddy on the large snake sculpture....

And got to experience her first trip to the "pumpkin patch," I use the term loosely because it is really just a field where they place pumpkins, no pumpkins are actually grown there.  Baby girl, we will get you a better pumpkin patch when you actually know the difference!

We have been enjoying lots of time on the neighborhood swing, she absolutely LOVES to swing!

And have been overall, her happy self! 

The colder weather has also brought about a few colds, sicknesses, and our favorite, hand foot and mouth disease, but she has done great with them all and seems to be feeling great these last few weeks!

Olivia continues to grow, I honestly have no idea of her weight or height, but my guess is she is about 18 pounds and 27 inches long!  She is mostly wearing 12 month clothes, unless they are pants--this girl is SHORT!   Overall, we are so happy with her continued progress and look forward to the next month when we celebrate her FIRST BIRTHDAY!

A few new milestones in the past month:
* Continuing to walk while holding your hands
* Talking lots more--she now says, Dada, Mama, yeah, bye, LaLa, and other sounds--I do not begin to believe she knows what they all mean but sometimes her timing is perfect!
* Started crawling
* First trip to Norfolk!
* First VCU game (even if it was just a scrimage)
* Upgraded to a convertible car seat
* First trip to the pumpkin patch
* First trip to the state fair

10 months

Ten Months

This marks the official, "mom can start planning my first birthday party" month, but who are we kidding, that was in the works months ago with my late night Pinteresting!  This month is also special cause it is NICU awareness month!

10 Months!

It is so hard to believe that in just two short months, we will have a one year old!  I think back to my 30 year old self, who had no prospect of a husband and no idea if kids were even in the cards, and am feeling very blessed by how much has changed in the past few years!  Big life changes, but all so great!  I definitely know God has this life planned out for me, Marc, and Olivia, because it all just fits so naturally!  We truly are blessed!

This month we have hit a bit of mommy-obsessed!  I think with her in daycare, that helps a little bit, but I can definitely see her favoring me over anyone else; but Dad is a very close second and I feel confident one day, he will be #1 in her life, so I am savoring these days as much as I can!

Olivia continues to grow, her weight is now 17lbs 4 oz and she is 26.5 inches tall!  She is still hoovering between 9-12 month clothes.  If it has to go over her head, it is definitely gonna need to be 12 month, but if we are talking long pants, then 9 month fairs better!  Short girl, big head!  😂

Our beloved Physical Therapist is going to work with a new company so this week was her last meeting with us and then we will be moved to a new PT to continue work on the same skills!  From her last report, she is basically hitting at her adjusted age or higher for every skill except rolling and for many areas, she is hitting right at her actual age, so they continue to be amazed at her progress.

I feel like we are still trying to hit the good rhythm with everything--not as much take out mexican and I even did our meal schedule for last week and this and have only missed one meal!

A few new milestones in the past month:
* Standing and walking while holding your hands
* Talking lots more
* First walk on the beach (we went to Myrtle Beach back in May, but it was raining so we did not get to make it to the beach)
* Trying lots of new foods (mango, broccoli, pear, peach, kale, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc)
* Started crawling backward
* Make her first Build a Bear
* First Carousel Ride
* First party at Uncle Andy's house

We love the beach!

Look Dad, fishies!

First time to an Uncle Andy party!

I feel like I have been saying this for months, but she is such a great baby and I think this may be my favorite age yet!  I would be remiss if I did not mention that she still isn't sleeping great...she is so close to perfect, if she could just sleep well!

Olivia being too cool for school (Also note the lady in the back with her dog in a carrier) :)

If you want to see how she is growing next to her beloved Lamb, check back to see last month or even at 5 month or 3 months!

NICU awareness Month

September is NICU awareness month, not to be confused with prematurity awareness month, which falls in November (the month of Olivia's birth).  1 in 10 babies born in the U.S. ends up in the NICU, not all are born early, some are born at term but have other underlining health issues that require a trip to the NICU.  Our NICU and NICU nurses will always hold a special place in our lives.  It is a lonely road to walk, the 10% that leaves the hospital without their baby, the 10% that longs to wake up in the night to a crying child instead of the suction of a breast pump, the 10% that goes to bed every night with a phone call check on their baby instead of a goodnight kiss, the 10% the understands that all babies are miracles but NICU babies are extra special miracles.  We felt alone in our journey at times, but we were never alone and that was a true blessing.  Friends, family, nurses, doctors, everyone walked this journey along with us and we are forever grateful!




Our 2 lb 4 oz Preemie-dona is now a thriving almost 10 month old!  What a miracle and blessing she is to us every single day!

Nine Months

I know I am a broken record, but each month seems to fly by now.  I feel like we were just dreaming about a baby then we spent those two hard months in the NICU and then we watched our little doll just grow, grow and keep growing and it all seems to have happened in the blink of an eye.  The only thing that feels like it is taking forever is the sleeping--seriously Olivia, can you go back to sleeping through the night?  I am beginning to wonder if she ever did that?!?!

We have the list of things we said we would do as parents, and I can tell you--I was a liar!
* Cry it out?  Sure for a few minutes, but then I run to the baby knowing full well it will only make matters worse in the long run
* Never let her in our bed, yet Olivia finds herself there more often than she should because MOMMA NEEDS TO SLEEP!
* Let her chew on things she shouldn't?  NEVER--whoopsie, was that Olivia that was just chewing on my key fob?  

Cutest Snow White Around!

Helping Mom make muffins!

The list can go on, but you get the gist!  We are in a realm of trying to keep our heads above water!  This is when bad habits get made, but soon we are putting our foot down--hopefully!

I am not so sure about this bread!

Olivia's Growth:
* As of her 9 month appointment she is now in the 51% for head circumference, it would seem her brain is catching up and thriving!  
* Olivia weighs 16 pounds 10 ounces and is in the 14% for weight
* Olivia is 26 inches long and is in the 8% for height!
NOTE: These are for full term growth charts, not preemie ones!  Also should be noted that the first thing to catch up is head circumference, followed by weight and finally height, so she is right on target!

Look at me sit up!

History Maker!

As a point of reference, here are her numbers from her 6 month appointment:
* Head Circumference: 22%
* Weight: 13 lbs 12 oz and 10%
* Height: 24 inches and 4%

I can tell you all about Doggies; I have two!

We continue to meet with Physical therapy and she is doing well, still not rolling consistency but her muscle tone and activity is good, so they are still not worried.  Her sitting is great and on par more with her actual age, she can actually balance pretty well and can bend over to pick something up!  She loves to stand with assistance and no longer loves her playmat--DO NOT LAY ME FLAT MOM!

Let's go Hokies!

Olivia is now growing from her 9 month to 12 month clothes and we use them basically interchangeably now!  Our real issue is if her head will fit into the clothes, so I much prefer the ones that button up the front :)

Target is my happy Place!

We are still trying to hit our rhythm with work, cooking, playing with the baby, doing laundry and random other chores around the house!  We maybe get mexican food takout a bit more than we should!  It's a learning curve still...

I love Minnie!

Come here Camel, let me pet you!

Milestones:
* Sits up unassisted and balances well!
* First Zoo Trip!
* First Girls Shopping Day in Williamsburg (start 'em young, right?)
* Now sits in high chairs and shopping carts.
* Has started on solid foods!
* She now grabs EVERYTHING and puts it right to her mouth, so we are keeping a close eye on her. (same as last month)
* She can just about pull herself up if she is holding our fingers!

Cousins are fun!

Each day, her dad and I fall more and more in love with her!  We are so thankful daily for all the love, support and prayers, we truly believe she was covered in prayers and has done so well because of it!  

Eight Months

It seems like a week ago that I was writing her 7 month update, but apparently that is how motherhood goes, you blink and you have an 18 year old.  I feel like a name for month Eight would be the month of sickness.  After starting daycare, Olivia got a cold, which she seemed to fight well enough; then she got a stomach bug, which she so lovingly shared with the whole family.  The best part about this is that Marc and I actually took her to the doctors and got the okay that she was likely just teething, so she should get over the slight fever and spitting up in a few days. Well then we had some family over on 4th of July and our whole family got it.  Another fun side effect is that her sleep has been all over the place.  It was only at her 6 month appointment that we got the go ahead to let her sleep through the night, and she started working up to that and last month she had just gotten to sleeping through the night from about 8pm-6am.  Well that got all messed up, so we have spent the last 2-3 weeks up multiple times a night with her.  It is hard to practice "cry it out" when you know the baby is not feeling well; so we are optimistic she will get back to being a good sleeper!

Little did we know, this happy smiley baby was carrying a nasty stomach bug!

Let's talk physical therapy!  We have meet with her PT four times now and she is making strides, we have been really practicing on rolling over (she still is not doing either tummy to back or back to tummy); it is funny when we practice cause she will throw her arm back in protest; so she is actually choosing to not roll (even when she hates tummy time).  We have also been working on sitting up and she is doing well with this. We can get a good 5-10 seconds of her sitting unassisted and she is learning to push up on her hands when they are in front of her. So it is nice to see her making strides there.  The PT is optimistic that by 18 months she will be fully caught up, so we are hopeful for that!

Our sweet baby girl is growing out of her 6 month clothes rapidly and we are slowly moving her into 9 month clothes.  It seems that as soon as I get her other clothes put away in the attic, she has then outgrown the next size!  Mostly this month has been a moth of adjustment, figuring out schedules with both Marc and I back to work full time, managing a baby drop off/pick up, how to cook meals and get Olivia to bed at a reasonable time.  It is a juggle for sure!  I seriously do not know how people do it with 2, 3, 4 or more kids!  TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!

Milestones:
* Sat up unassisted for 3-5 seconds on her own--we are definitely working on the balance!
* She now grabs EVERYTHING and puts it right to her mouth, so we are keeping a close eye on her.
* We went back to visit her NICU nurse and I love this side by side of her on the day of discharge (on the right) and last month (on the left), my how she has grown.

 * She still loves, loves, loves being stood up on your lap