Day One Without Daddy

Wow-za! What a crazy last 24 hours. Yesterday we were scrambling to get all of Mike's stuff together because we spent all of Saturday at Silverwood Theme Park (no, Olivia did not go with us, she stayed with my friend). She took some great pictures of Olivia and I will have to post them some time this week when I have more time to sit and wait for pictures to upload. While Mike and Olivia dozed off for their routine, and last for a while, mid-morning nap, I received a voice mail from grandpa Randy! He was coming through town and wanted to go out to lunch with us. Of course there were no complaints or concerns from our end! When he rolled in, we decided to go to Wolffy's (one of our favorites that everyone needs to go to! It is 50's style LITTLE diner). Mike was thrilled that he got Wolffy's for his last meal, Randy had never been there, and Olivia got to chow down on their delicious fries. YUMMY! Minus the fry sauce. Still delicious though.

Lookin cute!

 I was definitely a mess right after he left. I knew that I would be. Yes, it will not be very long but I have never lived alone and so the thought of not having someone there when I get home or someone come home when I'm getting ready for bed is sad. But we will be okay! My friend Taylor invited us to go over and spend some time in her pool and we took her up on it! I did not have any flotation devices so I went to the store and bought her a life jacket.... Yeah, no. HAHAHA! She did not like it at all because she could not move her head. And yes, it was too big and she did not wear it. On the tag it says, "INFANT, <50 lbs. Oh well. So we went and had a great time because it was SO hot this weekend.

OOPS! There goes the bottle!

Olivia loved it. This girl wanted to take off! Nope, not quite ready for that. Taylor did have a ring that she held onto for a while when I had her. She was even getting some of the kicking motions going :-) Come ooooonnnnn daddy!! Teach your baby how to swim! It was her first time in a pool with chlorine. 

Okay, I will do my best to make this next story short. On my way to Taylor's I talked to Ryan and it was decided that he was going to come stay the night with us. While we were hanging out on the stairs of the pool, Olivia was reaching for something and slipped and went under water for a moment. When we pulled her up, she was gasping and coughing as most people do. It took her a minute or two to calm down but when she did she went back to playing with the water. After we left and as we approached the boy's house to pick up Ryan, Olivia started screaming. And I mean really screaming, I had never heard her this bad before. Usually when we get moving again she calms down. Not this time; I pulled off the road at one point, got out of the car and tried to see if I could calm her down. It did not work and she ended up being upset the rest of the way home. Once there, it still took me a while to calm her down. I nursed her and could not figure out what was going on. After a while she calmed down enough to fall asleep and I put her to bed. Then I made the decision to Google... I Googled dry drowning. Scary thing to think about. That is when my mind really started racing. After talking to a few people, I called the nurse after hours line and the gal that I talked to told me to bring her in... so Ryan and I did just that. Olivia was not happy that I woke her up but she did really great waiting in the pediatrics ER to make sure that there was no fluids in her lungs. We ended up being in the ER for about 4 hours. SHE IS GOOD! Empty lungs and ears. They said that signs and symptoms start to show up between 4-6 hours after the incident. Once that time frame has passed, they are no longer concerned because if dry drowning is what is happening, there would be signs. She was cleared and we went home and immediately put her to bed. Ryan and I on the other hand, found ourselves still talking at 2am. UGH! I cannot remember the last time I was up that late but it was so nice to catch up with my young, bigger brother :-) I am very thankful that our baby girl is okay; better to be safe than sorry.

From what I researched, dry drowning accounts for 1 or 2% of all drownings. However, it does happen and something that is better to get checked out for than to just carry on with your life. Here is a one of the links that I looked at:

http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/outdoor/dry-drowning/

Today was a fast day. We are already missing daddy and Skyped with him. I think he is going to be just fine over there. With his new job, he can grow out his facial hair and because he is working in the back, he can wear whatever he wants! WOOHOO! No uniform!

A NEW FIRST:

That's right! More exciting news! Olivia took her first step! We could not believe it! Yes, it happened while dad was still here; I was so thankful. I am ready for the new adventures of her walking. Bring on the cardio :-) Today she took two steps towards me and then grabbed on. She took another step towards uncle Ryan while I was in the kitchen, and then we spent about a half hour trying to get her to take a step so that we could record it... and finally we got it! Here is Olivia's 5th step:

Look at those teeth!

Rub a Dub Dub in the.... Shower?

We were short on time this morning as we were trying to get out and beat the heat. Mike has tried, unsuccessfully, for a while to get me to take Olivia in the shower with me because it is faster. Well, I like my water really hot and NOT appropriate for babies. But in order to save time, I did it... I took her in the shower! Yes, I did turn down the water temp before I had Mike had her to me. She did not freak out as much as I thought she was going to. 

CAUTION: BABIES ARE SLIPPERY WHEN WET

I would say that it is probably a two person job to take a baby with you into the shower. I have heard people say, "oh just set the baby on the floor in the shower", "I put my kid in the Bumbo chair". Yeah, no. First, Olivia does not like her Bumbo chair and second, she would have screamed had I put her on the floor. Mike's "great" advice for this adventure today was, "If you feel her pushing, put her on the floor, turn off the water, and run!" HAHAHA! Nope, that was not going to happen either :-)

She was worn out today after shopping. Man was it hot! Even with AC in the car and in the house, it was hot and uncomfortable.

Yesterday I needed to go to Olivia's room to look for more diapers, I had my hands full, and I needed her to come with me so that she would not scream. I grabbed her hand and said, "Do you wanna walk with mommy? I have to go to your room. Take my hand! Let's go, walk with mommy!" And she did! It was not the prettiest thing and I was worried about her ankles, but she took my hand, put the other one on the wall, and walked! She would stumble and fall, giggle, and then get back up and walked the rest of the way to her door. <3 <3 She is growing up so fast! We will let her go at her own pace and I need to get her some shoes that are comfortable and that she will not be able to take off. And then this evening when we were finishing up our dinner, she took a step and fell forward! Maybe she will be walking soon :-) As soon as she is doing it often enough to get on video, I will.

Here are some photos that I took off of Mike's phone. The sleeping ones are so sweet. I never get tired of looking at these photos:

CAMPING!

Here are some older videos of Olivia that I took off of Mike's phone:

Great-grandma Nunes let me know that sometimes the videos don't work. If that is the case let me know and I will try to re upload it!

I have spent too much time trying to get these videos to upload, I need to move some laundry, pack for Silverwood tomorrow, and spend some time with my husband. Until the next blog, stay cool and be positive!

Daddy's are a Blessing

A Reflection From Father's Day:

In today's world when so many father's are absent either physically, mentally, emotionally, or any combination of the three, I am so thank for my dad, my husband, and all the other men in my life who have had a father influence on me. I am so thankful that Olivia has an amazing father, three grandpas, and even three great grandpas! Also, her four uncles and all the other male role models in her life. When we first learned we were pregnant, Mike was worried about his ability to be a good dad (most first time parents freak out). He just wasn't sure what to do. I heard this saying somewhere and I just had to share it with him, "Be the man you want your daughter to marry". I think it is mostly true that girls tend to marry men like their fathers. Yes, some girls do go to the opposite but a lot of women gravitate to what is familiar. I know Mike will make sure that whoever wants to marry our princess someday is worthy and up for the job (she WILL be a handful!) but I was hoping this would be a little boost. I hoped it would help get him out of his funk and involved, I would get treated like a queen so Olivia knows how she should be treated, and she would have a great role model. Slowly but surely it is working an let's be honest, she is not even 10 months yet! Time will fly by but we do have time for a little trial and error until we get things right.

Every year Mike and Olivia are going to adore each other more and more and I am so glad that I get to watch it. What a special relationship :-) I know that I still call my father for advice or even to just pick his brain of all the knowledge that he has (Thank you dad for always being there for me!). 

That's right! We ditched the baby and went on a date for Father's Day! Thank you Ryan and Jes for watching her!

FATHER'S DAY GIFT! 

Here are some photos from a time when we were just hanging out. She gets the faces from her daddy and I love them all!

This one was from today when she was at work with me being a trouble maker!

Everyday... everyday I am so excited to see if she will be awake when I get out of bed so that I can giggle with her before I go to work. I want to just scoop her up and take a video of every moment of her day. As her parents, we get to see her learn new things, try new foods, get her first boo boos and then comfort her, we get to be the first people she sees in the morning and the ones to kiss her goodnight, we get to deal with poop explosions, and wild hair blowing from the air conditioner. It is a crazy ride but totally worth it. This girl smiles from ear to ear and it is CRAZY that she has four teeth already! Even as I am sitting here typing this, all I want to do is pick her up and snuggle on the couch. I am so happy for all of the women who can afford or choose to be stay at home moms. "Cherish every moment!" people tell me... we let me tell you that we are, especially since Mike leaves on Sunday.

Yes, Mike is leaving on Sunday for Seattle to start his new job. It will be interesting as I get to experience a little of what a single parent goes through. I already have a ton of respect for them. Two months. That is it. I am sure that it will go by quickly. Olivia and I will be heading over on September 8th after her doctors appointment. We are doing this! It seems sudden but it really isn't. We are just praying for the best and know that God has an amazing plan for use when we move over. 

Trying to Be Productive??

Sadly, we are down to 8 days before Mike leaves for Seattle. NOOOOO!!!!! And between today and then, today is just about the only day that we have to be productive. So what do we do? We all slept in until 8am. Great start! When I woke up, I went into Olivia's room quietly to see if she was still sleeping but she was sitting there quietly. Then we couldn't decide what to eat for breakfast and since we had to leave the house to return a video game, we decided to get a dozen donuts. If you live in Spokane and have never been to Donut Parade, you should. It is good and only $10 for a dozen (they give you 14). Worth it!

We were a little productive today in that Mike changed the brakes on the Subaru and they went much faster than the one on the Kia that he has been able to change. However, he did have to "do" them twice as they were making some strange noises after the first time. So he had to go and check them again :/ We were also able to start packing some of his clothes. Like I wrote, we will not have much time before he leaves. I was also able to get him to help me lower Olivia's bed finally. VERY IMPORTANT. It is something that I will be able to cross off my worry list as I noticed today that if she stands on her tippy-toes that she can touch the door knob! Oh boy... KEEP IT LOCKED AT ALL TIMES! That is scary. It is a good thing that she is not into walking yet :-) We also had some time in the pool.... well, Mike and Olivia went in the pool. We even had to add some hot water from the kitchen sink to balance out the ice cold water from outside. I think Olivia enjoyed it.

HAHAHA!! I do not know...

Such a sweet face

Earlier I said that Olivia was sitting quietly in her bed when I went to check on her his morning. Well, my brother Jon got us an in home security system. It is awesome, has nigh vision, and starts recording whenever there is movement. I told Mike that I wanted to see what Olivia did all night and how long she was up before we noticed and that I was going to put the security camera in her room. Here is a picture of what it captures :-) Yes, we are going to be the creepy parents and now watch her while she sleeps from a camera :-) It will probably not stay in there but I think it will be interesting!

This was from the others day, she definitely did not like this squishy toy

Fun at the park!

Snuggles with her favorite blanky <3

Here are some 9 month photos with her sign that I forgot to post.... well, they are 9 1/2 month photos. I do not know what happened but I cannot get her to smile for photos hardly at all any more :-( 

Taking Vitamin D for the day!

If any of you have advice on moving with a baby, I would love to hear from you. I have started to do some research because I know that it will be here before we know it. So far I have not had an "Ahh, that is a great idea!" moment. I just have to remember to take it one day at a time. It will be challenging but I have to remember to breath. 

I am not sure what it is but I have been feeling pretty lonely lately. Some people would say, "Hey! You have a husband and a beautiful baby at home!" Yes, yes I do. However, I hardly see my husband these days and Olivia can be a handful. It is hard to keep up with friends (especially) and family. It is hard to keep up with my hobbies. I am hoping that it is just a phase as Olivia is pretty needy these days and very clingy to mom. Her doctor did say that she may start to enter a stranger danger phase. So please do not be offended if we see you and yet Olivia will not let you hold her right away. Maybe I just have the baby blues and it has taken a little while to hit. One day at a time :-) I can say that Olivia and I would love to have company this summer. Coming from a big family, I was RARELY home alone. It will be hard to be home alone (not counting Olivia because she cannot hold a conversation). Please forgive me if you happen to be one of the people who I blow up your phone with calls, texts, and/or Skype requests.

I wish that I had some great stories for you today. I mean, there are always good stories but I do not need to bore the internet with every little thing. I am so blessed with the little family that I have! Yup, it is time to head to bed and my brain is jumping all over the place right now. Hoping to post tomorrow!

Missing Out

Yesterday I was sitting there in a Mental Health First Aid training wondering what Mike and Olivia were doing. Monday I worked from 7-7 and yesterday I worked from 8-8. Boy was I missing my family! Mike was nice enough to bring lunch and Olivia to me on Monday. She was sassy but it was still good to see her :-) I cannot tell you how happy I was to get home to see my baby girl both nights! On Mon day, I walked in the door and Mike looked up from where he was sitting and smile at me. Olivia was no where to be found :'-( He informed me that he had put her down just five minutes before. LAME! Yes, I walked right into her room and watched her sleep. I really wanted to pick her up but I held myself back. On Monday, she slept from 7pm to 6am and last night went to bed at 7:20pm, woke up once at 6am, and then woke up for the day at 8am! WOOHOO! I put her down around 7:25pm tonight so we will see if she sleeps just as well when mommy puts her down :-)

We went to the grocery store and I let Olivia "drive" the cart out to the car

Here are a couple more photos from the last week that I forgot to post:

This is her, "I'm mad at you doe disciplining me mom" face

She LOVES cherries!

Playing with dad's old toys!

Learning how to use a bat :-)

Here are a few videos from the last week!

I made some DELICIOUS baby food today! Thank you Stephanie for helping me out! I made a batch of peas and zucchini. Then I made a batch of plum, mango, and blueberry. I'm not going to lie, I almost sat and ate it all myself :-) It is difficult to know exactly how much to make. Some days she will eat A LOT,but others days she will eat less. They say that the food is only good for about 3 days in the fridge. Maybe I need to find some other freezer containers. The other balance that I need to figure out is how much milk to give her but still be able to freeze some. Grandma Sheila is coming to watch her while I am gone on a work trip and I need to make sure there is enough milk! It will happen... I guess I need to make some lactation cookies and buy some more dark beer! Here we go!