The Last Two Weeks

in honor of Mother's Day (two weekends ago), I'm going to take this blog to brag about how absolutely wonderful my daughter is. She is the joy of my life and has helped me grow into the role of being a mom and I would never change this experience for anything! She is 8 1/2 months old now but it seems so much longer and shorter all at the same time. My heart melts when I see her little smile in the morning; she has the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life. It is just amazing to watch her eyes as she explores the world around her. She is 8 1/2 months old, has two teeth, is crawling ridiculously fast, and even started to take some of her first assisted steps. Definitely an overachiever :-) Maybe not the most overachieving baby, but she is up there. She has a will power to get things done and is pretty stubborn when she wants to be. She will pose for the camera and knows to snuggle when she wants things. I may be a little biased but she has to be the most beautiful baby I've ever seen in my life. I could go on and on but I will stop for now :-)

The last two weekends, Olivia and I spent our time traveling to the west side and back. The first time was for work and we were lucky enough to fly. She did great in the airport just like the first time she flew. While we were waiting for the plane, she decided to crawl around, check out peoples painted toes, and even stole some rubber Legos from a lady. We were fortunate enough to be in a row that had an empty middle seat. Like a big girl, Olivia got her own seat! She only sat in at about half the time but I know that she loved it.

Last weekend, our little family of three drove over and back to celebrate with my friend Kellie on her graduation from the University of Puget Sound with a Master of Education in Counseling. Congratulations Kellie!! 

Both weekends we were fortunate enough to spend time with a couple friends and family. There never seems to be enough time to visit everyone! Maybe that will change some day. I do need to plan an actual vacation.

Olivia has had play dates, work days with mom, trips to the park, practice being gentle with the kitties, the opportunity to try homemade baby food, flipped out of her crib, practice walking, and the attention of everyone around her.

Okay, okay... I really just want to post some pictures from the last two weekends because it has been two weeks since I have posted! Here are just a few, it is frustrating that I can only upload one picture at a time :/ My sister texted me tonight and was unhappy that I had not blogged. I am unhappy too because I want to share with you all the growth that has happened in just a few weeks. The ones below are from Mother's Day Weekend... part of it...

Grabbing auntie Megan's eyes!

Eating auntie Kim's finger!

She was not sure how she felt about the flower :)

KISSES!! <3 <3

And here she is walking!

Eight Months and New Beginnings

That's right, Olivia is 8 months old today! We are so excited to see what new adventures lay ahead of us in this next month. She is already showing us a little of what is to come.

Today, Olivia and I went on our first play date! I may or may not have mentioned a couple months ago that I met a gal in Winco and we exchanged numbers to meet up with our children. Well, I finally contacted her and we met up today. It was so nice to have a mom friend to talk to who has a child the same age. And we are planning on getting together again! We are very exited :) At one point, I had Olivia on my lap and I started to play with her to make her laugh. She was bent over backwards and as I lifted her arm to look at her I was met by that big, gummy, smile that I LOVE SO MUCH! As she giggles, I notice something. TOOTH #2!! WHAT!?!? That's right, another tooth! When I called to tell Mike he thought that when we were making oven fajitas for lunch, we gave her a piece of bell pepper to gnaw on and that must have helped it cut through. Here is the best picture that I could get today:

The gray spots!

She is also standing! She was really working on her balance today and she was doing it on her own. 

Listening to Pandora! This girl loves her music

She was getting grumpy so I had to pull up a auntie Megan's contact photo on my phone to get her to smile. No idea why but when she sees that photo or when we Skype with auntie Megan, she gets the biggest grin on her face! Hey, whatever it takes to get the shot ;)

I was also successful today in setting up another play date with another mom and baby for next week. This gal I met on this app that I downloaded called SmileMom. It is like Facebook but just for moms if I have not explained it before. I added her on Facebook and went to see if we had any mutual friends (because Spokane is just that small). No luck. However, several of her friends know several people that I know; people from my past and people that I met in college. It really is a small world! This little girl that we are meeting will be 8 months in 3 days so they are the same age. I am proud of myself for stepping out there and initiating conversations and requesting plays dates.

**(random thought): Packing, packing, packing, packing... What am I forgetting???

Before I put Olivia down tonight, auntie Megan wanted to Skype, so we did. Olivia was all over the place! At one point she decided to take the phone from me, which she often does, but this time she took it and crawled away! Very quickly might I add. Little stinker! Haha! We are definitely going to get our cardio in from here on out!

Tuesday's with Taylor

My wonderful friend Taylor comes and babysits Olivia on Tuesdays while I lead my training with my new scholars. Olivia loves when Taylor comes to visit! Today Taylor took her to the park by our house and said that Pumpkin loved it. It is something that Mike and I need to commit to doing almost daily. The fresh air is good for all of us and it will allow her to get stimulated and tire herself out. And Mike and I could use a little exercise also :) My night always ends on a good note when I come home and Taylor fills me in on what they have been up to for the last few hours and the SASSINESS that Olivia gives her!

Look at those little baby boobies! :)

She really like to play with the cold can

Note to all new parents and future parents, just because baby food in the squeeze pouches are quick and easy, you should not be giving your 8 month old more of those than ounces of liquid. Babies need milk/formula! I know that it can take time to heat up a bottle, but it is necessary. We learned this the hard was as I am pretty confident that Olivia is close, if not all ready there, to being constipated. Poor baby :( I call her poop lately giant chocolate chips. And they have been showing up in her diapers one at a time. So, time to cut back on the solid food to help her get back to normal. It does not see to slow her down much but she does have a rash that we are treating now. We are keeping a close eye on her.

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Every family raises their children in their own way, and to each their own. I want to share an article that my friend Zanovia shared with me about the Cry It Out (CIO) method for bedtime with babies:

 http://www.babygaga.com/buzz/show/752/7-reasons-to-avoid-the-cry-it-out-method/all

People go back and forth on this one and there has been lots of research done for both sides of this topic. Mike and I agree that we do not like it. The bottom line for us is that it breaks our hearts to hear her cry. No, we are not spoiling her as she is in the habit of laying down and going right to sleep. With that, I know that if she is crying that there is something wrong. I liked the article and thought that there were a lot of great points to read. But like I said, to each their own. 

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Off to pack as we are leaving in two days and there is lots to do! Sweet dreams everyone and get ready for some cute pictures because Olivia is 8 months tomorrow! <3 <3

Can't. Keep. Up.

It seems that our little lady keeps getting more and more energy and we are moving slower and slower! I know that we are exhausted today because of Bloomsday yesterday but she is moving so fast these days. She has discovered the cat food and is no longer afraid to crawl on the tile... uh oh. I find myself walking down the hall to put things away quickly and as I turn around, she is just about on my heels. So what do we do? We pull out the Pack'n'Play and cage her so that we can get things done!

She didn't like it but mom did! HAHA!

On Saturday we went over to my brothers' house for a BBQ and a little relaxing. Here are some of my favorites from our time with the uncles :)

HAHAHA! This is how she smells flowers... we will need to work on that

On Sunday Mike and I completed our 3rd Bloomsday 12K race in 2 hours and 20 minutes! I am not sure what our time was last year but I am really hoping that we beat it seeing as how I was 5 months pregnant last year. Here are a few pictures of our adventure that we DEFINITELY DID NOT PREPARE FOR...

From beginning to end:

At the bottom of Doomsday Hill

Almost there!

We made it!

The finish line

ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTED

Well, Olivia and I are slowly prepping ourselves for traveling on Thursday. It will be quite the adventure! I will be making a list everyday to make sure that I do not forget anything. It will be a busy weekend for Olivia as she will be visiting family and will even be meeting a few people that she has not met yet.

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So on Friday, I went to a breakfast where one of the programs that I work with, Youth Leadership Spokane, was receiving an award. This little beauty below was one of the centerpieces. I went back and forth and back and forth and decided that the $35 it cost was SO WORTH IT!

And so it was :D :D

LOOK AT THIS CUTIE!

She fit, but just barely. She didn't try to crawl out and even let me take her for a ride. Now just imagine her walking and pulling along Norman and her other toys in this little wagon :) 

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The other morning I woke up and as I was getting ready for the day, the old hymn 'Trust and Obey' popped in my head and got stuck. I have not heard or sang that song in years! I know that God is talking to me and hopefully we will have some good news to share in the near future so stay tuned...

And for a great picture to end with, here you go:

LOVE IT!

Thursday Already?

Geez! I need to stop and look at the date every day. I feel like I just misplaced 3 days or so. We have A LOT going on in the next week: BBQ with the uncles on Saturday, Bloomsday (a marathon) on Sunday, training on Tuesday, packing on Wednesday, and flying to Tacoma on Thursday. PHEW! We will get there.

This is what I love to see

We have definitely been enjoying the nice weather. The picture below was from yesterday when I was out with some alum from the program I run. Olivia and I have gotten out and enjoyed the shade (I have not gotten in the habit of using sun screen on her yet). Today we were up on Whitworth's beautiful campus. 

I took this one with my phone!

Can't get enough of those puffs!

It has been a lady bug kind of week! She has worn a couple different outfits with lady bugs. Birthday theme??? I know, I know, it is WAY too early to think about that. But then again, not really. She will be 8 months next Wednesday and the way that my family is praying for football season to hurry and get here, she will be one before we know it! I guess that means that we need to get on this whole baby friends thing. Yeah, she does not have any :( But that is okay, maybe she will be an old soul like her mom :) We will just have to wait and see.

THOSE CHEEKS!! I COULD JUST KISS THEM ALL DAY!! <3 <3

You can see her eye color a little better in this photo

I am so thankful for this little lady. I do not know how to put it in words. Almost every day in the last week someone has pointed out how much she looks like her daddy. I love it! There are a lot of his features that I see in her. She has his hair line, his eye shape, his chin, and his hands; not to mention his hair color.