Olivia 3 Months!

Well, princess, after three months I'd say we are definitely getting the swing of things around here. Life feels a little bit more predictable these days. However, just when I think we have things figured out, you change! You have changed so much and so quickly! 

You're such a little chunk now! Okay, you've never been a Michelin Tire baby, but for you, you are chunky! You have the cutest double chin and baby buddha belly! 

You're still going strong and are full of smiles! I think you're really close to laughing. You are an absolute hoot when you're being changed and just talk to us and give us the most heart-melting smiles! Some of the most adorable smiles are the ones you give your daddy. I honestly think he is your favorite person in the world. You give him almost bashful smiles... they're the smiles of a girl who knows she is absolutely adored and loved to the moon and back. 

One of my absolute favorite things is to get you up from your naps. You stare up at me and then when you realize you're being unswaddled you give the most adorable smile of joy! Nothing, however, is better than our morning cuddles. You wake up between 6-7am and I nurse you in the rocker in your nursery and we both end up falling back asleep. It's just the sweetest most precious time to me. I love waking up and seeing your cute sleeping face all snuggled up close to me in my arms. You stretch and sigh and then settle back into our cuddle. B.E.S.T. way to start the day! 

You're on the move as much as you can be in your 3 month old body. You kick, kick, kick and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle when you're getting changed, playing on your play gym, or are in your swing. You've started doing this sit-up, flinging motion and we've had to start strapping you into your swing. You've also discovered your feet this week and it's pretty amusing. You catch them with your eyes, then flop and fold almost completely over to try and reach them with your mouth.   

You're still not taking a paci but are a big, big fan of putting you hand in your mouth. Daddy and I are pretty impressed with your determination to get that hand in your mouth. We swaddle you so tightly that we are confident nothing can loosen it... but most of the time when we go to get you out of your crib your hand is out and your little baby fist is near your mouth.  I think you'll probably be a thumb-sucker. 

You can sit up pretty well with some assistance and can sit by yourself in the Bumbo. You've started to grab on to things - not so much with intentionality, but none the less - you grab things and hold on to them fiercely. It's pretty cute when you hold onto your own bottle at night, not so cute when you grab mommy's hair and almost pull it out with your surprising baby strength. 

You celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day. This is a big holiday in the city of your birth. We didn't venture out to the parade with daddy this year, but we celebrated at home with a custom made, monogrammed onesie. 

Your favorite books are Peek-a Who? and a nursery rhyme book your Granny gave you. You love the Itsy Bitsy Spider page in particular. We also spend a lot of our afternoons dancing around to Toddler Radio. 

You LOVE to be held and honestly are quite fussy if you're not in someone's arms or sitting in their lap. I love that you love to cuddle, but it isn't always possible. Whenever I put you in your swing or bouncy seat, you cry in angry protest. You definitely let me know when you are upset. You generally cry for 5-10 minutes before you settle down and accept that mommy can't hold you, but it absolutely breaks my heart to hear you cry! 

Love you, princess! I'm so thankful God made YOU our daughter! Happy 3 months! XOXO

Olivia 2 Months!

My precious Olivia... how are you already two months old?! This past month went by way faster than your first month of life! We are only two months in and I already want time to slow down! You're growing up too fast! We had to pack up a bunch of your newborn size clothes and you've transitioned from newborn diapers to size 1. 

You've made some big, positive changes in one month too. You started smiling and are full of  those smiles! I seriously cannot describe the joy I feel when you smile at Mommy. My heart just absolutely bursts from my chest. You are most smiley in the morning and when you wake up from your naps. We put you on your diaper changing pad and you just wiggle, kick, and smile at us. It's the cutest thing! You also smile a bunch when we sing to you. Neither Mommy or Daddy are the best singers, but luckily you are too little to know that yet ;) 

We started taking you to the chiropractor twice a week to help with your latch when you nurse. It's helped a lot! You are a much happier baby after you get adjusted... you sleep like a champ, your bowel movements are more consistent (the first 5 weeks of your life you only pooped once a week!), and you nurse better. Your neck control is impressive and you've also rolled over from tummy to your back! I googled when babies usually start to do that and it says the average is at four months and you rolled over at six weeks! I think being a "chiro-baby" has a lot to do with your strength. 

After some advice from some Facebook friends we started you on a schedule. We aren't sticklers with it and are pretty flexible, but the routine has been a lifesaver! It has given me a sense of sanity and a timeframe to get things done when you are sleeping. You also seem to be much more content with a schedule. 

Part of your nighttime routine is spending time with your daddy. When Daddy comes home from work he comes in and almost immediately picks you up to cuddle. You're quite fussy in the evening and being in your Daddy's arms is pretty much the only thing that makes you comfortable. You still like it when he holds you on your belly on his forearm.

After dinner we start your bath. You like your bath and it's sweet time together as a family. Daddy bathes you and we sing "Wheels On The Bus" until we run out of verses. Animals go on your bus... like the pig on the bus that goes "oink, oink, oink" or the bee on the bus that goes "buzz, buzz, buzz". 

You're not sleeping through the night just yet. However, you are sleeping in your own room and in your crib!!! This is helping mommy and daddy to sleep so much better! You still sleep swaddled up, but you protest this, and you can Houdini your little arms out every night! We keep it loud in your nursery while you sleep to help block out noise. You sleep with loud white noise, an air purifier, and a cool mist humidifier. I hope we aren't setting you up to not be able to sleep like a normal person later in life, haha. 

You're still hit or miss with the swing, especially when it is actually in motion. But you love to look at the mirror on it and you smile and talk to the baby looking back at you. It's pretty darn cute. 

Let see, what are some other things going on with you in your second month of life... you have gotten to be quite the pro in spitting up. We burp and burp you but you still surprise us with some pretty impressive spits. I've learned to live in sweats and grungy clothes while at home during the day with you because I know we're both going to be covered in baby spits by the end of the day. Your nails are also surprisingly sharp for a baby. Mommy attempted to cut them this past month and I nipped your precious little finger and you bled so much that I'm way too scared to try again. I'm also happy to report that your hair is growing back and you don't look so much like a balding old man anymore. Though, it is important to tell you that you are beautiful even without any hair. Mommy and Daddy would love you and think you are the most beautiful little girl even if your hair never ever grew back! 

You had a lot of visitors this last month too. G-Daddy and Lolly came for a few days and you really bonded with them. Lolly can get a lot of smiles out of you and it's adorable! Your Aunt Jessie and Uncle Juan came down for your first Valentines Day and actually babysat you while Mommy and Daddy went out to dinner. This was a big deal because it was the first time that both of us left you at the same time! We knew you were in good hands though and you did great! 

Olivia Jane, it still surprises me each morning when I'm nursing you while the sun is coming up and I'm looking down at your precious little face how much my love has grown for you in the past day. It multiples each day even though I swear each day I cannot possibly love you any more than I already do! You are so so so loved. I thank God daily that you are our little girl! These past two months have been the best of my life! 

Olivia 1 Month!

Oh emm gee! Miss Olivia Jane, you are ONE month old already!! How has time flown by so quickly?! You have changed our lives and we are so grateful that God chose us to be your parents! 

Daddy and I think you are the most beautiful little girl. We never get tired of people gushing over how beautiful you are.  You've started to loose your hair near your forehead, but the rest of the hair you still have is growing quickly! 

At your one month doctor appointment you weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz... a whole 1 lb 10 oz greater than your birth weight (6 lbs 13 oz). You've also grown over 2 inches! You're now 21.5 inches long. You're lanky and are quickly outgrowing your NB onesies length-wise. 

I love that you want mommy, recognize my voice and that you can calm down just by being passed back into my arms. But my goodness child, boy do you like to be held. (Right now you are actually very fussy because mommy is torturing you by not holding you.)  If things could get done with you in my arms at all times then I would never put you down. I love our cuddles. You like the Ergo most of the time and this is a welcome solution to you needing to be held constantly. 

We still haven't found a good sleeping solution for you. We've tried a bassinet, the crib, the swing, and the rock n' play. We've had some success with the rock n' play, but it's a lot of effort to get you to sleep in it even for just a few hours. I spend about an hour nursing you to sleep, we heat it up with a heating pad, play a heartbeat sound from the Sleep Sheep and then daddy rocks you once you're all snuggly in the rock n' play. This has a success rate of about 40%. You have spent most of your night time sleeping in my arms. I have become an expert at sleeping sitting up (mommy is so scared of smothering you in our sleep!). Daddy teases me at how concerned I am for you when you sleep. I may check that you're breathing multiple times a night... even though you sleep with the Snuza. You wake up 2 to 3 times a night. You seem to have a sleep schedule of waking up around 11pm, 1am and then again around 5am.

You like to be vertical or on your tummy... especially when your daddy holds you like the photo below. You don't fit well on my arm like that, so it's a special thing just between you and your daddy.

We've had some trouble getting you to nurse well. You like to nurse, that's not the problem... you just like to nurse at a very lackadaisical pace. I will spend hours nursing you at a time. I often have to remind you to keep going. We've met with Helen, our lactation consultant, multiple times and she's given us some helpful hints and advice. You're gaining weight like a pro, so we know you're getting enough to eat, we'd just like to achieve it in shorter feeding sessions. 

The dogs have taken to you and like to give you kisses on your head and toes. Jackson seems especially concerned when you cry and has to check on you and then let me know you are upset. It's pretty precious. Emma still barks a lot, but it doesn't seem to phase you as of yet. 

You like your carseat as long as the car is moving. In fact, you did so super well on your first long car trip going to Atlanta and Birmingham... sleeping the whole way! 

You are hit or miss with the paci, but seem to prefer the Nuk brand (though you are warming up to the Wubanubs! I think you just had to grow into them)

You've had a pretty big first month of life! You celebrated your first two holidays (Christmas and New Years), met both sides of your family (all aunts and uncles, cousins, and even your GG on mommy's side), traveled out of state for the first time, saw your first snow fall, and are working hard on smiling. You seem like a happy (as long as you're being held) and healthy little girl. 

People always talk about how "fast" it all goes, and if this one month is any indication of how quickly it feels then they are definitely right. I cannot remember life without you in it and wouldn't want to live in the world without you in it now either! You are our sunshine and we love you more than we can express or even understand! Happy One Month baby girl! XOXO

(PS. Thank you to your grandpa Amador for taking the one month photos!)