Happy 4 month birthday Olivia!

I can't believe my baby girl is 4 months old now! She now weighs 12 lbs and is 22.75 inches long; she's a petite one! We've had lots of firsts these past few weeks! Olivia went on two trips - one to Albany, GA to see Wesley's family and one LONG trip to Columbus, Ohio to see my extended family! She did pretty well in the car considering she hates her car seat :) We used the paci more than usual - I only use it when we're out and about and she gets fussy, and she needed constant interaction while awake - mommy was pretty exhausted by the end of the trip. At Wesley's parents' house she enjoyed rocking in the rocking chair and playing with her new bug that plays music! In Columbus she got passed around a lot and did really well with that. She also had fun shopping on black Friday - in the sling with mommy! She got to see her first snow and experience cold weather for the first time. Here's some pictures from the two trips:

With Wesley's grandmother, Nanny

4 Generations in this picture!

All ready for the cold weather!

With Aunt Courtney who hadn't seen her since she was 2 weeks old!
My cousin, Kari, did a little photo shoot with her - she did a GREAT job!

While on the trip Olivia got sick with her first cold/cough. She also got a little infection or cold in her eye that we ended up getting drops for. It was so sad to see her sick and not be able to do much for her!

Once she was feeling better she went with Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa to see "The Blind Side". She slept through her first movie experience except for the last 15 minutes - she didn't make a peep!

She can now grasp on to toys and bring them to her mouth. Her favorite toy right now is her links! She still LOVES music and now "sings" herself to sleep - it's quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen! She likes reading more now than she used to and especially likes the lift the flap book "Where is Baby's Belly Button". She is still a talker - she should have no problem communicating later in life :) Here is a picture of her in the exersaucer toy that we tried for the first time this week and she really seems to like it even though just her tippy toes touch the bottom :)

Rolling over!

About a week ago, 3 months old, Olivia started rolling over and I decided to get a video this morning. Please excuse her pooping in the beginning of the video :).

Happy 3 month Birthday Olivia!

I can't believe Olivia is already 3 months old! One of my friends just had her little boy and I realized I'm already missing that newborn stage! She is so much fun now too and I'm just trying to soak up each stage because they go so quickly.
We are seeing more of her personality each day - she is determined, talkative, so "grown up" (she'd rather sit and talk with the adults than play with her toys), likes lots of attention, doesn't relax very often while awake -yes, a little high maintenance :), knows what she wants and lets us know, and is very observant!
She loves being in the wrap or sling with mommy and loves going on walks outside. Some of her other favorite things right now are talking, looking in the mirror, baths, getting tours around the house (you know, walking and saying what different things are), watching her mobile, playing with her hands, and playing on her playmat. She bats at the toys on her playmat and will grab onto them occasionally. She also kicks one of the toys that hangs down until it makes noise and then grabs it between her feet and pulls her legs up to her chest and holds them there until she can't anymore - we call it her ab workout and it's so funny to watch. We have full conversations with Olivia - she mimics what we say and is making all kinds of new sounds. She says "boo", "goo", "ahh", and even copied my dad, Grandpa, saying "I love you", yes we have a genius on our hands :). Grandpa has also taught her how to spit and blow bubbles. We also do "this little piggy", "patty cake" and airplane and get lots of smiles! She's giggled a couple of times and I wish I could catch it on camera. She can roll onto her side very well and with a little help will roll from back to front. She does pretty well with tummy time and does a mini pushup. She also enjoys "standing up" and has figured out that if she bends her legs and straightens them she can jump! If I hold onto her hands while she is sitting she will pull herself up to standing, such a strong little girl.
Even though she's a little high maintenance she really is a happy, good little girl! She does so well at church and sunday school or if we're out running errands. She doesn't really like her carseat but the paci and making the "Shhh" sound pretty loudly works most times haha. It will be interesting to see how she does on a 10 hr car ride at Thanksgiving.
She's really a good sleeper, especially at night! She goes 7 hrs now and even longer a couple times. Although, we hit that 3 month growth spurt a couple days ago and the past two nights she woke up after 5 hours and then again after 3 hours but it should only last a few days. She's just starting to take better naps during the day. I'm thankful that she's such a good sleeper and that we never let her "cry it out". It is so much easier and natural for me as a mommy to comfort her and calm her to sleep. It never takes more than 10 minutes and is usually much less than that! I like to attribute her good sleeping at night to a consistent bedtime routine, no paci at night, swaddling, and of course mommy singing to her and patting her on her back :)
Here's a few pictures I took of her yesterday. She officially grew out of her newborn clothes a couple weeks ago and is now in 0-3 months- she's still a tiny little girl and mommy's in denial that she'll ever not be tiny! It was sad having to put clothes away but fun playing dress up with the new ones :)

Newborn Pictures!

Our friend Carrie took these photos of Olivia when she was 1 and 2 weeks old. She did an amazing job and I absolutely LOVE how they turned out!

Baby Pictures

Here are some pictures of Wesley and I as babies alongside pictures of Olivia. I originally thought she looked more like her Daddy but looking at these pictures she looks a lot like me! I still think she has Daddy's eyes. What do you think?

Smile!

This past week Olivia really started smiling at us. We knew for sure it wasn't just gas anymore :). She has the most beautiful smile and it melts Mommy's and Daddy's heart.



She's also discovering her voice more and more each day. I wish I could catch one of our long conversations on the camera but for now here's a very short taste of her sweet talking.

I can't believe Olivia is already 5 weeks old!! Time is going by so quickly and sometimes I wish I could just freeze it. This newborn stage is just so sweet...I love cuddling with and holding my baby girl, just sitting and staring at her and all the cute little noises she makes. I know that each stage will be so fun and exciting and eventually I will get tired of getting up in the middle of the night to feed her so I guess she can continue to grow :).

Being a mother is the most wonderful thing in the world. I can't describe the joy that I have in caring for Olivia and the tremendous amount of love I had for her from day one. It's amazing how the Father's love for us has taken on a whole new meaning now that I have my own child! How deep the Father's love for us is and how amazing it is that He gave His only Son to save us from our sin and to provide a way for us to be reconciled to Himself!

Being a mother also has its challenges and is stretching me already but the joys far outweigh the challenges!! Nursing was something for me that in the beginning was so difficult. It required patience and perseverance and I am so thankful I stuck with it! It was hard not to get frustrated and just give up. It is so rewarding now even though we are still working through some issues. I absolutely love the fact that every 3-4 hours I know I get one on one time with her and I love the bond that it has created. I love the fact that I am the only one that can meet that need for her!

Olivia is such a sweet little girl. She loves her sleep and likes to be held while sleeping during the day...we are working on taking some naps in our bed :). She is content when awake except for in the evening at dinner time. I don't think I have eaten one dinner with two hands yet...unless of course Grandma or Daddy are holding her. She loves bath time and loves listening to music and having Grandma and Mommy sing to her. Some of the things that make us laugh most are her hiccups, which she gets ALL the time, her snoring, her "whistle face" as Daddy calls it, and her squeaking noises, which are usually made when she is gassy or "has the toots" as Daddy says :). I'll leave you with a couple videos of her when she has the hiccups:

Olivia's birth story

My due date was August 22, 2009 and I had a very normal, uncomplicated pregnancy. I really enjoyed being pregnant and am thankful for such a wonderful pregnancy. I never had any swelling even though I was told it was inevitable with a summer baby - I like to think all my water drinking helped this!

On Tuesday, July 21 I had a doctor's appointment and was told I was dilated a fingertip, cervix was thinning out and the baby was at a -3 station. My doctor told me I could go to the beach with my family the next week for a couple days because she did not feel delivery was imminent. So, I went to the beach July 26-30th and made sure to drink LOTS of water and not go out into the ocean as that was the only orders my doctor gave me. On the way home from Hilton Head I started having contractions and back pain. We had to drive through downtown on the way home and decided to stop at my doctor's office to get me checked out. I was 36 weeks and 4 days. They sent me over to the hospital to be monitored. I was having contractions every 2 minutes although they were just uncomfortable not really painful. I was dilated 2 cm and 75% effaced. My doctor decided she wanted to stop my labor so I was given IV fluids, 3 shots of terbutaline and some demerol and the the contractions finally stopped. I was quite disappointed because I knew I was so close to full term (37 weeks). I was put on bedrest for the weekend and sent home.

The next week I spent walking every day and praying Olivia would come soon because I was so ready to meet her and hold her in my arms. I would have pretty regular contractions every evening and then when I went to bed they would slow down. My family would ask me every night if I thought they should pack their bags for the hospital.

Thursday night (37 weeks 4 days pregnant) I knew was different than the other nights that week. I was having contractions every 7 minutes but they were more painful than I had experienced before. We went to bed early hoping to get some sleep because we thought it was possibly the night we would be heading to the hospital. I told my family to be ready :). I slept maybe an hour before the contractions got really uncomfortable. I tried to lay in the bed and count contractions myself but ended up waking Wesley up around 1:30 am to help me. I did a lot of walking around as it made it easier to get through the contractions. At 4:45am Wesley convinced me to go wake up my mom and sister because we needed to go to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 5:45.

The nurse in triage checked me and said I was dilated 4cm and nearly 100% effaced. She said "You're going to have a baby today" and started the process of admitting me and getting me into a LDR room.

Once in the room the contractions continued to get stronger and I was really having to concentrate on breathing through them. I must say I am thankful I did the early labor at home because once at the hospital I had to stay in bed. Not being able to move around during the contractions was much more uncomfortable. I found out my doctor was out of town and one of her partners would be delivering me. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping to have a woman deliver me. The doctor and nurse told me we would probably have a baby by lunch time.

I waited about 45 minutes to get the epidural and once I got it I felt no pain at all. I still had feeling in my legs and was able to move them. Wesley, my mom, my sister and I were able to talk and listen to music and the time really went by quickly. Our nurse was a Christian and was so wonderful...I could not have picked a better nurse! Around 11:30 I told her I could tell when I was having contractions so she checked me and said I was at 9cm and we would start pushing soon! My water broke shortly after this and then we began pushing.

I pushed for about an hour. In that hour I had a 15 minute break because Olivia's heart rate would drop during contractions. After some oxygen and that break I was ready to push again. Pushing was exhausting but once I saw my little girl I forgot how tired I was! At 12:58pm on August 7, 2009 our little girl made her arrival! She came out crying and was given a 9.9 apgar. Holding her for the first time was the most wonderful experience. I was so thankful to have Wesley, my mom, and my sister there to encourage me throughout labor and delivery!

After 45 minutes of repairing mommy, Wesley's parents and my Dad were able to join us in the room and meet Olivia for the first time. We had a little scare when it was time to move me to the postpartum room. My blood pressure dropped scary low and I started to black out. The nurse kept me awake by having me tell her how Wesley and I met and started dating. I was given more IV fluids and after a little while was ready to go to the postpartum room.

While in the hospital Olivia had to have a few extra tests done but ended up being perfectly fine. She was 6lbs 3oz and 19 in long at birth. She had to have her bilirubin levels checked more often because she tested positive for coombs which just means that her blood (B) and mine (O) mixed and it could put her at risk for jaundice. When we left the hospital she had the lowest levels in the entire nursery...no jaundice for our little girl! She also had to do a barium swallow because she spit up green (stomach bile) and that could be a sign of a blockage or something wrong in her intestines. Thankfully everything came back normal!! When we left the hospital she weighed in at 5lbs 13oz. Good thing we decided to bring a preemie size outfit just in case the newborn one was too big!

Recovery has been difficult for me but it is so worth it! We love Olivia more than words can describe and are just in awe that the Lord chose to bless us with her! She is just beautiful...a mix of Mommy and Daddy. She has Daddy's eyes and forehead and Mommy's nose and mouth we think. Wesley and I could stare at her all day long and are loving snuggling with her. She is still such a sleepy little thing but has good awake periods during the morning and late evening. We can't wait to get to know her and see what her personality is going to be like. She is a content and peaceful baby unless she is hungry or getting her diaper changed. I'll leave you with some pictures from her first week of life...time is already going by too quickly!!

Pregnancy update!

As of tomorrow I will be 31 weeks...I can't believe it! I had my first appointment with my new doctor here in Augusta yesterday and everything is looking great! I'm measuring right on track and her little heartbeat sounded great as always. I also found out that Olivia is already head down - so exciting and relieving! I absolutely love the new doctor - she is so sweet. I signed up to take a tour of the hospital in July and take a breastfeeding class as well. Wesley is not so excited about the latter class as he's already been dragged to one :).

I can't say I have any major pregnancy complaints but I have noticed sleeping is not as easy as it used to be. Part of it is waking every 3 times a night to go to the restroom and part of it is not always being able to get comfortable. I think Olivia is going to be a morning person because she is most active at around 6 or 7 in the morning! I've started to have pressure as well, which I found out is because she is head down. No swelling yet but I'm sure it's coming with all this heat and humidity here. I've gained 13 pounds so far and Wesley said he can't tell where I've gained other than the belly so that made me happy :). My belly button is still an innie but when I wear tighter fitting clothes you can definitely see it.

I've started thinking about things I need to write down for Wesley and I to remember at birth. After talking to the doctor yesterday I think I have decided to get the epidural because she said with my bone structure it would really help. I plan on trying to get to 4 cm without it though. I thought it was too early to be nesting but I've had this urge to get everything prepared and ready for her arrival. Wesley and I can't wait to meet our little girl! Here is a picture taken today:

We've moved!!

Yes, that's right, we have moved! After months of praying and waiting on the Lord we felt a peace in making the decision that we did. We left the great state of Texas and moved to Augusta, GA. So, over the spring I did lots of organizing and packing. The first weekend in June we loaded the Penske truck, cleaned the apartment and stayed with friends a couple of days until we left town. It was so hard leaving friends in Texas and we will miss them greatly. Wesley drove the truck with his car towing behind it and I drove my car. It took us 2 days, cost us who knows how much, and gave us one flat tire but otherwise the trip was not too bad...well, I say that now :). We put all of our stuff in a storage unit and moved in with my parents until we can get on our feet. We are so thankful for my parents opening up their home and helping us through this stage in our lives.

We are planning on getting involved with a church here in Augusta and serving in the college ministry as that is Wesley's passion! Wesley is currently looking for a job and we would appreciate your prayers as we wait on doors to open.

This week I've been busy washing baby stuff, getting settled in my parents house, changing over car insurance and license/title/tags, opening a new bank account, and all the other stuff that comes with moving. I'm surprised all this hasn't sent me into early labor :)!! We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to seek the Lord's plan for our lives and trust in His provision!!

So, I am WAY behind in blogging and am going to try to play catch up. Life has been crazy this spring and hopefully after this post you will see why!

On April 26 I had my first baby shower!! It was thrown by the college minister's wife, Shelley, and a college student who I have mentored the past year, Katelyn. These girls have been such a blessing in my life and made me feel so loved and appreciated! We had some yummy snack foods, played a few fun games, and laughed a lot!

On May 16 I had my second baby shower! This shower was thrown by three close friends - Courtney, Tera, and Stacy. They did an amazing job with the invitations, planning the brunch menu, and decorating. Everything was perfect! My mom flew in from Georgia just for the shower and was able to see our home in Texas for the first time. I'm so glad she was able to do this - it meant the world to me :). It was such a blessing at both of the showers to be given to so generously!!

On May 9 Wesley graduated from seminary with his Master of Divinity degree!! His parents and grandparents drove all the way from Georgia to be with us on his special day. We had so much fun with them! I am so proud of Wesley and all of his hard work while at seminary!


















The last week in May we went with my family to the beach in Isle of Palms, SC. We stayed in a beautiful home just a block away from the beach and had our own pool. My grandparents, my mom's parents, were able to come and it was so much fun having them there! We did a lot of laying out, swimming, walking on the beach, reading, and of course EATING! I think my favorite meal was at a seafood place called Sullivan's where I got blackened Mahi Mahi with an amazing dill-cucumber relish on top. The fried green tomatoes and hush puppies were also amazing there! We were also able to see my cousin Mandy and her husband Nelly who live in Charleston, SC.

This past week my sister, Courtney, came to Texas for the week. We are so glad she decided to spend her spring break with us!! She came to work with me everyday and helped out with the kiddos, who absolutely loved her. We made some good food, went downtown with friends for dinner and ice cream, went out for coffee, went to the Texas Rangers vs. Cleveland Indians baseball game, got Pedicures (well, except for Wesley :)), and did lots of shopping!! She got to experience Texas wind and the smell/smokiness of a large grass fire nearby.

I am so thankful for my sister. She is such a godly woman and I could not be more proud of her!! It was nice to have family here in Texas with us and I'm sad the week went by so quickly!

Olivia Jane Croft

It's a girl!! I had a feeling it was a girl but I didn't want to say in case I was wrong :). The sonographer kept us in suspense as she checked out all of the organs and measurements and then the last thing she did was tell us the gender. She is measuring right on track and everything else looked great!! Here are some pictures of Olivia:
Side view -- you can see her head, heart, spine, bottom and legs

Profile --she was moving around a ton so it was hard for the sonographer to get a good one

Her little foot --this is Wesley's favorite picture


One more exciting thing I wanted to tell is that my mom got me the car seat and stroller travel system that I wanted. Thank you Mom!!!

Boy or Girl?

This week, 4 days to be exact :), we will find out if this little baby growing inside of me is a boy or a girl! I can not express how excited I am for this day to come. I remember when we found out we were pregnant it seemed like this day was so far away and now it is almost here! I'm thinking the next 21 weeks or so will go by just as quickly and we will be able to hold our little one in our arms.

I am officially needing to wear maternity pants now. These past two weeks my belly has really grown and even my "big" jeans will not button. This is so exciting, although my wardrobe is so much smaller now! I'm thankful to have a wonderful mom who took me shopping for maternity clothes while I was in Augusta, GA over springbreak. She spent way too much on me :). I'm also thankful for friends, Courtney and Tera, who have been so kind to let me borrow some of their maternity clothes!

Other pregnancy updates:

How far along? 19 weeks

Weight gain? 3 lbs

Fetal Movement? I feel it every day now and especially at night. Wesley got to feel the baby kick this week...so exciting!

Any baby showers planned yet? Shelley and Katelyn are throwing me a shower with all the girls from the college ministry at the church Wesley and I attend. I can't wait for April 26th!!

I will let you know Thursday, April 2 if it's a boy or a girl! Yay!!

BeachReach update

Please forgive me for not updating the blog before now with BeachReach info. I've been sick with the flu, and haven't really felt up to writing what I would consider to be a full update. Enough of that though...

To God be the glory for all the people that gave their hearts to Christ while we were there. From our group, we saw four people led to the Lord, but from the group overall, we saw 27 people ushered into the Kingdom!! I can't tell you how blessed we were to see this many people come to Christ through this ministry...it was truly remarkable to see God's power as lives were changed for eternity. On a personal note, it was truly humbling to see the two guys that I mentor lead 3 people to the Lord while we were there. I hope that they feel as blessed as I do when I look at them and see how much they've grown.

Now that I'm looking back on my week in Panama City Beach, I'm seeing God's power more and more. If you'll remember from my last post, I was a little nervous as to how everything would be with this being my first time leading a group like this. I was amazed at how God provided me strength and insight at every turn during the trip. While there are some things in hindsight I think I would do differently, overall the Lord really helped solidify His calling in my life through this trip. I know now more than ever that I'm called to minister to this age demographic. I'm grateful for His leading me in that regard.

Small, yet off topic note to end this post: I got to feel the baby kick for the first time the other nite...WOW!!

BeachReach happenings...

Well, the eve of leaving for BeachReach has finally arrived. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, you can find out more about it here. Essentially, we'll be giving rides for college students at night who need to get from bar to bar. We'll take the time they're in the van to share the gospel with them. There is also a free pancake breakfast each morning for whoever wants to come. These are all great opportunities to share the love of God with Spring Breakers who are most likely hurting.

Please pray that we can be bold in our sharing of Christ with them. Also, pray for the people we will be sharing with, as our Lord already knows who we will be encountering. Pray that He will soften their hearts to the message of Christ's love. Lastly, pray for me as this is my first time leading a group of college students anywhere. It will be good experience, but I'm a little nervous.

I will be sure to provide an update on how it went when I get back. I may try and update this blog while I'm there. Thank you for your prayers.

So I decided I should post a quick pregnancy update!

When is your due date? August 22

How far along are you? 16 weeks 4 days

Team blue, pink or green? Green for now but we should find out April 2nd if we're having a boy or a girl!

How much weight have you gained? None as of my last checkup (13 weeks 5 days) but I'm pretty sure in the last couple weeks I've gained a few :)

Biggest pregnancy complaint/discomfort? I had pretty much all day sickness during the first trimester and was very tired, but now that I am in the second trimester the nausea has gone away and I have a lot more energy. I'm starting to get winded and hot so much easier. I will also say that having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom can be quite annoying :)

Feeling any fetal movement yet? Before today I would have to say no but I am pretty sure I felt the little one this morning when I first woke up!

Next doctor's appointment? We will have our routine monthly checkup on March 24th and then on April 2nd we will have another sonogram and hopefully find out the gender of our baby.

Cravings? Pizza, hot and sour soup, and Mcdonald's chocolate dipped cone (not together though)...I'm really trying to have a healthy diet, but once in a while I indulge :)

Maternity clothes yet? I have a few pants that I can no longer wear and I can tell I'm going to have to move to maternity pants in the next few weeks. Shirts will be a while longer I think.

I'll leave you with pictures from our first sonogram at 9 weeks...

And a picture of my growing belly taken at 15 weeks...

Wesley and I have decided to start a blog to keep our family and friends updated on everything going on in our lives at this exciting time. We are expecting our first little one in August and can not wait to experience the joy of being parents!! On top of preparing for the new addition to our family we are preparing for a likely move as Wesley is graduating from seminary in May and Lord-willing moving into a full-time ministry position sometime over the summer. We are excited to see what the Lord has planned for us in this next stage of life!

With all of these changes coming we are constantly reminding ourselves that God is sovereign and in control of all the details. We know and trust in the fact that as long as we are walking in obedience to Him, He will guide and direct us exactly where He wants us to be. We are trusting Him to open and close the doors for job opportunities and to make things clear for us. We are trusting that the timing with the arrival of the baby, the move, and finding a new home will all work out as well. We serve an amazing God and we know that whatever happens it will all work out in a way that glorifies Him most!!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:28-31