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: