Baby Dedication

We had the joy of publicly dedicating Olivia to the Lord last weekend! The dedication was held at the church we are currently attending where my parents are members. Wesley's parents (Gammi and PawPaw) and sister, Mandy, were able to come up for the dedication which was SO special for us! Also, my parents (Grandma and Grandpa), Jordan and his girlfriend, Brittany, as well as Caleb's girlfriend, Sam, were able to come - we are so thankful for their support and love for Olivia!
The service was so sweet and God-honoring. The verse that Daddy read for Olivia was Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight". Olivia did really well throughout the service even though it was getting close to bedtime! Here are a few pictures from this special time:

Olivia - 6 months...a little late

Our spirited little munchkin! You are very active, in fact, you are rarely still and quiet unless you are sleeping. You are passionate and are GREAT at letting us know what you want and when you want it :) You like attention! For example, Mommy and Grandma were talking while riding in the car and you kept talking louder and louder until Mommy and Grandma started talking to you :) You like to be louder than whatever noise is going on around you! You are such a smiley baby and melt our hearts as well as everyone who meets you. The nursery workers told me this week that you were "observant", "SO interactive" and that you "entertained the whole room - babies and workers".

Your 6 month doctor appointment went well even though you didn't like getting your shots! You are growing well even though you are petite - 14lbs (10-15%), 24 1/2 inches (5%). Your eczema was getting worse so the doctor gave us some stronger cream for that. We also got some medicine for your reflux and it has REALLY helped. You are spitting up less, more happy, and don't wake up screaming anymore unless of course you are hungry :)

You started solid food this month and have done pretty well with it. Some days are better than others. So far mommy has made you avacado, banana, sweet potatoes, butternut sqash, and whole grain brown rice cereal. I think sweet potatoes and bananas are your favorites so far.

You reached quite a few milestones this month - yay! You are now sitting without support, rolling back to tummy, transferring toys from one hand to the other, imitating sounds such as "ba" and "ma", putting your toes in your mouth, and recognizing your name! You love looking at yourself in the mirror, bouncing, splashing in the tub, reading books, putting toys in your mouth, playing with your feet, looking out the window, dancing to music, and of course talking! One of the things you still don't like is riding in your car seat - mommy has to sing to you most of the time and usually has to sing "the crocodile song" to keep you from fussing. You also don't really do well when we try to go out to eat. I think the noise bothers you and you try to talk or fuss louder than it is in the restaurant. You like drinking water out of mommy's straw and that keeps you calm for a little bit. Usually we end up passing you around the table or someone gets up and walks around with you - you're a little high strung baby girl :)

You still are not sleeping through the night but Mommy and Daddy have decided that's okay and we are working on helping you sleep better without needing us! Just this week we stopped swaddling you and you started sleeping on your tummy for the most part. We have a similar routine before naps and before bedtime of closing the blinds, reading books, and singing songs. Before bed we also have bath time and sometimes a little massage while lullaby music is playing. You are taking 2-3 naps a day and they are usually about 45 minutes but sometimes I can get you to sleep longer for your morning nap.

We love you so very much and are thankful for each day that the Lord gives us with you! We pray daily that you will come to know the Lord and that you will follow him all the days of your life!

Olivia - 5 months!

Happy 5 month birthday Olivia! Where has the time gone? You are growing up so quickly and learning so many new things! We love your good morning smiles and even your little lip that pokes out when you're sad. You are such a morning person - so happy and wanting to play! In the evenings you want to be held and walked around and are more fussy. You are so much like your mommy in your personality - high strung, determined, and feisty but so sweet and happy! You don't like your paci anymore but love playing with your hands and even sucking on your thumb every once in a while. You love playing in your exersaucer and have figured out how to manipulate all the toys on it. You don't stay on your tummy for very long because you like to roll over but when you are on your tummy you are bringing your knees up to your chest - good practice for learning how to crawl! Toys in your hands always end up in your mouth these days. You are our little talker! Rarely is there a quiet moment with you :) You are learning how to sit up all by yourself and can do it for short periods at a time now! You smile so much and giggle when you are tickled or when we play peek a boo, pat a cake, or this little piggy with you! You love bath time and like kicking and splashing in the water. Mommy and Daddy put you in the church nursery for the first time this past week and you did great even though it broke Mommy's heart to leave you there! You still don't like your car seat but are doing better than you used to riding in it! You like to look at and talk to yourself in the mirror - such a pretty girl! You also enjoy watching and talking to your friend Anderson who Mommy watches a couple days a week. You no longer take a bottle which is hard for Mommy but it does melt my heart that you prefer me :) You just hit 13 lbs and are growing out of your 0-3 month clothes. We are thankful that you sleep well at night. You sleep a total of 12 hours with one 7-9 hour stretch. You go down between 7 and 7:30. Your naps are only 45 minutes long so Mommy may try dropping one and see if with just two naps you will sleep longer! You still like to be swaddled. You also still sleep on your inclined sleep positioner because without it you spit up often and it wakes you up. We always have to keep a bib on you and a burp cloth on us because you spit up so often. Mommy thinks you may have some reflux but most the time it doesn't seem to cause you any discomfort so we don't have you on medicine but rather just keep you upright after feedings and are always prepared with extra outfits when we go out :) We love you so much and thank the Lord for you everyday!

p.s. Can you stay little forever??! :-)

Wish list

A couple months ago I created an Amazon wish list for future Birthday and Christmas gifts and to keep track of things I want when I have extra money to spend :)
Here are a few of the books I really want to read:
This last one I would like because my mom bought me a steamer/food processor in one specifically made for making your own baby food. I'm so excited to start using this to make Olivia healthy and cheap baby food! I'm going to start her on solids at 6 months.

Happy Anniversary!

On December 30, 2009 Wesley and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary! We are so thankful for what God has done in our lives these past three years and are excited to see what He has planned for our future! We were able to use a gift card from Christmas and go to Carabbas for some yummy Italian food! My sister, as part of her Christmas gift to us, told us she would babysit Olivia for us. It was our first date night since she was born! Wesley gave me some beautiful gerbera daisies, too! Sadly, we weren't able to get coffee or dessert after dinner because Olivia has been on a bottle strike and still will not take one!On January 7, 2010 my parents celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary! They were able to go out for a nice dinner and Dad got Mom some beautiful roses! I'm so thankful for such godly parents who have modeled to me how to walk with the Lord, love your spouse, and raise your children to love the Lord!

A little behind...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...a little late :) We had a busy and fun first Christmas with Olivia. My sister, Courtney, came home from Chicago for a few weeks and here is what Olivia wore to pick her up from the airport:
My brother Caleb came home for a day so that we could go get a real Christmas tree! Olivia looked pretty small in comparison to the large tree!We were able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Wesley's family in South Georgia! Here are a few pictures from that trip including a couple from the family photo shoot.
We spent Christmas afternoon and evening with my family. It's so nice that our families are only 4 hours apart so that we've been able to have Christmas with both the last few years! Here's a few pictures with my family:
A few more Christmas pictures:

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 :)