Sleepless Night

Well Tuesday as we each arrived home from work and playing at Mommom's house, I thought what a great night. We had planned to make a nice dinner and just relax. I even got these beautiful flowers from Ben and Olivia...Just Because!

All went according to plan, dinner, Olivia got her bath, she went off to sleep, and Ben and I enjoyed a few of the new shows. Then, it changed around 11ish she woke up crying and we brought her into our room to calm her and get her back to bed. Nope not this time, she cried for an hour, no milk would help. She didn't want to be held, she just flung herself around the bed. This is very much how our entire night went. We got her to sleep, she whined, she moved all around the bed, and she woke up crying. At 5ish AM she woke asking for milk and then refused to drink it, instead she cuddled it like a stuffed animal and slept with it. Each time I took it away or tried she screamed (even in her sleep). Silly kid. Somewhere in the midst of all the crying and sleeplessness we decided it was her teeth and tried to give her tylenol with no avail. She clung to me like a white on rice, yup the kid who thinks its like candy.

It was worse then the night we came home from the hospital! We woke (if you can say that) after a total of 3? hours of sleep. I felt like I was run over by a bus. Luckily for me I decided to work from home but poor Ben didn't have that option. However the other person that didn't get a great night of sleep, even though it was certainly more then we did, woke looking like this...

Huh? How do kids have this kind of resiliency?

She spent the day at Mommom's and I enjoyed a nap, got work done, laundry, cleaning, and made a cake (which the icing melted off of over night...wtf?).

Knowing that the impending darkness that brought 'nig night time' was not going to be good, we felt prepaired but not comforted. Daddy was putting Olivia to sleep in our bed while I showered and luckily for me and my still-hanging-around-all-day-sickness!

Because then I hear "I need HELP!" and I knew what it was, poor Olivia threw up (big girl style...EWE) all over Daddy and then all over the bed! Good ole Daddy took one for the team, otherwise you can imagine the bigger mess we would have been cleaning up if it were me.

Thankfully catching up on all the other laundry did not allow me time to strip the bed and wash every blanket, sheet, and comforter like I wanted to. To get a good laugh picture how the three of us slept in our big bed...on the mattress cover with pillows and no cases, (all the sheets were now dirty and one set in the dryer far from dry enough to put on the bed. Who knew that should have been my priority?)  each of us wrapped in one of Olivia's blankets! Yea, I still laugh when I think of it. But the good news is she slept well and only woke for milk twice, surprisingly after having an empty stomach!

Happy Thursday Everyone! I am sure your week has been better then ours, but not as interesting!

14 Weeks {Baby #2}

Welcome 2nd Trimester!

By 8am I already have been to the Dr. and had my flu shot, even better Ben was able to be with me. This was just a routine checkup where he listened to the heartbeat, Dr. Peppy said he/she was moving all around (160BPM) and answered any questions. Oh lucky me I also got my flu shot, yea just how I like to start off a Monday.

We go back for another routine checkup on October 27 which will follow our BIG ultrasound that will show us the baby's Gender!!!! Let the countdown begin...31 Days!!!!

This past month has been OK, I would love to say that the morning sickness has gone away but that would be a huge lie. We take it one day at a time and just hope that it won't last much longer. I just remind myself that it is part of the experience and ultimately means that the baby is doing great. I guess that's what parenthood is all about, wanting the best for your child even if that means praising the porcelain gods more then you ever thought possible. It's funny that people say "Oh your just glowing!" I wanna reply yea its the new thing, splashes of toilet water, your should try it!

A good thing was that this past Friday I (Mom and Mommom too) actually purchased some maternity clothes so that I can now be comfortable. Last time I bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans and that was it, but I was able to wear dresses because of work and didn't need anything else. This time I'm not doing that. I just wish that they made cuter stuff, that's ok we will make it work.

BBQ's and Birthday's

Another exciting weekend has come and gone, as we now ready to enter the holiday month's. Of course the best way to start off any weekend was with a little shopping and this time it wasn't for Olivia but for Mommy. With the growing belly it was time to get some more comfortable clothing. We squeezed in a quick stop to the food court with Gigi and Mommom before getting a quick bath, to head home nice and clean. Not only did we tire Olivia out but me as well and by the time we got home we curled up in Mommy's big bed to relax with Daddy.

Uncle DJ made the smallest egg roll just for her.

Saturday we did some cleaning and laundry while Daddy had inventory, followed by lunch, and nap time. Of course by that I mean that Daddy and Olivia napped while I got ready to head to Nana and Grandpa's for a BBQ. Uncle DJ made his famous egg rolls and Aunt Vicky made crab and cream cheese rangoon's, YUMMY! There was lots of catching up with all the family and friends that came over, plus lots of cheering for the Gator's. Olivia got to show off her new trick of 'Touchdown' for everyone as well.

Sunday Olivia visited Seaworld for a short time and then we headed to her friend Brinkley's 1st birthday party with Nana. She had so much fun playing with all the little one's that were there, even though she did not want to share and even took Brinkley's new doll away from her. I promise we are working on the sharing thing, but so far we aren't getting very far. Especially with baby dolls they all seem to belong to her! Eek what is she going to do with a new baby in the house?

Seaworld

Olivia and Brinkley

It may have been a full weekend but we did get to throw in some down time, which is always needed and appreciated.

I will leave you with many faces of my little Princess!

16 Month's

Each passing month gets more and more fun and a little more challenging. You have to be much more diligent about what you do and say around her because she copies every thing. She is such a sponge.

Olivia is a very accident prone toddler and Mommy really doesn't like this. I thought little girls were supposed to be dainty and delicate. Nope not Olivia she falls more then I ever thought was possible and right this minute she has a bruise on the right side of her forehead from hitting the coffee table and one on her left cheek from where she fell in the bathtub and hit her face. We don't go very long between the bruises either when one goes away another one appears. Then there are the numerous times where she has busted her mouth and made herself bleed. Yup, that's a lot of fun, as she is crying wide mouthed into your shoulder. She has scrapes on the tops of her toes where she drags them on the ground while walking and bruises on her little legs from who knows what. We can know climb on the sofa, coffee table (which has now been removed from the room again), railings, chairs, and anything else. She flings herself all over the sofa and our bed; pretty much making me insane.

How much worse does this get if the new baby is a boy? Am I going to spend time in the hospital for anxiety attacks? I hope this phase goes quickly, for my sanity and to keep her face without damage a little while longer.

Check out her little bruise on her cheek.

Let's talk about sister's vocabulary, I can't even keep track of how many words she can say anymore. But we are way up there past the 30 -50 words she is supposed to be at. We even pulled out our 'Baby's First..." flash cards, I bought every kind they had (they are amazing). Can you believe they have counting but not the alphabet? Weird! But I digress, she loves them, and can pretty much tell you what is on the card and if it's an animal what they do. The other morning as we were getting ready to head home from the condo, she was hiding on the one side of the bed listening (and pooping cause that's how we do it, in private) to ChooChoo Soul. Genvieve was signing about the 'blue zoo train' and all of a sudden I hear Olivia singing "blue zoo" right along with her. Oh my gosh she put two words together (even if she was just coping the lady)!!! That's huge at least to us!

We have been working on manners as well and she has caught on to the 'Thank You' and will say it properly most of the time without being told. The 'Please' has been a little harder. She will say it if you tell her but hasn't said it on her own yet. Olivia just learned how to say 'Your Welcome' so it's next on the list.

Touchdown!!!

Her newest 'trick' that Daddy taught her!

She learned a new animal in honor of her once favorite food the chicken. While she was eating dinner one night I asked her what a chicken does and she just looked at me. So I bent my arms in and bucked like a chicken. Ever since she does it on command and we all get a little joy out of this.

Our Animal Noises:

Dog                                  Cat                                       Monkey                         Cow         
Frog                                  Fish                                     Elephant                         Bird
Chicken                           Crab                                     Duck                              Tiger

This month our little picky eater has turned into a garbage can, everything she can eat she will. If she sees you with food she makes a bee line straight to you and either stands at your legs or crawls in your lap. Then all you hear is, "bite!".  We went through a phase where she was loving chicken and would eat it all the time, but it would take her so long to chew it up. Now if you give her chicken she will either put it in her mouth and chew it 2-3 times then give it back to you (yea yummy), or  not take it at all. I guess her little mouth gets tired, since we only have 5 teeth to chew with). The great thing for us is that she eats whatever we eat for each meal, it makes life so much easier. I don't have to make a bunch of different things just so she will eat.

Foods We Love:

Pasta                              Bananas                     Zucchini                       Cantaloupe
Bread                             Cheerios                    Tomatoes                      Eggs
Green Beans                  Lemons                     Salad                             Macaroni and Cheese
Couscous                       Limes                        Mum Mum's                 Turkey
Apples                           Oranges                     Strawberries                  Cheese
Raisins                          Animal Crackers        Waffles                         Soup
Cheetos                         Grahm Crackers         Potatoes                        Peas
Grapes                           Meatballs                   Cucumbers

This is how we eat breakfast!

      Here is to another amazing month and the start of the Holiday's, you will love this time of year!

Mommy and Daddy love you more then you will ever know!!!

Anniversary Getaway

It was a family trip to Daytona to celebrate our anniversary this past weekend. Probably one of the last until the spring. The weather may not have been that fabulous but we made the most of our time there.
Saturday morning we went out early to walk on the beach which Olivia loved. She found some shells, chased some birds, and got caught in a little wave. We may not have walked far but we made a lot of steps. We walked to and from the water I couldn't count the times. We would get our toes wet and then she turned us around.
We had a few hours on the beach a little bit later. There was digging, sand throwing (not by Olivia), sand castle building, and then crushing. It didn't take long before she was tired out and needed a bath followed by nap time. I guess it was lucky for Ben because he got in a nice nap just before the Florida game started.

No trip is complete unless you go to Caribbean Jack's especially for Bananas Foster. So of course we obliged. We braved the wind and enjoyed dinner on the patio. Unfortunately to end out weekend we woke up to puring down rain with no end in sight. So we packed up and headed home early. We capped off our weekend with dinner at the Baker's while the kids played.

We had a fantastic weekend.

Another Year

Today marks our 2 year anniversary (our first wedding) and a day that was so special. I remember waiting in the room ready just to walk down that aisle but it wasn't time. My cousin came in, my grandmother came in, and as each person came in and began to cry as they saw me in what was my mother's wedding dress 27 years before. I gave them a hug and nicely asked them to leave, I didn't want to start crying too!

Its funny as you look back on days like that what sticks out in your mind. My Mom and my sister were there the whole time, my Dad came in to see me for the first time, Pop waiting in the hallway just outside the room talking to me, at the last minute someone came in to ask me who was walking my Mother down the aisle (of course Big Andrew was the only one I would have choose), and then people began to walk down to their places. All of a sudden it was mine and Daddy's turn, I was nervous. Not about the destination or what it meant but leaving my family to make our own. I said I silent prayer that I would make a good wife, partner, and someday mother (who knew just how soon that would come about) then grabbed Daddy's hand and took that long walk!

Now 2 years later look where that walk has lead us, we are in an amazing place in our life as again we wait on the arrival of our 2nd child. We have had our bumps in the road, no one said the journey would be smooth but it has made our love that much stronger. He is the first person that I tell anything too, the first person I think about in the morning and the last person that I think about at night. I wouldn't change anything.

Happy 2 Years Buddy! I love you so much and I look forward to our weekend in Daytona!

Like Mother Like Daughter

Now that Olivia has become my little garbage disposal, she has definitely developed her favorite meals. One of which is pasta, yes she even knows how to say it. I hoped that she would take after me on this one, spaghetti sauce runs through my Italian veins.

When I picked up Olivia from Mommom's the other day I was handed a few pictures of Olivia eating pasta and a picture of me.

Yup, like Mother like Daughter!

How could you ask for a cuter kid drenched in sauce?

Can we say that we suffer from food coma? What is really funny is that she recently began doing what is affectionately known as the food dance. It is something that Kristen points out that I do when I get my food, a little happy dance as I take my first few bites. OK and if it's dessert the dance lasts the whole time.                It may have been hard to see much of me in Olivia early on but each day I discover a new piece. Now the daredevil in her that is all her Daddy! I can take no claim in that because I was a very quiet and safe kid.

Oh Olivia we are so excited that you have found an appatite. Even though now you will eat us out of house and home. There are some days that I don't think you will ever stop eating.

Yes, I had curly hair, I know that is hard to believe. But everyone asks me where Olivia gets her curls from and as far as I know Ben did not have curly hair when he was a kid. So I can take credit for that! I am enjoying her curls for now too, because mine only lasted the first couple of years. Now if her hair would just get as thick as mine was?

Happy Grandparents Day

Happy GrandParents Day!!!



Our children are very lucky because not many people can say that not only do that have 2 amazing sets of grandparents but also 3 sets of GREATgrandparents. Today we celebrate that wonderfulness and we thank you for everything each one of you do!!!

Olivia gets to spend so much time with her grandparents and greatgrandparents just about every week. It is more then we could have ever asked for that they get to see her grow. She loves to go and spend time with each one of them and all for different reasons besides that she loves them. I am sure that the new baby will be just as excited to go visiting. Plus it gives Mommy and Daddy a much needed break.

Craving's

People must think that every pregnant woman has this instinct to eat pickles and ice cream and I get asked all the time. Do you have any crazy cravings? Umm, no! I have no urge to dip pickles in ice cream, dip anything into A-1 sauce, eat apples wrapped in salami, or anything else GROSS that makes me want to hurl.

I will say that I have cravings for things I see or if someone is talking about it and it just sounds great. I saw a commercial for strawberry ice cream and off Ben went to the store to pick some up. The next night it was a Frosted Flakes commercial, yup back to the store. God love the guy he is so easy going and does so much for me, even if he thinks its crazy.

I have wanted waffles and in less then 2 weeks went through 24 of the Eggo amazingness! But more so I have had food aversions which I did not experience with Olivia. The 5-8 week I didn't even want to look at chicken let alone put it near my mouth. Now I want to eat Chick-fil-A every day, don't worry I don't but its just so yummy.

I remember during Olivia's pregnancy I craved hot fudge sunday's from McDonald's. Poor Ben, no matter how freaking cold it was outside, he always went! Yes, I do realize this is why I gained so much weight with Olivia. But I also craved salad like you wouldn't believe, not so much this time but I do want fruit a lot more though.

My Mom said this happened to her and so far I don't like it, but almost everything I eat leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. If I didn't have to eat to keep from feeling nauseous I don't think I would eat at all. But all in all I am just trying to keep what I do eat down.

Monday we will be 12 weeks and starting off the 2nd trimester, so I am really hopping that I wake up that morning feeling amazing, no more sickness, no more tiredness, just the old me back!!! Here's to hopping!

11 1/2 Weeks Not a very flattering angle.

Bubbles

Until I have photos to share from our Labor Day Weekend of Fun, I will post our latest passion. Her new word and reason to want to go outside...Bubbles! We got them with our tickets at Dave and Busters (it was the only stuff that wasn't junk) and we have gotten some great use out of them.

She loves trying to catch them and chase after them as they float past her. It helps Mommy too, as I have been very tired lately and not much fun for her. I can just stand there and wave the magic bubble wand! I know only one more week and we are in the 2nd trimester so hopefully fun Mommy will be back.

For now enjoy the bubbly fun!

A Love For Music

Since before she was born I knew that Olivia had a love for music. In the car on the way to work if I had the music on she would be moving all around inside my belly. One night Ben and I went to the Piano Bar at Disney Boardwalk and she didn't stop moving around in there the whole time.
Nothing has changed she will dance as soon as she hears music from the radio, TV, or a toy. Last night I was watching her play in her new room and she went over to her lady bug rocker and turned on one song and this is what I caught!