Olivia had her (very traumatic) 1-year appointment today. In addition to the usual tortures of being measured and weighed and having her ears looked at, she also got three shots and her finger stuck to check her hemoglobin. I've witnessed her getting upset before, but wow---she was in full-on screaming mode today: red face, sweating, tears gushing from her eyes, the whole works. She actually was more upset by the weighing and measuring and ear checking than she was by the needles. At one point, I thought maybe she'd broken a blood vessel in her eye from all her hysterics. It was really sad to watch, but Dr. Jim said it's totally normal for kids her age to react that way. Can you imagine your days filled with kids who are crying and terrified of you? Maybe that nice salary offsets those unpleasantries. Anyway, the stats!
length: 31.5" (I thought it was closer to 32", but she was pretty squirmy) - 97th percentile
weight: 21 pounds 8 ounces - 50th percentile
I didn't see the head circumference on her chart this time, but he said that her head is pretty normally sized ... not too small or too big. (Ahem - Pesto, are you reading this? ;)
I also got the go-ahead to switch her over to whole milk, and was told we have a month to get her off bottles. It breaks my heart a little to take away her beloved ba-ba, partially because I can't imagine snuggling in the rocker with her blanket and a sippy, but also because she's so cute when she crawls over to my leg, pulls on my pants, and shouts, "BA-BA!" excitedly.
In other news, while I was rocking Olivia tonight, I heard a wind gust and a boom that shook the house a little. I assumed it was thunder. When I came downstairs, I asked Dan if we should move Olivia's crib to the other side of the room in case it got windier and the giant tree out front fell. He assured me there was no reason to worry. Well, there wasn't---because that boom I heard was the tree in the front yard falling over. I'll post pictures tomorrow, but it came up by the roots and fell across our neighbor's driveway. Unreal. I'm still sort of shaking thinking about the what-ifs.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Happy birthday, Olivia Kate!
Sweet miss Olivia, it's your birthday!
At this time last year, I was in bed, unable to sleep. Truth be told, I think I was also crying a little. I was to report to the hospital at 6 a.m. to be induced -- you were stubborn and cozy in there and didn't seem to be showing signs of wanting to come out on your own. I didn't want to go to a hospital. I was under the assumption that childbirth might possibly be the Worst Thing Ever and thought that if I could be the first woman to remain pregnant forever, I'd gladly sign up. I was sad that I would no longer be carrying around a little friend with me wherever I went. I knew I'd miss your crazy nighttime kicking and all-day-long hiccups.
I was also just plain petrified. Petrified about some big stuff, like that I wouldn't have any idea how to take care of you or that I'd be a lousy mom, but also about some silly stuff, like fearing I'd never get to go out to eat again. When I was nearing my due date, everything became a "last." Last dinner out. Last movie in a theater. Last night as a childless married couple. I worried that maybe your dad and I hadn't traveled enough, or that perhaps we should have spent more time being selfish (your dad assured me that as people in their mid-30s, we'd had plenty of time to be selfish).
As it turns out, I was wrong about a lot of things. Having you was -- after the epidural, anyway! -- exhilarating. Though I no longer had a built-in little friend, I had something even better: a tiny sweet bundle that I could hold in my arms. It's true that your dad and I had a lot of "lasts" before you were born, but now we have so many firsts to look forward to. Something is a first for you every day, and we get to go along for the ride. We somehow figured out how to care for you, with lots of help from grandma and books and even that first-night-home call to the hospital to find out why you were crying. Answer: have you tried giving her more food? Yeah, we were rookies in every sense of the word. And I laugh now, thinking that we'd never eat out again. I think you may have been in more restaurants in your first three months of life than I'd been to in a year. One of these days, daddy and I will get brave and travel somewhere with you. Maybe.
Though I jokingly called it "A day of indignities" after some of the things that happened during labor and delivery, February 7, 2008 was by far the best day of my life. I'm so happy you're my daughter and that I get to watch you learn and grow. I love seeing the world through your eyes -- how you point and grin at birds and squirrels and have been fascinated by butterflies even when you were only a few months old; that you hear an airplane and look toward the sky expectantly, as if it's one of the most exciting things ever.
I am so lucky, and I love you so much.
At this time last year, I was in bed, unable to sleep. Truth be told, I think I was also crying a little. I was to report to the hospital at 6 a.m. to be induced -- you were stubborn and cozy in there and didn't seem to be showing signs of wanting to come out on your own. I didn't want to go to a hospital. I was under the assumption that childbirth might possibly be the Worst Thing Ever and thought that if I could be the first woman to remain pregnant forever, I'd gladly sign up. I was sad that I would no longer be carrying around a little friend with me wherever I went. I knew I'd miss your crazy nighttime kicking and all-day-long hiccups.
I was also just plain petrified. Petrified about some big stuff, like that I wouldn't have any idea how to take care of you or that I'd be a lousy mom, but also about some silly stuff, like fearing I'd never get to go out to eat again. When I was nearing my due date, everything became a "last." Last dinner out. Last movie in a theater. Last night as a childless married couple. I worried that maybe your dad and I hadn't traveled enough, or that perhaps we should have spent more time being selfish (your dad assured me that as people in their mid-30s, we'd had plenty of time to be selfish).
As it turns out, I was wrong about a lot of things. Having you was -- after the epidural, anyway! -- exhilarating. Though I no longer had a built-in little friend, I had something even better: a tiny sweet bundle that I could hold in my arms. It's true that your dad and I had a lot of "lasts" before you were born, but now we have so many firsts to look forward to. Something is a first for you every day, and we get to go along for the ride. We somehow figured out how to care for you, with lots of help from grandma and books and even that first-night-home call to the hospital to find out why you were crying. Answer: have you tried giving her more food? Yeah, we were rookies in every sense of the word. And I laugh now, thinking that we'd never eat out again. I think you may have been in more restaurants in your first three months of life than I'd been to in a year. One of these days, daddy and I will get brave and travel somewhere with you. Maybe.
Though I jokingly called it "A day of indignities" after some of the things that happened during labor and delivery, February 7, 2008 was by far the best day of my life. I'm so happy you're my daughter and that I get to watch you learn and grow. I love seeing the world through your eyes -- how you point and grin at birds and squirrels and have been fascinated by butterflies even when you were only a few months old; that you hear an airplane and look toward the sky expectantly, as if it's one of the most exciting things ever.
I am so lucky, and I love you so much.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
this too shall pass ...
... but it doesn't mean it isn't frustrating anyway. I'm sure you can probably guess: teething, sleep disruptions. Last night looked like:
7:30 - bed
8:30 - awake
9:00 - asleep
2:30 - awake
3:00 - asleep
3:30 - awake
3:45 - asleep
4:15 - awake
Not the worst night we've had by any stretch of the imagination, but after several weeks of her either sleeping through the night or only getting up once, last night ... well ... sucked.
I just spent the better part of an hour trying to get her to sleep. She was nearly asleep in my arms when I dared plunk her in her crib without her being fully conked out. I did this for two reasons: 1) I know she needs to learn to fall asleep on her own eventually; and 2) I was starving and wanted to come downstairs and eat. Silly me! But she's asleep now, and I'm hoping she stays that way -- dare I say all night long? -- because I have a lot to accomplish for her birthday festivities on Saturday.
True to form when I decide to entertain in some capacity, I'm rocking my typical modus operandi: overthinking everything, feeling overwhelmed, and simultaneously procrastinating. Darn this perfectionism complex of mine! Tonight I'm going to attempt to get the 250+ photos I had printed into an album (fighting the urge to make it absolutely perfect by writing the dates on the back of each photo and making sure the photos are in the album in exact chronological order) and to burn a DVD of her greatest hits to play on the TV during the party (fighting my desire to get fancy and learn video editing software tonight in order to accomplish this).
She's so cute, though, saying bayyyyy-BEEEE! excitedly whenever she sees her photo. And I hate to admit it, but it's pretty funny that she grins and says DA-DA! when I ask her to say mommy. What girl doesn't adore her daddy, after all?
7:30 - bed
8:30 - awake
9:00 - asleep
2:30 - awake
3:00 - asleep
3:30 - awake
3:45 - asleep
4:15 - awake
Not the worst night we've had by any stretch of the imagination, but after several weeks of her either sleeping through the night or only getting up once, last night ... well ... sucked.
I just spent the better part of an hour trying to get her to sleep. She was nearly asleep in my arms when I dared plunk her in her crib without her being fully conked out. I did this for two reasons: 1) I know she needs to learn to fall asleep on her own eventually; and 2) I was starving and wanted to come downstairs and eat. Silly me! But she's asleep now, and I'm hoping she stays that way -- dare I say all night long? -- because I have a lot to accomplish for her birthday festivities on Saturday.
True to form when I decide to entertain in some capacity, I'm rocking my typical modus operandi: overthinking everything, feeling overwhelmed, and simultaneously procrastinating. Darn this perfectionism complex of mine! Tonight I'm going to attempt to get the 250+ photos I had printed into an album (fighting the urge to make it absolutely perfect by writing the dates on the back of each photo and making sure the photos are in the album in exact chronological order) and to burn a DVD of her greatest hits to play on the TV during the party (fighting my desire to get fancy and learn video editing software tonight in order to accomplish this).
She's so cute, though, saying bayyyyy-BEEEE! excitedly whenever she sees her photo. And I hate to admit it, but it's pretty funny that she grins and says DA-DA! when I ask her to say mommy. What girl doesn't adore her daddy, after all?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
1 week from today
I can't believe her birthday is next Saturday. Everyone always said the time flies, but I didn't really buy into it. But it really feels like just I blinked, and bam---I have a one-year-old toddler on my hands.
<------There are some new videos linked at the left: one of her favorite activity, stair climbing; and one of her dancing to her Fridge DJ ("Where the tunes are tight and the music is right!" Yes, it really does say that). She's a little ham. She did a very lengthy and entertaining Fridge DJ dance for our friends Laura and Jerry who came over last night, and gave some seriously flirty eyes to Jerry. Is it too early to start dreading the teen years? ;)
<------There are some new videos linked at the left: one of her favorite activity, stair climbing; and one of her dancing to her Fridge DJ ("Where the tunes are tight and the music is right!" Yes, it really does say that). She's a little ham. She did a very lengthy and entertaining Fridge DJ dance for our friends Laura and Jerry who came over last night, and gave some seriously flirty eyes to Jerry. Is it too early to start dreading the teen years? ;)
Monday, January 26, 2009
wondering where my good sleeper went
I never thought I'd call Olivia a good sleeper, but she actually has been for the last few weeks (except the night when my sister and brother-in-law babysat - she was so keyed up that she wouldn't go to bed until I wrestled her into submission around 11:30 p.m.). Her normal schedule is to go to bed between 7 and 8 p.m., maybe do her weird waking up thing 30 minutes to an hour after going to sleep, sleeping through the night , and then not getting up until 9 a.m. unless I wake her earlier. Last night looked like this:
8:00 - bed
11:00 - wakes up babbling and laughing
11:15 - the crying begins
11:20 - drinks a bottle
11:30 - wide awake
midnight - wide awake
12:30 - wide awake
1:00 - wide awake
See where I'm going with this? At 1:15 she started looking somewhat sleepy, so I put her in her crib and crawled into bed, praying that she would stay asleep. Then she woke up at 6:58 a.m. Oooooooof.
And one of the cats hurled up their breakfast on O's play mat. Ugh. Nothing like cleaning up barf before breakfast.
In other Olivia news, lately when I ask her to say mommy, she grins and yells, "DA DA!" Stinker. The tooth to the left of her left front tooth finally broke through, and her fourth bottom tooth finally showed up (so much for that oh-so-helpful woman telling me it was never going to come in if it hadn't by now). Hopefully that's it for the teething for a while ... but what's causing the sleep disturbance?
8:00 - bed
11:00 - wakes up babbling and laughing
11:15 - the crying begins
11:20 - drinks a bottle
11:30 - wide awake
midnight - wide awake
12:30 - wide awake
1:00 - wide awake
See where I'm going with this? At 1:15 she started looking somewhat sleepy, so I put her in her crib and crawled into bed, praying that she would stay asleep. Then she woke up at 6:58 a.m. Oooooooof.
And one of the cats hurled up their breakfast on O's play mat. Ugh. Nothing like cleaning up barf before breakfast.
In other Olivia news, lately when I ask her to say mommy, she grins and yells, "DA DA!" Stinker. The tooth to the left of her left front tooth finally broke through, and her fourth bottom tooth finally showed up (so much for that oh-so-helpful woman telling me it was never going to come in if it hadn't by now). Hopefully that's it for the teething for a while ... but what's causing the sleep disturbance?
Monday, January 19, 2009
more signs
So in addition to "more," Olivia now does the sign for "all done" and just did "milk" for the first time today! It's so much fun watching her do these things, and it's pretty amazing to me how quickly she picks up on them when I'm so inconsistent with doing them. I'm trying to teach her the sign for cracker next -- right now she just signs more or points and grunts when she sees them. That works too!
She also does the sign for more when I'm singing to her and she wants me to start over, when we're playing and she wants to repeat something, or when I'm reading her a book and we finish it. It's adorable.
She can tell us what a fish says (opening and closing her mouth) and what an elephant says (keeping her lips together and blowing, although sound doesn't always come out). Occasionally she'll say mmmmmmmm for what a cow says, but other times she says "buh," her favorite word. Today we were reading "Good Night Gorilla," and she surprised me by pointing to the elephant in the book and making the sound. She can point out things in books when you ask her to show you where they are -- stuff like bear, chick, strawberry, dog, cat, and even guinea pig.
She's getting better at standing and doing it for longer periods of time, but she still doesn't show any interest in walking. Which is actually fine with me, because I have a feeling that once she starts walking, she won't be content to ride in shopping carts or strollers.
I think that's all the new stuff I have for now ... preparation for her birthday is in full swing. I'm second guessing the dress I chose for her, though, and have ordered a new contender. You'll just have to wait and see what she wears for her big day. ;)
She also does the sign for more when I'm singing to her and she wants me to start over, when we're playing and she wants to repeat something, or when I'm reading her a book and we finish it. It's adorable.
She can tell us what a fish says (opening and closing her mouth) and what an elephant says (keeping her lips together and blowing, although sound doesn't always come out). Occasionally she'll say mmmmmmmm for what a cow says, but other times she says "buh," her favorite word. Today we were reading "Good Night Gorilla," and she surprised me by pointing to the elephant in the book and making the sound. She can point out things in books when you ask her to show you where they are -- stuff like bear, chick, strawberry, dog, cat, and even guinea pig.
She's getting better at standing and doing it for longer periods of time, but she still doesn't show any interest in walking. Which is actually fine with me, because I have a feeling that once she starts walking, she won't be content to ride in shopping carts or strollers.
I think that's all the new stuff I have for now ... preparation for her birthday is in full swing. I'm second guessing the dress I chose for her, though, and have ordered a new contender. You'll just have to wait and see what she wears for her big day. ;)
baptism
Olivia's baptism was Sunday. She skipped her morning nap and was a bit squirmy and fussy through the whole thing. At the end, I realized I was sweaty from my baby-wrangling efforts.
She didn't like the water:
But made a decent recovery:
She was fascinated by the candle:
And afterward, in a pretty good mood and hanging out with Fr. Mike:
My sister hosted an awesome lunch at her house afterward for all of us -- homemade minestrone and chicken salad on croissants, plus an apple bundt cake with ice cream. Mmmm. It was a nice day despite the nap-skipping. ;)
I didn't get many photos of her in her cute dress, so I put it back on her today:
And a close-up, just because she's cute. :)
She didn't like the water:
But made a decent recovery:
She was fascinated by the candle:
And afterward, in a pretty good mood and hanging out with Fr. Mike:
My sister hosted an awesome lunch at her house afterward for all of us -- homemade minestrone and chicken salad on croissants, plus an apple bundt cake with ice cream. Mmmm. It was a nice day despite the nap-skipping. ;)I didn't get many photos of her in her cute dress, so I put it back on her today:
And a close-up, just because she's cute. :)
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