Olivia's Favorite Things (At 6 Weeks Old)

The lack of blog entries does not represent the activities that Olivia has been enjoying the past few weeks!  She continues to grow and develop a personality!  She is very determined to get what she wants and her set of lungs has really developed ( I wonder who she gets that from...me probably)!  However she has a very cheerful and relaxed disposition as well.  She began to smile about a week ago and we have had a hard time capturing it on camera because we love watching it so much!  Here is one of the first times she smiled:

It is really neat because her entire face lights up and she is really starting to react to Dan and I's faces!  It is heartwarming!

In honor of Oprah canceling her Favorite Things episode this year we decided to capture and share Olivia's Favorite Things.  This list is much cheaper that Oprah's but just as important!  At six weeks of age here are some of Olivia's Favorite Things:

Item #1:  Her friend Mr. Fan 

After a tasty meal provided by mom, Olivia enjoys digesting her food by kicking and flailing her arms, while staring up at the ceiling fan in our room!  It will provide her at least 15 minutes of entrainment.  Sometimes after a late night feeding, Olivia will fight falling back to sleep because she is staring up at the fan. Dan and I call it her friend Mr. Fan and she quite adorable staring at it!

Item #2 The Bouncer Seat 

This has been one of our sanity savers.  Olivia slept in the bouncer seat for the first week and a half of her life.  The first night home she did not want to sleep in the bassinet, so after three sleepless hours I tried the bouncer seat, with a vibration setting, and she fell asleep quickly!  So for the next few nights Olivia and Hurley slept in their little "beds" on the floor of our room.  We were able to transition her into the bassinet about a week and a half later! Now she enjoys the bouncy seat during the day to stare at items and take little naps!  My favorite part of the bouncy is that I can put her in it during the week while Dan is at work and take a shower.  She will just lay there and sleep or just stare at the lights in the hallway!  It is a nice break for me and I LOVE that I can shower daily!  As I type this entry, Livy is swaddled up in the bouncy seat fighting off falling asleep!

Item #3 The Playtime Mat 

The other playtime activity that Olivia loves is the Fisher Price Playtime Mat!  She loves staring at the dangling toys and will lay there for at least 20 minutes!   She recently discovered that she can hit the toys when she is flailing her arms about!  It was pretty funny the first time she hit it because it surprised her and she stopped for a minute to investigate!  I am sure it will not be long before she can kick the ball on the other end of the map!  We will also have Tummy Time on this map.  She does have two other playtime mats but at this moment this on is her favorite! 

Item/Activity #4 Bath Time

The first bath that Olivia had she screamed the first few minutes and then settled down and seemed to like the bath.  For her first bath Dan was here to help, but I felt the need to accomplish the task on my own and after Dan went back to work I tried it out!  She was wonderful and seemed to LOVE the bath!  She kicked around, stared at the running water, and tried to lick the water off her hands!  We have our little routine now of bathing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  She has even started to tolerate getting out and being dried off! 

Item #5 Her Thumb

Just like her mother and father, Olivia loves her fingers, especially her thumb!  For the first two weeks of her life she would not keep the pacifier in her mouth and to calm her down Dan and I would have to stick out finger in her mouth because she could not get her own to suck on!  Since then she will keep the pacifier in her mouth but still prefers to get her thumb!  Often she will spit it out when she is in her car seat and starts screaming, but a few minutes later you can  hear her sucking on her hands and calming down!  We also hear her waking up and putting her hands in  her mouth!  I am looking forward to the day when she can get her hand in her mouth because then we will not have to fight with the pacifier falling out.  Although I guess the dentist bills will begin to mount up as she gets older!

Item #6 The Baby Bjorn 

The Baby Bjorn baby carrier has been a saving grace for us!  During the day Olivia will have times when she does not want to be put down, so I put her in the carrier and finish things around the house!  It is wonderful as well when we go out because it is less to carry than the car seat and stroller. Last weekend we had some Christmas shopping to get done and we decided not to maneuver the stroller in the mall, so Dan wore her around the mall and it was so much easier!  She will often fall asleep in the Bjorn.  I have used this to grocery shop and on nice days we will go for a walk with Hurley as well.  I know the fresh air is great for her and Hurley LOVES the extra walk! 

So there are a few of Olivia's Favorite Things!  The first 6 weeks has been an interesting time, adjusting to her needs, learning exactly what her cries mean!  It has been challenging, but now that she is smiling it is all worth it!  Nursing is taking less time and she is feeding about every 3 hours, which leaves more time to get things down and interact with her! 

We look forward to her first Christmas!  We are venturing down to Ocean City for Christmas and are excited for Olivia to meet her Aunt Jill, Uncle Steve, and especially her cousin, Emma!  Of course she is excited about seeing her Gram and Grandpa again! 

Hope you all are enjoying this holiday season!

Love to all

Laura, Dan, and Olivia

   

Cutting Down the Christmas Tree and Ravens Game!

The busy Thanksgiving weekend continued on Saturday with the cutting down of our Christmas tree and being babysat by Gram and Grandpa Puryear, while Dan and I attended the Ravens vs. Steelers football game!

With three weeks to go until Christmas we decided to get a jump start on the tree and decorations!  Saturday morning Olivia was wide awake again and was not in the mood to be put down, so in between holding and feeding her, Dan and I began to decorate  some of our house!  We were able to get all of the decorations down from the attic and put some of the decorations around the house before it was time to head out to cut down our tree! 

We traveled with my parents, sister Bethany, Tyler, and Greatest to a tree farm in Carol County.  When we arrived Olivia was not happy and we realized it was time to eat...again!  So in the back seat I gave her a bottle and Dan changed her diaper!  It must have been an interesting site to see, but I am sure it will not be the first time she eats in different places! Then we put her in the baby Bjorn and set out to find the perfect tree! 

When Dan and I finally choose our tree my Mom wanted to take a picture of Olivia because she looked oh so cute as snuggle up close to me!  As we were occupied with the photo opt Dan was cutting though the trunk of our chosen tree.  Next thing we know Dan is on the ground calling for help!  When we looked the tree had fallen over and pinned him to the ground!  It was pretty funny and I decieded to take a picture instead of helping:

Do not worry though he just had some mud on his knee!  He survived and it makes a funny story!  Here is the photo that my mom was taking while Dan was cutting.  I personally think it is quite adorable:

The tree was perfect and after some struggle to get it home it is not set up and looking awesome!  Next step is to decorate it!

On Sunday Dan's parents arrived to give us a helping hand!  We had tickets to attend the Ravens Sunday Night Game so Gram and Grandpa we asked them to babysit Olivia.  Jean and Lee were an excellent help to us on Sunday because we were able to finish decorating the house, set up and put lights on the Christmas tree, and I was able to take a nap!  Jean also made us a tasty dinner, with leftovers, and Lee fixed our outdoor strand of lights!  We had quite the productive day and so much fun that night!

Olivia was well behaved from what we hear and spend most of the evening being snuggled and held by her Gram!  It was strange to be out of the house without Olivia, but I know Dan and I appreciated the time together!

The Ravens Game did go into overtime and we arrived home just in time for Olivia to be fed again!  It was a great night!  Thanks Gram and Grandpa Puryear!

Hope you all are having a great Holiday Season!  This Friday starts the Holiday party time!

Love

Laura, Dan, and Olivia! 

Olivia's First Thanksgiving!

Olivia was all dressed up for her first Thanksgiving celebrations!  She looked adorable in her little outfit and the finishing touch to the outfit was the baby Uggs sent to her from Darleen and Eric Butler! I took a close up because they are simply darling!

This year have have many things celebrate and be thankful for!  First and foremost is our little Grace of God sent to us this year!  Secondly, the love and support from our family and friends.  It was not an easy road extending out family but the journey was worth the reward!  We have enjoyed each moment with Livy, including the gas incident when she cried for two hours straight!  We continue to learn every step of the way!

Olivia, Dan, and I were lucky to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with both families!  On Thursday we spend the day at my parents house and on Friday we traveled to Carol's house to have lunch and celebrate with Dan's parents and sisters!

On Thursday Olivia was wide awake for most of the day and enjoyed watching all the busy activities in the kitchen!  She was also able to meet her Uncle Pete and Cousin Derek! Of course the Greatest and my sister Kym, Tyler, Grandma, and Grandpa were there to celebrate too!  It was wonderful to have everyone together and the meal was outstanding!  By the time we ate though, Olivia was passed out!  She spend the meal in her bouncer seat!  Here are some pictures from the day:

 

 

More pictures of our eventful Thanksgiving Holiday can be found in the Picasa Albums!

Friday was the second Thanksgiving Celebration!  We traveled to Carol, Scott, and Brayden's house for lunch and to catch up with Gram and Grandpa Puryear about their Florida trip!  We had a lovely afternoon and the food was delicious!  Here are some of the hightlights:

 

 

 

Again, there are more pictures of our two Thanksgiving in the Picasa web albums!

Hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving!  I guess next year Livy will be eating the real food!  That should be interesting!

Love to all

Laura, Dan, Olivia

Aunt Denise Visits

The holidays are officially begun and the weekend before Thanksgiving Olivia had a very special visitor from New York! 

Denise arrived on Friday morning and we had an excellent time all weekend!  On Friday Olivia had her first lunch at Olive Garden and was such a great girl she slept right through the whole meal!  Denise and I share great conversation and was wonderful to have a nice lunch instead of eating something quickly in between nursing Olivia.  After lunch we headed to Nordstroms in the mall to pick up a few make-up refills for Denise.  Again Olivia slept right through her first Nordstorms experience...I do not understand how she could have slept through all that shopping! It was quite a nice little afternoon!

Saturday brought another thrilling day and a new visitor to meet Miss Olivia!  Beth came from Virgina to visit and hang out for the day!

 

Livy was left alone for a few hours with Dan and Aunt Laura as the girls went out to get our nails done!  I realized about a mile down the road that this was the first time that I was going to be away from Olivia for more than an hour! I was a bit sad, but it was nice and relaxing to sit in that massage chair, chat with my friends and have my manicure and pedicure! Another nice afternoon was had with good friends! 

Sunday Denise had to leave mid-morning and it was a hard to say good bye!  She was such a huge help with Olivia I was lonely when she was gone!  Olivia cant wait to see her Aunt Nise again soon!

The other event of this weekend was the Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on Friday!  So for the second time that weekend, I left Olivia.  She was in good hands with my Mom, Dad, Tyler, and the Greatest!  Dan was not able to stay with her because he attended the Ravens vs. Colts football game!  She was very well behaved and I have to say it does not get any easier to leave her! 

It was a busy weekend, but an enjoyable one!  The week ahead will be equally busy with Thanksgiving and a trip to Clarksville Middle School to meet the other teachers! 

Love to all
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

"Don't Leave Me With The Baby" :)

Dan went back to work this week so it was Olivia and I left to figure things out for ourselves! My goal for the week was to get out of the house at least once each day! 

Monday my mom came over to spend the day with us and was a huge help!  Olivia's big event for the day was when she was given a bottle!  For her early afternoon feeding I gave her a bottle for the first time!  She drank from it well and I was relieved to reach this milestone...it will make my life a little easier!  Her other events included our daily walk and traveled to Ritz Camera to picked up some pictures we printed off.  That was the excitement for the day!  It was good to have mom there to build up confidence being alone with Livy! 

Tuesday was a very eventful day because the Olivia's Great-Grandmother, aka The Greatest, flew into town and we had to pick her up from the airport!  It was quite the experience and we made it work!  Olivia took a bottle while we waited at baggage claim for the Greatest's bag and then we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house!  She was such a great little girl and traveled so well!

Thursday was the best day of the week because Olivia she attended her first Book Club meeting and met all the girls!  She was passed around to all her "aunts" and loved the attention!  It was a great night for me to relax and enjoy the adult conversation!

This weekend is sure to be a blast because Denise and Beth are coming to visit!
Stay tuned for more updates!
Love
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

New Adventures

This is my last day week day with Dan being home, helping out!  He returns to school on Monday and I think he is a little excited and sad at the same time!  I am feeling a little anxious about being alone with Olivia! I keep joking with Dan, saying "Don't leave me with the baby" (like that Southwest commercial)!  I have to remember that I know more than her!   

We did have a good time this week and she had many firsts!  Sunday was a great day because we watch the Ravens game and she was all dressed up in her Ravens gear! The Ravens did not put on a stunning performance and lost to the Bengals again!  At least our little cheerleader looked cute! Dan looked cute too when she feel asleep on his chest!  We made sure to protect the jersey though!  LOL


Sunday and Monday Olivia and I were able to get outside and  enjoy the warm weather!  We walked around the neighborhood on Sunday and on Monday we walked in the Baltimore National Cemetery, while Dan worked on the yard.  We also ate lunch outside on the back porch while Olivia slept away in her stroller.  It was a fun little afternoon.  I am very excited to get outside, as I do not like being stuck inside all day!  

Tuesday was a second doctors appointment and she almost gained a pound!  She weighted in at 7 pounds 7 ounces!  We know she is a good eater!  Her weight went from the 19th percentile to the 33rd percentile!  Our next appointment is not until December.  It will be interesting to see how much she weights then! Tuesday also brought visitors and dinner!  Terry and Ron Wojdyla came to visit and brought over a yummy dinner of Chinese food!  It was quite tasty and great that we did not have to worry about cooking!  Olivia was a bit fussy and we think we did too much for her and she was overtired.  Oh well Terry was wonderful and rocked her to sleep!

Olivia threw us for a loop again on Thursday when we had a whole morning planned.  We decided to head over to the Board of Education to take care of the insurance papers.  We also wanted to head to the library to find a book on tape for me to listen to next week!  One thing about kids is they do not always do what you want!  She fell asleep in the car, but when we got to the board and took her out, I think the cold temperature shocked her and she was wide awake.  We filled out the paperwork and I was still convinced we could make it to the library.  So I fed her in the car in the parking lot. Still convinced she would just put herself back to sleep...not so much!  We ended up heading home and picking up lunch on the way!  I guess it was too much to ask a 12 day old to cooperate with our plans! haha

We do enjoy the little moments with her when she is wide awake, checking things out!  She is very precious when she is sleeping too!  I still feel like we learn something new about her on a daily basis!  I do not want to rush the first few weeks, but I am looking forward to her being on a bit more of a predictable schedule.  Well as much as we can a newborn to get on a schedule! 

This weekend we will enjoy the moments with Dan being home and the arrival of Greatest next week! 

Hope everyone is well!
Love to all
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

One Week Old

What an exciting week Olivia had.  Everything was such a new experience for her, Dan, and I!

She successfully made it home from the hospital on Tuesday!  She looked so innocent and little in her car seat!  She also met Hurley. He did well when we brought her home by smelling her and then barking a few times when she wined and moved her little feet!  So far he has been quite the protector of Olivia.  When visitors come to meet her he has to smell the person to make sure they are okay holding her!  It is awfully cute.  The other morning Dan was making breakfast, and she was in her bouncer seat making some noise.  Dan told Hurley to go and check on her, so he laid down in front of the bouncer!  It was pretty funny! 

The first night home was a culture shock for Dan and I!  Thank goodness my family brought over dinner so we did not have to worry about that!  In addition, Tyler was finally able to meet Olivia. Because of the H1N1 virus, he was not allowed to visit in the hospital.  On the way home from our house he told my mom, "she is a keeper"  What a great cousin!  

It was later in the evening when Dan and I were tested.  Olivia had her days and nights reversed and slept most of Tuesday.  That night she was awake for most of the night and at one point we looked at each other and said, "what should we do?"  I finally got the bouncy seat and put her in that, which finally allowed her to calm down and she slept!  We made it through and I read in one of the baby books that it is important to keep things light and loud during the day and at night keep the lights low and the noise to a minimum.  We realized we had all the lights on and the radio was kinda loud too.  So Wednesday day was much better and little Olivia slept for at least 3 uninterrupted hours in two segments that night.   Since then we are making sure she is more awake during the day and quite at night!  She does continue to sleep in her bouncer.  Our plan is to use the bassinet again tonight!  We will see! So far so good and since I go to bed around 7:30/8:30 we are doing pretty well on the sleeping front.  Although I feel like every night will be just like the first...we will keep you updated! 

Olivia has also had many visitors and has enjoyed her many new toys.  Her favorites include her swing and her bouncy seat!  She will sit and stare at the things around her for a few minutes!  It is very cute and funny looking because she is so small in the swing.  Her most exciting visitor this week-well they are all exciting-was her Great Grandma aka Greatest!  My Uncle Ken traveled down with Greatest on Thursday to meet Olivia!  It was very special treat for her to see her newest great-grandchild and for me to introduce her to Olivia.  Though it was a quick trip we appreciated that Uncle Ken make the trip! 

On Friday Olivia had a doctor's appointment with her pediatrician.  She was weighted and measured.  Dan and I had a list of questions about all sort of things.  Dr. Lancaster was patience with us and made us feel like we were doing the right thing!  We have kinda figured out that we have no idea what we are doing but a lot is common sense. At least that is what we think!  Olivia did gain back most of her birth weight!  She is only in the 19th percentile though for weight!  I guess she has some growing to do! 

We did have some struggles feeding on Friday night and I was very frustrated.  Olivia was starving and crying, but would not latch on for the feed.  We struggled for about an  hour and she finally was able to latch on for some feeding.  I called Dan's sister in law, Jill, for advice and she made a good suggestion that we are implementing to make nursing easier.  Nursing has been much better...thanks to Jill for the advice and to Carol for picking it up! 

Saturday was a busy day meeting her other cousin Brayden and her Aunt Carol and Uncle Scott.  Brayden loved the baby and even posed for a cute picture! Finally, that night, parents to be,  Carolyn and Rick Hogg brought over dinner!  They practiced their parenting skills by hold Olivia!  Rick did a great job, even though he was nervous!  We loved the yummy lasagna!

Finally, on her one week brithday we took advantage of the warm day and took a walk outside!  She met our neighbors and then cheered on the Ravens.  Well they played horrible but she showed her support with the Ravens outfit! 

We look ahead to our next week.  It seems like everyday there is some sort of curve ball thrown at us to adjust!  We enjoy the  challenge and look forward to moments when she opens her big blue eyes! 

Here are some other pictures of her visitors! 

 

 

Have a great week!

Love

Laura, Dan, and Olivia

Olivia Grace's Birthday

Olivia's due date of October 31st arrived and we stayed busy by visiting Larriland Farms to pick apples.  I was anxious to stay busy and forget the fact that she might come past her due date.  So I enlisted the help of Dan to peel and cut apples for two pies and homemade applesauce.  Then it was time for the tick or treaters to begin showing up.  We gave out candy then I feel asleep on the couch around 9:30 or so.  At midnight Dan, tired of playing his video games, woke me up and we went to bed.  Little did we know we would not be asleep for long!

Around 12:30 I started to feel pain, and  I realized shortly later were contractions! When the pain came and left,  I stated to keep track of the time.  The first were about seven minutes apart and I endured it by walking around the bedroom.  About 3:00 I woke up Dan as the pain was becoming more intense and closer together.  He began timing and I explained we would call the doctor when they came at five to three minutes apart.   Around 4:30 I decided to jump in the shower and realized the hot water did help with the pain!  At 5:30 we called the doctor and she told us to meet her at the hospital.  After I dried and curled my hair (I know some of you would appreciate that) we left for the hospital.  Calling both sets of grandparents on the way, I was checked out by the Dr. Meshkat and admitted to labor and delivery at 7:15 am.

My first request was an epidural and shortly after it was delivered.  What a miracle drug that medicine was!  We spend the next few hours resting, updating the family, and Facebook, and watching the monitors track the intensity of my contractions, which I felt nothing, and Olivia's heart rate.  I reached full dilation and was ready to push around 1:30 pm, just in time for the Raven's game to start!  We started pushing during one contraction and then was asked to stop because Dr. Meshkat was hung up with another patient.  While we waited for her, it was challenging not to push, but around 1:45/1:50 she was back and the challenge began.  Finally, about an hour after pushing at 2:51pm, Olivia Grace Puryear entered the world!  Dan was able to cut the umbilical cord and put her first diaper on!  Her apagar scores were 8 and 9 and her cry was simply adorable!  We were able to stay in the birthing room for 90 minutes after her birth and at that point we invited the Grandmothers and my Dad into the room to meet their new granddaughter!  As the epidural worn off we all enjoyed spreading the news of our new addition and taking plenty of photos!

Here are some of the early pictures of Olivia and Dan cutting the cord:

 

 

 

 

 

We are beyond excited and are anxious to see what the future holds!

We love you all

Laura, Dan, and Olivia Grace