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