11 weeks and an Anniversary

Happy Memorial Day!  Olive is 11 weeks old today.  The last week included a lot of firsts for Olive.  First runny nose (she inherited her Mom's allergies), first time in a swimming pool, first trip to the outlet mall, first time meeting Billy and Rachel, first Memorial Day weekend grill out, first time in her lifetime that a college football coach resigns under suspicious circumstances (haha Tressel), first time she has to wear a bib because she drools so much, and today is her Mommy and Daddy's first anniversary.

It was absolutely fantastic being back at home with Olive this week.  She is at a wonderful phase in her development.  She is much more aware of the world around her, and can keep herself entertained for longer periods of time.  I was extremely impressed with her this weekend.  Billy and Rachel were in town, and we spent 4 hours shopping at the outlets on Saturday, she was happily passed among us during the trip and did not get fussy until we were about 10 minutes from home.  The outlets are about an hour away so that was 4 hours of shopping, 1 hour for lunch, and 2 hours of driving.  She did an amazing job.

Then yesterday we grilled over at Jen's.  We were there for almost 7 hours, and once again Olive managed to stay a happy easy going girl almost the whole day.  These super busy days also led to some nice long sleep at night, she's still getting up to eat at least once in the middle of the night, but she eats and goes right back to sleep so it's not so bad. I am also very pleased with how easily and happily she goes to different people.  Whether Billy, Rachel, or Jen were holding her she was just as happy as if Mark or I were holding her. 

Finally, even though it's a cliche to say, a year ago today I married my best friend.  It has been a busy year full of change, and let's face it, stress.   But it has been a wonderful year and there is no one I would rather have shared all the ups and downs with than Mark.

Aunt Rachel was teaching her how to box.

That is one happy Olive, thanks Aunt Jen for the awesome bib!

Hanging with Auntie Taco.

She has started chewing on her hands a lot.

Crabby Butt!

Happy Anniversary Mark, I love you!

Water Bug

As of Tuesday I am back at home full time until August first. I love getting to be with Olive all day long. Plus now that she is older it is a lot easier to take her places and do things with her. Her patience threshold isn't infinite, but it's a lot longer than it used to be.

We've been doing some shopping this week. Olive has outgrown most of her 0-3 month clothes, and while I have tried to be in denial about it, I realized it was time to give in and buy her some 3-6 month clothing. I know it seems strange that I wouldn't want to buy her new clothes, but she has so many great 0-3 clothes I don't want to give them up. As an adult when I have a favorite shirt, or favorite jeans I can get use out of them for years. Some of my favorites of Olive's clothes she's only gotten to wear a handful of times, and I want to see her in them over and over again.  I think I have a strange attachment to clothing, I tend to wear my clothes until they are worn out.  I'm just glad her separates still fit her, and will last longer.

Actually the reason I finally bought her some new clothes is because I wanted to get her a swimming suit. There were two motives for this, first, we are going to be spending the second week of June at Fripp Island with my family. Second, she loves the bath. Olive loves the bath so much that I feel guilty every time I take her out. I wish I could leave her in longer, but I imagine eventually she will end up pooping in the tub, and that will be a big mess, that will mean getting get out of the tub, cleaning the tub, and then refilling the tub to re-clean her. Of course I picture it as total chaos, with a screaming baby. In order to avoid all that I don't let her stay in the tub more than 20-25 minutes. So the other night I had this brilliant idea to actually use our apartment's pool, and take her swimming. 
 
Now it might not seem like that big of deal to take her to the pool, but come June Mark and I will have lived here 2 years, and we have never been in the pool. Our apartment overlooks the pool. People going to the pool have to walk past our door to get there. We can hear people in the pool from our living room, and yet we have never gotten in it.  Never lay out next to it (probably because we are both as white as ghosts), never even sat next to it on a nice night and had a couple of beers.  So the idea of going swimming with less than a month until we move out (wow I guess I should start packing) just seems kind of funny to me.  There is no real reason for me as to why I have never been in the pool other than the whole fair skin thing.  Going to the pool, even a pool right outside my door is just a hassle for me.  It means lots of sunscreen, and if I'm alone how do I get it on my back?  Mark on the other hand refuses to go to public pools.  Too many dirty people.  Plus he had a pool in his backyard growing up, so he likes having the pool all to himself, he's not into sharing with people he doesn't know.

Of course all of this goes out the window when we realize that our Olive is meant for the water.  Thus, step one; buying her a swimming suit.  Except there is a lack of 3-6 month swimming suits in Atlanta.  I went to Babies R Us, Target, and Carters and only found two.  If she were 12 months I could have bought her 50 swimming suits.  But in her size there were only 2.  I bought one from babies r us, but when I got home and put it on her the way it was cut it was too tight around her chest.  I thought about going back to Carters, but that one was $20, and I feel like I can find one for less.  So as of right now she just has a swimming diaper that she swims in.  Mark teases me that she is being immodest, but I think she looks cute. 

Step two sunscreen.  I had a long internal debate about this.  Part of me thinks I should just keep her out of the sun completely this summer.  She is so young, and I don't really want to put sunscreen on her skin yet.  But another part of me knows this is unrealistic, and especially with how much she likes the water there is no way I am keeping her indoors from 8-6 all summer long.   I looked up a bunch of different sunscreens and checked their toxicity ratings here http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.  I ended up getting Johnson & Johnson's new sunscreen for babies it had a rating of 2, which it seems like most of the sunscreens at least rated 2.  They had it at Target. 

Step three get Mommy a swimming suit.  This was the worst step.  But Olive's new patience came in handy as I was able to put a blanket down on the floor in the dressing room and she lay their happily watching me try to shove my post pregnancy body into swimming suits. 

Finally after all my preparations the moment of truth came Wednesday afternoon.  I slathered her in sunscreen, put her swim diaper on her, and stuck her in her gator hat.  I walked down the steps into the water with her, and at first she seemed a little confused, and then she was just content.  Not overjoyed, but happy to be walked around in the water.  It actually ended up being a fun little family activity. 

She LOVES bathtime.

A picture of the swimming pool from our front door.

Ready to do some shopping with Mommy.

Our little water bug, swimming with Daddy.

10 weeks and a 2 month check up

Last week Olive got to hang out with her Grandma Teddie.  It was my last week of school, which made it our last week of revolving grandparents.  Having the grandparents here was better than I could have ever imagined.  Olive loves her grandparents, and now has a very special connection with each one of them. 

This week her ability to entertain herself improved.  As I type she is laying on her back having a full conversation with the fan.  She has been that way for the last 10 minutes, and it doesn't appear that she is going to stop anytime soon.  She is also interacting more with her toys.  I finally figured out what stuffed animals are for; she loves them.  All I have to do is hold them up and wiggle them in front of her and she smiles.

She continues to track people as they walk around the room, she lifts her head a lot.  Even when she is laying on her back she will lift her head up off the ground.  She likes to sit up, or stand.  But she's also happy to lay on her back as long as there are things around to entertain her.  She's more content to sit still now, which is nice.  She will sit in someone's lap for longer periods, and doesn't need to be constantly bounced.  She especially likes sitting in her Grandpa's lap.  She also discovered her hands this week.  She likes to put them together, and kind of dry-wash them.  She looks like she is plotting something big, but hasn't shared what it is with the rest of us yet.  By the way she is still talking to the fan.


Overall she seems calmer and happier this week.  She is getting easier and easier to keep happy.  Her sleeping has even gotten better.  She usually sleeps for one 4-5 hour stretch at night, wakes up to feed for 30 min and then goes back to sleep for 4 or so hours.  Now that I am off of school and won't wake her up to feed her before I leave for work it will be interesting to see how much she will sleep.

Today was her 2 month doctor's appointment.  She now weighs 13lb 10.5oz (90-95 percentile), 24 3/4 in (>95 percentile), and her head is 16in around (95-98 percentile).  They don't measure her hair growth, but I can tell you it grows like a weed.  It's getting so long in the back that I think we might be entering mullet territory pretty soon.  The doctor is very pleased with her progress.  Olive, loves the doctor's office.  She loves laying on the exam table, last time we were there and this time, she just lays there in her diaper babbling to herself and kicking her feet.  The only part she didn't love was the shots, but I breastfed her right afterward and she calmed down pretty quickly. She just stopped talking to the fan so I better post some pictures, and get off of here.   

Hanging with Grandma.

I've got Grandpa wrapped around my little finger.

Sleeping girl.

Happy with Daddy.

Chewing on Albert with Daddy.

Bathtime mowhawk

On the exam table at the doctor's, she really loves it.

"Oh no you di-n't!"

Two months old

Olive is two months old today. It feels like such a long time ago that we were at the hospital. At the same time I feel like time is moving so quickly. She seems to be developing more rapidly now which, is exciting and a little sad at the same time. I'm happy that she is thriving and changing, but it is also a reminder that this "baby time" is finite.
This was another week of ups and downs.  In fact their was one moment where I felt ecstatic and devastated at the same time.  My mom came to stay and take care of Olive this week while I was at work, and when I talked to her Monday afternoon, she told me that Olive had rolled over for the first time from her stomach to her back.  At once I felt incredible happy and excited, what a wonderful milestone!  On the other hand, it was the first big milestone I missed seeing because I was at work.  I love my job, and I am happy to do it.  But it hurts to miss moments in her life.  I think this one hurt even more since it was the first one, and it made me think about all the other big milestones I might miss, especially once Olive is in daycare.  There is no way financially I could be a stay-at-home mom, but to be honest even if we could afford it, I don't think I would be very good at it.  To me being a stay-at-home mom takes a lot of internal structure, and discipline, and I'm just not that internally motivated.

Now on to more developments, this week Olive's eyesight continues to improve.  It's clear that she can see much farther and is focusing in on different objects.  She seems much more interested and aware of the world around her.  Her neck muscles also continue to develop and get stronger.  She is holding her head up a lot better than even just last week.  She also likes to lift her head up when she is laying down, and can bear her weight on her legs when someone is helping her to balance.  Her face seems to be changing too, she doesn't look anything like a newborn anymore.  Her sleeping seems to be improving as well (fingers crossed) she is sleeping for longer periods at night, but she is still sleeping in bed with us.

It was great having my mom here this week.  If there was anyone who got to see her roll over for the first time besides Mark and I, I'm glad it was her Gammie.  It's interesting to see the different techniques and methods different people use when they care for her.  My dad seemed to like to wear Olive out a lot, and used lots of movement to sooth her.  Then went on long walks, he put her in the swing, and as I said in the other post he even put her in her car seat on top of the dryer.  Meanwhile my mom was a little more laid back with her.  She would rock her in the rocking chair outside, and sit and hold Olive while she slept.  Of course it was also in the 90's when my mom was here, so stroller walks presented more of a challenge.  It will be interesting to see how this next week will go with Mark's mom, and which new techniques she will bring, and what will work for her.

One more development for our family this week is that Mark and I bought a townhouse.  It's a fixer-upper, and we are excited to make it our home.  We close June 20, and can't wait to move in.

Mother's Day morning.

Mother's Day lunch at Flip Burger, as a bonus gift Olive slept the whole time we ate.

Yay we accepted the counter offer!

Thanks for taking care of me Gammie!

Daddy likes to do my hair like Johnny Rotten.

"This time, last year"

Inspired by a post by my friend Amy.

This year, we happily, sleep deprived new parents. Olive is eight weeks old and thriving. She even turned over from her stomach to her back yesterday! I'm getting ready for the end of the school year, and looking forward to hanging out with Olive all summer. Business at Mark's work is picking up again, which means longer days and working Saturdays. Even though we complain sometimes, we both love our jobs. As we approach our first Anniversary we are a strong couple that is figuring out where our relationship fits in with the chaos of two jobs, and a baby. Oh, and we are house hunting.

This time last year, I was finishing up my shortened school year (I was hired at the end of March) anxiously awaiting my contract for the next year. Mark had recently applied for and gotten a new job at D & D Foods in the city that would start when we got back from our honeymoon. We were starting to put the final touches on the wedding. Things were busy, and exciting.

This time two years ago, I had just finished my student teaching.  I was starting to work on my portfolio, and getting ready for my last semester of grad school.  I was applying for jobs without any luck.  I was finally getting ready to move out of the apartment I lived in with Sean.  Mark and I were engaged, and had started planning the wedding.

This time three years ago, I was living with Sean getting ready to start grad school.  Sean and I were fighting a lot, and I'm guessing the people surrounding us could have probably predicted that the end was eminent.  I was also in my last month of nannying for the Patrick's.

This time five years ago, I had just finished my undergraduate degree in history, and I had no idea what I was going to do with it.  Sean and I were getting ready to leave on our trip to Europe.      

Mother's Day/ 8 weeks

I went back to work last week, and while there were some very difficult moments (being told I am switching to teaching 7th grade next year)overall things went off without a hitch. There were even some positives that came out of it;
1. I can do this. These three weeks are like a trial run to this fall when I go back to work. I now see how I will be able to get up in the morning, and get Olive and myself ready and out the door.
2. Also falling under the "I can do this" category, I can be away from her for 8-9 hours a day and we will both be okay. I missed her like crazy, but she adjusted well. There were no reports of crying all day or refusing bottles. She was okay with having a different caregiver, and that makes me feel good.
3. She and Mark have a stronger bond. For a couple weeks before this, Olive was becoming very attached to me. That meant being fussy for pretty much anyone other than me. While Mark was a trooper, I could tell it would wear on him. Now since he gets home before I do he gets to have "Daddy and Olive time" every day, and they are much more relaxed and bonded with each other. In fact their time together tends to end with the two of them napping on the couch together, which is pretty adorable.

4. Olive's bond with her Papa, and what I'm sure in the coming weeks will be her bond with her Gammie, and Grandma. After spending a week together it was wonderful to see the connection between Olive and my Dad. They were so relaxed and happy with each other. It makes me very grateful for this time she is getting to have one-on-one with her grandparents. I think it is the foundation of a the very special relationships she will have with each one of them.
5. New tricks. Mark is a great Dad, but he does not have very much baby experience. Having another adult here who has previous baby experience, means new tricks and ideas of what do do with Olive. New ways to get her to sleep (in her carseat on top of the washing machine was one way), and new ways to keep her entertained ( she is very into her gator mobile now, thanks uncle Kelly).

There were some other developments that occurred this week as well.  Olive can now see the ceiling fan, and she loves it. She has also started tracking people with her eyes as they move around the room.  It's amazing how much she seems to have matured this week.  I'm not sure if every week is going to seem this way, or if this was just a big week in her development.  She seems calmer now, and has more of a routine.  She spends more time happy and relaxed.  Hopefully these positive developments will continue over the coming weeks.

Today is Mother's Day, and it's funny while I definitely feel like Olive's mom.  I don't really feel like I have earned a Mother's Day celebration.  Nonetheless, Mark and Olive spoiled me rotten.  Olive got me a gift card to Flip Burger (best burgers ever) and Mark made fried cheesecake for dessert tonight.  Oh and the cats got me some Target sandwich cookies that I am addicted to.  I'm feeling like a pretty lucky mom right now, and am ready to face another week of work. One down two more to go.  

7 weeks

Olive will be 7 weeks old tomorrow, and I will be going back to work.  I have mixed emotions about going back to work.  I hate leaving her, I hate thinking I might miss something, some moment in her life.  I feel so connected and bonded with her, I don't want that to change.  I know I will miss her like crazy tomorrow, but I am also excited to go back to work.  These seven weeks have been great, but I don't think I could be a stay at home mom.  I don't have the discipline for it.  Work helps me stay structured, I'm not so good at creating my own structure or creating a schedule and sticking with it.  I also miss my students and am looking forward to being back at school with them.  While I feel sad about leaving Olive, I take comfort in the fact there is only three weeks of school left and then I get to spend all of summer vacation with her.  When I think about going back to work tomorrow I feel a little nervous, when I think about going back to school next fall I feel devastated.  Three weeks I can handle, a whole school year is going to be tough.  Another thing that makes it easier right now is the fact that my Dad is here with her this week, my Mom will be here next week, and Mark's Mom is doing to the third week.  I feel very lucky and greatful that Olive will be in such great hands, and that I can go back to work worry free.