Olivia June - 4 Months

4 months old on December 30th, 2015
weeks 13-17

Weight and Height: we went to the doc January 4 ( you were actually 18 weeks old ) for four month old shots
weight 16.8 pounds (93rd percentile)
height 26 inches (95th percentile)

Nicknames : new ones: liva, skilly, skilly vanilly, chunky monkey, chunk
 Livi, Liv, Olive, Livy J, zarbles, zarbee, the littlest, my little, gummybear, nana's sweet peapod, my sweets, olive Jeanette, my little bear, sweet bear, gummy, sweet baby, sweet girl, little J, baby girl 

Eating: breastmilk exclusively via bottle. currently taking 6 ounces each feeding.  you usually eat every 3-3.5 hours starting at 7/730a. the good news is that you cut out you nighttime bottle around 13 weeks and pretty regularly by 14 weeks.
momma is still exclusively pumping now 5 times a day with no changes in supply. still producing over 60 ounces a day....most days close to 70. we have something crazy like 2000 ounces frozen for you baby girl.

Clothing:  you wore 3-6 month oneseis and pajamas most of the month, but the last week or two you were wearing some 6-9 month stuff. especially your footed one piece pajamas that we still spend most of our days in. you can still wear some 6 month stuff in some brands, but really starting to get into all 6-9 month clothes.

Diapers: you are now in size three diapers! you have little rolls on your legs for day. we love that you are such a little chunky monkey monster

Sleep: so so so so so happy to report that you are sleeping through the night regularly and have been since 13ish weeks old. you require some soothing (shhhshing, paci, and patting your little tummy) but we are not having to get up and you aren't fully waking up.
we start bedtime routine (bath, book, bottle) around 630 and you are usually down between 7 and 730.

you still sleep in your dockatot right next to mommy in the bed (mommy sleeps between you and daddy) and it has worked so well for us. mommy doesn't sleep as much as you do as you usually wake me up with every little movement....but no complaints here. daddy and I love that we don't have to get out of bed.
 you sleep in a halo sleep sack now that you love to self soothe with your fingers...or sometimes we use a blanket from the waist down and tuck the sides in around your dockatot.

Health : you still have your teething signs on most days.....but not everyday (lots of drool, sucking on your fingers, and a little more cranky at times). Momma can still see two little white spots under your gums on the bottom row. You haven't been as irritable this last month and we haven't been giving you hardly any Tylenol.

Baby Gear Must Haves: DOCKATOT!!! omg it has been a lifesaver for us. i swore I would never co-sleep, but its been so great for us. mommy and daddy still get plenty of alone time as you to bed around seven pm and are sleeping through the night. 
other must haves: your Mamaroo, your singing elmo that nana got you, we put the swing away since the last month update, baby Einstein toys, Dr. Browns bottles, MAM pacifiers, boppy, your giraffe (Gerry), your singing Cora Bear, Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets, anything with a mirror,your bath seat in the big girl tub.
you also love your musical light up books you got for Christmas, books in general,
 fisher price play mat, anything with lights and music, Fischer price bouncy seat, rattles, links that dangle from your seats or mobile. you love grabbing for things. you also have been loving your bumbo this month too.

Likes: what we call "working on your skills" - you love laying on your play mat over being cuddled most of the time so you can practice rolling over and reaching for all your fun toys.
you continue to LOVE your hands, but you are really way more into your feet these days.
you still love your car seat and bath time of course.
and morning time is still your favorite time. mommy looks forward to it so much.

Dislikes:you aren't the biggest fan of naps these days....you fight them so hard and the 45 min intruder started showing its face this month. momma missed your two hour naps, but would take you sleeping through the night over that any day. you also hate teething and it makes you so fussy.
you also hate for your bottle to be warmed.

Mommy: mommy has been back at work since thanksgiving and is adjusting well to working two days a week. It has been a great schedule for mommy. Mommy is still 8-10 pounds from pre preggo weight, but that's ok because she to pumping she eats like a 500 pound man. 

Daddy: daddy is obsessed with you. You make him so happy. This month has been hard as every new trick or milestone you meet...he is always so sad that your Mamaw isn't here to see it. Daddy's favorite part of the day is coming home from work to see you. He melts at the first sight of you. 

Pups: uggie definitely loves you and is still the most interested in you. she loves licking your fingers and toes and wants to wherever you are. bailey is warming up to you and becoming more interested. you really light up around bailey, I think because you can see him so well with the contrast of him being white.

Social/Visitors: lots of visits with nana and poppy and uncle Charlie. you are starting to notice strangers and get a little scared if mommy isn't around. you still got to Miss Erikka's (our sitter) twice a week and seem to love being around the other older kiddos.
you smile all the time.....all the time and its our most favorite.

Milestones: 
1st Christmas
cooing, blowing raspberries and being more verbal in general. your morning coos are the best. you usually wake mommy up with your sweet morning cues.
1st roadtrip (4 hours each way) and you were a dream...total champ. mommy and daddy were so proud of you
rolling over, finding your toes, raising your head so high on your belly, mini pushups during tummy time, recognizing mommy, daddy, nana and poppy, a little less comfortable with strangers, reaching for dangling objects and toys on play mat, holding small items in your hand, smiling alllll the time.

Dear sweet Olivia June, 
Thank you for being my daughter and for making me your mommy. You have made my heart swell ten times bigger this month. Every new month, I catch myself saying that "this one is my favorite", but the truth is every day is my favorite with you. You have truly put so many smiles on our faces this holiday season. You add a whole new meaning to every aspect of life. Thank you for making mommy and daddy smile this Christmas as we surely missed your sweet Mamaw. She would have loved watching you grow, change and interact with us so, so much. 
I am so excited about watching you grow and being a part of your life as i have already so many adventures planned for us. You are the light to any sort of darkness in our lives right now. You are so perfect to us and we praise God every day for such a beautiful, healthy and happy baby girl. I never knew a love like this existed and you continue to teach me everyday more about myself and what is truly important in this world. I love you so much baby girl. you have brought so much into my life. 

Olivia June - 3 months

Weight and Height: and not sure since we don't go back to the doctor till early January

Nicknames : Livi, Liv, Olive, Livy J, zarbles, zarbee, the littlest, my little, gummybear, nana's sweet peapod, my sweets, olive Jeanette, my little bear, sweet bear, gummy, sweet baby, sweet girl, little J, baby girl 

Eating: still eating breastmilk exclusively via bottle. currently taking 5-6 ounces each feeding.  you usually eat every 3-3.5 hours starting at 7/730a. you also wake up once at night to feed between 2/430a and eat a whole bottle. momma continues to exclusively pumped and has dropped to 5-6 times a day with no changes in supply. still producing over 60 ounces a day.

Clothing:  you are wearing 3-6 month sleepers and onesies. toward the end of the month your little chunky legs need 9 month pants. and i think you will be in 6-9 month stuff very soon.
you spend most of your days in zipper sleepers. at night you  now wear your zipper sleeper and a light weight sleep sack. 

Diapers: you are now in size two diapers...such a big healthy girl

Sleep: 

you insist on going to bed by 630 or 7 pm or all hell breaks loose. you usually sleep till anywhere from 2-430a and take a bottle and immediately go back to sleep till 7/730.
this month we bought a dockatot and it has been a life saver. we orginally stated with it placed in your pack n play, but momma put that thing right in the bed with me and daddy and we have all slept so much better. i can soothe you so much easier with you beside of me. you love knowing mommy is close. and mommy loves not having to lean over the side of bed to fight with your pacifier. we are no loger swaddling you. you sleep in a halo sleep sack now that you love to self soothe with your fingers.

Health : you have started showing early signs of teething (lots of drool, sucking on your fingers, and a little more cranky at times). Momma can actually see two little white spots under your gums on the bottom row. While I dont think you will cut a tooth anytime soon, i am afraid we may be in for a long haul with this teething business. Momma gives you Tylenol when they really seem to be bothering you

Baby Gear Must Haves: you love anything that you can hold easily. baby Einstein toys have been our go to. Dr. Browns bottles,  you have started to not love your Swing....and like your Mamaroo more, MAM pacifiers, boppy, your giraffe (Gerry), your singing Cora Bear, Dockatot SwaddleMe blankets, Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets, anything with a mirror, Puj bathtub, gerber cloth diapers ( we use these as burp cloths), fisher price play mat, anything with lights and music, Fischer price bouncy seat, rattles, links that dangle from your seats or mobile. you love grabbing for things

Likes: YOUR HANDS! you are amazed by them. you like holding one hand with the other, sucking on your hands, looking at your hands and grabbing things with your hands, you also love music and love it when momma sings to you.
you also love being on your back and playing with your plat mat.
you love your car seat and anytime we go for a ride in the car you fall asleep instantly.
you love watching the Disney channel in your bouncy seat....you are mesmerized
bath time continues to be your favorite
you love the mornings. you are so smiley when you first wake up and in the best mood when you first wake up. it's mommy's favorite time.
wiggling!!!! you are so wiggly and love fidgeting around on your back.

Dislikes: naptime ....you fight it so hard. having your nosed cleaned out with nose freida, you also hate if we aren't holding you in the evenings.

Mommy: when you were 11 weeks old, mommy took you to miss erikka's house (your sitter) for the first time....and momma was a wreck the whole week leading up to it. the first day momma picked you up...you smiled so big at mommy and i melted into the floor. i could tell you were so stimulated by the other "big kids" and that you are gonna love being the only baby there. Momma thanks God everyday for what a godsend Miss Erikka is. You have done so, so weel there and mommy can tell you are developing new social skills because of it. Makes mommy proud.
Mommy went back to work when you were 12 weeks old. Mommy is just working two days a week and it has been so good for mommy. Mommy feels like she is a better mommy on her days off and enjoys you that much more. It has been good for mommy socially and mentally to have two days at work.
Mommy is about 8 pounds away from her pre-preggo weight, and is fine with that. Momma hasnt started working out again, but knows it will come as I have been finding more balance. Momma eats like a 500 pound man due to breast feeding and actually enjoys eating whatever she wants haha. All momma's pre preggo clothes fit....yay!

Daddy: This has been the hardest month on Daddy. He has been a beast at work and works even harder as your daddy. We are working on finding daddy more time to do some of the things he likes (working out, reading, etc). Daddy is still adjusting to our new routine. He loves you so much little girl and is such an amazing daddy and hubby to his gals. He puts us first in everything he does and mommy didnt know she could love him this much.
He still gets up with mommy at night and helps out and even did one night solo because momma was so tired. Daddy has also been sad this month as his momma went to Heaven just a few days before your turned three months old. While we celebrated mamaw's life....everyone told us over and over how much she talked about you....her only granddaughter and how much she loved you.

Pups: the doggies are officially no longer sleeping with us. bailey tends to sleep on the couch and Uggie sleeps in her bed in the floor. they are still adjusting to you. uggie is very, very interested in you and we have to watch her because she can get too close to you. she loves to lick your fingers which momma doesn't love because your hands are in your mouth more. bailey doesn't seem to really notice you that much haha....I think he will as you can interact with him more.

Social/Visitors: your smiles and coos are my favorite. you are interacting so much more with mommy and daddy and we love how awake and interactive you are.
you also love interacting with nana.....and give her the same big smiles you give momma. your uncle Charlie is doing so well with you too. him and aunt britty are your second most frequent visitors next to nana. you don't mind being held by other ppl as long as they are standing up and moving around with you.

Outings:  lots of regular trips to target and Kroger
  happy hour dates with daddy
shopping trips to rookwood, Crestview Hills
frequent brunching at First Watch

Life: month three was full of highs and lows. momma and daddy celebrated their 3rd wedding anniversary and spent the night away from you while you stayed with nana and poppy. momma and daddy needed it. we ate and drank our way through downtown Cincy and momma had her first pump and dump experience....it was glorious!
Your sweet mamaw went to heaven this month and momma and daddy were away from you for almost a full week and that was really, really hard on both of us.

you had your first thanksgiving and were such a cutie!
you also had your three month photos taken this month and they turned out amazing!!

Milestones: eating your hands, recognizing faces and voices,  reaching for dangling objects and holding toys in your hands, more head control, smiling, more and more cooing, noticing bright colors, spending the night away from mommy and daddy with nana and poppy, finding your voice, pulling your self forward when sitting



 dear sweet baby girl, every new month is my favorite with you! i love watching you develop and learn new things every single day. mommy loves how you can interact so much more with mommy an daddy. i am pretty sure my heart swells every day with more and more love for you. you are truly teaching me what life is all about. everything before you was incomplete.....and now you have mommy and daddy's lives have so much meaning. "i have loved you for a thousand years" baby girl and i will continue to love your for a thousand more.  thank you for being my daughter and teaching me how to love in a way that i never knew was possible. you are making me a better me and i promise to always try my hardest to be the best mommy i can be to you. we love you so much Olivia June. You are our greatest gift and blessing from above. 

OLIVIA'S 1st thanksgiving

 

 11-26-15

 

We celebrated thanksgiving at our house this year and kept it small and simple. Just me, kev, mom, daddo, my brother and baby girl. It was perfect. We put on clothes long enough to take some photos and then it was time for elastic pants and lounging the rest of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had plans to travel to see Kev's parents the next day........but the next day is when Kev's mom had an unexpected episode that led her to being placed on life support and us saying goodbye the following Saturday. Please continue to pray for our family this holiday season. 

 

 

 

Olivia June: 2 months

 

 

Weight: 12 pounds and 9 ounces (80th percentile)

Height: 23.25 inches
you are growing like such a big girl and it makes momma and daddy so happy

Nicknames : Livi, Liv, Olive, Livy J, zarbles, zarbee, the littlest, my little, gummybear, nana's sweet peapod, my sweets, olive Jeanette, my little bear, sweet bear, gummy, sweet baby, sweet girl

Eating: exclusively breastfed via bottle. livi you are such a good eater. currently taking 4.5-5 ounces each feeding. you usually eat every three hours starting at 7. you also wake up once at night to feed around 230-3.  we are working on stretching that out. momma is still exclusively pumping about 7-8 times a day and producing around 60 ounces for you. exclusively pumping is the hardest thing I have ever done, but you are so worth it. we have quite the supply stashed away in the fridge and mommy wants to give you the goods as long as I can.

Clothing: you could only wear a handful of your newborn clothes at the beginning of the month. You are currently wearing 0-3 months. some of your 0-3 month clothes are almost too short for you already. you can actually wear some 3-6 month stuff for length. you are growing like a little weed. you spend most of your days in zipper sleepers. at night you wear a long sleeve onesie with a swaddlme wrap or halo sleep sack with your arms swaddled in.

 

Diapers: you have graduated to size 1 diapers. they are still a little on the big side for you first started wearing them, but you were too big for your newborn ones and were having blowouts up your back almost daily. we have solved that problem.
 

Sleep: you were sleeping in your rock n play next to momma and daddy's bed on my side of the bed till you were 7 weeks old and we then switched you to the pack n play. you were getting too long for the rock n play and seemed to like being able to stretch out. we usually get you to bed between 830-930 and you will sleep till 2/230am. you will wake up to eat and usually go back to sleep until 630/7.

 You nap like a champ in the mornings, but the afternoons are a little harder to predict. you love sleeping in your swing and also immediately fall asleep in your car seat in the car. it doesn't bother you one bit. you also like to cuddle with mommy during the day...sometimes we sneak a lil napsie in the bed together with you on my chest.
 toward the end of the month your daytime naps were right on point, however we fell apart around week 6.5-7 and you were waking up at 1230 and 330 and sometimes again at 5....it was rough. we are slowly getting back on track and have tried moving your bedtime up a little a bit. we are doing a combination of babywise and moms on call and hopefully you will get it down soon enough. I have to remind myself you have only been in this world for 8 weeks.

Health : your newborn rash is gone. you still have your little "angel kiss" above your left eye and your "stork bite" on the back of your neck above your hairline.
you seemed to have been a little colicky weeks 4-6, but that seems to be much better now that momma has you on a great feed, wake, sleep cycle during the day. at the beginning of the month you struggled with gas and tummy issues, but gas drops and gripe water seem to be doing the trick. you are also getting easier to burp, which was super hard for us last month.

Baby Gear Must Haves: 4moms breezeyard (pack n play) Dr. Browns bottles, Rock n play, Swing, Mamaroo, MAM pacifiers, boppy, SwaddleMe blankets, Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets, anything with a mirror, Puj bathtub,

gerber cloth diapers ( we use these as burp cloths), tummy time wedge and play mat, fisher price play mat, anything with lights and music, Fischer price bouncy seat, rattles, anything that dangles from car seat or mobile for you to practice grabbing/reaching

 

Likes: when you are fussy you love, love, LOVE your bouncy seat and the birds on the mobile (especially the pink one on the left), you also love to lay on mommy and daddy's chest or have your stomach pressed against us any way you can. you love looking in any mirror. it amazes you. you also continue to love bath time. the faces you make during your bath are priceless. you love making faces with mommy and daddy and you loved being talked to.

Dislikes: waking up hungry, you also fight being tired and needing a nap in the afternoon, you hate waiting for a bottle to be warmed and really that is about it. you are such a good baby. Tummy time lasting more than 5 minutes.

 

Mommy: mommy is adjusting better and better.  weight is holding steady and momma needs to loose about ten pounds to get to pre-pregnancy weight. however, it is super hard when she eats like a horse due to breastfeeding. I am not stressing over it and will settle back into the workout grind soon. mommas also struggles with doing things for herself during the day and routine even though you are on a great schedule. Mommy's scandal binge watching may have something to do with that too lol.  mommy had her follow up appointment with doctor and is cleared to start working out again.

 

Mommy is happy to report she is showering regularly while Daddy is away at work and also getting you ready and out of the house regularly on her own. That was a big accomplishment at the beginning of this month. It may take me three hours, but who is counting. Mommy does miss daddy during the day and gets lonely on some days. I am trying to soak up every second with you and remind myself maternity leave doesn't last forever. Mommy and Daddy have a great work plan in place for me though. I plan to go back to work 2 days a week and will also keep my one weekend a month. I feel like it will be the right balance for me and you, my sweet girl.

When your sleep regressed toward the end of the month, momma experienced a lot of anxiety and stress that she thinks is mostly attributed to lack of sleep. Nobody said raising a tiny human was a cakewalk, but we love you so so much.

Daddy: Daddy is a trooper! He wakes up with momma every night to feed you while momma has to pump. Daddy amazes me at all he can do....I have to brag on him and that he gets up every morning at 530a for work and works all day and comes home ready to help me and give me a break. I appreciate him and love him for it more than I every thought was possible
Daddy is doing great at calming you down and actually is the baby whisperer to get you to go to sleep at night.
 

Pups: Uggie continues to be so curious about Olivia. She loves to sneak and lick her fingers and toes and tries to get her cheeks. Bailey will occasionally sniff her and completely minds his business.
 

Social/Visitors: Your nana and poppy and uncle Charlie/aunt britty continue to be our most frequent visitors and mommy and daddy aren't complaining. Also this month you were visited by Aunt Dana and Uncle Chris,  Dawn, The Nomadys, The Hilliards,
Megan, Julia, The Whisenant family and Jenni.
You don't mind being held by other people, but you like to be held upright with your stomach pressed to peoples chest or held on one shoulder so you can see the world. Nana can get you to smile almost as good as mommy and daddy.

Outings:  mommy and daddy took you out to eat for the first time solo (which means without nana) to Flipdaddy's and brunch at First Watch in the same weekend.  your first pumpkin patch, solo errand days with mommy. Mommy takes you out at least every other day or third day to run errands. We usually start with a trip to Starbucks followed by one of the following or a combination of hobby lobby, target, Kroger, babies r us, crestview town center. you are turning into mommy's favorite shopping buddy.
Nana and mommy took you on your first big shopping trip to Kenwood mall and introduced you to Nordstrom. you were a champ.
   

Life: our new routine is slowly becoming our new normal. mommy is getting much more comfy taking care of you while daddy is at work during the week. nana is usually here almost every weekend to give us a little break and allow mom and dad some one on time and to catch up on sleep.

Milestones: recognizing faces and voices, noticing your hands, reaching for dangling objects, holding your head up more and more and having more head control, reaching for toys, holding toys in hand, smiling and cooing....it's my favorite

Dear sweet Olivia - I didn't think it was possible for you to steal any more of my heart, but you have. This month was so special as you were more and more alert and I felt as though you knew I was your mommy. Sometimes I felt that you could see through me and straight into my soul and that you knew how much I loved you. You are beautiful! and also such a happy baby. Your daddy and I fall more in love with you every single day. Thank you for being our daughter ....you are absolutely perfect in every way possible.

1st month outtakes

Snippets of our first month together :-)

 

 

(your first visitors outside of your grandparents)

(your first blow out...lol)

(the day of newborn photos)

(mommy and daddy's 1st solo date night since you were born)

1st trip to restaurant for brunch

 

(newborn photo day)