Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Cloth Diapers, I like them!

We've been cloth diapering Olivia for a few months now and I'm happy to report that I really like it. It's definitely the best way for us to diaper Miss O.  

We have 12 diapers that we use on a day-to-day basis. Nine of them were gifts from Russ' grandfather (my mother-in-law had a lot to do with this gift) and three of them were purchased on sale online from I'm not sure which discount website.... (maybe Totsy, Baby Half Off or Zulily. These are also good places to find cute kiddo clothes that aren't super mainstream for anyone who's interested). 

We use Fuzzibunz and Katydid all-in-one diapers (translation, these diapers adjust to fit her as she grows). Fuzzibunz are a much trimmer fit but both types of diapers hold in the messy stuff beautifully!


Washing them has never been a problem. Yes, I wash them in the same washing machine that I then wash all of our clothes in.... Totally not a big deal and everything comes out quite clean. Surprisingly, you have to be very careful to not use too much soap on the diapers. 

*We can classify that piece of information under stuff that I never would have thought of before having a child.

Moral of the story: Cloth diapers are awesome! They save us tons of moolah and I feel good about the material that is touching Olivia's bum.  

Monday, January 30, 2012

Weekend snapshots


Keeping the sun out of her eyes on our way into the store.


Bounce!


And chew on the burp cloth.


Roxy trying to convince Amy that we don't pay any attention to her. Can you say, "pathetic dog?"


Quite literally rolling everywhere.

Momma denial

I believe this look is telling me that it was way too early to be taking her picture.

We bought Olivia two new pairs of footie jammies the other day in size 9 month because her size 6 month were looking a little tight on the toes.... I was really hoping that when I put the new ones on her they would look huge. Instead, they looked like they fit just fine with just the right amount of wiggle room. :(


Most of her 6 months onesies still fit but all of the pants are starting to become capris and her 6 month jean skirt is still a little big, so we can wear that one for a while longer...  This girl might be one of those kids who has to have the waist of her pants taken in so that the length is long enough.  Hmm, I might need to practice my sewing skills between now and then. :)

Seven months


Hello all, this has been, by far, the most difficult photo to capture - Olivia was completely interested in the dogs and in Piglet but definitely not interested in me.  Fortunately, she was in a great mood and every time I rolled her back onto her back she gave me a giant grin.


Seven. months. old. How did this happen? 

I'd like to say: "Shut up! You take that back!" (Which is exactly what I told Russ a week ago when he told me that Olivia was starting to tuck her knees under her and rock.)


My sweet girl has grown a ton over the last month. She finally learned to roll over her right shoulder (she'd been a master of the left shoulder since Thanksgiving) and this new skill has made her a force to be reckoned with. We have reached mobility and, thus, we've begun baby-proofing.


She also likes to tuck her bottom up into the air but she hasn't pushed up with her arms at the same time yet... I know it's coming soon.

Olivia loves to laugh. Sometimes it's just a little baby giggle and sometimes it is a full on belly laugh. She'll giggle any time we lean in and give her cheeks and neck kisses and she thinks having her tummy  tickled is hilarious. 


Olivia loves to play with her toys. She will very deliberately pick up whichever one has caught her interest and, then, she'll put it right into her mouth if it will fit. She really likes to chew on fabric - Piglet's ears, her burp cloths, my hoodie drawstrings, etc. I know that sensation weirds some people out, but it's her favorite.


She loves bathtime. In the last week, she has learned that there are extra toys right outside of her tub and she will lean over the side reaching for them.  She also really likes to roll onto her tummy while in there, which means that Russ is frequently grabbing her before she dunks her face into the water. (I can't express how grateful I am that he loves to be in charge of bathtime. Just listening to the two of them melts my heart.)


Olivia loves to eat. Nursing is still her favorite but she eats applesauce, avocado, pears, bananas, carrots, peas, green beens, rice cereal, oatmeal and she's tried cream of wheat. So far, the only food that has been a big no-go is sweet potato, we've tried it two separate times and it hasn't gone over well either time.  I'm working on getting more variety into her diet but I'm still making all of her food myself and it can be kind of overwhelming to pick out and prepare all of these different items. We are about to try some different types of meat: chicken, turkey, beef.... Hopefully it will be a "yum."

Monday, January 23, 2012

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Baby love

Olivia loves her bouncer. She can spend quite a while sitting in it, bouncing up and down and playing with the toys. And when I say playing, I obviously mean chewing on everything that can reach her mouth. 


Also, please check out the barrette she's wearing. We just tried clipping one of these in for the first time the other day.... Not quite enough hair to keep it in for any extended period of time, but it makes me happy!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

She bites


Do you see those two pearly whites peeking through Olivia's gums? Watch out for your fingers! Holy sharpness, Batman! 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Maybe separation anxiety?

Yesterday morning, I tried to attend a Bible study at church. I thought this would be a good choice for mine and Olivia's social skills. I made it through half the class before I got a text from the nursery saying that Olivia needed to see me. 

I quickly walked down the hall. I could hear her screaming - she was red in the face and wouldn't even think about calming down for the sweet nursery worker. I picked her up and she immediately stopped crying. I knew she was tired but, unlike the four beautiful babies asleep in the nursery, she wasn't having any of that. 

Picture from a different time when she got upset.

I decided to go ahead and just take Olivia home. She wasn't crying/screaming anymore but still shuddering a little bit. I tried to put her in her seat but she started to wind up and get red in the face again. I picked her back up and carried the seat. (Olivia then decided to chew on the name tag I had on my scarf.... Now, I think there's name tag permanently stuck to it.)

We're happy when we're well rested.

I'm going to try again next week. Hopefully Olivia's morning nap will last right until I'm loading her into her car seat and I will get a full two hours at church. **Keep your fingers crossed for me, please.**

Life is good when the she laughs


Olivia thinks pretty much everything her Daddy does is hilarious!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

6 month check-up

Our girl is getting sooooo big! We had Olivia's 6 month check-up on Friday and she did fantastic! She's 17 pounds and 5.5 ounces (the 69th percentile) and 27.5 inches long (the 95th percentile).


It is a little strange for me to have such a long kid. I'm 5'2" and I've always been considered petite (or short, whichever term you prefer), so I'm just getting used to hearing Olivia be referred to as "long." No matter her size, all I want to do is nibble her little baby feet and squish her baby thighs. :)

I heart Iowa

Between Christmas and New Years, we went to visit Russ' family in Iowa City.

I love them all so very much! And, because I have no family in Missouri that I visit regularly, I think it should trade places with Iowa. Maybe then our drive would only take five hours instead of 12. Even with it taking 12 hours, Olivia did great! I was so very grateful.


She really likes to look at things upside down.


Olivia with one of her cousins - absolutely gorgeous, right?


More cousins.


Another cousin loving on her (Russ has several cousins who have children = lots of cousin love).


Wearing her Grandpa bib.



4 generations - 3 Russells and an Olivia.




Loving on Aunt Kathy. I had an awesome chance to just sit and chat with her; it was wonderful!


Worn out.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Christmas equals family

We have tons of family and it was awesome to see them all during the holidays. We actually went to OKC on Christmas Eve eve, went to Iowa the following Tuesday and returned to OKC for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Phew! Exhausting but awesome.

Everyone loved on our girl and was totally understanding of teething and her nap schedule. (Thank you, awesome family!)

p.s. There are a bajillion photos in this post. So, it might take a very long time to look at them all or, you might just want to come back another day when I'm back to posting much shorter fare. 


Helping Nana bake gingerbread boys Christmas Eve eve. 


Just hanging out with her favorite uncle.


This was about the time we discovered that Olivia had a tooth coming in... Where did my girl's gummy smile go? If I had known, I would have taken a ton of smiling pictures the day before. (p.s. Sabrina woke up looking like that, for real! So jealous.)



Olivia got to meet her new cousin Samantha. They're three and a half months a part in age and it pretty much boggled my mind to see the differences between them.


Olivia in her Christmas Eve dress - so cute and fancy! This was taken right before my cousins arrived but Olivia was in full on teething mode and she was so exhausted that they saw her for, maybe, five minutes. And, when Olivia is upset or napping, I clearly forget to take pictures. Sorry.

Ooh, but my two little cousins did tell me about the "bowser" they're getting..... Schnauzer, isn't that cute?!


Our stockings on Christmas morning.


My parents' tree.


Olivia and Nana.


Hanging out with Aunt B.


Ready to get this party started with Momma.



Her Fisher Price nativity set.


Enjoying the finer action flicks out there.


Behind that doorway is Russ getting Olivia to nap... The puppies are miffed that they've been abandoned to the hallway.


Olivia getting to know her Great Uncle Bob.



Olivia and Samantha hanging out. Please note that all the cool babies wore the same jammies for Christmas morning.


Uncle Thomas always makes her smile.


Examining the Christmas tree at my godparents' house.


Picture by Sue Kearns
Hanging out with her Papa and Goddaddy James. 

Picture by Sue Kearns

Picture by Sue Kearns
 My Papa. His birthday is today. :)

Picture by Sue Kearns
Yea, it's a good thing that she's done wearing her "My First Christmas" outfit because my long child had her tummy exposed a lot.

Picture by Sue Kearns
Olivia in her favorite lap.

Picture by Sue Kearns
Our holidays wouldn't have been complete without at least one drool-covered-chin photo. 

Picture by Sue Kearns
My family. :) 

Picture by Sue Kearns
 Semi-happy Olivia in our yearly girl pic.

Picture by Sue Kearns
Not happy at all.  It was time to leave and let her have a nap and some alone time. 

Picture by Sue Kearns
My love.


The day after Christmas when Olivia was entertaining her Great-Grandpa Ferguson.


Meeting her daddy's good friend Stephen for the second time in her life.


Olivia finally got to meet our friends Brock and Alisha and their daughter, Bailey.  My in-laws dining room became a regular nursery for a little while with three little ones hanging around.  


Bailey blew me a kiss. (I so wish this photo wasn't blurry because this moment was precious.) 


Another blurry photo.... A professional photographer I am not.


Olivia with Aunt Beth. We called Beth the baby whisperer because she loved to hold Olivia and Samantha and she could keep them happy for quite a long while.

Well, if you made it to the end of all these pictures - you probably deserve a cookie... Maybe a gingerbread cookie. :)