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girls weekend!

Andrea & Julia flew in from Texas for a little R&R and to meet Olivia It was so great to have visitors and we had so much fun having girl time. Olivia fit right in and charmed them from the very beginning!

Everyone was all smiles at the Farmer's Market in downtown Charleston.

We took a break from shopping at King Street Grille so we could all cheer on the Boilermakers (who did have another win! yay!).

Mr. Monkey and Olivia sang 'Happy Birthday' to Andrea at brunch!

Mommy & Baby Girl

"OOOOOO"

Looking cute while enjoying some rice cereal.

It was a beautiful day on Sunday and we walked the battery and soaked up the sunshine.

Just the girls while enjoying breakfast at Hominy Grill. yummy!

SURPRISE! We made a stop off at 'Cupcake' to finish up our morning birthday celebration.

walking away...

"It is interesting that you chose the words 'walking away' when really it is a matter of what you are walking towards..."

These are the words that were spoken to me last week that solidified a decision that was months in the making. A decision that was difficult to admit to myself even though I always knew in my heart it was the right one. A decision that feels great even though, at times, it still surprises me to think about.

Andy and I have decided that it is best for me to leave my job and stay home with Olivia for awhile. I turned in my resignation on Monday and will be working my last day on November sixth. This is a decision that I prayed and prayed about because I love my job and leaving it isn't something I could jump into doing. However, Olivia needs me and that is reason enough in itself.

She still will not take a bottle and I must be either with her, near her, or "on call" to feed her whenever she decides it is time. This fact has made the last 2 months at work very challenging. I try to schedule my day around her feeding schedule, but she sometimes needs to eat early, is still sleeping when I arrive to feed her, or her feeding times overlap with meetings or conference calls and have interrupted many of therapy sessions with my patients. Daycare doesn't have a way to soothe her when she gets hungry unexpectedly, so I am constantly getting phone calls with her wailing in the background asking me to come over right away. It breaks my heart each and every time. Olivia can't understand why I am not there. I am her lifeline and she trusts that I will be there when she needs me. That is difficult to maintain on a good day, let alone one where I am in and out meetings, treating and evaluating a full caseload of patients, and managing a busy therapy department. It is just too much right now and my happiness and sanity were quickly deteriorating.

So, for now, I will resist the temptation to feel guilt in "walking away" from my job because the truth is that I am walking towards a place that is so much better. A place that brings me much joy. A place that has just as much purpose and even more reward. A place where there is a smiling girl known affectionately as Baby Girl. Ahhhh, I can hardly wait to get there!

rice cereal...

Sometimes the bib was more interesting than eating!

We took the plunge and Baby Girl tried rice cereal! The first time was a big failure and ended with a meltdown, but I tried again tonight and she loved it! Persistence pays off ;) (except when it comes to the whole bottle issue!) Despite our best efforts, Olivia is growing up on us! tear.

four months...

Baby Girl is four months old already! What a blessing she is in our life! She had her well-baby visit this week and got another clean bill of health. The shots were less traumatic this time around and she didn't show any ill effects from them. Her stats still keep her at the top of the percentile charts, but she is still our little peanut!

16 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile)
27.25 inches (>97th percentile) I am convinced she is going to be tall like her mommy! yay!
Blowing raspberries at the camera while we wait for the doctor! This is her favorite pastime=)

The doctor gave the nudge to begin rice cereal, but we haven't taken that plunge yet. However, when we do, I am sure there will be some fun pictures to share!

Grandma & Grandpa

We spent last weekend in North Carolina at Andy's parents. It was great fun as we had lots of time to visit and were able to bring Vegas home after her 2 1/2 month visit!

Thanks to AG & Debbie for "cat-sitting" for us! Vegas loved her vacation.

life in the Bumbo...

Sorry for the obnoxious number of pictures......I couldn't choose just one ;) Besides, I know that Olivia's grandparent fan club will 'oooh and awww' over each and every one of them!

toys make life more fun!

Olivia tried out her new exersaucer for the first time tonight. She liked exploring and studying all of the gadgets. Can't you just see her mind working in this first picture! Thanks to the Liegl's for loaning it to us!

Tummy time on the boppy! She held her head up REALLY high this Saturday while trying to keep her eye on the football games!

Olivia has a very special Uncle Tyler and he picked this book out for her because it was one of his favorites when he was little. I think it will be one of hers too because she loves it when I read it to her!

Olivia LOVES the monkey that arrived in a box of toys from her cousins in Oklahoma. We always find her hugging on him just like this! According to their Mommy, Drew & Jordan have way too many toys so Olivia reaps the benefits! She also loves to suck and chew on her finger, as you can see in the picture. We think teeth are right around the corner for our sweet baby girl.

Her feet are also one of her favorite toys and she seems to always have one or both in her hands. This new facination makes diaper changing a bit difficult =)

I made her from scratch...

On a recent Grey's Anatomy, a character facing life threatening injuries was afraid to phone her mother and tell her about them. She said she didn't want to worry her. The young lady described how her mother used to be very protective of her while growing up, always saying "be careful what you do with your body, I made it from scratch".

That phrase resonated with me. I started thinking about the miracle of creating a child and I felt empowered. My body made our sweet baby girl. True, Andy helped a little, but my body gave her the blood and oxygen and a soft spot to grow from a group of cells into a healthy human. It is truly miraculous.

When I look at her now I find myself thinking about that phrase and feeling protective of her. Someone made a comment about her the other day that I took offense to. She looked at Olivia in her car seat and said, "she looks mean". I turned to her and said, "that is a terrible thing to say about a baby" and she responded, "well, look at her brow all crinkled up; she looks mean". I quickly turned Olivia's car seat away from this awful person and commented, "I made her from scratch and I think she is perfect".

Olivia has a new habit of scratching herself with her nails despite my best efforts to keep them trimmed and tidy (I cut and file them twice a week, but that doesn't seem to be enough!). She currently has two tiny scabs on her nose from these scratches and I just hate it. I found myself telling her to be careful with that sweet face of hers because "I made it from scratch".


While I have never been much for cooking from scratch or creating a fancy craft project from scratch, I believe that I have hit the mark with Olivia Grace. She is healthy, and sweet, and beautiful, and loving, and fun to be around.

She is my masterpiece, and I made her completely from scratch!

a new toy...

I am now a member of the mobile emailing and facebooking world.

I can change my status update just as soon as I think of it!

I can reply to an email instantly!

I can upload pictures to Facebook seconds after taking them!

I am officially addicted to my new Blackberry..... =)