P.S. one more picture!

Our family after Christmas Eve service at church.  I just got this picture from my sister, and I don't feel like reformatting the previous post (it can be a bit of a pain), so I am adding it as an addendum =)  Thanks, Cathy!

Also, we have a new name to our blog.  A new year, a new name!  In reality, it has nothing to do with the new year.  Just the fact that I didn't want our last name splattered across the top of our blog considering our blog is completely public.  Now if someone wanted to find us, I know they could, but at least I put a little effort into making it more difficult!   

When I think of my our life now, I can only think about how great it is.  We have so many blessings and I feel that each and every day that we are, indeed, "living the good life".  And, our love for our baby girl is bursting at the seams, hence the subtitle 'our cup runneth over'.  So there you have a little description, not that you really needed or wanted it, but you have it none the less!

Rewind...

Take yourselves back a few weeks.  It was December and there was this holiday we call Christmas.  Do you remember?!  I know it was a long time ago, but work with me here!  We were in Indiana visiting my family and took a ton of pictures while celebrating.  However, it has taken me two weeks to post any pictures about it.  Not sure what the delay is about.  Maybe it was the task of sorting through all of them.  Maybe it was the intentions that I had to make a video montage of video clips and pictures with music that somehow has not become reality.  Or perhaps it is just pure laziness. 

Regardless, here is the visual tour of our trip! (and hopefully enough pictures to satisfy Nana!)

Olivia was all smiles the day we got there!

Olivia had a complete interest in Drew and loved to watch him play.  They were also on the same nap schedule most days and, thus, spent a lot of time playing together.  We think Jordan was on her own nap schedule so that when she was awake she could be sure to be the center of attention ;) 

We met up with my dear friend Mandy while in town as well.  She, her brother (Uncle Tyler), and her mother drove down from Chicago so they could all meet Olivia.  It was a great time!

More pictures of Drew and Olivia playing together!!  I am not kidding when I said they were best buddies! I don't even have any pictures of Olivia and Jordan playing on my camera!   Look at Drew's smile; doesn't it just melt your heart!  He was quite the poser for the camera and video camera!

 We opened gifts on Christmas Eve day that were from Nana and Papa.  Christmas day was reserved for Santa and our own family gifts.  Being there to watch all of our nieces' and nephews' expressions Christmas morning is a memory I will keep with me forever.  We haven't all been together on Christmas morning like that in well over ten years, I would say.  Knowing how special it was for me, I can only imagine how much it meant to Mom and Dad.


Mom and Dad (aka, Nana & Papa) bought all the grandkids matching pajamas to have on when they awoke Christmas morning!   The order of children....front row L to R: Drew (9mo), Jordan (9mo), Olivia (6mo). back row L to R: Eli (nearly 3), Garrett (8), Kaylynn (10)

Olivia got Sophie the giraffe from Santa Claus and she LOVES her! She also got a couple of books and a new bib!  Thanks, Santa!

This next picture brought us all to tears and really touched our hearts.  Although we missed Brady every single moment through the holidays, this one seemed to be the hardest.  We sat all three babies up to see the toy Santa had brought for Drew & Jordan and the irony of the scenario was not hard to miss.   Our family doesn't seem quite complete without him with us, but we know that we will all see him again someday.

Believe it or not, it was Daddy who bought Olivia this awesome bib!!  Maybe he is coming around to becoming a Boilermaker after all =)

Oh, and in case you didn't already know....opening presents is much more fun when you use your mouth!

Olivia also got to meet lots of special people while we were there....like Uncle Jeff, and Miss Luetta, and Auntie Andrea (who moved to Taipei, Taiwan the very next day and we miss her already :(.   She also spent some time snuggling up with Great Grammy, although she is so heavy that Great Grammy's arms tired out quickly!

Our last day there was Mom's birthday!  I think her favorite gift was that Olivia was still there to snuggle with!  I know Olivia sure loved the hugs and kisses she got that day since there weren't other babies around to compete with! haha!

And, finally, we arrived back home where Andy could assume his favorite spot on the couch without having to bargain it away from someone else, and Olivia could do her best to keep his attention on her rather than that silly book he is trying to read =)  Notice she has Sophie with her again; they have become the BEST of pals!

my life....

.....has been a complete vacation the last few weeks!  However, this morning reality hit me in the face.  Dust bunnies are swirling about my feet, piles of laundry have become a tripping hazard, clutter has overtaken the counters and tabletops, and my spirit is renewed to get back on track!

This IS a new year after all!  No excuses in o'ten, or ten, or twenty-ten, or whatever you are supposed to call it!  As I type, Baby Girl is in her cib chattering herself to sleep and I am developing a game plan....a serious game plan. 

I guess I should start with changing out of my pajamas, or brushing my teeth, or getting off the computer....wow, this may be harder than I thought!!  =)

let it snow....

We were able to introduce Olivia to her first snowfall while in Indiana! Winter snowfalls (and all the fun they bring) are a special part of my childhood memories, so I was so excited that I could share it with her at such a young age. We don't even get close to snow down here in Charleston!

Stand by for more photographs and videos from the week - we had a GREAT time and there are so many smiles and special moments to share with y'all.

Friends...

....what would we do without them? I hate to even think about it, actually. We have really great friends in our life and some of the most special are the Liegls and the Steinforts. They were our first friends we met upon moving here and have had a special place in our hearts ever since. Our families have all grown and our times together have changed over the years from spur of the moment nights out downtown to family dinners at home.

When we first met them, I had just moved to Charleston from graduate school and Andy and I were still merely 'boyfriend and girlfriend'! The six of us have been through so much in the last 4 years - Andy & I got engaged, married, the Liegls had Grace and Grant at 28 weeks and we all prayed for their health, the Steinforts had Molly Paige, the men went on three different deployments, Emily spent 4 months in Iraq, celebrated birthdays together year after year, we had Olivia, shared numerous babysitters so we could have nights out together sans children, bailed one another out of sticky situations, utilized each other's husbands for various chores when our own was gone fighting the war, consoled one anothers broken spirits, spent holidays together as "family" when we couldn't get home to our real ones, and made memories that will stay in my heart forever.

Emily, Race, and Molly Paige move to California in a few weeks and every get together has suddenly become more precious than the last. Below are some of the special times we have shared over the last few weeks.

Happy New Year!

Race and Andy star the new year by sharing some love

Christina is a few days from delivering baby #3!!
Olivia gets a little concerned as Grace gives her hugs

Baby Girl and Mommy waiting to open presents at our Christmas get together

Crazy man Grant

Sweetie pie Grace

Jeff shows off their new gift

The Steinforts say 'yay' for their special gift that they will hang in their new home.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you many blessings this holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Love, the Allens

6 months

Baby Girl is 6 months old.

Wow, how time flies by.

What is her life like as a sixth month old?

She is still our smiley girl, but reserves most all of her smiles for her mommy and daddy and people she knows. When strangers say 'hi' to her while out shopping she typically just looks at them with a serious face like she is trying to figure out why they are talking to her.

I caught her holding hands with Daddy when we got to the doctor's office, but I told her it was okay because I like to hold his hand too!

We went to her 6 month well-visit and she got more immunizations, the seasonal flu, and the H1N1 flu shot. Her recovery time (aka. length of screaming and crying!) at the doctor was noticeably shorter than the last few visits. She must be getting braver in her old age! She weighs 18.8 lbs (90th percentile), is 27 inches long (still off the charts) and her head measures 42 inches (50th percentile).

Sitting up like a big girl while waiting on the doctor.

She nurses 4 times a day now (every 4 hours between wake up and bedtime) and eats puree fruits/veggies and oatmeal in the morning and in the evening. She LOVES to eat and hasn't turned down anything new that I have offered. She drinks undiluted pear juice (per the doctors orders for her constipation) or water from her sippy cup and loves it. I am not sure why she hated the bottle so much considering how well she is doing with the sippy cup. She has even taken breast milk from it a time or two, so we may explore that option more in the future!!

She rolls over very well now and does it frequently. She even rolls over while getting her diaper changed when we do it on the floor. She is one wiggly little girl! Tonight I even found her under the coffee table!She picks up pretty much anything she wants and can manipulate toys with her hands well. Her favorite toys are ones she can get into her mouth, ones that make noise, and things that light up. She requires support to sit up, but I am looking forward to the day where she can sit on her own. I just feel bad always having to lay her down on the floor. Life must get rather boring when your always on your back or belly! She does like to sit in her Bumbo though. She also still loves her exersaucer and jumparoo.

Her sleeping habits continue on the same pattern although our nights without wake-ups are more frequent, which is wonderful! is great to put her down at 7:30 and not hear a peep from her until 7ish the next morning! It is a nice break for me. When she does wake at night we are working to settle her without feeding her. Those feedings are more of habit rather than need, and we are working to break that habit slowly but surely, but that doesn't always work. I think after we are done traveling this next week we will really work at it. However, in regards to sleeping I have made major headway on her putting herself to sleep!! Praise God! We go through the same routine prior to each nap and/or bedtime and I lay her in her crib sleepy but still awake. About 70% of the time she then goes to sleep on her own. Sometimes she plays a bit, other times she cries a bit, and other times she just simply drifts off to sleep! It has taken consistency and determination, but I feel that we are definitely making progress.

Her language development is still random consonant and vowel sounds. I haven't picked up on any combinations (e.g., 'ma ma') yet, but I am listening hard! The speech pathologist in me can't help but continually analyze her vocalizations! I am introducing sign language to her as well in simple words and songs, which is fun. I like that my education is making a difference in my own child's life. I haven't signed in a long while and I have enjoyed doing it more. It is amazing how quickly it has come back!

I am avoiding packing by writing all of this, so I need to get refocused on the task at hand! We leave for Indiana tomorrow and I have so much still to do!!!!!!