Baby Boy Morris is on his way!

We couldn't be more excited to announce baby boy Morris coming in April.  I am much more tired this time around probably due more to Miss O than the baby but things have been a real struggle to get through each day. 

I probably won't be regularly posting updates but will be sharing any fun things as they come up and as I have the time and energy to post.  

Miss O #11months

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here is a little love from my love bug.

Olivia Turns 5 Months Old

About two weeks ago my little one turned 5 months old. Although 5 months seems like a very short time, I cannot imagine our lives without her in them.  She continues to amaze me every day. Each day there is a new skill or trait that comes out. 

She almost able to sit up on her own. Her preferred position is one where she can look out and see everything and everyone around her.  She reaches and grabs everything in sight. At first it was only a few of the lightest toys but now she can hold up pretty much anything. Being careful about what is near her is a full time job.  

She learned to flip on her belly fast and furious. It happened one day and then pretty much since then it was a constant occurrence. It was also the first thing that really threw off our sleep routine. She would immediately flip on her belly when we put her down to sleep, but that meant no more swaddles. Our little one really loved being swaddled. And even though she got really good at getting on her belly, it was a work in progress getting back onto her back.  She would wake up in the middle of the night and realize she was on her belly. We had to go in many a times to flip her back over only to have her roll herself belly side within 30 seconds. 

No teeth yet but I am hoping they will come in someday soon. We have tried avocado and bananas with varying success. I am hoping once the kitchen renovation is complete we will be able to be more consistent about offering her real foods. 

She is pretty good at standing up on her legs when we hold her. She gets all proud when she realizes she is standing up and gets a super big and goofy grin on her face. This is normally followed by loads of giggles. My heart just melts and you cannot help but smile and laugh right along with her. 

Talking is now the norm. She is such a chatter box with her ohs and ahs. She found out how to gurgle and blow bubbles this past week. She can go on and on for a good 30 minutes.  And when you mimic her back she will stop, smile, and then go right on with her own noises again.

Everyone says time flies by so fast with a child. And it does. But I find myself in this weird middle ground where I want her to be this age forever but I also want to see her continue to grow and develop. 

Happy 5 Months Olivia!

Olivia: 3 Months

My little baby is 3 months old tomorrow. I don't know where the time has gone nor can I comprehend how much the munchkin has grown and changed during this short time. 

She not only smiles at us but giggles. The pure joy that comes from her little face melts my heart and I cannot get enough. I ask her for more but the laughter comes in short little bursts and never last as long as I want. I will take what I can get.

At our Dr appointment last week she weighed in at 12 lb 13 oz, the 61% and her height is 24 inches, the 85%. She is tall and lean. Although there are times when her face is all scrunched up and she has the chubbiest checks and the cutest double chin. 

She found her hands in the last month. First it was the right hand. Then she noticed the left hand.  This week she seems to realize there are two there all the time. She clasps them together in a little prayer position and again my heart melts.

Miss O also started arching her back. We put her down and she arches, kicks and swings her arms. There are many times she gets all the way up on one side and I sit holding my breath waiting for her to rollover. It hasn't happened yet but I am sure it is soon to happen.  I am excited for this milestone and yet long for her to just be a bit longer. 

No matter how many people tell you it will go by fast nothing prepared me for just how fast. 

We started daycare this week. She has since won over all of the workers as well as the little kids.  This was probably a bigger transition for me than for her. She seems happy and I know they are taking excellent care of her. Being away all day makes our time together that much more special. Getting up at 5:30 am the other day only gave me an extra hour of play time. 

It is hard to believe that soon she will be sitting up and eating real foods.  High chair shopping is coming too soon!

Olivia: Week Ten

. 

This is my new favorite picture. And just think if I had actually posted this way back at eight weeks it would not have even existed. She is definitely a Daddy's girl and likes nothing better than to take a snooze on his chest. The photo sums up our lives right now.  Pretty much the same but with a baby. We do things as a family and just have two less adult hands to get the work done. It takes longer but somehow seems so much more enjoyable.

Can I just say too how confusing it is to talk about how old she is by weeks vs. months?  If you go by calendar months it is way different than weeks. Olivia's two month birthday came much faster than I thought. However, I actually corrected someone saying that she was two months when really she was only eight weeks. They were referring to the calendar date. Anyway, these are the things you can think about in the middle of the night. I have gotten some strange looks when it takes me a while to respond to the question "How old is she?"  In my head I am thinking are they asking weeks or months and seconds go by and it feels like an eternity as the person stares blankly at me waiting for an answer. 

Although we are talking about a two month old we are already in 6 month outfits. My long and lean girl continues to grow.  She got a new wrinkle in her thighs and I just want to eat them up. 

We learned she does not like the heat. The two days the other week which soared into the 80's made her a bit fussy. Off came the clothes and she was much better. I am not looking forward to August. 

She is much more alert and wake during the days. It is so fun to interact with her, see the smiles, and have mini conversations.  These times also leave me exhausted.  Some days she barely naps and I am lucky if she goes down for 30 minutes a few times a day. She also cut out her extra stretch of sleeping. No more are the days when she goes down again and sleeps till 9ish. She is normally up and ready for full at 7 am.

She is still squirmy but does like to be held out night. She takes nothing but the best cuddling and knows the second you try to sit down and will have none of it. Overall she is a very content baby and if she wants a few extra snuggles at night it is hard for me to say no. Actually impossible unless we want wailing but I know these days are fleeting and I will take every second I can get. 

My leave from work is ending soon and I am dreading the day when off to day care we will go. Until then our days are filled with story time, songs, walks, and endless outfit changes. 

Olivia: Week 7

We are seven weeks in and I can barely believe it. Is there a way to stop time?  Just for a few weeks I swear.  This week came with so many highs and lows. It honestly feel like more time past than just a mere seven days. 

We had our six week check up at the beginning of the week. Olivia has grown so much. She is now 22.5 inches long and 10lbs 12oz. Everyone is so impressed with her weight gain and development. It makes all of the frequent feedings well worth the effort. I totally think of this as my main responsibility right now and I am beyond overjoyed that everything is going as smooth as it is. I know for many this is not the case and I count my blessings every second that we are doing so well together.  

Of course it isn't always perfect. Saturday she woke up after her morning nap and wouldn't eat.  We played and changed her and tried again about an hour later. Still nothing. She ended up going almost 6 hours without eating. I was super stressed pretty much every minute until she finally ate again, as if nothing ever happened. 

We also got our first round of shots this week.  Goodness I am dreading the next. She is a very content baby and is really only fussy when she needs to be changed or eat. If she is fussy a few snuggles and she is better. However shots are a different story. The second she had the first one it was all screams. Blood curdling screams. And they didn't stop through the second shot or even when it was all over. Later in the evening she wasn't herself, was feverish, and wouldn't sleep. Motherhood is stressful!!

This week has seen many smiles and coos. Yesterday in fact every other second she seemed to be smiling. We had full on gibberish conversations.  I am already dreaming of her talking. (Not that I want her to grow up too soon. And I hope "no" is not in her vocabulary.)

Another huge feat which occurred is that she rolled over. Twice!  She rolled over a few weeks ago but only because she was super mad during tummy time.  This time though she was perfectly content. She has incredible strength for her age. She can hold her head up for minutes during tummy time and it is quite high.  I don't expect a ton of roll overs any time soon as it is still very early for her age but I am pretty sure once it starts she will be going, going, gone.

Until then we are waiting for the warmer temperatures so we can spend more time outside and wear some of our cute dresses.

Olivia: Week Five

My little one is five weeks old. They say that time flies and it does. Each day it is noon before I can even blink. And my life pre-baby is a blur. Was I really able to go to the gym every day for an hour?  I cannot even imagine. 

Life is good. We are good. 

Each day brings something different.  And just when I think we are on some type of schedule she goes and changes things up. This has been an adjustment for me, the planned out type A person that I am.  But really it just is what it is and we go with it. 

We have been fortunate to get long stretches at night. During the day, well, that is a different story. 

She is now my partner in crime. Once the day starts we clean ourselves up, sing some songs, read some stories and try to fit in naps.  

The baby wakes up between 5-6:30 am every morning. We get in a quick feeding and most days she goes back down till around 9 am. This is my work time, sometimes nap time, depending on how fast she goes back down, how hungry I am, or if I want a bit more time with Mr. J. 

Once she is up we eat, get cleaned up and dressed. A bit of organization is done depending on how the night went.  Laundry is started if need be which is most days right now. Then we chat and read. If I am lucky she will go back to sleep around 10:30 or 11, if I am really lucky she will sleep more than 45 minutes. 

Once up she eats again and we have some more play time.  I try to eat lunch, normally prepped while she naps, and we countdown the minutes till Daddy comes home for lunch.

After lunch we try to nap again. She would stay up if I didn't actively put her down. She is so alert and attentive when up. I think she doesn't want to miss out on anything exciting. Swaddles are a must. She is one active little girl and we have to lock down her arms for any chance of sleep.

The afternoon nap tends to be longer and I try to catch some sleep time as well during this stretch. I get an hour or so. Olivia gets 2-3 hours.  Once up it is time to eat again. We snuggle until Daddy comes home.  I honestly blink and it is 5 pm.  

We haven't nailed down the evenings as well as the days.  She can be fussy, she can sleep, or she can be perfectly contest during dinner.  Feedings are based on her mood and whether or not we need a bath. 

Our sweet little one does not like bath time. She arches her back so fiercely the second her skin hits the water and then the wails start.  It has gotten a bit better and I am hoping soon it won't be so painful. This 15 minute or so process leaves Daddy and Mommy exhausted. 

We dress her, feed her, and swaddle her for the night between 7:30-8:30 pm and off to bed she goes. This is my new bedtime too. Her longest stretch is always the first one and I take advantage of these hours as much as possible. 

Before I know it she wakes up, it is after midnight and a new day has begun. 

Nursery Reveal

After many months of improving the soon to be nursery we finally got done just in the nick of time before Olivia arrived. In fact we put some finished touches on the walls after her due date. Good thing she was a week late.  

The closet still has some work to do like trim. And we haven't decided if we want to put doors on or not. 

It was a long process but I am so happy with how everything came out. I think she might have the best room in the house.
Source Guide
Glider: West Elm
Dresser: DIY
Pouf: Land of Nod
Elephant Art: Land of Nod
Mirror: Land of Nod
Wall Prints (Hello Sunshine, Paris Map and Marie Antoinette): Rifle Paper Co.
Rug: Garrett Hill (no longer available)
Crib: Babyletto Hudson 3 in 1 
Sheets: Pottery Barn
Diaper Cart: IKEA