the many faces of olivia

b/c my last few posts were kind of heavy and definately lacked in the picture catagory, here are the many faces of olivia! these were all taken on two days this week so please forgive the crusty nose. enjoy!she's sooo much fun now! definately making forward progress on her crawling but not totally there yet, making all sorts of funny noises, "screaming" at us, and just thursday she pulled up on the couch! now, she hasn't done it since and fell right back down, but she did it! i'm having a blast with her. just wish she would get well so we could go do things!

olivia vs rsv - round 2

well, rsv won the first battle but i'm determined to beat it this time! olivia got a runny nose friday night but the snot (gross!) was clear so i didn't think anything about it. by saturday night the snot had turned green and her breathing was worse. sunday was the same. so, this morning i took her to the doctor. RSV. again. along with an ear infection! and according to the doc, a "very bad" ear infection. my lord. she showed no signs of an ear infection. how am i ever suppose to know when she has another one??? any help from you moms out there would be greatly appreciated! sooo, we're on 2 antibiotics twice a day and breathing treatments twice a day. that definately adds to my routine every morning and evening. i'm trying to be super mom and it's not working out for me! i'll get there. eventually.

i took some really cute pics of olivia this afternoon after we got back from the doc but to be honest i'm too lazy to upload them tonight. maybe one night this week!

i've lined up babysitters for the week b/c little miss rsv can't go to daycare. i hope she acts right for them! she's typically a pretty good sick baby. she played this afternoon but was clingly. as long as she continues to sleep through the night she can be as clingly as she wants during the day! i've learned to pick my battles. and, let's face it, who doesn't want to cuddle with their sick child??? it really is fun!

sorry this was kind of random. but, just killing time before bed. kitchen is clean (read: straightened) and clothes are washed (read: on the couch waiting to be folded). i guess i'm really just avoiding chores!

oh my!!

the saints won! they're going to the super bowl! oh my!

(yes, this was taken on mine and rett's recent trip to nola. let's just pretend that i was there with girlfriends ;) )

i'm doing ok. this is a the hardest thing i've ever done. harder than 23 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing. harder than anything. i keep telling myself that there is light at the end of the tunnel. i'll get there, sooner or later.

thank you all for you sweet comments, emails and calls. you have NO idea how much they mean. please keep praying for us. i feel them!

new year, new attitude, new normal

over the past week or so i've found two quotes that i just love.

"happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open."

"rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine."

my new year's resolutions were to be an all around better person, mother and wife. to be more positive and to definately treat others the way i want to be treated (not judging people so quickly.)

i get the oppotunity to practice all but one of these.

over the past year i've been in a fight for my "life". or, my life as i knew it. sadly, i lost that battle.

rett and i have separated and will file for divorce soon. there. i said it. it's out there.

this is NOT my decision. but, sometimes two people just can't live together anymore. most of the time it's caused by one of those two people. i'm not laying all blame on rett. i know i messed up too. however, this is his decision, not mine.

i'm using this as a learning experience and a chance to show olivia that i'm strong and can stand up for myself. i hope to God she NEVER has to experience this. but, if anything good can come out of it then i pray she knows that both of her parents love her more than she could ever understand.

i will be ok. olivia will be ok. this is our new normal. a new normal for a new year. and a new attitude to go along with it. i'm promising olivia that i won't dwell on the bad. that i'll always try to see a silver lining. this is hard for me b/c i'm a "realist". everyone i know would call me a pessimist but i think it's just being real. i don't sugarcoat anything for anyone. and, to be honest, i don't expect anyone to do that for me. but, from here on out i will try to find the positive inside the bad.


the past few days i've felt a strange peace about our new life. don't get me wrong. i'm not at peace with the divorce. i'm not sure if i ever will be. but, i'm at peace with how we will proceed. we (olivia and i) will be stronger for having gone through it. our hearts are broken and will be for a long while. but, our lives are full of anticipation for good times. we have many years ahead of us that will be filled with great times and big laughs with many friends. she is the most important person in my life now and i'll do whatever i have to to make sure she's happy.


please say a special prayer for us that i continue to feel this "peace"; that God will show me how to best to deal with this; and for all of the decisions that will need to be made here shortly. we've got a long road to hoe.

8 months!

lordy. 8 months. i love my daughter more than anyone could have prepared me for. she brings such joy to my life. she's getting really close to crawling; eating me out of house and home; NOT sleeping through the night at all; smiling from ear to ear when i show up at daycare to pick her up; refusing to play by herself (she still needs constant entertainment); and will no longer sit pretty while i take her monthly bday picture as the photos below will show! enjoy!