misc and water baby!

what a fun long weekend! saturday we went to a baby shower and then to a late lunch at sundown. mmm. hands down that's one of my favorite places for a lazy lunch on a saturday. then gg came for a quick visit. i have no pictures to prove any of that really happened. sunday was low key; missed church again b/c her nap fell right as i was walking out the door and she started pitching a fit. i've got to come up with a way to work church into her sunday morning routine!

she really picked up her walking this weekend. she's up to 10-15 steps at a time. not every time but i witnessed it more than once this weekend. she's refusing all foods except fruit, turkey, yogurt, puffs, yogurt melts, apple sauce and goldfish. she wouldn't eat mac & cheese or a grilled cheese this weekend! hello! i really don't know what's going on with that. i cut the bottles out cold turkey this weekend. it's not been bad at all. she doesn't miss them at all. however, she's not taking nearly enough milk. so, to supplement i'm giving yogurt at least once a day; sometimes twice. i'm also pushing cheese (plain, uncooked since she won't eat it hot apparently!) and any other dairy item i happen to find in my fridge. i talked to some people "in the know" about these issues and they all assure me she'll be fine.

random: i ordered "olivia's first year" of my blog this weekend! i'm super excited. i had my blog printed to a book starting with my post about her birth and ending with my post about her 1 year checkup. so, this blog really is her baby book! for $60 i couldn't have bought a book, supplies and paid someone to do it for me! well worth it, i hope!

it's official. she's my child. she loves the water and i couldn't be more thrilled. there is nothing in the world i love more than summertime by the pool, ocean or waterhose! really, now i lay out more than swim but when i was growing up i was swimming ALL THE TIME! for memorial day we headed to monroe for a fun day of swimming! olivia did great and stayed in the water for a full 3 hours. she even did great outside of her float with us carrying her around the water. didn't seem to be to afraid of the water! for the fourth hour she was "running" around the pool having a grand time! picture overload.

and this is when i knew it was time to go. :)

considering out long this post is you'd think we did a lot more!

need advice...

i don't know how to proceed with getting olivia off the bottle. i was going to go cold turkey but didn't; started trying to ween her and it's not working! please tell me how you got your kids off the bottle! i need her to take at least 16 oz of milk per day. that's the lowest my doc told me to go. it's not all that much, really, but i can't get her to drink it from a cup. she does fine with water but not milk. is going cold turkey my best option? help!!

summer time!

today was my last long afternoon with olivia. at least for the forseeable future. her dad gets her on wed and thurs (well, i guess i'll get her early friday, but whatever) and i go back to work fulltime next week. to be given the opportunity to work "parttime" for a year was amazing and i obviously wouldn't trade it for the world. but, someone has to pay the bills and o isn't earning any money these days, sooo... :) anyway, i wanted to make my last long afternoon with her FUN. olivia has never been swimming. she was too small last year (she couldn't wear sunscreen until 6 mths of age and it was winter by then!) i've been waiting for this day for an entire year! i got out her baby pool; lathered on the sunscreen; suited up and headed outside! she loved it! granted, there wasn't much water but definately more than i put in her bath! she splashed and laughed and ate grass. aunt jackie ran from work real quick to come see her to! i can't wait for more pretty weekends so she can "swim" more! she's getting in her first "big" (real) pool this weekend so we'll see if she likes it as much!

i hate that i didn't realize the swimsuit ruffle was tucked in until after i took all the pics!

on a side note; i have a question for you seasoned mothers out there. i used spf 55 today (it was all i had.) i know they make up to spf 100. is that REALLY necessary? or, am i bad mom for only using the 55? what SHOULD i use?

372 days after birth...

...olivia is getting a tooth! i was beginning to wonder about baby dentures! :) her daddy called me this afternoon and informed me that it was making it's way down. when he brought her back to me i felt in her mouth and sure enough it's there. on the top left. i'm so excited! to celebrate we took some pictures! i know you're shocked. to bad you can't see that little tooth coming in!

olivia and i have this "game" we play. when she screams "AAAAAHHHHH" i scream it back to her. this goes on back and forth for several minutes. don't ask me why i do it. she enjoys it and laughs out loud when i do it and i love to hear her laugh so i continue to make a fool of myself! the above picture is during our screaming session this afternoon. it's also a stress reliever! you can also see how long her hair is getting. i didn't really notice it until i saw this pic.

family day at the park!

a local church hosted a "family day at the park" in dowtown ruston today. it's olivia's weekend at her dads but i really wanted to take her. so, he met me up there with her. we both realize that doing things as a "family" are important for her and that one day she'll really appreciate us making the effort to do things together with her. regardless of how we feel about each other; her needs come first!

they didn't really have anything for her age group to do but she had fun playing in the grass! next year she'll really enjoy it! they had a few jumpies and other games for kids. this is what i love about ruston...this was the second weekend this month that something's been going on downtown for kids!

a few pics!

in the only pic of her actually looking at the camera she's channeling elvis. she's way to busy now to stop for a picture!

off to a friends's house to grill and hang out! yum!!

i'm hobbyless.

i just updated my bloglist on the side over there. ummm... i read way to many! these are all the blogs i try to check on a daily basis. yes, daily basis. and that's not even all of them. i have a few that i "stalk". i can't believe i just admitted that on an open forum. i need a hobby. something other than reading blogs. i'll be taking suggestions so feel free to chime in. i'll start the list...

*i'd love to learn to sew. however, i can't afford a fancy monogramming machine so i'd have to stick to sewing. but, what's a homemade outfit without a monogram or applique?

*i wish i loved to cook. but i don't. i loathe all things associated with the kitchen, except eating!

*working out. hahahahahahaha.

*gardening. i COULD do that. except for the fact that i forget to water them and they die. and then i forget to throw away the dead plants before the biggest party of my 1 year old's life. i'm sorry, olivia, for leaving a dead hanging plant outside for your party. i was more embarrassed than you, i promise!

and, that list over there, that's the reason i don't do facebook. all my spare time is spent "blogging"!

this is the most random post ever. i'm sorry. this pic should make up for it. another from her bday photo shoot... isn't she cute?!?!

12 month checkup

i took olivia to her 12 month check-up today. this was our first "well baby" visit since she was 4 months old! both 6 and 9 month visits were sick visits. :( i was SO excited to actually get some stats! here goes...

*21 lbs even. 50th %

*29 inches long. 50th %

*17.5 inch head circumfrence. 20th %

so she has a little head. it's still cute!

i learned a few things.

*she only needs 16 to 24 oz of milk so i can stop stressing that she rarely takes her bedtime bottle.

*her sleeping so much is at the "upper end" for babies but nothing to worry about. this is a new development, by the way. i know i used to complain that she NEVER napped. now i'm worried that she's sleeping to much. go figure.

*she's not suppose to have nuts, popcorn or hotdogs. whoops. she's had all 3. i just played it off like, ok, i won't give her those. i felt bad.

*doc isn't worried that she has no teeth. i'm not either. i just want to get the teething over with. i'm scared of it!

*he asked me if she was walking and i got to proudly exclaim that she took her first steps on her birthday! we're up to 5 steps in a row as of tonight!!!!

so, she got a glowing review. she's so precious...and healthy!

i didn't take any pics today and i'm sad about that b/c her outfit was super cute. i'll try to do better! here's a great pic from her party.

o with her gg and pops

and this is from her bday birthday shoot. it's my fav.

party time!

we had an eventful morning deciding whether to have the party inside or outside. it never even occured to me that it could rain. it never rained but it was nasty and humid so the party ended up being indoors. it worked out fine but my "vision" for this party didn't happen b/c it wasn't outside!

the bday banner

not wanting to take a pic...

enjoying her new chair from gg & pops

opening presents and loving it!

hudson wanted to open presenst! 6 weeks til his bday!

jackie made the cake and rett made the cupcake

singing happy birthday!

loving the cake!

this was as messy as she got. such a dainty little girl!

playing with her friends and presents

she loves her new cozy coupe from jackie, brock, jenny & john

it was a fun day! i could post lots more pics but i'll spare you. i still can't believe she's a year old...

ps - i need to note that i had LOTS more decorations that my official photographer (jenny) didn't take pics of. probably b/c they were outside while we were partying inside. i guess i should have been more direct with my instructions! thanks anyway, jenny, you did a great job! i need to thank lindsey for some fantastic stickers she made for me. one was on the back of my lollipop centerpieces and said "olivia's one". the other was on the back of the party favors (cookies on a stick made to look like lollipops) and said "thanks for making my birthday so sweet". donna strickland made the cookies and they were GOOD! i just wanted to document this for olivia. :)

olivia is 1!!!

it finally came. olivia turned 1 yesterday! we had her party (more on that later, i'm in a hurry) and had a grand time! here's what she's been up to...

*she is completely on table food.
*i think she weighs under 25 lbs (her appt is tmrw so we shall see).
*she's sleeping 12 hrs per night during the week and 14 on the weekends.
*she's finally become a good napper! 2, 2 hr naps per day! but she still goes to bed between 6:30 and 7. any clues on how to keep her up later???
*SHE TOOK HER FIRST STEP YESTERDAY AT HER PARTY!!!!
*THEN SHE DID IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT!!!
*3 real milk bottles per day but she probably actually drinks a total of 2.
*laughing, talking, playing all the time.
*she's the easiest baby EVER!
*still has NO teeth.
*she can go from sitting to standing without pulling up on anything.

that's right, she "walked" for the first time on her 1st birthday! it was amazing that me, her daddy, my whole family and a few friends all witnessed it! a party to remember!

a few pics

olivia got a swing set for her first birthday from her mommy and daddy. so, we've been going outside for a little bit every night! don't let the frown bother you; she really does like to swing!

i wish this pic weren't blurry - it's frame worthy!

olivia LOVES to suck the water out of the washcloth during her baths. really, she'll suck on it, dip it back in the water and suck some more. it's hot water...who does that?

in this last pic you can see (at least if it's big enough, you may not be able to see it on my blog) that her eyes are still blue. since she's a year can i assume that they'll always be blue or do they still have time to change? i never in my wildest dreams thought i'd have a blue eyed baby!

happy mother's day!

olivia gave me the best gift today.... she took 2 naps! 2, 2 hour naps! and i napped right along with her! i'm so blessed to have a happy, healthy, beautiful baby girl. i'm not going to lie. today was kinda hard. it was nothing like i had ever dreamed my first mother's day would be. but, i wasn't "left out". olivia's dad took her shopping and she got me a gift and a card. i will treasure it forever. i did have one problem... i had no one to take a picture of me and her today. soooo, next year i will plan better! we had a low key day. b/c she napped so much we missed church. i was dressed and almost ready (lacked putting on make-up) when i realized she was TIRED. so, to bed she went and therefore we missed church. then, lunch at fox's pizza. yes, a lovely mother's day lunch at fox's. the veggie weggie is awesome! we played for a little while and then another nap. i am NOT a napper but for some reason i needed them today! after that we went to a friend's to make olivia's birthday banner with her cricket. that machine is great! i want one! that was pretty much our day. and i loved every minute of it b/c i was with my baby girl (who's not too much of a baby anymore...) so, happy mother's day to all of the great women out there who are blessed to have the hardest job in the world. i wouldn't trade it for the world. i love you, olivia.

oh, i need to note that olivia broke her first piece of glass today. this probably makes me a terrible mother but i have these "thingy's" on a low shelf that i let her play with. i'm all about picking my battles and if that's what she wants to play with, then so be it. these "thingy's" (for lack of a better term) have a wood base and glass top. also on that shelf is a rose bowl she loves to play with. seriously, she's been throwing these things around for a good 2 months now so i figured they were both unbreakable. let's be real, she would drop them on carpet, not nearly enough force to break anything. well, i didn't even think that she could possibly drop the heavier rose bowl on top of the flimsy glass thingy... she did. and it shattered. all around her bare feet. i was on the phone with jackie when it happened. she thought she did a "good" thing. she just smiled... she finally cried when i got the vaccuum cleaner out to clean it up. i think this might have been the first time i vaccuumed in front of her and she didn't like it! sorry for the rambling but i had to document this in her "baby book".

again, happy mother's day!

sneak peak

well, we got jackie married! now, on to the next BIG day. t - 8 days. here's a sneak peak; bet you can't guess the theme! :)

wedding weekend!!

this is going to be a post in pictures. i don't have time and i'm too tired to do a full post. suffice it to say we had GREAT weekend and i'm still recooping. jackie was beautiful and i hope they're having a great time in mexico!

thursday night: bachelorette party at superior in shreveport!!

friday morning: me, jenny and jackie share some "sister" time with manis/pedis.
sadly, i have no photos of friday night's rehearsal / rehearsal dinner or saturday morning's brunch. so, we'll move on.


saturday: getting our hair "did" at the salon.

she's gonna kill me for this one

these two little vultures...meg said she felt like a mama bird feeding her babies! saturday: getting dressed.

kappa delta's in the wedding

saturday: taking pics.my grandmother made it from texas. this was her 2nd time to see olivia.meg clearly takes her babysitting duties seriously; reading the program while olivia roams! :) (she was awesome by the way! i highly recommend hiring a weekend babysitter the next time you have a big family event!)

and, that's where it ends. i didn't take a single picture at the reception but i had a GOOD time! the weather held off!!!!! if you're close to the fam you KNOW what we went through on friday trying to decide whether or not to move it from the norton bldg to someplace with a roof! in the end the right decision was made and it was perfect!