Cozumellll!!!

We are here! And we have internet! I'll try to post some pictures later on, but it is AWESOME! We're taking a "sun break" right now and catching up on emails. Hope all is well for all of you in COLD Minnesota!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane!

We leave tomorrow morning! Hot dog! Pray for safe travels and for Olivia while we are gone! Thank you!! 7 days in Mexico, here we come!

Hey good lookin'...

Whatcha got cookin'?

We got this kitchen set for $10 at our ECFE garage sale! It's in great shape, and Olivia loves it!!

More babies?

No I'm not pregnant--but seriously everyone else I know is! My mom forwarded this article to me this morning--it's about time spent with each subsequent child and how it varies. It's very interesting!

Click Here!

4 days and counting...

Till Vacation! I, we, are very excited! I, not we, are also very nervous!! It will be the first time we have left Olivia for more than 1 night (and when we did that we saw her the next morning!!). Yikes! I KNOW that she will be fine (probably more fine than me!), but I still can't help but worry! What if she forgets about me? What if she thinks that we abandoned her? What if she has some medical emergency? And the list goes on and on...all the way down to (because I am anal) what if they don't do things the way I do them? (I know, get over it!....it makes me sound overly crazy, but I actually do pretty good letting this one go!)

Anyway...I know that we will have a FANTASTIC time! And that Olivia will have a fantastic time with her Grandma and cousin! I still can't help but worry!

When did you first leave your little ones? How did it go? (Unless it was horrible, then don't tell me until I get back!)

Boobless

For 2 days and counting! No not me...but Olivia! :)

The Great Wean: The Update

Without jinxing myself...I think we may be DONE!!!!

We've been down to just one nursing, of course the early morning nursing, for about a month now. And she just didn't want to give that one up!! So this week, we set to it. It was essential being that we leave for vaca in just 9 days!! I started the two days prior to today by only nursing her on one side when she woke up in the early morning. Then this morning I stuck to my plan of not giving in! It went great this morning!! She woke up around 5:10, Ryan went in and gave her her nukie; which of course she did not want. But she stopped crying almost immediately. Then she proceeded to sleep for 20 min. only to wake up, wimper for 5 min., sleep for 15, wimper for 4 min., sleep for 15, wimper for 2....SLEEP FOR 2 MORE HOURS!! Way to go Oli! I also want to add, that not only did she go back to sleep, but she slept until 8 am! Awesome! She usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30...granted she went to bed later last night, BUT STILL! :) I feel good...and only hope that it goes so well tomorrow morning! Wish us luck!

By the way, am I a total blogging nerd because I laid in bed this morning while Olivia was wimpering planning out this post? And then planning to write this?

I've got sunshi-i-i-ne....on a cloudy day!

More food, please!

I am totally stuck in a rut with feeding Olivia! What are some of your kids/toddler's favorite foods? (Don't forget she doesn't like mac and cheese) I'm not looking for anything magical and super creative, just different than the usual deli meat, cheese, fruit, yogurt, waffles, etc. My friend Marci gave me the idea today of a bagel with a little cream cheese and slice of turkey on it. A great idea...and simple too! I just need something new!
Thanks!!

We're still here!

I swear we have had the busiest week! But now that I am thinking back on it, really nothing out of the ordinary. I guess I just haven't had anything to post about! Well, that's not true. I do, I just have to upload my pictures first. Then I will be in blogging heaven again!!
Anyway, we are alive and we're good!

One Year Pics

My very dear, dear (BFFOIKYA) Bridgit, took Olivia's one year pictures last Friday! They turned out amazing, AS USUAL! Thank you so much Bridgit!

Click Here!

Olivia's stats

We had Olivia's 12 month appointment today! She was a tad crabby for the nurse, but did well with Dr. Berry!
Weight: 17.8" (5%) Little Bean!
Length: 29.2" (45%)
Head Circ: 18"
Do you really care about head circumference? I don't!

I'm curious!

Who were the other "I don't do adventure" folk like me? :)
I might consider scuba diving, but the others are so not for me!

Mmmm....cake!

Happy Birthday!

Ugh...teeth...

I'm seriously ready for Olivia to have a full mouth of teeth and be done with teething. She is one crabby baby, and has been for a few days. Please pray that whatever tooth (or teeth) she is trying to pop through she does so quickly! She won't even let me look in her mouth to check!

I had to rearrange my whole schedule today to stay home so she could nap instead of running errands. Frustrating, but I know it is what she needed today. And I got some good housework done before the PAR-TAY this weekend! I think I will be up until midnight tonight getting things prepared...oof.

Sometimes I stumble...

I was very clumsy yesterday. Or just talentless in everything I did.
It started out by dropping the panini maker on my big toe as I was trying to take out the waffle maker for Olivia's special birthday breakfast.
Then I managed to drive my car in the ditch. Don't worry, just going like 2 miles an hour driving into our iced down driveway. And I drove like 2 feet in. Stupid.
And I topped it off by not being able to blow the candles out on Olivia's cake. It seriously took me forever... apparently I can't aim my air! :) I'll post the video when I get it from my mom. You will all laugh because I look like a huge moron. :)

365

Exactly one year ago from the moment I am beginning this post, I would have been pushing for 48 minutes...with an hour and 15 left to go! I'm thankful I'm not doing that today. :) However, I am even more thankful that I have had my sweet little Livi for one year today!
Happy Birthday Olivia!
I thought I would take a moment today to share the condensed version of her birth story with you all since I started my blog when she was 3 months old. Once upon a time...
5:30 pm March 3, 2007...on our way home from grocery shopping I started having contractions 5-10 minutes apart. We had Ryan's brother in the car with us so I waited until we arrived home to tell him. He made me a sandwich and then left to go and snow blow the mini-storage. I sat on the couch and waited.
7:00 pm...I went upstairs to lay on our bed, hoping to be more comfortable, and watched Oprah's special on her school in South Africa. Contractions started consistently coming every 5 minutes and were becoming more painful.
8:00 pm...Called Ryan and said he better come home!
9:00 pm...Called the hospital and they said to come in...so we did!!
10:30 pm...Admitted, started walking the halls and called our parents to let them know baby was on it's way!
Let's just skip the hours from 1 am March 4 to 7 am...horrible back labor, internal monitors that didn't wait to stay on, the breaking of the water, no relief in between contractions due to back labor, yeah...let's skip that part.
7:00 am...One word: EPIDURAL. Thank goodness. Rested until 9:30 am. Finally dialated to an 8. Nice pic, don't you think? Ugh...

11:00 am: 10 cm!! Started pushing...baby not wanting to turn face down...talk about the OB coming in to turn her...OUCH! OB comes in to check, she had turned on her own!! Continue pushing...
12:45 pm: OB comes in again, concerned about needing to use the vaccum....I said, NO WAY! And pushed with all my might.
1:00 pm: Here is Olivia Lynn! 7 lb. 2 oz., 21 in. long! Beautiful baby girl!

It was so worth it...