more sleeping pictures.

I can't help it. I'm a total sleeping baby picture junkie. To be honest, I'm an anything sleeping junkie. I'd love to get my sleep on. A little sleep fix. mmmm, yeah. Anyway, these are my current favorites. She may hate me for posting these to the world wide web before she was old enough to tell me not to, but even if she was old enough, I'd be posting them. That's an indication of the mother I'll become, so hold on to your hats. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
She's finally started noticing and playing with her toys, and she fell asleep playing with her keys the other night. She put them on her wrist herself, although I don't think she knows that. Everything she does seems to be a surprise to her at first. "Who's poking me in the eye?" She sleeps through most of her tube feeds at night, but we obviously don't, so she's totally wearing us into the ground. The reason I mention this is because the keys reminded me of how the other day I was so tired that I tried to start the car with a binky instead of my keys. I kept thinking, "That doesn't feel right." I hope nobody saw me, because I probably had a very dumb look on my face

If you haven't noticed, I adore her dinosaur pj's. She looks like such a baby in them.

This one's the reason I decided it was time for another sleeping baby post. This is how I found her this morning when it was time to leave for work.

She's usually up by then, but she woke herself up at the crack of dawn this morning talking in her sleep! She woke me up, too. Charles had had her all night, so we switched places, and he was finally able to get about three or four (more like three, though) hours of sleep. And I just watched her and giggled. She was waxing eloquent about something, but she was fast asleep. I'll get a video if it happens again.

First Word!

Olivia officially said "Mama" today! It wasn't her first word, though. She said "mundane" a week ago. Ironically, a very unusual and un-mundane first word. Yeah. It really happened.

Also, Livie and Lynny are finally old enough to actually notice each other. It was funny at the baby blessing when Olivia wouldn't stop staring at her cousin long enough for a picture.

this is for the grandmas

I told my mom I'd post these, and I think Grandma Jean would probably appreciate these, too. Eat your hearts out, grandmas!

Fall family pictures

My old friend Cate Sheffer has started her own photography business called CiaoBellaPhotography. I was looking through her portfolio blog and I couldn't resist booking a session- she's so talented! Make sure you check out her blog at CiaoBellaPhotography.blogspot.com. She's also got some really fabulous introductory rates. I'm so glad she was able to do pictures for us. I love these pictures, even the ones with me in them! It's nice to have some family pictures without nurses and tubes and IV's and stuff. I love having my baby home!

one down, three million to go

So, when Olivia was released from the hospital, it was on the condition that we'd take her to several doctors to check up on stuff that was worrying the neonatologists at Primary. They referred us to Kids on the Move, an early intervention, Headstartish place that found us an occupational therapist that we really like. He helps with motor skills and feedings (although so far, the feedings have remained problematic.) and basically reassures us every other week that Olivia's meeting milestones. We have met with her pediatrician several times, of course. We really like Dr. Conner, from Utah Valley Pediatrics in American Fork. She kind of specializes in g-tube kids and neurologically challenged kids, which is why we chose her. She can always find an appointment for us when we need one, which seems to happen to us a lot as new parents! We have an appointment in January at the dysphagia clinic at Primary, to see why Olivia doesn't eat. Funny, I thought that should be one of the first appointments we had, but they're booked out until January. The last one we had to schedule was an opthalmology appointment, to see what was up with Olivia's eyes. She had a lazy eye for quite some time, and we were of course concerned about neurological damage from the lack of oxygen when Olivia was born, so we've kind of been on pins and needles until this appointment to find out if her symptoms were just normal baby stuff, or signs of something more serious.

We had the appointment last week, and I am happy to report that Olivia passed with flying colors! She's exactly as far-sighted as she's supposed to be at her age, she tracks objects enthusiastically (the doctor had some really fun light-up toys for her to track), and she seems to be doing normal baby stuff. We thought so, but we were relieved to hear it from a professional, of course.

Olivia can't seem to fall asleep unless she's swaddled and has her sucker, but I forgot her blanket in the car at the hospital, so I wrapped her up in my sweater. She was way too distracted to eat right in the waiting room, so we ended up having to tube her. I hope we didn't scar any young children's minds or anything. Anyway, she finally was full and wrapped up and happy so she fell asleep, and woke up just in time for her appointment. Look how happy she is to be awake and playing opthalmology!

Also, for a long time, my mom had a file that she kept of pictures of her sleeping kids. She had some pretty funny ones in there, and they always seemed to be her favorite. I've noticed that I'm kind of a sleeping baby picture junkie, and I thought my mom would appreciate some of these. Sorry if they're boring to the rest of the reading audience

Also, no idea why that text is a link. I didn't do anything but cut and paste it, so whatever. Stupid blogger.

Dear Santa Claus

I hope you notice that I am writing you nice and early, before all the other little girls and boys have a chance to hog all your time. I am very considerate.

I have been a very good girl this year. I am learning to sit up straight and I'm learning to eat my food when I'm supposed to. I try so hard to eat as much as I should, even though my parents still have to help me a lot. My occupational therapist says I'm ahead for my age except for my feeding issues, and he doesn't really have an explanation for those. I poop everyday, sometimes twice, and I try to take out an entire outfit and set of bedding every time. That's just common courtesy. I still sleep through the night, every night, even though my parents are always up. You should talk to them about that. I am very polite and snuggly, just like a good baby girl should be.

If you have time before Christmas, I would like to ask you for a stuffed dinosaur like the one my mom had when she was a good little girl. She had a combination between a stegosaurus and a triceratops- it was pastel yellow and pink and green flannel, and it had horns and scales and a long tail. I think Kipper would appreciate the company, as well. Plus, my new dinosaur pj's are just asking for a stuffed dinosaur.

Thank you very much, Santa Baby. You are very handsome.

Olivia.

PS. Kipper has been a very good boy, too.

your mom goes to college

Ok, This is a little late, but my mom needs to see it, so here goes. This week was Lizzy's first week of college, and we got to move her in to her dorm! It was a pretty big deal, I'm not gonna lie. You have to be pretty cool to be asked to do something like that. Or live really close to campus or something.

Anyway, It was Olivia's first time going to college too, so we made sure to take lots of pictures of both of them. Here's Olivia all ready to go and waiting for mom to hurry up and put her in the car already. It seems like I'm always holding someone up these days.

Lizzy listening to her RA's orientation speech, ethernet cables, visiting hours, cannon center info, etc. It was about as fascinating as Lizzy's making it look, but she was a good girl and listened to the whole thing.

So did Olivia.

Moving her in was a little difficult since we had a clunky carseat/stroller combo, until we turned the stroller into a dolley and carried Olivia. We like to think outside the box, as college graduates.

Calling mom to say she's moved in.

Lizzy's floor theme is Seussville, this year. I'm enthusiastic about that. There's all these Seuss quotes on the walls, and of course I read each of them. I'm a sucker for quotes on walls. Charles got really frustrated with me when Olivia was in the NICU because I had to stop and read all the directions and updates and info and nonsense that was plastered on the walls. After I'd finally finished Timp's walls, we started all over at Primary's, and Charles got tired of having to steer me away to the elevators when I got sucked in by the walls. I am also a voracious shampoo bottle reader. Herbal Essences are the best reading, by the way.

Since Lizzy's gone to college, she's spent a total of three nights at our house. And hopefully she's spending the night Saturday, since our poker night is sure to last far into the morning, and I'm not driving her home, that's for sure. This week's theme is Ocean's Eleven poker. We're having sushi and mocktails and dressing up in our Brad Pittiest. And I am going to wipe the floor with them.