Just Daddy and Me

Here is my routine when it is just daddy and me.  I wake up between 6 and 7am, and just hang for a little bit in my crib…mostly babbling with a couple of loud yells for Dad to wake up.  I can now watch for him by pulling down the bumbers on my crib.  Dad makes me a bottle and then we take James for a walk.  This is fun, for all involved.  I get to wear my hat that Nonna bought me and get wrapped up in a warm Longhorn blanket.    James is very quick and we walk him to his favorite spots.  Then it is back to the house and James gets fed.  I usually play a bit with my toys and then Dad gets me dressed.  Today is St. Patty's day, so I got to wear my new outfit Mom bought for me.    Then we are off the see Jessica (our nanny).  I get to play with my friend Cassidy and we often take trips to the beach or park for some sun.  Dad picks me up at 5:30 and then we head home for dinner.  Last night I tried peas for the first time and loved them.    After dinner I get a bath, a bottle, and then back to bed for more beauty sleep.  It is fun having this time with Daddy, but I miss Mommy too.  That's my day. 

Love,

Olivia

Baby Einstein Video: already a fan

Miss Olivia Update

Miss Olivia is growing up way too fast.  Here are a few updates from the past few weeks.  She is getting much better at holding her head up.  She loves lights and turns her head toward them.  She notices people's voices and will also turn to me and smile when I get home from work.  The smiles are readily available and melt away all the stress from the day. She is also sleeping for longer periods of time.  We still have our little chats, and I can tell she has her opinion.  Watch out for the day she learns to voice them.  I have been doing the early morning feedings and really enjoy them.  She wakes up happy and hungry.  Once finished eating, she curls up on daddy's chest and falls back asleep until mom and James come downstairs.  Miss Olivia is a great traveler.  We have already made several outings to the track, the beach, restaurants, and of course shopping…this is Amanda's baby after all.  She is finally fitting into her clothes and looking quite cute if I do say so myself.  As for her parents: we are getting sleep when we can and continue to thank God for the most incredible blessing he could have given us: Miss Olivia Grace.

Month 1

Dear Olivia,

This is the first of many letters from your dad.  You turned 1 month old this week.  They say you do not understand what it is
like to be a parent until you are one.  I
am starting to understand, I get it, and I love it.  There are so many emotions that you feel,
that it is very hard to explain.  The
love is more pure than you could ever imagine. 
Your mom and I are beaming with pride through our sleep deprived state.

To give you an insight into month 1:  you were a little shrimp at birth, but
perfect in every way (7lbs, 19.5inches). 
You were born with a full head of beautiful brown hair and a good set of
lungs.  You got your lips from your mom,
your serious furrowed brow from me, your long neck from your mom, and your long
fingers and toes from me.  Overall, your
good looks come from your mother and your serious analytical expression from
daddy.  I went with you for your first
bath at the hospital.  You were not all
that crazy about the bath, but I loved our first moments together.  I am in awe and you very quickly got me
wrapped around your finger as you held onto mine.  Our new family is complete in our little townhome.  We are slowly adjusting to your sleep and
eating schedule.  We had a hard time
getting you back to your original birth weight.   We know that you just wanted to do it your
way on your schedule.  A sign of your independence
and strong will that you inherited from both your parents.  Your mom gets to stay home and take care of
you during the day and is really enjoying her new role as your mom.  It is a lot of fun to watch her with
you.  The amount of love she has for you
is obvious and intoxicating.  The late
night and early morning feedings are really a lot of fun.  The house is quite, you are still groggy, yet eager to eat.  You make some of the cutest sounds and stretch
like crazy as you are waking up.  Your
expressions and sounds are my favorite and make getting out of bed all worth
it.  You are starting to notice things
and turning toward people when you hear them talking to you.  You are fascinated by lights and the pot rack
hanging above the sink.  We are getting
more and more sweet smiles and even a giggle or two.  James Hoover, your dog and soon-to-be best
friend, is a little jealous of all the attention, but always has a lick and
wagging tail for you.

All and all, life is good. 
The good Lord continues to bless us and watch over our little
family.  We thank Him daily and
constantly for you. 

All my love,

Daddy

Napping with Dad

Olivia is sooooo tiny that we are having a problem finding anything that fits her. We had to go out and buy new pajamas today because she only had a couple that fit. Here she is in her new jammies napping with John. It is rare to catch this as John never admits to napping!! (As referenced in an earlier post!)

Olivia: Recap of the first week at home

There have been a few requests for new pictures from some of Olivia's fans.  Some have been more vocal than others (Aunt Annie P).  So I thought this might be a good time to update you all on Miss Olivia's first week at home.

She has done a great deal of sleeping, and we feel that she is sleeping better than most babies her age.  We can already tell that she is a dreamer and will do great things.

She has already experience dissappointment as a Longhorn fan.  We thought the Longhorn's newest fan might help bring home a new title, but we were wrong.  I told her not too worry and to stop crying.  Football season is just around the corner.  She is very excited and thinks that Colt McCoy is going to be her new boyfriend.  As if that guy is good enough for my daughter : )

We are getting better at sleeping and as a result, we are getting to see those bright eyes of hers.  I often get a couple of confused looks and I can tell she is thinking about all the great time ahead together.  We found out that she likes country music.  After dinner last night we just hung out on the couch and I sang her some George Strait and Tim McGraw (I sang along with the music).  A lot of great life lessons in country music.  She is a fan already.  

Speaking of life lessons, we are having all kinds of great discussions.  I am not sure if we were discussing politics or religion or new innovations in baby bottles…either way, she has her views and will be an independent thinker.  We can't wait to see what she is passionate about.

She is a great traveler.  The car seat immediately puts her into a deep sleep.  It has served us well for emergency runs to Babies-R-Us, quick trips to get mom out of the house, and for her daily walks.  She even got to go to the beach on Sunday.

Here is Mom and Grammie with Olivia (inside the Ergo baby carrier: thanks grampa Gary).  Olivia loved the beach…at least that is what we think.  She slept from the moment we put her in the car seat, transfered her to the Ergo carrier, and then back into the car seat.  

Olivia has a lot of really cute outfits, but most are still way too big for her.  She is a little shrimp for sure.  Her nicknames so far have included: Beauty, Love, Munchkin, Bug, and of course Princess.

Our days usually end up here, and this is where I will end this post.  We continue to thank God for our little angel. 

Beauty Captured

The last few days have been a beautiful blur.  We have fallen in love with this 7lb angel and cannot get enough of her.  We just sit and wach her sleep, eat, and cry.  It is fascinating to say the least.  There has been great speculation as to what her passions will be as she grows.  We can tell she is a dreamer and will do great things.  While she sleeps, she flails her arms, puts her fist in the air to really drive home her point, and tries to catch flies with her mouth open.  She puckers her lips when her daddy kisses them, and then pulls away as to say, "Dad leave me alone, I am sleeping."  She has the same serious look of her daddy, her momma's lips, and of course her momma's lungs.  Dark hair from her parents, beautiful skin from her mom, and long fingers and toes from her dad.  And of course, she has us wrapped around her little fingers. 

          

Click on the photos to take you the album or choose the album on the left

We tested the route to the hospital

We tested the route to the hospital yesterday.  It took about 30 min without traffic.  We are still waiting for clearance from this pregnancy holding pattern.  We have been so busy over the past months, with almost every weekend scripted down to the minute.  Now we find ourselves looking at each other: "what do you want to do now?".  I know we should enjoy the quite, the freedom, but it is quite boring actually.  We are heading to the doxie meet-up this afternoon…at least James will be entertained.