Leavin' on a jet plane...

Last week Avery, Olivia and I took a "vacation". I use the word vacation lightly because who am I kidding? Traveling alone with two kids is no vacation. It would have been easier if Justin could have made the trip with us, but he had to work the days we were going.

For our adventure we traveled by plane to San Diego to watch my little brother, Thomas, graduate boot camp and become a United States Marine. We were able to stay with my sister, Amanda, and her little family. I was even able to finally meet my niece, Penny.

Justin dropped us off at the airport, but after he left us at the tram we had a little trouble getting through security that included a meltdown by Avery and all of our carry on luggage being taken apart, but that's a story for another day. Once we got on the plane both girls were so well behaved and Avery loved the plane. She sat in her carseat next the the window, ate snacks and watched her DVD's like a big girl. She even had some airplane pretzels and said thank you to the flight attendant without being prompted. (My polite little girl!)

Once we arrived Amanda picked us up at the airport and we got all three kids in the car. Good thing she just got a new SUV or we would not have fit! While we were there Avery loved helping Aunt Mandy make dinner and play with her sister and cousin. 

 

On Thursday we were able to go to the depot where Thomas had spent the last 13 weeks and after what seemed like forever we were finally able to see and talk to him. I may have cried. Luckily I rented a stroller because it was so hot none of the kids wanted to walk or even stand while we waited for hours for the drill instructors to release the recruits to their families. As you can see Olivia fell asleep and Avery stole Sophie the Giraffe. I swear that thing can keep even her entertained. Once we got to see Thomas I was so amazing to see how much he had changed, but that he was still the same Thommy we had been missing.

On Friday we attended his graduation where he officially became a Marine. What was normally a 20 minute car ride took us 2 hours and all the kids had meltdowns on the way (Avery worst of all, naturally) but once we got there we got settled in and at least the bleachers were in the shade. It was seriously hot (like 90+ at 10am) but the girls did relatively well. Avery was fascinated with the marching band and tried to march back and forth on the bleachers like they did. Unfortunately there wasn't much room because they were packed! Luckily the ceremony was only about an hour and then we were free to take Thomas with us!

After all that we went to lunch and a miracle occurred. On the 10 minute car ride to the restaurant both my kids fell asleep. I successfully transferred them, still sleeping, to the stroller where they slept for the entire lunch. Luckily Penny was so well behaved in the big girl high chair I was actually able to eat a hot meal and have an adult conversation. It was a amazing.

One of my favorite things was finally getting to meet Penny. Seeing her on Skype is just not the same as snuggling that little peanut in my mommy nook and feeling that full head of hair brush against my cheek when she leans on my shoulder for a baby hug. It was amazing seeing all three cousins play together and the way she and Olivia interacted was just adorable.

All in all it was a stressful "vacation" but one I am glad I took. I wouldn't have missed Thomas's graduation for the world and seeing my sister, meeting Penny and making those memories are a few things I wouldn't have gotten had I not taken the girls. They even got their very first set of wings which are now in their baby books.

Olivia: 23 weeks!

MONTH: 6
WEEK: 23
WEIGHT: 16lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: nothing notable this week.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: isn't she so cute?!
EATING: Olivia is such a fast eater. She knows what she wants and doesn't mess around!
VISITS/OUTINGS: We have only been home a couple days so we haven't really seen anyone except Daddy.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Rolling. Rolling. Rolling everywhere!
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. I need a vacation after that vacation.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Halloween is coming up!

Olivia: 5 months!

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY:

• reach accurately for an object as eye-hand coordination improves Olivia has really excelled at this. She is able to reach for her toys on her play mat and on the mobiles on her swings.
• hold her head steady when sitting upright as neck muscles strengthen It seems silly that this is a 5 month milestone. She has been doing this for seriously at least 2 months.
• sit supported for up to 30 minutes and sit alone for a few moments as back muscles strengthen Olivia does not exactly like sitting up unless she is leaning against me. She hates sitting in the Boppy. She is always arches her back to lay down.
• roll from stomach to back Oh yes. This has been going on for months. She actually doesn't like being on her stomach at all so this was the first trick she learned.
• raise her chest with arm support while lying on her stomach as arm muscles get stronger Yep! It looks like she is doing stretches.
• mimic sounds and gestures. Olivia is a huge fan of blowing raspberries and she loves to do them back to you if you do them to her.
• repeat strings of syllables in a rhythmic way. Yes! It almost sounds like she is singing.
• babble to get attention Olivia loves to babble especially when she has been sitting in the car for a while.
• show positive reaction to different sounds Happy sounds make smiles and deeper sounds get super-sad-face.
• make different sounds for different needs They aren't *too* different, but it's definitely interesting how I know what she needs by what she sounds like.

Olivia: 22 weeks!

MONTH:6
WEEK: 22
WEIGHT: 15lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: Olivia is getting very close to sitting unassisted. As you can see here she is what I like to call kick-standing. She is using her arms to old her up, but she can sit like this for about a minute.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: We took this one on Tuesday -- a day before 22 weeks -- because we left for San Diego before it was daylight on Wednesday.
EATING: Still exclusively breastfed and going strong. 
VISITS/OUTINGS: The day after this photo was taken we went on a big adventure. More about that in a separate post.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia loves rolling. She could care less about trying to crawl or scoot, but if there is something she wants to get she will roll like nobody's business to get it.
MOMMY FEELS: So lucky to see all the milestones with Olivia I missed with Avery having gone back to work the first time around.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: The holidays. Halloween first, then Thanksgiving and of course Christmas!

Olivia loves Lola

 

(It looks like Lola's mouth is actually on Olivia's face, but it's just the angle. They are really about 3 inches apart.)

Olivia: 21 weeks!

MONTH: 5
WEEK: 21
WEIGHT: 15lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: As you can see Olivia has found her feet. She loves to play with them and tries with all her might to get them in her mouth. Unfortunately her chubby little turkey legs are prohibitive of getting her foot all the way there. That doesn't stop her from trying though!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This week was hard to get a good picture. The morning was overcast so the light was off and Olivia was a bit of a grouch. The afternoon attempt yielded better results.
EATING: Olivia is a really great eater. She nurses 6-8 times a day for 6-8 minutes at a time. She is much more efficient than when she was a newborn nursing for 45 minutes at a time every 2-3 hours.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Last weekend Justin's brother Jay and his daughter Kayla came to visit. Avery sure loves Kayla and likes to mimic everything she does. Kayla really enjoyed finally being able to hold Olivia this time, too.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia loves chewing on her hands. Or my hands. Or toys. Or straps. Or really anything she can get her hands on. I have a feeling a tooth is in our near future!
MOMMY FEELS: So lucky to have two amazing girls to love and watch grow into beautiful little ladies.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Halloween! Olivia is going to be a giraffe and Avery is going to be an owl --  if we can get her to wear the hood. We'll see!

Cousins

This past weekend Justin's brother Jay and his daughter Kayla came to visit. It was the second time this year we got  to see Kayla, but the first time since our wedding (four years ago!) that Jay had visited. It was a short trip, but we got to catch up and it was nice.

Olivia is a little bigger now than she was when Kayla visited in July, so Kayla was able to hold Olivia. It was so cute!

Olivia: 20 weeks!

MONTH: 5
WEEK: 20
WEIGHT: 15lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: Olivia has been working hard on sitting up. She can even sit up by herself for a a few seconds. She looks sort of like a gorilla though because she leans forward and holds her torso up with her hands.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Taken yesterday at exactly 20 weeks! She has officially been an outside baby half as long has she was inside.
EATING: I swear this kid is a foodie. She is still exclusively breastfed, but she is constantly trying to take food from my hand or off my plate. Last week she has almost got a piece lettuce from my caesar salad in her mouth. Just yesterday her first food was almost mint ice cream from my ice cream cone. Had she not been sucking on a paci it would have been. I think it's going to be tough to hold out for another 6 weeks to offer her whole foods.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Yesterday we had a visit my friend Christina and her two girls.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Rolling anywhere and everywhere. She is a rolling machine.
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. I am always tired with these two firecrackers.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO:  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming!    

My Girls: 4 months

People are always asking me how Olivia compares to Avery. Honestly I try not to compare them too much because they are different kids, but as I have been thinking about it lately I went back and looked at the photos we have of them at the same age. There are some big differences and some striking similarities. 

Avery weighed 13lbs 14.5oz and was 26.66in long at 4 months. 

Olivia weighs 15lbs 3oz and is 25.25in long at 4 months.

Avery was a sleeper. She would sleep all day if I'd let her. She would fall asleep within 2 minutes of being placed in the swing.

Olivia will sleep in the swing but it's not the magic bullet like with Avery. She also established a sleep pattern much earlier than Avery. At 4 months she consistently takes 3 naps per day and goes to bed around 6:30-7pm waking around 6:30-7. 

Avery took to a pacifier like a kid to candy. She took the first kind we offered and never looked back. She never even tried sucking her thumb or any other fingers.

Olivia is picky. It took us 4 or 5 different kinds of pacifiers to find one she would take halfway decently. And turns out it was the kind they usually offer in the hospital, but silly us didn't want to offer one that early to risk confusion for breastfeeding. She is also a big thumb sucker -- or rather a thumb chewer. She only actually takes the paci about 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time she is perfectly content chewing on her thumb. 

Avery hated the bath. Like I dreaded giving her a bath until she was about 6 months old when she began to enjoy it.

Olivia has loved the bath (or shower, rather) from day one. She loves the warm water and snuggling skin to skin with me. These days she even enjoys watching Avery splash around in the water that I let fill up in the bottom of the shower tray. 

Avery and Olivia both have matching "stork bite" birthmarks on the back of their heads on at the nape of their necks. They both have strawberry hemangiomas, but Avery's was on her forehead (and is now gone). Olivia's is on the top of her head and is significantly bigger than her sister's.

Olivia: 19 weeks!

MONTH: 5
WEEK: 19
WEIGHT: 15lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: Olivia went on her first slide on Monday. She seemed very indifferent about the whole thing. It was quite anticlimactic.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE:  Taken today. All of the photos I took today were so cute I could hardly choose.
EATING: Olivia is such an efficient nurser she only takes about 6 or 7 minutes to eat each time. Now that I have the My Brest Friend pillow that makes nursing so much easier it's almost like I don't even have to stop to feed her!
VISITS/OUTINGS: We have been visiting the park frequently today because Avery has so much energy to burn.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia is a rolling machine. She has been able to efficiently roll belly to back for some time and had was able to roll from back to belly but now she is just rolling around like she's promoting peace in India.
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. We have been up since 4:30 this morning.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Sleeping. And going to the Discovery Museum next week.

Summertime fun!

Ice cream and paint. What could be more fun? Swimming maybe, but I can't do that with both babies by myself, so ice cream and paint it is. And Avery doesn't mind. In fact she loves it.

Olivia: 18 weeks!

MONTH: 5
WEEK: 18
WEIGHT: 15+ lbs
LENGTH: 25+ in
HEAD: 42 cm
MILESTONES: Olivia has officially found her feet. It's so funny.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This one was taken on Friday thanks to a dead battery in my camera.
EATING: Lately we have noticed Olivia watching us as we eat. I think she is going to be a good eater when she is a little older because she seems so interested already.
VISITS/OUTINGS: On Wednesday we went shopping and got Olivia this new toy called Sophie the Giraffe. I have heard it is pretty magical with it's teething and soothing powers. I was skeptical because of it's $24 price tag, but after almost a week of having it I have decided it's actually pretty neat.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia loves to listen to Avery talk and immediately gets a huge smiling and laughs for her like she won't for anyone else.
MOMMY FEELS: Great after a good night's sleep AND a nap!
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Seeing Auntie Mandy and Cousin Penny while we are in San Diego next month to watch Uncle Thommy graduate from USMC bootcamp.

Olivia: 4 months!

Weight: 15lbs 3oz
Height: 25.25 in
Head circ.: 16.5 in

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY BE ABLE TO:

• squeal and laugh with delight Laughing is the newest trick and it is absolutely adorable! Listening to my girls' laughs is probably my favorite sound in the world.
• make "raspberry" sounds with her lips Olivia sure loves making raspberry sounds and bubbles with her mouth!
• experiment by making new sounds She has been "talking" up a storm lately and is such a chatter box.
• make sounds in response to you She even "talks" back when I make silly noises with her.
• track moving objects as her head and neck development work together Olivia is definitely gaining focus. She loves to watch Avery has she moves toys and books all around her head. She also follows my hand as it's between her face and whatever Avery has in front of her face so that when inevitably Avery drops it I can swat it away before it whacks Olivia in the face.
• roll over—usually from front to back—as muscles continue to develop As of Saturday Olivia can officially roll over from her belly to her back AND from her back to her belly. She is a real rolie polie.
• raise herself up on straightened arms while lying on her tummy, looking all around as neck muscles strengthen Olivia really hates tummy time and will only now tolerate it for more than a minute or so. She keeps trying to push herself up but she can't hold herself up for more than a few seconds.
• grasp a rattle with stronger hand muscles Not only can she grasp the rattle she can even pass it from one hand to another without dropping it. Totally advanced, I know. My genius.
• bear weight on both legs I swear if she had balance she would just walk away. She loves standing on both legs and even likes to bounce.
• start to sleep through the night Ya right. She still wakes twice a night to nurse, but I don't mind (too much, anyways) because I love the quiet time with just she and I where I don't have Avery jumping on my lap rushing me to get done.
• begin to show interest in solid foods by reaching for mom and dad's food at the table or other food in her line of sight Nope. She is not at all interested in food -- only the boob. For that reason we will not be starting any type of food for a while yet.

Olivia: 17 weeks!

MONTH: 5
WEEK: 17
WEIGHT: 15+ lbs
LENGTH: 25+ in
HEAD: 42 cm
MILESTONES: Today we had family pictures. The photographer is a friend of ours, Melinda, and she asked if Olivia would sit up so she could take her photo. I said she had never sat unassisted. I was holding her hands and she let go and sat all by herself for about 20 seconds!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Today Olivia was all smiles.
EATING: Olivia has been struggling on one side so I hope she can focus and get back into a routine.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Today we took family photos and had a blast hanging out with each other as a family.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia has really taken to playing in her jumperoo and still loves that silly pink playmat of hers.
MOMMY FEELS: Shocked that almost 4 months has gone by since Olivia joined us. She has already changed so much.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Seeing the photos that we took today.

    

Uncle Jake

On Friday Uncle Jake called and invited us to dinner since he was in town with his girlfriend, Amelia. Jake and Amelia have been dating for a little over a year now and I had still not met her so I was of course excited to join them.

Jake and his dad cooked and I was able to chat with Amelia and get to know her a little bit. She is a great girl and she and Jake seem to really click. I am happy I finally got to meet her and that Jake has found someone to put up with his shenanigans.

Jake has only met Olivia a few times because he has been so busy with school and work. Living about 90 minutes away he doesn't get to come home very often. I am so glad we got to have a little time together while he was in town and that I snapped this adorable photo of Jake and Olivia.

Olivia and her hat

A good friend gave me this hat for Olivia. It looks so adorable on her I almost can't stand it. Thanks, Liz!

Olivia: 16 weeks!

MONTH: 4
WEEK: 16
WEIGHT: 12+lbs
LENGTH: 22+ in
HEAD: 14+ in
MILESTONES: Olivia LAUGHS!!!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Usually it takes me several shots to get a good one where her hands aren't in her face and she is smilig (or just not looking generally unhappy). Today this was the very first picture I took. I took a few more to see what else I would get, but this was the best one! It's adorable.
EATING: Eating is definitely not an obstacle for us. Thank goodness.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Saturday we had Avery's birthday party so we saw lots of family and friends. Today we went to the Napa Town and Country Fair. Avery wrote her first fair ride with Daddy and Olivia slept through the whole thing. 
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia really loves sucking on her thumb and playing on her playmat.
MOMMY FEELS: blessed to have two healthy, adorable, lovable little girls. 
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Olivia learning how to sit unassisted!

Avery's 2nd Birthday Party!

On Saturday we celebrated 2 years with Avery. It's hard to believe she is 2 years old. It feels like she just got here, but at the same time it also feels like she's always been here.

We celebrated with a monster-themed party at Yountville Community Park. We had lots of family and friends join us. Even with the unseasonably cool and windy weather we had a great time; Avery especially enjoyed herself.

Olivia: 15 weeks!

MONTH: 4
WEEK: 15
WEIGHT: 12+lbs
LENGTH: 22+ in
HEAD: 14+ in
MILESTONES: Olivia has officially found her thumb...
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: ...which you can see here in this super cute picture.
EATING: Olivia is an eating machine. And hardly a spitter at all.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Aunt Stacy came and stayed with the girls on Wednesday so Justin and I could have an anniversary date night out.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Obviously eating is #1 activity in Olivia's mind, but chewing on her thumb is a close 2nd as of late. She has also been practicing trying to roll over from her back to belly, but keeps getting stuck on her arm.
MOMMY FEELS: like time is going too fast. I can't believe Avery is going to be two and Olivia is 3 1/2 months old already. Slow down, time!
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Avery's birthday party!

Avery can read!

Avery has really gotten into books -- especially longer, story books -- and she will sit and "read" to you as long as you'll let her.

Olivia: 14 weeks!

MONTH: 4
WEEK: 14
WEIGHT: 11+ lbs
LENGTH: 21+ in
HEAD:  14+ in
MILESTONES: nothing significant this week. She is just practicing all her smiles getting ready to laugh any day now!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Another evening photo, so the chair looks a slightly different color because the lighting is different, but Olivia just looks as cute as ever!
EATING: In case you can't see them she has these lovely baby thigh rolls that are courtesy of her excellent breastfeeding abilities.
VISITS/OUTINGS: We had so much fun while cousin Kayla was visiting and were so sad to see her go.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia is still so in love with her playmat we even bought another one for Grandma and Grandpa Nunley's house.
MOMMY FEELS: Happy that my little baby is growing and becoming so much more interactive, but sad also that she is growing so fast. She is already getting too small for some of her 0-3 month size clothing. Avery was always a size behind until about 9-12 months so this is new territory for us! It also means most of the clothes we kept from Avery in the size Olivia is in now are the wrong season.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Mommy and Daddy's anniversary night out while the girls stay with Aunt Stacy, Avery's birthday, and visiting Auntie Mandy, Uncle Mike and cousin Penny in San Diego when we go to watch Uncle Thomas at his graduation from USMC bootcamp in September.

Olivia: 13 weeks!

MONTH: 4
WEEK: 13
WEIGHT: 12+ lbs
LENGTH: 23+ in
HEAD: 15+ in
MILESTONES: Nothing in particular this week.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This is her first really smiley one and I just love it.
EATING: Eating and growing like it's going out of style.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Cousin Kayla is visiting this week and next week and we are having so much fun playing and just hanging out. I wish she could stay longer! She is such a help and the girls love her.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Laughing at sister is so fun and Olivia just loves it.
MOMMY FEELS: A little more tired than at the beginning of the week, but Avery woke up at 6am this morning. I am missing those awesome blackout curtains from the hotel. I should have taken them with us!
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Avery's birthday and birthday party and our first set of family photos are coming up. I realized we didn't have a single photo of the 4 of us and we have to fix it!

Olivia: 3 months!

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY BE ABLE TO:

• bring her hands together and reach for nearby objects as her coordination skills develop Olivia loves to grab the toys above her when she is playing on her playmat.
• consciously unfold her tight fists She holds so tightly on the toys that I have to rub the back of her hand to get her to let go when I need to pick her up while she is playing.
• suck on her fingers as she continues to explore her environment with her mouth I noticed her sucking on her thumb the other day. She's only done it a couple of times that I've seen, but Avery never did so it's definitely something new for us!
• practice focusing her eyes by maintaining eye contact with you I love trying to get Olivia to focus on me. Almost immediately I can get her to smile when she does look at me.
• perceive color differences more clearly (she’ll prefer bright primary colors; similar color tones can be hard for newborns to distinguish) I'm not sure about this. She can't exactly tell me what she can see. Obviously.
• focus on very small objects I don't usually let small objects get near her as good practice for when she is in that everything-goes-in-my-mouth stage, but she is getting better at focusing on things that are very close. Especially sister's face. Avery loves to get nose to nose with Olivia.
• begin to follow you with her eyes We practice this sometimes. She is very good at following and now that she has great neck control she can follow even further.
• turn toward the sound of your familiar voice as her ability to locate and recognize sounds improves I always greet Olivia in the morning from the bed. Lately she has been turning her head to me when I do. She also looks around for Justin when he enters the room and talks. It's really neat.

Olivia: 12 weeks!

MONTH: 4
WEEK: 12
WEIGHT: 12+ lbs
LENGTH: 23+ in
HEAD: 15+ in
MILESTONES: Olivia slept through the night for 3 nights in a row while we were on vacation. It was glorious. 
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This one was taken in the evening, so the lighting is a little different, but it is still so cute!
EATING: If eating were an Olympic sport Olivia would be the youngest member of the American team.
VISITS/OUTINGS: The night this picture was taken we left for a long road trip to Oregon to attend a wedding for one of Justin's very good friends. While we were there we visited my friend Liz and her son Brady and went to the Portland Children's Museum.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia loves playing and sitting up with assistance from her Boppy or leaning against me while facing out. She is so curious to see what is going on all around here. With Avery running around there is always something fun to watch.
MOMMY FEELS: Rested. We all slept really well on vacation. 
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Avery's birthday and birthday party is coming up. I guess I should start planning something beyond inviting 30 people to the park.

4th of July 2012

Olivia: 11 weeks!

MONTH: 3
WEEK: 11
WEIGHT: 11+ lbs
LENGTH: 23+ in
HEAD: 15+ in
MILESTONES: nothing notable this week.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Since we missed last week I wanted to make sure we got this one on the actual day.
EATING: Still eating like a champ and growing like a weed.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Yesterday we had a playdate at Scientopia with Christina and Lailah. Today is 4th of July. This morning we watched the parade in downtown Napa and headed to a carnival in Yountville. Then we had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia has become engrossed in her playmat. She loves to swat at the toys and make the smiling flower make music. It's so cute.
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. Avery has been getting up very early and mommy is not liking it.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Next weekend we are headed on a long road trip as a family to watch one of Justin's best friends from childhood get married. Another exciting event is Avery's 2nd birthday party is a month from today. I am having so much fun planning it.

Oorah!

This Sunday we spent a very busy day visiting. We spent the morning having brunch with Uncle Thomas. Sunday was the day he left for bootcamp and will be the last day we see him for 13 weeks. Now we are counting down the days until Sept. 21 when we fly to San Diego to see him graduate.

In the afternoon we celebrated Baby Cal Capote at Aly's shower. Avery had so much fun playing with Capri and I loved being able to catch up with Aly since she lives in Southern California now. We even had some delicious cake and played some super fun games! Now if only Aly, Joe, Capri and Cal would move back to Napa I would have a good mommy friend to playdate with!

Olivia: 9 weeks!

MONTH: 3
WEEK: 9
WEIGHT: 10lbs 12oz
LENGTH: 23in
HEAD: 15in
MILESTONES: Nothing major this week.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: We almost forgot to take a picture this week. Luckily we remembered on Friday and got the picture before the sun went to the other side of the house.
EATING: Olivia has been eating like a champ which is how she gained 4lbs in 2 months!
VISITS/OUTINGS:
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Eat, sleep, poop. Rinse and repeat.
MOMMY FEELS: Exhausted.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Avery's 2nd birthday!

Playhouse

Today we picked up a playhouse for the backyard that I found on Craigslist. It's little and perfect for Avery. We left her at Grandma and Grandpa Nunley's house while we went to go get it, so it was a surprise for her when we got home.

Olivia Rolls

Today while we were waiting at the doctor's office for Olivia's 2 month check up she was practicing her tummy time. I turned my head for one second to look at Avery and when I turned back she was on her back. I couldn't believe I missed the very first roll, but I put her back on her belly and tried to get her to do it again. She did it two more times before I could get the camera to record. I finally got it on camera on the last attempt because after 3 tries she was not exactly happy to be doing tricks for me.

Father's Day 2012: Pictures

This Father's Day was Justin's first Father's Day with two daughters. Aside from Avery not feeling 100% we made the best of it. It was such a fun day.

Olivia: 2 Months!

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY BE ABLE TO:

•     respond to loud sounds by becoming completely silent, crying, or acting startled Olivia does this a lot especially with having a big sister screeching around the house.

•     make cooing sounds She does make the most adorable coos but only occasionally. I wish she would do it more because they are so precious.

•     repeat "ooh" and "aah" Her coos sound like ohh and ahh, but she certainly doesn't repeat on command.

•     move her head or eyes toward the sound of your voice, showing that she recognizes you I love talking from the opposite side of where she is looking so she has to turn her head and look at me. It's so cute when she finds me and her eyes get wide.

•     raise her chest and head using her arms for support while lying on her tummy Not yet. She is definitely not a fan of tummy time so her practice is limited.

•     focus on very small objects and follow (or "track") objects with her eyes as her eye muscles continue to develop She loves to look at the little toys we play with and follow them as I move them around her head.

Eats

So far I am the only one who has been feeding Olivia because she is breastfed. I have some milk stored for her so Justin could feed her at some point. That means we need bottles too. The ones we had for Avery have a bajillion parts, so I would love to win the ones in this giveaway.

Father's Day 2012

Last year I took some pictures with Avery holding the letters to spell D-A-D. Since Olivia is a little young to hold any letters I wanted to find something to do craft with the girls. I saw something like this on the internet and I thought it was so cute.

I love the way it turned out.

Catch up: Avery

 

My sleepy girl in my bed. She really loves that big, fluffy blanket.

 

Smiley girl. 

 

What her hair looks like when it is washed and brushed. If only she would keep it that way. 

Catch up: Olivia

 

Olivia has been showing interest in reaching out for things. She actually grabbed this toy on her playmat all by herself!

  Mommy and Olivia time while sister napped.

Big girl!

Olivia: 8 weeks!

MONTH: 2
WEEK: 8
WEIGHT: 8+ lbs
LENGTH: 20+ in
HEAD: 13+ in
MILESTONES: Nothing exciting this week. We are just working on tummy time and that head control.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: It's hard to get them taken on the same say of the week every week, so this one was taken this morning at 8 weeks 2 days.
EATING: Still exclusively breastfed and loving at.
VISITS/OUTINGS: We now have a a little boy, Jax, every day for a few hours. He is 16 months old so he mostly plays with Avery, but he seems to be noticing Olivia more and more lately.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES:Olivia loves to face outward when you are holding her in your lap or face the big picture window in the living room when she is laying on her play mat. She is just so interested in everything going on around her.
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. With the addition of Jax every day it's exhausting. There is no sitting with 3 kids under the age of 2.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: I would like to say a vacation, but there isn't one in the near future.

Big Sister

Avery has been taking her big sister role very seriously. If Olivia cries, Avery is right there on top of it -- or more likely on top of her. It's still unclear if she is crying because Avery is there or the other way around, but Avery is always ready to reinsert a paci if Olivia should make so much as a peep.

She is also very helpful when we are in the car. She likes to tell me when Olivia falls asleep, loses her paci, or is just awake and smiling at her. For this particular car ride Avery decided she would bring book (or 'boo-p' in Avery language) to read to her sister. It was so cute. Luckily the ride to Grandma and Grandpa Nunley's was as short as the book because she only brought the one.

Sweet girl

Sleepy love

 

Justin was still in bed the other day and I asked him to "watch" Olivia after I fed her so I could get dressed. I came back in a few minutes later to find them both fast asleep again. 

Olivia: 7 weeks!

MONTH: 2
WEEK: 7
WEIGHT: 8lbs +
LENGTH: 20in +
HEAD: 13.5in +
MILESTONES: no major milestones this week, but she is constantly learning and taking in the world which is fun to watch.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This is one of the first semi-smiles I have been able to catch on camera and I love it.
EATING: Still a champion breastfeeder. I am so grateful for the ability to breastfeed Olivia and thankful the experience is easier than it was with Avery.
VISITS/OUTINGS: This week Olivia and Avery have had a new playmate. Their friend Jaxin will be hanging out with us every day for the next several weeks as Ma'am recovers from her surgery. It's only been two days, but so far we are having a good time.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia still loves sleeping, but has recently started to kick her feet when she is awake and really enjoys it. She also really loves to take baths.
MOMMY FEELS: tired. Taking care of three children under 2 years old is exhausting. There is no sitting down and no resting.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: a good night's sleep. Ha!

  

1 month!

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY BE ABLE TO: 

• lift her head slightly as her neck muscles strengthen Olivia has always had excellent neck control but the last week or so it has really improved. It's so cute to see her try to look at me when she is on my shoulder.

• focus her eyes on your face as she begins to learn how to focus both eyes together Avery was constantly going cross-eyed trying to focus on things even into her third month. Olivia on the other hand has been able to focus fairly well. She still does go cross-eyed occasionally which is actually really cute!
• visually follow an object that moves about 6 inches above her face (high-contrast colors such as black and white are what she can see best at this time) Honestly I don't think I've really noticed if she can do this or not. When we play with toys I am usually just making sure Avery doesn't drop it on her face or smack her with it.
• blink at a bright light Who doesn't blink at bright light? She definitely doesn't like the sun in their eyes.
• recognize familiar sounds and voices and respond by turning her head toward them Olivia recognized Justin and I by turning to us. She also looks at Avery when she talks, but I'm not sure if she actually 'recognizes' Avery by her voice or just that she is very loud.
• grip your finger when you stroke her palm—part of her developing grasping reflex She loves to hold on to my finger and I love it just as much.
• turn toward your finger when you rub a corner of her mouth (this rooting instinct is what helps her to latch onto your nipple for feeding) I love touching her lips because they are so small and cute and she makes little faces with them but I also noticed she does turn towards my hand too.
• recognize you by your scent (she can smell your milk if you’re breastfeeding) I am not sure if she recognizes me, but if she is really upset I am able to soothe her better than anyone else so I guess she recognizes me somehow and scent makes sense.

One big - One little

This is probably one of my absolute favorite photos of the girls so far. 

Olivia: 6 weeks!

MONTH: 2
WEEK: 6
WEIGHT: 8+ lbs
LENGTH: 20+ in
HEAD: 13.5+ in
MILESTONES: Olivia smiled her first smile last Saturday. It wasn't at me, but I was there, so that counts.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This was actually taken on Friday at 6 weeks 2 days because I have no short term memory anymore and cannot remember to do things for the life of me.
EATING: Still breastfeeding and have fully weaned of the shield with no more blood in her stool for almost a week now!
VISITS/OUTINGS: We visited with Ashlee and Mads at the Discovery Museum on Tuesday and had a blast!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia is awake and alert more often and loves to make faces with her mouth.
MOMMY FEELS: Amazed that Olivia has already been here for six weeks already.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: I am looking forward to more interaction with Olivia and for her to start recognizing our voices.