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.

The many faces of Olivia

Olivia: 5 weeks!

MONTH: 2
WEEK: 5
WEIGHT: 7.5lbs
LENGTH: 20in
HEAD: 13.5in
MILESTONES: Nothing major, still just waiting for that first smile!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: She was so alert for this picture. I love it!
EATING: She is still a great eater. Breastfeeding is going great and I am so happy we are doing well.
VISITS/OUTINGS: We had a park playdate with Holli, Steven and Austin this week and we have a playdate with Ashlee and Madison next Tuesday!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Sleeping is still far and above her favorite activity.
MOMMY FEELS: Surprisingly rested. Olivia has blessed us with a good stretch of sleep almost every night.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO:Watching all the milestones to come and how the girls grow up together.

Ice cream!

Avery had her first ice cream cone by herself and loved it!

Olivia: 4 weeks!

MONTH: 1
WEEK: 4
WEIGHT: 7lbs+
LENGTH: 19in+
HEAD: 13in+
MILESTONES: 
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: She was much more accommodating today. I am just waiting to get a smile!
EATING: Olivia is still a fervent eater. I just hope I can keep up with her!
VISITS/OUTINGS: My friend Christina and her daughter Lailah visited this week and we had a nice time catching up!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia's favorite activity is still eating followed closely by sleeping.
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. Olivia is a great sleeper, but the feeding schedule and keeping up with two kids is starting to get to me. I could use a nap just about every day.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Watching Olivia grow and learn new things and watching Avery teach her sister all she knows.

Be still my heart.

Olivia: 3 weeks!

MONTH: 1
WEEK: 3
WEIGHT: 7lbs 10oz
LENGTH: 20in
HEAD: 13.3in
MILESTONES:Olivia's umbilical stump fell off and she got her first bath this week!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Taken today at 3 weeks old. She was not a fan of Mommy taking her picture while not being held. Plus sister kept trying to grab her feet.
EATING: Olivia is an aggressive eater which is how she has gained almost a full pound in just 3 weeks.
SLEEPING: She sleeps next to me in the Rock 'N Play we have borrowed from a friend. She really seems to like it and I enjoy the long stretches of sleep she is giving us so far. I know it's likely not going to last so we are just enjoying it while it does.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Today we all went to the mall to help Mommy find some clothes that actually fit. We also had a family lunch at a sit down restaurant and no food ended up on the floor or in anyone's hair. I'm calling it a success!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Eat.Sleep.Poop. Eat.Sleep.Poop. Sometimes it's Eat.Poop.Eat.Sleep.Poop. It's a rather exhausting cycle.
MOMMY FEELS: Glad. I am glad I am able to keep up with both girls so far. I really enjoy my time with Avery when Olivia is sleeping and my time with Olivia when Avery is playing independently or sleeping at night. I don't even mind the middle of the night feeding because everything else is quiet and we get our own little bonding time without being interrupted.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO:  Olivia's first smile. It should be coming in the next couple weeks. I find myself smiling like a lunatic at her in hopes it will trigger her first reactionary smile and I will be the one who to see it first!

"Bath"

Since her umbilical stump fell off this week Olivia got her first "bath". I say "bath" because it was really a shower since we don't actually have a bathtub. We found this nifty bath hammock that works pretty well for our situation. In case you didn't know soapy newborns are quite slippery, so I really like this because it holds her up so I can wash all the parts without worrying about dropping her.

Contrary to what I assumed was normal Olivia didn't hate her first bath. In fact, she actually seemed to enjoy it. She especially enjoyed when I held her in the shallow water and poured water over her belly and hair. I hope she continues to like baths because I was not looking forward to bathing a cranky baby like we did with Avery.

My Girl(s)

 

Olivia

  

Avery