Bye Bye BaBa

Olivia is about 15 mos and I feel like now is the time to drop the baba. I don't like seeing toddlers still drinking from a bottle. I know this isn't going to be easy..but I am trying my best to not give in to the baba. Olivia basically refuses the milk from a sippy cup.. I even bought her a new sippy (Nuby) only for milk but she just won't have it! I am willing to try another sippy (Nuby) with the straw but I really don't want to go nuts with the sippy cup (like I did with the bottles!) LOL
Happy New Year! Next blog will be in 2009!!!

Happy Chanukah!

Olivia is now 14 1/2 mos and she celebrated her 2nd Chanukah with the family at Grandma and Grandpa Revitz's house. We all ate some yummy potato pancakes and brisket and lit the menorah. Even Olivia lit her own menorah and said the prayers!

Olivia @ 14 mos

Olivia is certainly a very smart cookie! She inspects everything that comes her way and she knows exactly what she wants when she wants it...the only problem is that she can't make out the words just yet. She has said a few words lately like 'tree' and 'dog'. We recently heard Olivia say "whoo whoo" when we ask her what sounds an owl makes...thanks to the $1 book that I bought at Johannes. More to come...

My toddler

Olivia is now walking and talking up a storm! She loves to say "hi" to everyone...Olivia is fascinated by toys that she can interact with like Elmo Live. Elmo talks and dances and even when he falls, he asks if you will pick him up! (and thanks you when you pick him up) She is getting more teeth in and it has been a rough couple of nights. Olivia wakes up screaming and does not want to be in her crib at all! Once she settles down with some TLC from momma and dada, she will go back to bed. Olivia is drinking whole milk now which means no more formula..yeah!!! We are working on getting rid of the bottles. It is going to be VERY tough. Olivia still hasn't gotten comfortable with the sippy cup yet. She coughs from taking in too much at once. Well, that is pretty much it for now...

Pumpkin Patch

It is hard to believe that this was Olivia one year ago! We went to a pumpkin patch on Friday and got some great pictures of Olivia!

My little baby is 1 yr old!

We celebrated Olivia's first birthday yesterday and it was a very exciting day! We had the party at a friend's cabana clubhouse on the beach in Deerfield. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side, but we stayed indoors and created a makeshift Gymboree for the little ones. We had appetizers, snacks, drinks, toys, music and of course, cake! Thanks to everyone's help, it was a HUGE success! Olivia behaved like an angel, maybe because she knew it was all for her. I have to say that as the host, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but that is par for the course. Now that Olivia is sleeping (8 PM), it is time for mommy to get some much needed rest time. Pictures to come...

If you're happy and you know it...

Olivia's One Year Old Pictures

We went to Kiddie Kandids at Babies R Us today and Olivia took some gorgeous portraits!

Olivia @ 11.5 mos walking!!!

Back to MMP...again

Well, I got the call yesterday from the boss that he needed me to come back to work. If I didn't have little Olivia, I would be back full time (in my own office!) but for now, I am going back part time and I took Olivia with me today. It was definitely challenging! She craves attention and constantly wants to move around. But can you blame her?

Eleven Months!!!

Olivia is truly our lil princess...Her little personality has already proved to be outgoing, strong-willed and loving. We are planning her first birthday and we graciously accept all the help that everyone has already offered. Olivia's party will be a great success with all the love that surrounds her.

I feel that I sound like a hallmark card but I guess that after a year, it is an emotional time to reflect back on being a mommy. I get tears thinking about how lucky I am to have a happy and healthy baby girl. Motherhood has been amazing for me. It's exciting to wake up every morning to that precious smile and do it all over again for another eventful day...I clean lots of dirty diapers, messy highchairs and an occasional spit-up. I have learned to let Olivia cry it out when its bedtime. I have experimented with some new foods and discovered that Olivia loves her steak (like daddy). I have learned to stay on top of Olivia because if I don't, she'll take a tumble right into the bathtub (yes, it really happened but she's ok) I will write more in my next blog because I have also learned to rest while baby is resting and she is sound asleep in her crib right now~

The year flew by....

I can't believe it's almost been a year since Olivia's birth! It seems like yesterday that I was at West Boca Medical asking the nurses when I can have my next meds!! Besides that, Olivia has made such strides in her first year of life! She began crawling at around 7 months and is almost walking at 10 1/2 months. She is very quick on her hands and knees and can stand on her own now. She is eating more meals with mommy and daddy including pancakes, bananas, chicken, turkey and even steak! Olivia is our bundle of joy and we love her so much!

Almost walking @ 10 mos

Princess Olivia

Olivia's first birthday isn't too far off and we are thinking of a princess tea party theme. This includes tiaras, castles, doilies and tea, of course! It has been fun yet overwhelming with all the ideas floating around for preparation. At least we have a few months to plan. Olivia has 3 teeth now (2 on the bottom and one on top). Her hair seems to be getting lighter and she is outgrowing most of her clothes. This is a fun time when she is cruising around everywhere and loves to explore everything around her. I think she has conversations but they usually sound like babbling 'ba ba' or 'ga ga'. More to come...

MAMA!!!

Olivia finally said "MAMA" the words that every mother wish their child would say first!! (but don't because they say dada first)

BTW, Erica lost her 2 front teeth!!

"Mama" isn't so far off!

Miss Olivia has been practicing her "mamamama" sounds and she is so close to saying "mama"!!! She loves to pull out my files (pictured) and explore inside cardboard boxes. Her favorite new toy is the Fischer Price ride that plays music and lights up. She can ride it or use it as a walker.

Brush that tooth!

At 9 months, little Olivia is brushing her ONE tooth! She likes to suck on the brush more than the actual brushing but that's ok for now...She also can hold her own bottle...when she wants to! Olivia's bedtime has gotten later (was 7 pm, now about 8 or 9 pm) which means that she gets up later (7 or 8 am). Naptime is also now later (midday) which leads to a late afternoon nap (around 4ish). I guess she will continue to change her habits as she grows up. We love our little angel so much! XOXO

Gymboree Open Gym

Open Gym at Gymboree

Now that Olivia can hustle and bustle around, the open gym at Gymboree is perfect for her. She loves going through the tunnels and playing with the bouncy balls!

Almost 9 months and back home full time!

Boy does the time fly! Olivia is almost 9 months! She will be seeing the doctor soon for her 9 month check-up. We will have to address the spit-up issue which has gotten better, but is still a problem. We love our little one so much!

I am back home full time with Olivia. We decided that it would be best for me to stay home for now. We are hoping to do some more activities with our new friends!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day 2008! We had the family over the house for a very nice father's day celebration...We had food on the grill, drinks on ice, balloons and cake (Banana Dream from Too Jays..yummy!) What more could we ask for!?!

We are getting ready for another busy week ahead! I am headed back to work and little Miss Olivia is going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We are hoping that our new friends plan another beach or pool day for Friday because we were unable to make it last week :(

At the rate of Olivia's development, we think she will be walking by 9 or 10 months. She is a fast crawler and can easily pick herself up using something to support her.

We have switched her formula to a hypoallergenic one which we like to call "liquid gold" (thanks to my boss, Steve!) in hopes to stop any more spitting up. We will keep you posted :)

Olivia's first tooth

How exciting! Olivia's first tooth broke through last night! She didn't fall asleep until 9pm (her normal time is 7pm) and was awake by midnight. She would only sleep in mommy and daddy's bed and she had 2 doses of baby tylenol (in addition to the teething tablets which didn't do anything). We now know what it is like to have a teething baby! We hope she sleeps through the night tonight!!!

Almost walking @ 8 months!

Olivia loves to take both of my hands and pick herself up off the floor to stand. She also loves to get in that position and go for a walk with my help, of course! Olivia has become a very fast crawler and darts for whatever seems to catch her eye. She went to the waterpark today for the first time in Deerfield Beach. She LOVED it! It is a great place for the little ones to play in the shallow water with waterslides and shoots.

We met a great group of mommies and babies where we plan meet-ups and the waterpark was just one of the many events.

I began working part time again for about 4 days per week. Those days are exhausting and it is a challenge to balance working and being a mommy! Luckily, we have my parents here to watch Olivia for most of the time while I am at work.

Crawling!!

Olivia began crawling this past week. After a few months of rocking back and forth and lifting her little behind in the air, she finally got the hang of crawling. It has been a lot of extra work for mommy and daddy now that Olivia can get into EVERYTHING!

Pool Time!!

We took Miss Olivia to the pool today for her first dip and she absolutely loved it! After her nap in the shade, she was all ready to get in her ducky and kick her little legs in the pool.

dada

"dada"

Just needed to share the news that little Miss Olivia said "dada" today for the first time! We are so excited!

Olivia is trying to crawl @ 6 months

Wedding Weekend

Miss Olivia is now 6 months old and 18 lbs! She is a precious little angel. Unfortunately, she has thrush and a cold on top of it. I think it upsets me more than Olivia. We have been trying to take it easy since Adina and Daniel's wedding weekend. Friday night was the Auf Ruf at the temple. Sat night was the pre-celebration at Daniel's parent's house and Sun was the wedding. It was a very busy and enjoyable weekend!

Olivia went to work with mommy for the first time today. Since grandma got sick, she couldn't watch little Olivia. Olivia did very well considering mommy couldn't give her 100% attention all day. She now has a time card and is learning how to work the Duplo. (collator machine)...LOL!!!
More to come...

Miss Olivia is now 5 1/2 months old! She is 17 lbs! She put her toes in her mouth for the first time this week. She is rolling over all the time now and loves to sleep on her belly, esp on mommy and daddy's bed! We got a new convertible car seat this week and will be installing it tonight. It is a big girl seat because it can hold up to 65 lbs and can sit rear or front facing. Olivia is almost sitting up on her own. Daddy lowered her mattress so that she can't fall out when she is pulling herself up on the sides of the crib. More to come...

Our visit to Georgia

We got the car back from the shop in great condition from the collision center a little over a month after the accident. It was just in time for our vacation to Georgia. It took us 12 hours to drive there and Olivia did wonderfully. We had a very nice time visiting Eric's family where Olivia met Grandpa Laine and her cousins, Austin and Madison for the first time. Olivia can now flip over to her belly and push up with her arms for quite some time. She actually prefers to sleep on her belly now. She has been sleeping more at night!! Yipee!! Unfortunately, both Eric and I caught colds after returning home. Luckily, little miss Olivia isn't sick.

Olivia is very expressive and already knows what she likes and dislikes. She is doing very well with her rice cereal and fruit. We will soon begin adding veggies to her diet for lunch! More to come...

Our first photo session

If you haven't already yet (and have little ones), you need to go to Babies R Us to have a photo session! Olivia was a trooper for 20 minutes changing in and out of wardrobe and posing for the camera! These photos are absolutely precious!

We went to Lion Country Safari yesterday. Olivia absorbed quite a bit with all the animals and rides. It was a great way to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon with the family.

Daddy is in Orlando tonight :( for his annual meeting. We miss him already. He returns tomorrow night :)

It's about that time for me to sign off and get some much needed sleep...

Busy week

It has been a busy week for the Laine household! Monday, Olivia got her 4 month shots and then began eating cereal for the first time. She now has rice cereal for breakfast and dinner. Olivia has also been getting one bottle of formula mixed into her diet before bedtime. It seems to help her sleeping...we shall see if it lasts!

We spent some time at Target this week getting some much needed supplies like a highchair, a new bathtub, a mobile and some new pjs because she has grown out of her ones at home.

Olivia went to Gymboree for the first time this week. The owner gave us free membership for the month so we are enjoying our very nice gift!
Olivia enjoyed all of the activities like tummy time (pictured) and the singing. Olivia is extremely attentive and loves to smile.

Back to work

Back to work for me...part time. Thursday was my first day back and it was rough! Rough in the sense that it was exhausting. The whole day was a production from getting out of the house at 7:30 am, dropping Olivia off and Grandma and Grandpa's, going to work, coming back for lunch, and then back to get Olivia home. We weren't home until 6:30 pm and all I could do was lay on the couch. It will be 2 days per week for now.

Well, remember what I said about Olivia sleeping through the night!?! That went out the window a few weeks ago. She now only sleeps maybe 5 hrs at night and she is hungry each time she wakes up. She takes about 3 naps per day which still vary with time and length.

My little princess is very social. She does not want to be left alone or put down very much. She will stay in her swing for a short period of time only if I am there close by watching her and singing to her. She seems to like the "Elmo Song" when I sing it to her. I remember Erica liked that one too.

Olivia will be 4 months in another week! More to come...

Our little princess

Olivia is now 13 weeks old. She can now officially suck her thumb! She still loves her binky though...She has a habit of getting up in the middle of the night but will go back to sleep with her binky and music. She is asleep around 9 or 10 and is awake at 3:30 or 4 when she is hungry. She will go back to sleep for a few hours after that first feeding.

A few nights ago (Jan 16th), we were in a car accident. It was a very scary experience. We were rear-ended at a stop light by a Tahoe that was going about 45 mph. The idiot driver never hit the brakes. Baby Olivia was in her car-seat and we thank heaven that she and everyone involved were ok. The entire front of the Tahoe was in our trunk and the glass of the back window shattered. Olivia, Erica and I were all in the backseat and Eric was driving. We were extremely lucky that we all suffered just a little soreness and nothing more severe.

3 months!

Olivia is officially 3 months old in the new year! She began sleeping on her side and sucking on her fingers. She still loves her binky though~ When daddy laughs really hard, Olivia imitates and giggles along! It practically has me in tears because it is so darn cute! Olivia is enjoying her Baby Einstein play center from Grandma and Grandpa Laine. When she has a lot of energy, we like to put her in there and play with all of the colorful toys and listen to all the animal sounds. Olivia also enjoys her Baby Einstein play gym at Grandma and Grandpa Revitz's house. She can lay there for an hour listening to the music and looking at all the colorful toys. Her nickname for now has been "yummies" because she is still so delicious!

Almost 3 months old!

Olivia will be 3 months old on the 4th! She discovered her toes! She looks at them and stares in amazement! She is also more focused on her toys. She'll reach for toys and sometimes grabs onto them. She gets more antsy in her car seat. She wants constant attention and would rather be held than in the car seat...can you blame her!?!
She does like to sleep...she will sleep 8 hrs some nights! She is just delicious! Here is a picture of our little princess in her white shoes and headband ~yummy~