Yum! Yum!

Olivia is officially a big girl! After about four months of existing on nothing but breast milk we decided that it was time to take the next step...so last week we started her on solid foods. The first step is trying rice cereal...yummy! So we strapped her into her high chair and gave it a try. Below are some before and after pictures. You can see the uncertainty of what is to come in her face in the "before" picture. And as you can tell from the "after" picture more of the food ended up on her face and her bib than actually in her mouth.

BEFORE AFTER

I know it will take her awhile to get used to it. We have been giving it to her once or twice a day for about a week now and I can already see an improvement. She is swallowing more of it but is still a complete mess when she is finished. She has mastered the action of opening her mouth when the spoon gets close but once the food is in her mouth she is still unsure of how to keep it there. Most of the time her left hand goes into her mouth at the same time as the spoon. Not sure why exactly but she can't seem to take a bite of food without that hand being part of the action! And sometimes she closes her mouth and blows a raspberry which causes the food to spray all over my face! Ah...the joys of parenthood!

Here are a few video clips of Olivia adjusting to her new, expanded palate...

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s179/zatchman2/?action=view&current=CerealVideo2.flv

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s179/zatchman2/?action=view&current=March2007028.flv

I think we will introduce veggies very soon. I can tell by Olivia's interest in what we eat that she is more than ready to try some different foods. She will reach for my bottle of water and open her mouth when I am drinking. She did the same thing earlier this week when I was eating a banana while she was sitting on my lap. She is almost five months old so I don't think there is anything wrong with giving her a few more options.

We have just entered a whole new world with the introduction of solid foods! I am sure we will see many strange reactions as she tries things for the first time...sure to make for some great pictures!

Splish Splash

Olivia loves bath time! At first it was not her favorite thing to do but now that she is a bit older she has so much fun just splashing around in the water. Todd gives Olivia her baths...it is one of the special things they do together. She is quite the wiggle worm so it can be difficult to scrub her down. And with all of her rolls there is a lot of scrubbing that has to be done! But she is completely content just lying there and enjoying the water.

Here is a video clip of Olivia enjoying her time in the bath...

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s179/zatchman2/?action=view&current=March2007026.flv

After she is all clean, Livie gets into her comfy robe. Mommy then takes over and gives her a massage. Then the PJ's go on and we are all done! She has become such a fun baby, and it so great to be able to do these fun things together!

I have a feeling she is going to be a baby that enjoys swimming. We are greatly anticipating summertime because Todd's brother has a pool at his house. It will be so nice to spend the hot summer days over there just floating around in the cool water. We have already gotten Olivia her summer time bathing suit. It is the cutest thing ever! Not only does she have a cute swimsuit but she has a matching terrycloth cover-up and sandals to top off the ensemble! You will have to wait until the summer for pictures!

Here's a quick update...Olivia is now rolling over in both directions! She has only done it a handful of times but she can do it! Most of the time she goes from her back to her belly. She gets stuck on that arm that is so darn hard to roll over. But with some hard work she gets it done! And just within the last couple of days she has started blowing raspberries! It is so cute and the spit just flies when she does it! New things are happening every day!

One Stubborn Girl

From the beginning Olivia's personality has stood out. She has never been a difficult baby really...just very, very stubborn! She knows what she wants and she will go to great lengths to get it! Well she has been testing everyone with her stubbornness quite a bit lately. I have mentioned the problem we were having with separation anxiety. Whenever I would leave her with someone she would cry and cry and cry, only giving up once she had exhausted herself so much that she just could not continue any longer. We have also had problems getting her to take a bottle. She will throw such a fit, crying so hard that she turns bright red and can hardly breathe. There have been a few times that she has gone many, many hours without food because she refuses to take it from a bottle. We used to give into her, but lately we have not and have allowed her to throw her fits. We figured that when she gets hungry enough she will eat, no matter how it is given to her. Working through these issues has been very challenging. But I think I can say that things are improving a little bit...thank goodness!

Last week Olivia did very well at the babysitter, and has done quite well this week also. She only fusses for a little while, right after I walk out the door. I think that she is starting to get used to bring there and realizes that crying is not going to make me come back any sooner. She is also more occupied with her toys now and that helps immensely! Also, over the weekend we tried to feed Olivia with the bottle as much as possible and I am proud to say that she took them without a fight! What a relief! As happy as I am that I choose to breastfeed, I need to know that she will not have trouble getting her food if I am not around. Her protesting is partly my fault, as I did not give her a bottle as much as I probably should have in the beginning. But I think we are working through that issue as well. There are still a few more things we have to work on...like taking better naps and not being so dependent on the pacifier, but I can only tackle one problem at a time!

We did visit the pediatrician last Friday for Olivia's four month appointment. She weighs 17 lbs. and 3 oz. and is 25 1/2 inches in length. The doctor is very pleased with the way that she is growing. We discusses starting solid foods and I think we are going to give her a taste of rice cereal later in the week. That should be interesting! Overall she seems to be developing just fine. She rolled over last week one time, but hasn't done it since. And she is getting very strong as we work on sitting up on our own! But I can tell that this is a child that will do things when she is good and ready to do them...and not a minute before!

It is amazing to watch her grow into a more independent baby. Her smile can light up a room and she can throw a fit like you have never seen before. She seems to be catching onto things very quickly and sometimes tries to do things that she is just not physically able to do yet. This shows me that she is developing very well and that she is also going to be a lot of work for her mommy and daddy. She is our wonderful, stubborn girl!

So Big, So Fast

Four months ago today Baby O was welcomed into the world. What an exciting and exhausting four months it has been! Everyday we thank God to be blessed with such a healthy, beautiful baby girl. We have enjoyed becoming parents and enjoyed watching our little baby grow up in front of our eyes. It amazes us how much she has changed in these four short months. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday that Todd was rushing me to the hospital. On the other hand, these four months have gone by at a snail's pace (when I think of the many sleepless nights!) We are anxious for what lies ahead but we will miss our tiny little baby. So in the meantime we will cherish these special moments as they flash before our eyes!

Things have definitely changed over the course of four months. She is sleeping very well at night...only getting up one time to eat and going right back to sleep afterwards. She has become very vocal...even more so in the past few days. She seems to enjoy the sound of her own voice and can talk for hours on end. It is the most precious thing to hear, but we are ready for some peace and quiet when the day is over! Here is a recent video clip of her chatting away!

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s179/zatchman2/?action=view&current=Feb-6.flv

She is very close to sitting up on her own. With very little support she can hold herself up and I think that within weeks she will have mastered this task. She has yet to roll over. There have been a few times she has been very close, but she seems very content just playing on her tummy or back. At four months she weighs approximately 16 lbs and 12 oz. She has slowed down on the weight gain, which is probably a good thing considering the pace at which she was gaining! And as you can see from the picture below, Olivia loves her toys! It is so much fun watching her discover what sounds her toys make...not to mention it is great that she is finally able to entertain herself for a little while.

One year ago at this time I was just discovering that I might be pregnant. It is amazing how much our lives have changed since then. Even though Todd and I had a great life together before Olivia came along, I honestly cannot imagine life without her now. We have already created so many wonderful memories with our little one and we are so excited for all that lies ahead!