MBA Here Tim Comes

As many of you know I have been applying to several part time MBA programs in the Houston area and today I got a call from the Rice Director of Admissions informing me that I had been accepted into their program! I am still in discussions with UT but since I was leaning towards Rice anyways I think it might be almost safe for me to say.... Go Owls

When I told my friend Dave about it he congratulated me and suggested I throw a party.. specifically a going away party for my life! Nice one Dave!

137 days

As our President is celebrating his first 100 days...I realized that I completely forgot about Olivia's first 100 days!!!!!! I love the small celebrations and I'm bummed that I didn't acknowledge her 100th day of being alive (which is a pretty big deal!).

It was on Monday, March 23rd...today is her 137th day.

So we celebrated today. We put on a party dress and bought a 137th day present!! Olivia got a Leap Frog Caterpillar. She seems to really like the color yellow (remember the yellow lion on her mobile) and caterpillars (they are on her activity gym). This particular toy is also wonderful because it sings over 15 songs!!

Happy 137th Day Olivia Marie!!

In case you were wondering...here are some other days to celebrate: Olivia's Alternate Birthdays

Sleeping

Yes, if you have heard...it is true. Olivia has now been sleeping at least 11+ hours every night for over a week!!!!

We are "sleeping through the night" a phrase all new parents are so eager to use!!!

Jumper

We have a Johnny Jumper!! Miss O is still trying to figure it out and Jerry is absolutely terrified of it!!! Notice the blanket on the floor...it catches the spit-up :)

Miss Independent

I can hold my bottle... or at least... I want to hold my bottle :)

My Joyful

There is not much better in this world than hanging out with a dear friend. Joy and I met nearly 11 years ago on the 7th floor of West AJ at Virginia Tech. She lived across the hall from me in our dorm and had the LONGEST eyelashes of anyone I've ever known. We have been great friends ever since and it's always wonderful when we are together. Over the past few days we relaxed and enjoyed witnessing our daughters interact with each other... I only wish we could have these moments more frequently.

It's hard to believe that our daughters have met and are starting their own friendships. As both Claire and Olivia grow into young ladies I'm so excited for them to meet their forever friends.

I love you Joyful and I'm so grateful to have you in my life. Thank you for making the trip and I can't wait for our next visit!!!

Libby

It doesn't get much cuter...

Great Friends

I'm soooo lucky!!! Joy, Paul and Claire came all the way from Virginia to visit us :) They arrived late last night. We enjoyed some pizza and introduced our daughters to each other. That was a very special moment in our lives...

Today Paul bravely agreed to watch the little ladies while Joy and I got a mani/pedi. It was so wonderful to sit back, relax and spend some quality time with my Joyful. When we came home, Paul was holding Olivia and watching Claire play outside. Impressive! I wish he lived closer, I would hire him!!!

Afterwards we all went on a walk and visited a park. While the girlies took their afternoon nap, Joy and I laid out under the hot Houston sun. Claire and Olivia were so cute with each other. They took a bath together and then hung out in Olivia's crib watching her mobile. Adorable!

The rest of the night was spent having a couple drinks, chatting and doing some much needed catching up!! Wish we lived closer to each other...

Things...

...Jerry is afraid of:

**swifter (this is probably his number one most scary thing...I will find Jerry in our closet hidden almost behind our hanging clothes...I swear I don't swifter him, I don't know what it is about the wet jet....he's TERRIFIED)
**vacuum
**step ladders
**electric cords (especially laptop cords)
**his kennel and just saying the word "kennel"
**food bowl
**people walking in the back part of our backyard
**people bumping into him
**loud noises
**Johnny Jumper
**water running in the bathtub of our guest bathroom
**hoses
**our new trash can with moving lid
**landscapers
**thunderstorms

Even though our dog is "kind-of" a wimp...
we still love him dearly.

My Vision...

...of a sleeping child has always looked just like this. Tush high in the air and hands by the mouth. This is a sweet sleeping child :)

Ballerina Socks

Thank you to GG's friend, Susan, for the adorable ballerina socks.

Olivia has already worn them multiple times :) Precious...

I Love My Grana and Grampa

We had such a wonderful time with Grana and Grampa. They helped us complete so many projects and allowed Mommy and Daddy lots of relaxing time! Olivia will definitely miss all the extra attention and we are already looking forward to our next visit :)

Also, today is Aunt Katie's birthday...Happy Birthday!! Hope you are having a great day :)

Silent Laugh

LOL
Well...I guess Olivia is not really laughing "out loud"...
...but you might :)

Silent Laugh: Motions of a laugh, with no noises or sounds.

The Claw

The pacifier has been replaced and now we've got an adorable thumb-sucker. With her thumb in her mouth...she melts my heart. It's the combination thumb, innocent eyes, and little fingers that's the essence of sweetness. Notice her bottom lip is pushed out and she sucks SOO hard that it pops when she pulls her thumb out. When her fingers completely cover her nose and almost dig into her eyes we call it "the claw".

Strawberries

Today we went strawberry picking at Kings Orchard :) We had a wonderful time and ended up with 4 pounds of ripe strawberries!! Olivia was very interested in the brightly colored fruit, although got tired out by the end of our visit. For dessert tonight we had strawberry shortcakes...yum yum!

Shopping

Oh My Goodness!!
We went outlet mall shopping
and Miss Olivia got a few new outfits :)
Do you see her first pair of kicks???

4 Month Update

We went to the doctor for O's 4 month appointment and here's the update:

Head: 16 1/4 in - 50th-75th percentile
Length: 23 3/4 in - 25th-50th percentile
Weight: 11 lb 5.8 oz - 10th percentile

She got two shots and handled them amazingly well (or at least a lot better than she did the first time). Yowzers! Notice the Charlie Brown band-aids on her legs...mrrrr.

April 13, 2008

One year ago today (April 13, 2008) we found out we were expecting :) I woke up at 3:00am and KNEW I was pregnant. It was Sunday morning and Tim was away on his MS150 bike ride to Austin. He wouldn't be back until the evening. I forced myself back into bed and promised I could take another pregnancy test at 7am.

And then I saw the two lines...I screamed, Jerry was wagging his tail wondering what was going on. The rest of the day was a blur. I couldn't wait for Tim to get home. In the meantime, I went to the store and put together a little gift (a teething ring, onesies, and the positive pregnancy test). When Tim came home he noticed the gift and I told him to wait to open it once we sit down for dinner (Homemade General Tso's). He opened it and was absolutely overwhelmed with excitement. Neither one of us had much of an appetite for our dinner...but it didn't matter. Later we found out that I was only about 4 weeks along. The due date would be December 19, 2008.

It's amazing how different our lives were one year ago. We couldn't be happier - this is a great time in our lives!

Oh, and let's not forget today is the 13th which means O is another whole month older!!
Happy 4 Month Birthday Olivia :)

Happy Easter!

Olivia enjoyed her first Easter. She woke up this morning and saw her Easter basket filled with....DRESSES!! (what a great Easter Bunny) We put on her Easter dress (from Grandma Marti) and colored some eggs. Throughout the morning and afternoon we made a cheesecake and a couple of appetizers, then proceeded to devour them. For dinner we had lamb...yum yum! Of course...we also took just a "few" pictures :)