Olivia's Arm

Olivia now holds onto us when we pick her up.
It's sooo sweet to have her arm wrap around you.

Adorable outfit and crocs are all the way from England!
Thank you Kevin & Erin :)

Bath Fun

Olivia had the sling removed from her tub...and it is so much fun now!!! I think she has a pretty good kick...maybe she's the next Dana Torres???

Taylor Swift

O might be Taylor Swift's youngest fan. She was singing on the Today Show this morning and Olivia found her very fascinating.

Our Routine

Well our flexible routine has changed. We were feeding every three hours and O was not sleeping through the night. However, ever since April 20...Olivia has been sleeping through the night :) So this week we've moved onto a four hour flexible routine AND IT'S WONDERFUL! Olivia seems to be doing well with it. Here's our new sample day:

8:00 - Olivia wakes and eats - and recently we've started cereal in addition to her bottle
9:30 - Nap (1.5-2.5 hours)
12:00 - Eat - 8 oz
1:30 - Nap (1-1.5 hours)
4:00 - Eat - 8 oz
5:00 - Nap (45 mins)

8:00 - Eat and then to bed for 12+ hours!!!! :)

I'm a lucky LUCKY mommy to have such a great sleeper!!! (Oh...I do have a secret, a black blanket hangs permanently over her window blocking out the sunlight and a machine that makes a white noise...you do what works!!!).

baby jogger

YIKES! The marathon is in November...and I've got a long way to go! However, this is how Olivia, Jerry and I look when we go for our daily run. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Moslener for the baby jogger.

O.L.I.V.I.A.

Well your name is ranked 6th for 2008. Baby Names

Speaking of ...
we think you are beginning to recognize your name :)

1st Pool Visit

Yes, this is not the most pleasant face...and our first visit to the pool was going okay until O got splashed in the face. The water was a little chilly and Olivia was tired and hungry. Next time we'll make sure we're more ready :)
She did look really cute though :)

Our Sunday

It started with Tim taking a run...which went great until a thunderstorm came along. lol.

Then Mommy and Daddy decided we are very bored with Olivia's current toys. So we all went out to Target and Daddy picked out the Fisher-Price Stack & Roll Cups. She (and us, Jerry included) are enjoying the new toy. Notice in the one picture where O is "palming" the yellow ball.


Overall we were lazy and relaxed. O had some time in her activity gym and jumper. She is growing and learning so much everyday.

That's what I call a great Sunday!

Chow Time

O's first time with solids was today!!!
Haha...No, we didn't really give her waffles with blueberries...
although the idea did excite her :)

For breakfast she had her normal bottle and then got to have some rice cereal. We thought she did great! She's mainly just becoming familiar with the process and idea of a spoon and swallowing. We'll continue to practice every morning...stay tuned :)

OH...Jerry likes the idea of O eating food...he was right there, waiting to catch anything that didn't quite make it into a mouth.

May 12 - First Ultrasound Pictures

NO...I am NOT pregnant again.
This is from ONE YEAR AGO :) :)

Ooopss...I meant to post this on May 12th...but completely forgot. One year ago on May 12th we got to see the first pictures of our little baby. It was almost one month since we knew we were expecting, but it didn't become real until this appointment. The first thing our ultrasound technician said was -- "Yup, you are pregnant...and with only one." HOLY CRAP...we completely forgot that there could have been more than one!!!!!! The technician confirmed that I was about 8 weeks along and my due date was December 18th. It was so amazing to see our baby on the screen.

We left the doctor's office with a bag full of information and slightly overwhelmed as the reality of our current situation was sinking in :) We went to lunch at a Pizzeria where we stared at our pictures and read all the information provided.

When we got home, I called Erin. She thought I was joking after the April Fool's joke I played on her....but when she realized I wasn't joking...it was all screams!!!!!!! She had to promise not to tell anyone because we had a plan for announcing the pregnancy.

Videos

We've come back from London - and Olivia has been BUSY!!

Yesterday Olivia had her first real giggle/laugh...and since then I've been trying to capture it again on camera. I got a quick giggle when I was laughing at something she was doing...she laughed with me. But as soon as I stopped, so did she. These squeals are pretty adorable too though!

Kris Evans (our photographer) said that Olivia should be sitting before we do her six month photos...so we've been working on it :) She is getting better and stronger every day!

Practicing some steps. I had Olivia standing and I looked down and realized that she was moving her feet in a walking motion. So I went along with it....if I lean her forward slightly her steps are more regular. She frequently steps on her own foot, so cute!

Going Home

London was fun, but it's always nice to get home. We all miss our Jerr-Man and were looking forward to getting back on a normal sleep schedule.

Then came our flight home. UGH. It did NOT go well. On the way to London she was awake for only 300 of the 5000 miles. Well, on the way to home she slept for only 300 of the 5000 miles. It was the longest nine hours. It is very stressful whenever your child cries. Now when your child cries and 200+ other people have to listen to it.... Needless to say we walked off the plane saying Olivia would never fly again....and then....

SHE LAUGHED....SHE GIGGLED....SHE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS SOOOO FUNNY!

You've got to be kidding me?!?! She was sitting in her car seat going through customs with tons of smiles and lots of giggles. It was absolutely adorable. Tim and I kept looking at each other wondering if this was really happening. Olivia has done some single giggles or small laughs...but we didn't count those. These were continuous giggles.

So, we told her since she offered the giggles...she earned her flight privileges back.

Glad to be home.

London Day 5

Monday morning was a sllloooww start...but it was worth it because of the great time we had the night before. Erin and Kevin had to leave today (mmrrr...), so we headed off to the Natural History Museum. We walked around for a couple of hours and then headed to lunch. YUM!

Then they left :(

Tim and I hung around the hotel for a bit while Olivia napped. Next it was dinner time with Tim's cousin, Tiana. We ate at a cute little restaurant and it was lovely to catch up and hear about all her adventures!!

We ended the night by taking one last Tube stop to see a couple downtown London night scenes. Of course, it was amazing and BRIGHT!

London was a blast!

London Day 4

Okie Dokie...day 4. We started it at 10 with a walk to Harrods. During our walk it started POURING rain five minutes after we left the hotel. Erin and I both commented on how we spent time drying our hair...oh well. We arrived at Harrods only to discover that it didn't open until noon...so we decided to move onto Buckingham Palace. Yes, it is still POURING and it's rather chilly. We hung out at Buckingham Palace long enough to see some fancy horses pass by, but decided against waiting another 45 minutes in the storm to see the changing of the guards. It's on youtube anyways :) This whole time Olivia is all comfy and cozy in her Human Capsule tucked away from the rain...we were all a little jealous of her situation.

We headed onto Hyde Park when the clouds parted and we saw some blue skies. While there we stopped for some tea and then continued on around the huge park. As you can see in the pictures we had some good photo opportunities. Next we had lunch at a pub and then visited Harrods. WOW...that's quite the store.

On our walk back home we stopped in a couple other boutiques and then rested in the hotel before we headed out to dinner at Masala Zone. We spent a good three hours there...it was wonderful to hang out with Erin and Kevin...hope we can do it more often in the future!!

For the rest of our evening we hung out in the hotel room talking while Olivia slept in her pack-n-play in the bathroom :)

London Day 3

WHAT A DAY! Erin created an amazing itinerary for us with things to do each day. We knew in advance that today would be a big day...and it was no let down. We started our morning at 9 and headed off via the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral. We then walked along the Thames River towards London Bridge, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, crossed over the Thames River and visited some outdoor markets, saw the Globe Theater and The London Eye, then crossed back over the Thames River to see Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abby, Trafalgar's Square (where there was a HUGE protest taking place...so we kept our distance), The Markets at Covent Gardens, a couple of shops/stores, and a local bar. PHEW!! We walked to everything and needless to say were absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, which ended at 10pm after a delightful dinner at Strada!!!!

The sights were unbelievable. Every way you turned your head was an incredible sight. I was blown away by how historic, grand and full of character London is. Our weather was okay. A couple of 20 minute showers and then clearing. It was wonderful while we were at the Markets, which is why we spent a chunk of time there.

A couple of interesting points:
*We had to pay to pee....?!?!?
*Olivia was sooo good! She slept for a good part of the day - I think this was the first time her lack of sleep really caught up with her. At one point, she slept for over four hours in her stroller.
*We are very happy we brought The Human Capsule...it ended up being perfect for Olivia to stay nice and toasty.
*Rain protection for the stroller was also a key component. Additionally it blocked out the wind and other peoples germs.

Our favorite part of the day was relaxing at the cafe near the Markets. It was so nice to just enjoy the weather, people watch, listen to music, and drink wine/beer.

London is fun!

London Day 2

Oh what a night! Time changes are not easy on anyone -- including babies. Tim and I thought we could put Olivia down at 7pm and she would sleep for her normal 12 hours. lol....definitely not the case. We were up and down until 1am, when she finally did sleep 8 hours.

Today we took the Tube to the British Museum, which a passerby stated perfectly..."There is not much British in the British Museum", but there are tons of artifacts!! We wondered for a solid 3 hours. There were mummies, coins, clocks, sphinx, the Rosetta Stone, The museum was laid out very nicely and was spacious. We liked a.) that it was free and b.) some of the artifacts were built into the walls.

Finally by the early afternoon, Erin and Kevin called to say they were in town. Of course we were very excited and headed back too. We spent the rest of the evening visiting. Olivia did not waste anytime reacquainting herself with Aunt Erin and promptly spit-up on her multiple times. Erin and Kevin bought Olivia adorable crocs and a sweet little outfit. We had some drinks while Olivia napped and then we headed out to O'Neills a local pub to have some dinner. The rest of the evening we played Ticket to Ride - Europe which has tunnels and ferries, then a thrilling round of skip-bo!!!

At 10pm we put Olivia down hoping she would sleep through the night -- nope! She was back up at midnight...so we let her hang out for a bit and then successfully put her down for the evening.

We are looking forward to tomorrow - there is a full schedule!!!

WE MADE IT!

We're in London and so far it's been very pleasant. It started by Tiffini and her girls dropping us off at the airport so we didn't have to deal with the shuttle and all our stuff (thank you sooo much!!). Tim had President's Club passes and we decided to see if children were welcome. Not only are they welcome, but we were given a private family room. DELUXE! We had multiple drinks (free) and Olivia got to take a nap while we people watched in a glass encased room. It was the perfect start to our trip.

Next we boarded our plane. We were very anxious to get our bassinet...as we hoped it would help our little one sleep better. Tim got on the plane first and did not see the bassinet attached to the wall in front of our seats. He immediately addressed this issue with the flight attendant who assured him that we have one, but it can't be set up until after takeoff. We took off on time and about 45 minutes into the flight our baby was sound asleep in the bassinet. Thank you so much for every one's sleepy thoughts because of the 5000 miles we just traveled, Olivia slept for all but 300 miles!!!!! Whoop Whoop!! That was a solid 8.5 of the 9.5 hour trip. Of course Tim and I did not sleep very much...but that's okay. Now of course Olivia had to show some of her true colors and for 15 minutes of when we were landing and taxing Olivia did manage to scream sooo loud that everyone on the 300 passenger plane knew she was there. It was so obnoxious that the baby next to us started screaming too. I was actually relieved when that baby started crying too because I thought it muffled O's screams a little and took off some of the pressure to calm Miss O. I heard the guys near us comment, "At least she didn't do that the whole plane ride". LOL.

We successfully got through customs quickly because they put all the families first (an Olivia bonus), found our luggage, traveled the Tube for about 45 minutes, and arrived at our hotel by 11:15!! Our room wasn't ready so we went to a pub to grab some fish and chips and CAFFEINE! Then we made our way to Sainsbury's to pick up some diapers and other snacks. While in the grocery store, we did discover some baby formulas that we thought the United States should get (the hungry baby formula -- for hungrier babies who are extra hungry; and the good night formula).

When we finally got back to the hotel we were able to check in. Our room is very decent ~ especially for London hotels!! It has a clean, modern feel to it. Olivia has a pack-n-play and we have a mini-kitchen. There is actually some walking room and we don't feel too crowded.

Tim went back out this afternoon to get dinner while Olivia got to take a real nap. While he was out, he found "smooth Orange Juice with no bits". LOL.

We are forcing ourselves to stay up until we put O down for the night and hope to all get a great night sleep!!! Good Night :)

London Bound

HOLY MOLY we leave today!! We are excited and Andrea is also very anxious! It's a huge trip...so please think lots of sleepy thoughts for Olivia tonight. We leave at 6:30pm from Houston and get into London tomorrow morning at 9:30am. We are managing to pack in one big suitcase (which is STUFFED), diaper bag, backpack, stroller and car seat.

Oh today is the 13th with means it's Olivia's 5 Month Birthday!!! She is growing up so fast!!

Happy 5 Month Birthday Olivia. We love you dearly.
ooo...this also means only one month away from your half birthday
...and mommy LLOOVVESS half birthdays :)

The Girls

It was another fun concert day at the park. Aubrey and Taylor are so precious with Olivia and Olivia can't get enough of them. The best part is they explain things to us that they are observing about Miss O. Taylor says, "Olivia I like how you are using your words," when she makes noises. And Aubrey took time out from playing with the walkie-talkie to show Olivia how it works. I'm looking forward to many more years with these girls!!!

Please notice this cute picture of Taylor...

...and the HOLE in the bottom row of teeth!!

Monday's Things

**Olivia slept REALLY well today (maybe it's because I blocked out all light with a black blanket over her window).

**Olivia spent some time in her jumper....lookin' cute

**Summer is Close...it wasn't actually this temperature today, but my thermometer said this number and I haven't seen numbers like this since last summer. yikes!

**Miss O rolled over from her back to her tummy on the floor. She can do it in her crib, but uses the slats to push over.
GO GIRL!!!

Boating

We went on the Johnson's Boat today!!! Do I need to say anymore? It felt so great to be on the water...and I got to wakeboard for the first time in over a year!!

- Milk and a humming boat engine :)
- Tiffini wakeboarding
- Lots of swimmers

Happy Mother's Day
to all those amazing mothers out there!!

Saturday's Celebration

Today we celebrated Tim's 30th birthday with the Johnsons and Outtens. First, Tim got his birthday presents from myself, Olivia and Jerry: Andrea - Sony E-Reader Olivia - Jeans Jerry - Tent

Tim started off our evening with an impromptu fashion show to showcase his London wardrobe. Then Taylor demonstrated her new amazing bike riding skills (no training wheels!!!), and finally we had birthday brownies. Oh...then the guys decided to set up Tim's new 4 person tent. Of course we also got to play a quick game of Dominion; however, we ended the night fairly early because tomorrow we are helping to kick-off the Johnson's boating season!! Whoop Whoop!!

Lucky Mommy

Tim came home today from traveling to NY....and when he walked in the door he was carrying a small package all pretty wrapped (FUN FUN FUN). For my first Mother's Day -- Tim, Olivia and Jerry got me beautiful diamond earrings. They are a HUGE upgrade from my previous beauties (which were bought back on Valentine's Day 2004 when we were in Richmond, Virginia for Joy and Paul's wedding). I am so excited about wearing these everyday :) I'm one lucky mommy to have such an amazing daughter and wonderful husband!!

Aaawww...

Olivia has her first owie. It's on her left thumb, also known as the sucking thumb :( Don't know how this happened, Tiffini thinks it might be a sucking blister. oooppss!!

Happy 30th Birthday Daddy!!

Happy Birthday
Daddy/Tim!!!
The big 3-0!! Oh my!!

Hope you have a great day and
we can't wait to celebrate this weekend :)
We love you lots - Andrea, Olivia and Jerry

A Concert in the Park

Today Chris (w/Baby Outten), Tiffini (w/Taylor & Aubrey) and I (w/Olivia) went to a concert. We had a little picnic and watched the girls play in the water fountains, while listening to the music. It was a warm day... we could feel the beginning of the summer heat and humidity.

As you can see from the pictures, Taylor and Aubrey are sooo sweet with Olivia. They are huge helpers and amaze me with the small things they notice about Olivia. It's wonderful to have such great friends to play with!!

Size 1 Diapers

Last time wearing a size 1 diaper.

Just another indication that our little lady is growing up...we are finished with size 1 diapers. Olivia "technically" still fits in them, but I'm not going to buy another box when we have size 1-2 diapers that would work just fine :)

Also, look at her knees in this picture. I took it in the morning after she woke up and her knees are red from kneeling on them all night.