Birthday girl

Wow, a whole year has gone by! It's pretty amazing to think that this time last year we were just hanging out in the hospital room with Melanie, watching Saturday Night Live skits on the computer and waiting for "The Show" to start. Once the contractions started and we all got serious about the impending birth, it was exciting. I wasn't really sure how Chris would react to the birthing experience, I thought maybe I would freak out and yell at him, but I didn't. He was beyond amazing and stayed focused on the task at hand. I was also so happy to have Mel there as well to interpret the medical blah blah blahs and be my cheerleader.

From the moment she was born--no, from the moment I saw her on the sonogram monitor at seven weeks--Olivia had an incredible life force. She wants to live and live large! So, thanks for the lesson, little girl. Happy birthday.

Olivia at 11 months: Her ever changing moods...

Here's a video that perfectly encapsulates the ups and downs of Olivia's typical day. As you can see, her satisfaction with the world changes from second to second. It's hard to be 11 months.

Nappin' & sleepin'

I think we may have figured out the whole napping and sleeping issue. The key: a schedule! Using the "positive routine" method, we had a rough idea of when she should be napping and then followed the routine every time to give cues that it was nap time. (Shades drawn, fan on, bottle given...)

It's funny that I can feel so much pride in such a simple thing as a nap! But I do.

Olivia's First Halloween

We had such a great Halloween! We didn't have a plan until the last minute, but we did end up carving pumpkins, buying candy, creating costumes, and going trick-or-treating on Saturday afternoon.

I sewed these little felt ears on Olivia's hat and voila! She's a puppy. Or a piglet.

Chris is dressed as "Oregon Dad":
I just happened to have this lemon yellow 1970s dress. I've never had occasion to wear it until now...
There's that cute crinkle face again:

The gang:

Ten months and beyond!

Pics of the little cutie-pie:








Olivia recently started doing this crinkled face thing that looks like a cross between almost sneezing and getting a bug stuck in your nose. Anyway, it cracks me up when she does it and I'm glad I've captured it on film. :)

Cuteness x2

Thanks for the cute beret, Grandma Marjorie!

Now give me that camera!

Wow, 10 months today!

THEN:


I was looking at pictures from the first few days of Olivia's life and it just seems so amazing that there was a time when she slept all day, couldn't keep her head up by herself, and had little noodles for arms and legs! Another thing that has changed is how loving she is; it's probably nature's way of insuring our bond during her teenage years. But for now I relish her wet attempts at kisses and the way she wraps herself around my waist in the morning like a little monkey.

NOW: