Welcome Jackson & Lucas Blades...

I think becoming a parent changes you life so much for the good, that you can't imagine what you life was like before this little person entered your world and your heart. Since Olivia has joined our family, I just want everyone to experience that joy, and today I was able to go down and see two of my dear friends experiencing that exact joy, times two!!

Matt and Nicole welcomed their sweet little boys this past Saturday June 30th, 2012, on their great grandfather's birthday. The boys were born a few weeks early, they were 34 weeks along, but are both doing so great. I learned today (and hopefully I get it all right) that Lucas Ryan was born first weighing in at 4 lbs 8 oz. and Jackson Adam was of course second and weighed 4 lbs. 7 oz. Both mommy and daddy are doing so great and are so in love with their boys. For only being parents for a day and a half, they both seem like naturals already. I love seeing my friends become parents, it's an amazing experience, and I feel so grateful that I was able to go an meet their precious little bundles. When I arrived the boys had recently been moved out of their incubators so I was able to hold them both which was such an honour. They should be in the hospital for a little while so I'm looking forward to going and getting a few more snuggles and pictures while they are there.

Congratulations Nicole, Matt, Jackson and Lucas! We love you all so much!

 Me holding Lucas(blue) and Jackson (white)

 For someone who just had major surgery, she is doing fantastic!! Keep it up momma!

 Olivia's two newest friends... Lucas and Jackson Blades

 Jackson Adam Blades...

 Momma looking at her beautiful new son

 Kisses for Jackson

 Lucas Ryan Blades...

 Proud Papa Matt with Lucas

 Sweet Jackson snuggled in his bassinet

Little Man Lucas thinking about things in his bassinet

Olivia at Five Months

Happy Five Month Birthday Olivia!

You have been getting so busy lately that mommy hasn't even had time to do you five month update, such a bad mommy. It's the night before your six month birthday and I'm sitting here thinking back to month five. As always it was a wonderful month because you are part of our family. You are changing and growing every day, and you continue to keep us laughing. You have such a great little personality, you are an overly happy baby, who is alert and loves just watching the world around you.

-You continue to be a drool machine, some days are better then others. Some days there is no drool at all and other days you can't stop yourself. You love chewing on anything you can get your hands on, this month the focus in your life has been on other peoples hands. If you can get your mouth on it you will suck and chomp away, coating anyones hand in a nice layer of drool. Good thing your so gosh darn cute otherwise you might not get away with it.

 - Your sleep habits have continued to stay the same, you sleep a little less at night maybe 9-10 hours a night instead of the 10-12, but we cannot complain. You are napping still quite frequently, you eat and then stay awake for about an hour or so and then you are ready to be swaddled and put to sleep. You poor little sweetie can't even hide your tiredness, you give it away and fall asleep pretty quickly. During the day you nap for about 30-90 minutes, I would love for you to go a little longer, but i know it will come.

-Spitting up still happens quite randomly. We've been having some great days with nothing and then some horrible days where I should even bother to dress in real clothes. I'm hoping when you start food at 6 months that it will help settle your tummy better, to reduce spitting up and then we also hope having a full belly will help you nap longer in the day.

 -You are becoming more mobile, and we love watching you roll over still. It doesn't happen often because you still hate being on your tummy.

-You continue to have an addiction to gripe water, but it really does help you get the gas pains out, and sometimes it seems as if you can't get it fast enough. You grab it with two hands and pull it towards your mouth. It's pretty funny to watch, we don't know what we would do without it.

-You are much more vocal and love to squeal and laugh. We've "heard" a few "words" from you such as mum,mum,mum and yeah. The mum I'm not buying as meaning me. You always seem to make that sound when your getting upset, so I don't want to be associated with that. I think it will count when you look at me and say mom. You also seemed to say the word yeah when we were on the plane to Ontario, Nannie Bing and I were asking you silly little questions and that was your response- we were laughing so much when it happened because it was just too cute coming from your little mouth.

-Clothing still continues to be fun for mommy, I don't know if it will ever stop being so fun. You still are wearing some 3 months onesies from Carter's, where your so long and lean they fit you so nicely. The majority of your cloths are 3-6 months but we are slowly bringing out a few slightly bigger 6 months items. Pants is your tough spot... 3 months pants fit better in the waist but 3-6 month pants fit better in the length, what are we going to do with you.

 Some of the things that you did this month are :

-You had your first real fever. It was the day after you had your four month needles. You were not your normal happy self. You just wanted to be cuddled and sleep poor baby. It worried mommy but I checked with all my other experienced mom friends and our own nurse, auntie Chelsey to make sure I was doing all I could. We took the day and just laid in bed watching shows and cuddling. Sometimes that is all a girl needs when she isn't feeling well, cuddles with her mommy. I didn't mind at all. Luckily your fever went down about mid afternoon, early evening. That was a relief for mommy for sure!

-We have been using and LOVING your BOB stroller, this past month which means we have been getting out to do some walking which we both love. The weather shield has come in handy, we are super glad we invested in that piece for the stroller.

- You are continuing to strengthen your neck, and have had some good tummy time sessions this month. It helps for sure when mommy puts something interesting in front of you to keep your attention.

-You helped mommy in the kitchen for the first time this month. You sat on the counter while mommy cooked in your bumbo. I look forward to many more days getting your help in the kitchen. It was a fun mommy daughter moment!

-This month was amazing because YOU ROLLED OVER on your own. It was so exciting to see you do it again and again. I made a video and sent it to whom ever I thought would appreciate this big milestone. I think you started rolling in an attempt to get closer to daddy and I, you were in the other room and didn't like being left alone so you rolled to get closer to us, smart girlie! When we have since wanted to show it off to family, you haven't been as eager to perform.

 - We had a fun sleepover at Nanny Jackie's house this month. Daddy was doing some painting so we ended up staying at Nanny and Poppy's house for two nights. You had a lot of fun wiggling on Nanny's floor and cuddling in bed with momma and cousin Georgia. I think Nanny enjoyed having you there to cuddle at night. You experienced the pack and play for the first time this month and I don't know if you were overly thrilled to wake up in it. You did pretty well though making it through most of the night. I think I was more worried then you were. I hated having you close but far enough away that it's hard to see you.

- You experienced the fabric store for one of the first times I think, you were pretty mellow there, you had cousin Georgia there to entertain you. We bought some fabric to make you a skirt and a dress. Nanny worked on the skirt and it's adorable and filled with ruffles. She has since made you two more skirts with ruffles!!

-We teased you with food this month, well nanny did. We were having ice cream while we were at her house and you wanted it BAD! You were so focused in on that ice cream it was too adorable. We sent that too a few friends who said it was mean of us, hahha!! Not time for food yet!

- We had a proud teacher moment this month, while daddy was painting, mommy took you to the LIBRARY for the first time EVER! It was so exciting, we went and looked around a books and you even got your own library books. The very first book you got was called Ollie, I like to think it is pronounced like your nickname. Mommy of course took pictures all along the way.

-We celebrated auntie Laura's birthday from far away this year, but we made sure we sent her a picture of you for every year she was born. She enjoyed how creative we got.

-You made the funniest faces this month, mommy would blow on your face and you would make this shocked face, laugh and smile. Daddy and I had some good laughs with those pictures!!

-Nannie and Grandpa Bing watched you this month while mommy and daddy were out. They love every opportunity to come over and watch you. The night they watched you they took you out for a nice evening walk. When I got home you were snuggled in with Nannie nice and cozy!

-It's amazing how much you look like daddy. You were both sleeping side by side this week and mommy was shocked with how you are little twins. You have the same colouring and the same ears. It was a picture mommy just had to take... it was super precious!

-This month you celebrated mommy's birthday with her. It was exciting to wake up to you and cousin Sarah who slept over for my birthday. We spent a lovely Sunday together, and had a delicious dinner at Nanny and Poppy's house. It was exigent to see your face when they brought out my cake and you helped me blow out my candles. I was sad that I deleted those pictures by mistake :( It is a memory I wish I could get back so much, your little face was priceless.

- You had your first little bit of cradle cap, nothing too horrible. We oiled up your head a bit and made you look like a total grease ball. It helped a bit, you were not too keen on the oiling process.

-You were also a bit of a meanie this month. We were at Nannie and Grandpa Bing's and Grandpa was holding you, and cousin Alexis wanted to be sitting with him. So she came and sat with him too, we don't know what happened, but she started to cry. So auntie Meaghan took her, and you were watching closely and started to laugh at her. What a meanie... you couldn't stop! We tried to explain to you that it wasn't very kind to laugh at others.

-You decided this month as well that when I didn't have you facing your aquarium while we packed for Ontario that you would just wiggle yourself around so that you would have a better view of the show. It was pretty funny to see you one way and then the complete opposite was just to see your fishes.

-You had your FIRST airplane ride at 5 months old. We travelled with Nannie and Grandpa Bing, Auntie Sarah and Uncle Jaccob all the way to Ontario for great grandpa Steve's burial. Sadly daddy wasn't able to come but he wanted us to go to represent the family. You were AMAZING on the plane both there and back. You nursed on the take off, slept and played with everyone and then went back to sleep for landing, mommy was so proud of you. It was extra special because since Grandpa Bing is a pilot he carried you on to your first flight ever which I think was extra special.

-In Ontario you saw many sites like the Parliament building and the farmers market in Ottawa. You went to the Hard Rock Cafe for the first time and saw the store were grandpa brought nannie's engagement ring. You also got to meet many special family members from great grandma Sandie to great uncles and aunts and even great great aunts and uncles. There were lots of cousins and second cousins, it was amazing to see you with them all. You were such a great baby the entire time, being passed around you didn't complain and your spit up was barely there. Momma made sure to capture lots of pictures.

-One of the special people you met was daddy's cousin Cole. Cole hadn't been around too many babies, their loud noises are something he sometimes doesn't love. We spent a lot of time at his house this weekend, and you are not a loud baby so it was a perfect friendship. He started off just standing closer to you and then he would come and say hi to you. Eventually he would come and touch your little hand. On the day of the burial he would come over to the car and make little faces at you trying to make you laugh, it was so special to see. When it was time to go he even gave you a little kiss goodbye. It made mommy so happy.

-You had your first stay in a motel which was interesting. You were a real chatter box on our first morning there and auntie Sarah and uncle jaccob could hear you chatting away. In the motel you experienced your first sink bath which was so funny, I put you in the sink and it was like a little hot tub for you, you kicked back and relaxed. We sent that out to family right away!! ha ha!!

-We celebrated our first MOTHER'S DAY together which was so special for mommy. We woke up in the motel room together and we just got to cuddle together. Uncle Andy, Cole and Liam gave mommy a special little gift bag. We had a dinner at Nanny's when we got home and then you and daddy gave me the most special card, with a super thoughtful message. I feel so thankful and grateful that I get to be your mommy, I am so blessed to have you in my life. Your such a sweet daughter and I look forward to always having you as one of my best friends.

- You started this month to do the funniest thing, when I would put you on your belly if you couldn't figure out how to move your arm to roll over you would just lay down and give up which is so cute. You would lay there for a few minutes before eventually getting mad about it and try again. You always looked so peaceful as you layer there looking at me.

-We started walking this month with our neighbours Karlie & Jax and JeNae & Brecklyn. We walk on the trail near our house and it's great exercise. You love your time in the stroller and I love the walking and the conversation.

-We visited another school that mommy teaches at, you were so good and the kids were all so excited to see you. There were a few of the grade ones I taught that just wanted to hold you, she even snuck a few kisses too, oh my!

It's been another busy but great month with you. There is so much more we could write about doing, but we will put that in your little journal. Olivia you continue to be the brightest spot in our life, you make every good day that much greater. You always can put a smile on our face and make us laugh. We continue to love watching you grow, even when it makes us a little sad that you are becoming such a big girl. We are looking forward to seeing you reach all your milestones, the next big one comes at 6 months when you start eating food, we don't know if we are ready for that but we have some time. We love you so much Olivia, you are the biggest blessing in our life.

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Olivia at Four Months

We've had another few busy weeks, and momma has been a slacker but I needed to post before month five comes along and that is soon...

Happy Four Month Birthday Olivia!

 Miss Olivia, I think we have said this every month since you have been born, but we cannot believe just how big you have gotten again this month. You are changing so much, and as exciting as it is, it also makes us a little sad because our little girl is growing up. We try to snuggle you a little longer because we know soon enough you will be wiggling and moving even more then you are now. Momma hopes that if she snuggles you enough now, that you will always love it and always want to snuggle, a girl can hope right!

You bring so much joy to our family. No matter how stressful life may get some times, you always take that away and put a smile on our faces. You crack us up so much with the little faces you make and the great laugh that you have, it is a laugh that comes deep down in your little belly and just erupts out of you in this sweet little giggle. Daddy is really good at making you laugh, I think he enjoys it even more then you do. Olivia you have been the most perfect addition to our family. We tell our friends often about how lucky we are to have you as our own.

 At four months you continue to be curious about the world around you. You still like to be close to you momma, but enjoy your wiggle time on the floor to kick and stretch your long legs. Here are some more of the excitement that month four has brought...

-Olivia you continue to be a droolie baby. At times we will put bibs on you, but we are starting to back off on those because when you do wear them you soak right through the bib. You also like to chew on whatever you can get in your mouth, your fingers are the number one thing you get in there but you also will try to chew on your blanket. We have checked you for teeth but nothing yet! When momma was taking your four month pictures she had to print the sticker off twice because your drool ruined it the first time.

-You still tend to eat about every two to three hours, although you can go longer. At night time you can wait 10-12 hours without eating, but when you go eat in the morning you can't get enough! Spitting up continues to be your struggle. It continues to be a random thing, but we do worry that you might not be getting enough food, but you still are a happy baby, so that has to mean something right? We always tell people if you spit up on them that it is a sign of love.

-We worry when we tell people that you continue to sleep through the night, that we are jinxing ourselves. We know that we are very lucky to have such a good baby that sleeps anywhere from 10-12 hours a night. I think your Heavenly Father knew when you joined our family, that daddy works over night sometimes, and that mommy would be the main person getting up with you, so he gave us a super good baby, so that mommy would survive. She says a BIG thank you every time you make it thought the night. There have been a few mornings when you have woken up early, but as long as mommy brings you in with her and daddy you go back to sleep for a little longer. It's pretty nice!

 - You continue to amaze us with your strength, you love to be able to sit up tall to see the world around you. You still don't always love tummy time but you are slowly getting better at staying on your tummy longer.

-You love to babble and talk. You always look so serious when you are talking to mommy and daddy. We really wish we knew what you were saying because with the way you baby talk it sure does sound like you have some fantastic dreams.

-Speaking of dreams Olivia, sometimes when you sleep you make these little faces where you furrow your brow and make these little whimpering sounds like your having bad dreams, it just breaks our hearts. Luckily they don't tend to last too long.

-You continue to wear a mix of 0-3 month clothes and mostly 3-6. You are a long baby but a skinny one, so we keep you in the smaller size pants because they fit best, but soon enough they are going to be too short for your long legs!

 -You have the greatest smile, and mommy has captured many of your best smiles so far this month. Your smile takes over your entire face and your little eyes just light up every time you smile. It makes us want to keep you smiling your entire life, although that doesn't always happen. You know how to work the water works, and cry LOUD. We are a sucker for your big alligator tears.

- You used your bumbo chair this month for the very first time, you didn't know what to think of your new view of the world. Momma had to put some blankets around you to keep up right because otherwise you would try to lean over and chew on the chair- silly kid!!

-Your hair has been staying pretty constantly dispersed around your perfect little head, you only have a slight bald spot in the back of your head from your car seat but it's not even that bad.

- Movement is still your friend, when you are cranky or have gas you still love being bounced around. We are thankful that you still like your swing too, it helps free out hands when we have a few things we need to finish. You also this month loved to wiggle away from your play mat. Mommy had you laying one direction and with time you wiggled yourself 180 degrees and almost completely off your mat! You are going to keep us on our toes for sure!

 - This month you found out that you are getting two new friends this summer. Mommy's friend Nicole found out that she is having TWIN BOYS. In mommy's group of school friends you will continue to be the only little girl, with all sorts of boyfriends, lucky lady!

-Speaking of friends,we continue to send text messages, videos and pictures with our friend Sawyer and her mommy Jennifer. You and Sawyer are 23 days apart in age, so it's fun to see the similar and different things you are doing each month!

-You celebrated many birthdays this month, we celebrated with cousin Jacob & cousin Cooper, you cannot wait until you are big enough to eat with all the big kiddies.

-This month we had our first sleep over with Miss Georgia, she was so helpful with you and she just loves you so very much. You had your first trip in to a MacDonalds when cousin Georgia was here, now that's always a memory one wants to remember!

 - you continue to sleep in the most unique ways, you love being swaddled, but  when you get your hands on face you sleep in funny and cute ways. Such as hands planted on your face or hands resting on your cheek it's the sweetest!

- Olivia at four months you were still working on mastering getting things to you mouth and then in them. You have a green teething ring, mommy likes to call your chewy, and you try so hard to get it to your little mouth and have it stay there, but you're not quite there yet.

-You went out for your first longer walk this month with mommy, nanny, and your Nelson cousins. Mommy carried you in the baby carrier and we walked all around the duck pond, which sounds small but it's a good little walk. It was a beautiful day and we took a lot of fun pictures.

-That same day you went down the slide for the very first time with cousin Sarah and you also went in the baby swing for the very first time which you were not too thrilled about. This happened at the dingle playground and it was pretty cold!

 -Four months brought another holiday your way, and this holiday was EASTER! You celebrated in style with a beautiful easter dress that Nannie Bing made you and a sweet casual outfit that Nanny Jackie bought you that said "Somebunny loves me" and isn't that the truth. The easter bunny visited and brought you a very fun basket of goodies and a few little treats for mommy and daddy.

-You had two easter dinners, one at Nanny and Poppy's place with five of your cousins and then one at Nannie and Grandpa's place with all your aunties, uncles, and cousin Alexis. Nannie and Grandpa spoiled you and Alexis this year with a giant bouncy castle, set up in the basement. Although you are still too little for it, we took you in for a quick bounce. I don't think you knew what to think.

-Daddy sent mommy a text message in month four that melted her heart, it said, "i was thinking about olivia today. i love her so much"- you have one VERY good daddy who works so hard for you.

-Olivia in month four you also brought the back arch into our family, when you don't want to lay on mommy's lap or on the floor you work really hard to arch your back and wiggle away, it sure is something to watch. We always call you a little stinker when you do that!

 -Daddy also discovered this month that because you are a baby that likes movement, that carrying you in the baby carrier is a lot of fun. Some days he will get home from work and just pop you in the carrier and walk or dance around the apartment with you. It's very sweet!

-You continue to LOVE the bath time, and enjoy splashing the table until the drips start to over flow.

-You rolled over again this month. You've done it maybe 3-4 times before this, but today was cool because we totally we not expecting it. Cousin Jessica was sleeping over and we had gone to your room to change you and while you were laying there in your diaper you rolled from your back to your tummy. Jessica and I were shocked and amazed! We tried to get you to do it again, but no such luck!

- You had a father daughter bonding moment this month, daddy was watching his favourite teach the Toronto Blue Jays play baseball on TV, so we got out your baseball hat and bib that are all blue jay inspired and you rocked it for the game- I think daddy was pretty proud.

- You had your first visit to the emergency room this month. Mommy didn't really think you needed to go, you seemed fine, but the nurse that she talked to on 811 said you should go. You had spit up this bright green mucus, and it made mommy nervous, but you seemed fine before and after. So nanny and I took you down since daddy was at work. We waited about 45 minutes, but the nurse that checked you said that you were fine and she consulted a doctor too. We were glad that we didn't have to wait longer. You were a happy camper the entire time!

-The same day you went to the emergency room for the first time was also the time you finally got your new stroller. and it is a little piece of heaven! It's so easy to push and a smooth ride... this stroller is going to be so great for getting us outside more!

-You met your new puppy cousin RUBY, this month, she was the first puppy you met and I think you two will be little buddies!

-Your first time bowling happened this month, we went for nanny Bing's birthday with the whole family and it was a lot of fun! You even came up and bowled a string with mommy and we did pretty good together. You did spit up there, no surprise as that is still a little challenge for you, Grandpa Bing was holding you up and smiling and laughing at you and then as soon as he started to lower you, bam, you nailed the floor with spit up!

-Olivia you got a very special outfit this month from Auntie Brittany. She went to India to visit her friend Andrew and she brought you and cousin Alexia beautiful Indian outfits. Your was a burgundy, white and gold combination and it looked so super cute on you. We will treasure it always.

-We love having you meet extended family members...this month you met your great, great aunts. They are your great grandma Logan's sisters and it was really neat for you to meet them all. It was the first time mommy had met them to, they were all very sweet and LOVED you. You spit up on each and every one of them, but we explained that's a sign of love. They told mommy if she couldn't find you then it meant you were in their suitcase on the way back to NFLD.

Miss Olivia Mary, each and every month is filled with so many exciting moments and these were just a few that your momma can remember. I wish I could video tape every single moment of your life because you are growing too fast, and we always want to remember these early days with you. Your little tiny feet and hands that are always kicking and grabbing and holding our fingers. Your big bright blue eyes and your sweet gummy smile. We want to always remember the way your breath smells so sweet like milk, and the way you sometimes furrow your brow in your sleep when you have little pains or bad dreams. We want to remember they way you laugh and the way you talk and coo. We want to remember  everything about you, you are a gift from our Heavenly Father and it's the best gift that we will ever get. We feel honoured to be your parents and promise that we will continue to do our very best to teach and raise you. We love you with all our hearts, you are the very best thing that has ever happened to our little family!

Love Mommy & Daddy

Mother's Day Giveaway...

I'm not going to lie, I have been looking forward to mothers day for a long time. I'm excited for mothers day even though we will be spending it on a plane coming home from a quick trip to be with our family. Anyway found this fun giveaway from one of sites I follow on Facebook... check it out, maybe if I don't win one of my friends will!!

http://www.babycachet.com/Baby_Cachet_2nd_Annual_Mothers_Day_Giveaway_s/1153.htm

Olivia at Three Months

Momma has been a slacker this past month and did not get our three month post up, but I have been thinking about month three a lot so here we go!

Happy Three Month Birthday Olivia!

Olivia we cannot believe that you have only been in our lives for three months. You have been changing so much and getting so, so big. You really are getting your own distinct little look and your own little personality. You keep daddy and I laughing so much with the little noises and faces that you make. We often talk about how we cannot imagine life without you, you have made our lives so much happier and richer then it was before.

Sometimes I don't know how we waited so long to have you join our family. We love every opportunity that we have to be around our extended family, your grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins love you so much, we love that you get so much love from them all. You are a very blessed little lady and we hope that you always remember that. We hope that as you grow up that you will give back all the love you have received to those around you and especially to your family.

At three months you continue you to impress us with all you do. You have experienced more firsts this past month and here are a few of them...

- You are still a fantastic eater, and eat during the day every 2-4 hours. You still get mad if you don't get fed fast enough, but once your in position you latch on and get down to business. You are still spitting up quite a bit, some days are better then others, but it drives us bonkers. You will finish eating, and then an hour later explode on us. Good thing your cute!! You also love to stare down big people food when you are at the table with momma and daddy it is pretty funny.

-You have turned into an AMAZING sleeper. Mommy doesn't like to brag, but she does sometimes, she just can't help it. You have been sleeping 10-12 hours at night and it is amazing. We are slowly getting into a routine. You go down to bed usually between 8-8:30 and you sleep until about 8-9 am. It does vary from dad to day but it's usually around the same time. You are getting better at keeping your sookie in your mouth when you sleep, although you on occasion will cry in your sleep for it, all mommy has to do it put it back in and your sound asleep again. If you wake up a little earlier then mommy and daddy want we just bring you in to bed, and you'll go back to sleep for another hour or two. We are so proud of you for sleeping in your bed, we love having you close but feel safer with you in your own bed. You still love to be swaddled in your crib, but we've gotten that down to a technique that works fantastically!

-You LOVE playing on your play mat. Mommy can leave you for much longer spurts to play in your own. You grab all your toys and you even have started putting them in your mouth. You are a little monkey and have started to pull down your play mat. I even found you hidden under your mat one day when it fell over, you thought you were the funniest person EVER! Mommy has since fixed your play mat and made it much sturdier!

-You have started to track daddy around the house almost as much as you do mommy. I think daddy loves that so much, you are his favourite girl so it makes him feel extra special, he adores you so much!

-You continue to be a strong little lady. You love to pull yourself up from laying down, we sing a song when you do that, "I'm not small, I'm so tall I could carry a _______ on my back" we often say piano, elephant or daddy. You think it's so funny. You also move yourself around on your play mat non stop, we will lay you one way and find that you wiggled to another position. This month was the first time we really saw this. Mommy came in to find you positioned so that all your towns were hanging over your body. Every time your foot would hit the bar, the toys would hit you in the face, you didn't understand why. It was so funny to watch.

- You have been babbling so much more, even more then last month. You have different pitched squeals, and it often seems like you are trying to tell us all your fantastic stories. You are even starting to laugh a little bit more, you almost have a little giggle it is so sweet!

-You are still wearing your 0-3 month clothes, but certain favourite outfits have gotten to small, too short in the arms or the legs. It makes mommy sad to see you moving out of your smaller clothes, your just growing way to fast. I need to get your next sized clothes ready to go.

-You continue to mostly breast feed, but you have had some bottles this month. You continue to take them like a pro, which makes mommy and daddy so happy. The new bottles we got you so the trick for sure.

-You still love to be cuddled, when you start to get tired all we have to do is snuggle you close and you will drift off to sleep. You definitely prefer to be snuggled to sleep. You transfer well to your crib and don't mind being swaddled when your asleep. Mommy doesn't mind she could still snuggle you all day.

-You love sitting on daddy's knee watching T.V. Sometimes I think we need to not have you near the T.V so much, because you really love to stare at it. We try to keep it kid friendly and educational, but daddy thinks you love to watch sports with him. It's your special bonding time.

-You are trying harder with tummy time, but your still not a fan. We tried it on your nursing pillow this month and you seemed to like it. You held your head up really well the first time we did it, and we cheered you on so much!

-Nanny Bing got to babysit you for the first time this month. Daddy was at work and mommy had to go out to celebrate a friends birthday. I think I talked about you non stop at dinner, but that's what mommy's do! You were such a great little baby for nanny Bing, drinking all your bottles and snuggling with her lots. I'm not going to lie though I was excited to get home to you, I don't like being away from you for very long.

-We celebrated lots of birthdays this past month, you went to parties for auntie Sarah, uncle Ryan and cousins Emmy, Finley, and Cooper. You met some more new friends there and were snuggled lots. No cake for you this year, but maybe next year!

-You went to the playground for the first time with your cousins. You didn't go on any of the equipment but you enjoyed the walk there with nanny and the beautiful weather. Mommy and daddy bought you your first pair of shaded that day and you looked so fantastic!!

-You celebrated your first St.Patrick's Day... since daddy says that this is my peoples holiday we had to get you all dressed up in green and you looked so fantastic. You had your first girls night sleepover that day, and you were such a perfect little angel as we stayed at auntie Kathy's again.

-You experienced your first HOT days in March which isn't normal for Nova Scotia but we took them in. We were able to go for a walk as a family and you only had to wear a hat and a light sweatshirt and you probably didn't even need that. We had ice cream that day and just enjoyed each other's company. We can't wait for even more nice weather so we can go outside a lot more.

Olivia, we could write about you all day. Every little thing you do just amazes mommy and daddy. It's like we are seeing the world with new eyes. You have opened our eyes to notice the little things in life and to find joy in those little things. We are your biggest fans and will cheer you on in all you do with your life. We love singing the ABC's and days of the week with you. You are such a smart little lady and we know you will do great things in life, and we are here to support you in all you do. We look forward to watching you learn and grow so much, you light up our lives and we love you so much.

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy and Daddy

Olivia at Two Months

Olivia wasn't feeling well on her two month birthday so cuddles won out over posting. Couldn't let the milestone pass without sharing. She is now 2 months and 7 days old!

Happy Two Month Birthday Olivia

Olivia you have only been in our lives for two months, but it seems like you are already a different little baby. You have gotten so big in the past month and have changed so much. The puffy little features that you had when you were born have settled down, and your starting to get your own little look to yourself. You've started to do so many exciting things, and you are constantly making mommy and daddy smile and laugh so much. There doesn't seem to be anything you do that is wrong, we coo and laugh over every thing you do.

When we went to the doctor this month, we were excited to see how much you had grown. You now weigh 10 lbs. 10 oz, which is fantastic. You are growing so much and are in the 50th percentile for weight. You are 59 cm or 23.2 inches, you've grown almost an inch since you were born. You are such a long baby, and we were not surprised that you are in the 75th percentile for your height. When the nurse put you on the scale, guess what you did, you peed on it. The nurse said you were the third baby today to do it, she was three for three. Dr.Lee said that you are looking fantastic, you are doing everything that you should be doing, and we couldn't be more proud!

Two months brought your first round of immunizations, you received three today and you handled them like a champ. The first one was taken orally and the nurse said if you were not good to take it then that you could have it at your next check up, but you took it without complaint. She was so impressed with how good you were. The other two were in your legs, the first needle shocked you and started some tears and the second one brought them out fully. You let out a big cry, because the nurse said the second needle was the more painful one. Momma couldn't watch, she even cried a little. I didn't like seeing you in pain!

At two months Olivia you continue to amaze and astound us with all the great things you are already able to do...

-You continue to be a great little eater. We reduced the amount of time you were eating a little to see if that helped with your spitting up, it did a little bit. Your spitting up is still sporadic, but it has reduced a little. You like to save the spit up for when we are not expecting it. The other night I laid you on my chest at bed time to get you to sleep. Two minutes after laying down blah, you spit up all over mommy's neck and shirt. It was fantastic! You've sneak attacked daddy and I a few times, but your so gosh darn cute that we can't be mad.

-You've started to do so much better with your crib. We had a few late nights, and you still ended up in bed with mommy and daddy most nights, but we've been trying. Our first big success was a day that you napped four hours in your crib. Mommy had to keep checking on you because she couldn't believe it. You then continued to have more naps in your crib, and although the routine was interrupted by your cold, you still are doing great at napping in your crib. When you go in your crib, we wrap you up tightly, it helps keep your soother in your mouth and you seem to like it.

-You have been sleeping fantastically at night. If you eat around midnight, you will usually sleep until between 7-9 in the morning, it's so nice to get such large chunks of sleep! Daddy and I really appreciate it!

-You have started to focus a lot more on the toys that hang down from your play mat. You enjoy your free play time, and have started clasping and hitting your toys. You get very excited about playing with your toys. Tummy time is still not your favourite, as much as we cheer and encourage you, your just not a fan. Daddy is so good to keep it up and he tries it with you as much as he can.

-You are one strong little lady. When we hold you in our arms you love to stand up nice and tall and hold your head up like a BIG girl. We still have to watch you that you don't bobble too much, but your pretty strong.

-You LOVE the swing. We borrowed one from Nanny Bing and you think it is a fantastic invention. You are so happy when you are in it, you like to stare at the TV or just fall asleep in it. Mommy likes it because it gives her a bit more time to accomplish things around our home.

-You have started to babble and coo so much. It's so much fun to have little conversations with you. You get so excited when we talk back and forth. Your little eyes just light up! It's exciting for mommy and daddy too, we love the sweet sounds you make, we are looking forward to when you start really laughing.

-You are out of your new born sized clothing, mommy was pretty sad to pack it away. We've now been working through all your 0-3 month clothing. We want to make sure that you get to wear everything at least once. Nanny Jackie says your going to think you have to get your picture taken every time you get dressed, because mommy does capture all your cute outfits.

-You own so much clothes speaking of clothes... mommy finds it hard to resist a cute outfit at a good deal. Daddy can't resist a good sports outfit for you. He recently bought you a New York Jets sleeper, it's dark green and it will fit you when your two. We love our daddy he means well!

-You attended your first super bowl event, dressed to support daddy's second favourite team. Sadly they were not successful, the patriots lost, but you sure did look cute in your outfit.

- Bruno Mars "Count on Me" and Boyce Avenue "Just the Way You Are" are still your favourite calm down songs. You have been enjoying "You are my Sunshine" as well. Mostly just the chorus of the song, we sing it lots!!

-You've been baby sat at Nanny Jackie's a few times, and you are always a little angel when you are there. Mommy and daddy hate being away from you, but we are glad you are in good hands when we can't be with you.

-You had your first bottle this month, we bought you this fancy medela breast feeding bottle, and the first time we tried it, it was a battle! Mommy was persistent and you ended up drinking the bottle but the next two attempts were horrible and we gave up on that bottle. We went to the bottle that auntie kathy recommended so much, it was inexpensive, and it worked like a charm, you downed the bottle super fast, and even took it at nanny's without any complaints, again we were so proud!

-You celebrated your first Valentine's Day in month two of your life. We had cards and treats at home. Mommy and daddy have a special valentines shirt, and headband for you. We had a hat for you too but it arrived late. You got lots of cute Valentines from our family, and you sent some out to family and some of your little friends like Josh, Noah, Sawyer and Colston. It was very fun to make our Valentines together. Nanny Jackie took us to visit Nannie and Grampa Bing and our Nelson cousins. It was a fun day!

-You also went to your first birthday party. It was Ella's fourth birthday party, at auntie Sarah and uncle Jaccob's apartment. We had a lot of fun visiting with friends and having ice cream cake. You didn't get the cake but you loved the cuddles.

-You still love to be held and snuggled. Lately you've been so good at snuggling on mommy's shoulder. After you are fed and you are being burped, you'll snuggle right into my shoulder. I love the way you cuddle in and stick out your cute little bum. I could cuddle you like that ALL day.

-You now have a LOVE relationship with bath time, even when momma pours water over your head, you just blink a lot and laugh. You let mommy wash you without any complaint. You also love splashing in the tub, your bath song of choice is "Party Rock" by LMFO. You wiggle and splash it's super funny!

-You had your first real cold, it stressed mommy and daddy out a lot. You would cough and choke and it worried us so much. You would cough up milk and mucus, but we kept getting you checked out by the doctor and he said you were okay. You didn't love the saline that we squirted in your nose, and you were so sleepy. Although you were still your happy go lucky self, you could see it in your eyes that you just were not feeling well. It was cute, we could always tell when you were done coughing because you would do this cute little throat clearing.

- You have been enjoying story time with daddy. He is so good to remember to read to you, he'll always ask mommy to bring him books to read you. His favourite one to read right now, is a Grover book, called "There is a Monster at the end of this Book". He reads it in voices and gets so into the story it is so cute, and makes mommy love him so much more.

Olivia, we just want you to know just how much we adore you. You have both of us wrapped around your cute little finger. You just coo or smile and we melt. We want to remember every little thing you do because you are just so amazing. We want to do everything we can to make you happy. Daddy and I often talk about how lucky we are, we have been blessed with such a good baby. We are a little baffled when you get cranky, because in the first two months of your life it's something that hasn't happened often. Your making it easy on us, and we appreciate you for that. We will probably write this every month, but you have changed our life so much and we just love you with all our hearts. You bring a new kind of joy to our lives and have just made our family so much stronger. Mommy and Daddy just want to work together so much harder to give you the best life possible. We cannot wait to continue to watch you learn, grow and accomplish so many wonderful things!

Hugs and Kisses!

Mommy & Daddy

Olivia at One Month

Happy One Month Birthday Olivia!

Olivia, we can hardly believe that you have been part of our family for one whole month already, but at the same time, we can't imagine what our family was like before you joined it. You have changed our lives so much, and that change has been for the better.

At one month Olivia you are already doing so many things that amaze your mommy and daddy...

-You are a great little eater. You latch on quickly and burp when mommy asks you too. You do spit up quite randomly, and have gotten it all over mommy before, but she loves you still.

-If you wake up from a nap, you are always ready to eat. If you don't get to eat right away you let us know, you have a very persistent cry when you want what you want. We are trying to teach you that you get your bum changed, clothes on and then you get to eat.

-You have been a great little sleeper, usually sleeping about 4 hours at a time, even at night. You wake up without really crying to be fed, do your business and then settle back in to sleep. I think you have spoiling mommy and daddy a bit.

-The only problem with sleep, and that is that you won't sleep in your bassinet. The longest you have gone is about 3 hours, when we all had a nap. You sleep great on the sofa or in the bed next to mom, but that's not something we want to encourage, so we are trying to figure that out now.

-You are a BIG snuggle bunny. You will sleep so well when you are snuggled next to someone, if we put you down, you can sense it and usually wake up which is sweet but frustrating all at the same time. Sweet because it's nice to know you love being next to us and frustrating because it makes it hard to get things done.

-You have the most adorable little face. You have these dainty, little cute features and we could look at your little face all day. You use these little features to make the FUNNIEST faces. Some of our favourites are your big eyes, your cross eyes, your stink eye, your little O lips and your forehead wrinkles. When they are combined it's just the most cute, and funny expressions.

-You are tracking people with your eyes so well. You know mommy, and when she walks past you when someone else is holding you, your eyes follow her. You were quite taken by Dr.Lee at your last appointment, you couldn't stop staring at him.

-You are wearing a mix of new born sized clothes and 0-3 months. What's hard with you for clothes is that you are a skinny mini little lady, but you are long. So most pants don't fit you in the waist and some of your little sleepers are not long enough, but don't worry mommy is still having fun dressing you up!

-You have a love/hate relationship with your soother. You enjoy sucking on things, but you have a challenge keeping it in your mouth and settling down to keep it in your mouth. Once it is there though, you are one happy camper.

-If you can't get the soother you LOVE sucking on your hand and on your arm. I joke sometimes with people and tell them your going to give yourself a hickey on your arm. You are getting close some days.

-You have the softest hair after your baths, if I could give you a bath every day I would, but I don't. Sometimes in pictures your hair looks really dark, Nanny thinks it looks strawberry blonde when she sees you, but other times it looks really blonde, I guess time will tell what your hair is going to be like. There is a little tuft of hair in the back that stands up, it's so sweet.

-You have had your finger nails cut twice, and in both times mommy has only slipped up once and clipped your thumb. She felt HORRIBLE, but you forgave her.

-You love movement. Poor daddy gets home from work super tired, but he will always walk around and bounce with you. It's funny when he tries to sit down, you sense it and wake up, which makes him keep moving. It's too funny. Luckily we like to walk and dance around with you.

-You have had your first sleepover at auntie Kathy. While daddy was away with uncle Jeff we stayed over there and you were cuddled lots by your cousins and mommy was fed so great. You also had your first visit to one of mommy's schools, and every body loved you!

- You have been given a name and blessing at church by Daddy, it was such a special day. Your looked beautiful in the dress Nanny Bing made you and daddy gave you a beautiful blessing. Mommy was so proud of him, and was thankful that he was all hers.

-You have been starting to make more little noises. We laugh often at the sounds you make, from cooing to squawking, from making duck noises to pig noises, we love every single peep that comes from you.

-You calm down well to music, but you already have songs you like or don't like. The two that you calm down to the best are "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars and "Just the way you are" by Boyce Avenue. When mommy sings along you settle right down, it makes mommy smile so much.

-You've sneak attacked both mommy and daddy when diaper changes have happened. Daddy got the first few surprise pee's that got everywhere and mommy has been able to catch them in the diaper pretty well, although she did get the first poop surprise. Lucky her!!

-You have put weight on well. When you were born you were 8 lbs. even. When you left the hospital you were down to 7 lbs. 9 oz. At two weeks you were up to 7 lbs. 13 oz. and at one month you were over your birth weight, coming in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. We were so happy and proud of your birth weight.

-You and the bath sometimes agree, but sometimes you don't. Mommy tries to wash you as quick as she can, but she's not always fast enough. Other times you are calm and content in the tub, I'm hoping you grow to LOVE bath time.

-We think you'll either play soccer or be a dancer because your little long legs never stop moving when you are awake. They are very strong legs so you stretch and bounce on the often.

-You HATE tummy time and usually cry through the entire time. You have a pretty strong neck anyway, but you just hate exercising it, unless you are propped up on mommy or daddy's shoulder.

-You have ROLLED, it's not common for babies to do it, but your just so strong. You did it the first week we were home from the hospital, but daddy and I missed it. You've been doing it again quite a bit because it is your escape from tummy time, you smart girl.

-You have experienced your first walk in the snow, you were bundled all up and didn't seem to mind the white flakes that were collecting on your carrier. Mommy was worried about slipping in the snow holding you, but she stayed on her feet.

I hope that I have remembered it all, you just do so much that we just want to remember it all.

Olivia, you have brought so much love into our family. Daddy has so naturally fallen into the roll of being your daddy. You have him wrapped around your little finger and he would do anything for you. Mommy can't get enough snuggles from you and could sit and stare at your perfect little face all day. Daddy often says that we make beautiful babies and I would have to agree with him. We both just love you so much. You are such a sweet baby and have such a great disposition. You are easy going, and settle without much fuss. We are so looking forward to watching you learn and grow. This first month has been the start of a great journey for us all. We look forward to helping you become an amazing girl, who is kind, friendly, smart and so much more. We are always here for you, and we would do anything for you. Thank you for coming to our family and making is parents. We love you with all our hearts.

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy and Daddy