News from Olive

Hi all!
We're gearing up for a fun Father's Day weekend here in KC! It will be Jason's first official Father's Day so celebration is definitely in order.  Last week, he purchased a cool smoker for the occasion which has already been fired up a few times. This morning, Olive was in a very chatty mood.  She started babbling in the letter of "D" and I swear I heard a "dada" in there somewhere!

Olive has some news to share with everyone.... believe me, this surprised look is similar to the look Mommy had when she found out!

It is true!  We are really excited to be welcoming baby #2 before the end of the year.  The due date as of now is 12/21/12.  I'm feeling a lot better this time around, thank Heavens. And time is flying by... this baby will be here before we know it!

As our "old" baby approaches 7 months of age, I realize how quickly they grow on you! So we're doing our best to record the moments with some good pictures.  See a few faves from her recent 6 month photo session with Little Bird Photo.

And another fun candid shot at home - blowing bubbles, of course!

Love, Claire, Jason, Olive & ?? Cunningham

Dog Crazy

Hello!
Since the last post, we have been on another road trip to Southwest Kansas with baby-girl and our beloved chocolate lab, Morton. Olivia does well on road trips, and I know the presence of her 4-legged "brother" and sweet friend help comfort her and pass the time.

In case you did not know this, we are dog people (I've had a few cats along the way too but find that cats and dogs are hard to mix). Apparently the "Olive" doesn't fall far from the tree! She is one dog-crazy-baby.  Wherever we go, she can spot a dog a half mile off. She loves to watch them and gets excited when they do things like fetch, bark, wag their tails, you name it. It is actually a beautiful distraction that works even when she is fussy! Poor Morton often gets called over to help "babysit" (i.e. entertain the baby).

We are of course VERY careful with her around dogs (especially dogs that are not named Morton). We trust him a little more because ever since we brought her home at 2 days old, he had this sweet, gentle manner and awareness around her so that's why we give him a little more slack.

The other day, Jason said something to Olive about going home to see Morton, and she lit up with excitement.  I think it's possible that she will know/speak his name before she even says Momma or Dadda!

Teething (and associated drooling) is still in full swing at our house with nothing to show for it just yet. Last weekend she woke up at 2 am with a 102 degree fever.  So Jason embarked on what is probably an initiation rite for new parents: a 3 am drive around town for a 24 hour pharmacy and Baby Tylenol.  She is doing fine now. Might have picked up a bug from daycare but it has passed.

She is sitting up really well now - see picture of the babies from our Bradley class at a recent picnic (Olive is top left in lime green).

Our neighbors have a baby who outgrew a jumper so they gave it to us. Olive LOVES it!  This is a great thing to use when we are making dinner in the evenings.  We put Morton on entertainment duty and she hardly ever tires jumping in the thing.

I hope all is well with you and yours.  I hope to have another update fairly soon when we get the pictures from her recent 6 month photo shoot.

Take care ~Claire, Jason, Olive and Morton