Olivia 1.0

Hello all!
Well, so much has changed in the past year when Jason and I became "plus one" with the birth of our baby girl last year on 11/22/11.  Wow, what a whirlwind of experiences and change. People say that it goes by so fast and now I know what they meant by that.

These days it seems like Olive is just changing and learning right before our eyes.  One day we were using pillows to block certain areas of the room from her getting into something. And the next day, she is moving the pillows, stacking them and using them to climb higher and get into more new things!

She is a very inquisitive and curious baby girl.  And while her energy level has seemed to skyrocket here in the past 6 weeks, mine certainly has not! *We are really excited to be welcoming baby #2 in a about 5 weeks!*

Just the other day, she started loving on a special stuffed animal we call Froggie.  I watched her in the crib on the baby monitor giving him a binkie, covering him with a blanket, cuddling with him, and even trying to change his imaginary diaper!  I think the timing is good for her to take interest in a special lovey since Jason and I will soon have our hands (and arms) full with another baby.

Here are a few pictures from the 11 month photo session that we had a few weeks ago.

 

  

This past year has presented us so many incredible blessings, challenges and downright CHANGE. And I don't expect the coming year to be much different as we adjust to being "plus 2" though we will have a lot more experience under our belts.

Though I hate to look too far ahead now since this is a special time that we will never have again, I am secretly looking forward to the time, say, a few years down the road, when the kids are a little older and a lot of the heavy lifting for raising infants/toddlers is behind us.  Maybe we can even take a vacation somewhere! (Ahh... the beach would be nice!)

Love always, claire

Trick or Treat?

Hi everyone!
I am just getting in under the wire for another October message.  We are gearing up for Olive's first Halloween. See picture with her little angel outfit from the party they had at daycare the other day:

 Our house is full of people trying to kick a cold virus, but thankfully we are getting the upper hand. Last weekend, after being frustrated with a congested baby (for more than two weeks now) and no good advice from the doctor except wait for it to pass... I did what any smart, savvy mom in the 21st century would do.  I got on the computer and checked in with my Facebook mom's group for advice.

What came of this exploration will no doubt keep the vampires away from our house this Halloween!  The solution.... GARLIC. For three nights in a row, I packed Olive's feet with a minced garlic/olive oil poultice. Then I covered her feet with plastic wrap, socks and lace up shoes (in that order).  Poor thing had to sleep with stinky shoes all weekend because without the shoes, the socks would be off in a flash and the garlic/oil mess would be everywhere. She did sleep incredibly well, I must say, and she woke up with a touch of baby-garlic-breath (which smells like normal garlic breath except MUCH cuter :).

(knock on wood) I do believe this home remedy helped -- Garlic has powerful analgesic, antiviral and antibiotic properties.  By the way, I packed my own feet with garlic one night and woke up completely clear in my chest and sinuses. I am sure Jason is now kicking himself now for not putting some kind of "odd use of garlic" exclusion in our marriage contract.

Olivia has been increasingly vocal and active lately. She is loving climbing the stairs and playing on the slide at daycare.  In the food department, she lets them spoon feed her at daycare but won't let us do that anymore at home. She's not terribly picky or messy at the dinner table though she's learned how to feed the dogs scraps from her high chair which isn't great (she does let them lick her fingers clean too which I guess is a bonus!).  Each morning, she eats a scrambled egg with toast and fruit.  She loves salmon and other fish.

Baby Boy is cooking right along (32+ weeks now).  I am getting bigger and more and more ready for this pregnancy phase of my life to be over, though I know this is a small sacrifice to make and it will be over before I know it.  Needless to say, we are all looking forward to December and to meeting our baby boy!

We will have some pictures from a recent photo session to share next time. Love always, claire

Energizer Baby

Hi everyone!
We're enjoying a beautiful Fall here in KC though Olive and I are both recovering from the flu that seems to be everywhere these days.

We just got back from a trip to Arizona to visit Jason's mom, Patti. This was the second airplane trip for Olive and she did really well. We bought a seat for her on the plane and brought her car seat. Both ways, we were seated in the very front bulkhead row. On the way there, she didn't sleep at all (darn!) because she was so busy checking everything out, tracking the flight attendant's every move.

When we got to grandma's house, even though it was late (especially considering the 2 hr time change), Olive was absolutely FULL of energy! She was practically race-crawling around the house to check everything out.  All three of us adults fell into bed just minutes after I got Babygirl down for the night.

I've heard that stimulating experiences can help kids advance, and I would say this was definitely one of them. Her level of activity and energy before and after this little 4 day trip has definitely increased. Verbal skills have really picked up as well - we are noticing lots of new words and even phrases.

Here are some pics with a giraffe from the Phoenix Zoo.

She has been the queen of funny faces these days.  When you hold the camera up - she sometimes does this cheesy little smile.

She weighed in at 20 lbs the other day at the doctor's office so she is growing well and getting strong! Walking is probably right around the corner.

Signing off until next time! Love, claire, jason & olive

Tooth Fairy and other fun stuff

Hi all,

I am sneaking in just under the wire here for another September update! Olivia is doing great and keeping us all on our toes. She is crawling a lot and pulling herself up all of the time. Needless to say, we're taking things "to a higher level" around here to adjust!

Just today, the Tooth Fairy paid a visit and after much hard work on her part (and on our part to support her), her first tooth FINALLY cut through. I think we may have quite a run with teeth popping in for the next few weeks since she appears to be a "late bloomer" in this department.

One of the coolest things about parenthood (in my rookie opinion) is getting a front row seat to the many milestones in life and getting to witness the learning process first hand for things that, as adults, you take for granted. While it is not all sweetness and light, I have to say that parenthood is just plain more FUN than people had ever led me to believe. It is absolutely true that your life is never the same. You don't get as much sleep; your priorities change... but they failed to mention that you don't really miss all of that freedom (at least not most of the time). And what you get in return for the absolute honor and privilege of bringing into this world and raising a new human being is far far more than you ever give up.

At least that's how Jason and I both feel. And I am incredibly thankful for that.

What people do say that is absolutely true is that the change happens so fast and to take lots of pictures. We have been falling down in that department this month; but I am determined that we will purchase a video camera before baby #2 comes (and preferably before Olive starts walking so we need to start shopping!).

Regarding #2, he is cooking right along. I'm feeling good *except for heartburn this time which I never really had with Olive*. His room is coming together and we really need to start thinking about names!

Here are a few pics from the past month:

1. Learning to drink from a straw

2. Playing "monster baby" downstairs in the rec room (this game involves Jason or I crawling to chase her while in turn she chases us; we each 'hide' behind couches and furniture and everyone makes scary monster sounds)

3. With Faina, from daycare

 

Have a wonderful Fall. Take care ~the Cunningham family

Dog Days

Hello all,
We had some sad news a few days ago. We had to put the eldest of our canine brood, Zanzibar - age 11, to sleep the other day.

He has been in declining health over the past few months, so I knew this day was coming eventually. But I still can't help but feel surprised by the suddenness of it. One minute you have this being that you are caring for and the next he is just gone.  I still call out to the yard for him, forgetting that he is not there. We still have two dog bowls, a matched set, for he and Vanna. We put one of them back in the cupboard, too saddened by the reminder of it.

Zan came into my life in 2001 as an 8 week old puppy.  That was 8 years before I ever met Jason and even longer before we ever dreamed of having Olivia. But maybe that's not really true either... to give him full credit for his place in my life, he was perhaps the first step in an important process for me. Part of a natural progression towards me becoming a mature and responsible adult, capable of caring for others, and able to create a family of my own. He really was my "first baby", a starter child of sorts.  Its funny that unlike Morton (who would love to be considered in the realm of human and is often treated likewise), Zan never strove to be more than just a good dog.

Zan was always a very cheerful fellow.  Looking back, one of the only "bad days" he ever had was just before Halloween in 2001. He was about 4 months old and though I had blocked him in the kitchen when I went to work, I had failed to put the two packages of chocolate candy for trick-or-treaters up high enough out of his reach. When I got home from work, he was sprawled out on the floor, tummy distended after having eaten all of that chocolate.  Lots of memories from that year... curling up on the couch holding a soft, sweet, squirmy puppy while watching the news coverage of the Sept 11 attacks.  Then later that same year, two of my nieces were born a few weeks apart.

Zan got his first taste of what life would be like with the new baby months before she actually arrived. After one of my baby showers, I set the haul of presents out for sorting in the living room. He found a frog stuffed animal in the pile and decided it looked like his toy.  So I took it from him and scolded him, but for days after that, no matter how well I tried to hide it, he would find the same toy again and take it from the pile. He wasn't trying to destroy it, just claim it for his own. Jason and I both thought it was funny especially because Zan never really showed much interest in toys. But the lesson about what was his and what was the baby's definitely stuck. When we brought her home, he was very gracious, always giving us a wide berth and never trying to pry into what was going on.

In memory of Zan, I'd like to take a minute to thank the millions of companion animals out there who share their lives and bless their owners with unconditional love.  Thank you for being there for us sometimes when it is hard and for teaching us invaluable life lessons about loving and letting go.

xoxo claire

9 Month Update

Hello!
We are all doing well here and enjoying the end of Summer. Olive is keeping us busy watching her as she explores "kid friendly" parts of the house.  It seems that playing with toys is no longer fun, but pulling books out and digging through drawers is really a blast. We are slowly getting our kid-proofing game together and hoping to stay one step ahead of her!

Feeding her these days calls to mind the negotiation and selling tactics book "Start with No" - I think the author must have been trying to spoon feed an infant when they came up with the idea for that book. She enjoys telling us "no" by shaking her head and going "uh uh" when she is done eating or doesn't like what is offered.

We have been working with her on "no" when she gets into something that is off-limits. When you tell her no, she will stop and look at you... then smile and giggle as if to disarm you by her charm and cuteness (which sometimes almost works!). Then she will often test the wrong behavior again but more slowly and with an eye cocked in your direction.

We had a great time in Colorado in early August, relaxing and spending lots of fun family time. Here is a picture of Jason hiking with Olive near the house.

I can't believe how much she has changed in the past month. She has less "baby" look about her and more little girl. Waving bye bye and clapping hands are fun these days too.

The one on the way is doing great. I am at about 23 weeks now and feeling good. Take care. Love, c  

Anniversary!

Hello everyone,
Today, Jason and I celebrate our 2nd Anniversary! It is amazing to look back over the past two years at all that has changed in our lives. Even with the occasional curveball that life sometimes throws, I am so happy and blessed to report that our love is stronger than ever.

For me, marriage has been about learning how to give up some of my independence and work with my partner to find our common ground. I'm sure Jason would agree that we are both strong and (sometimes) stubborn individuals, so we have to try to see things from the other's perspective.

One of the best things about being married to your best friend is truly knowing a person, and loving them all the more for it. Finding the humor in life is also key. I have learned that Jason is really good at cleaning up a baby with sticky fingers and food all over her face. He is excellent at packing a suitcase and loading up the car. He refuses to stop at rest areas on road trips because he says they are bastions of crime and devious behavior (I just thought they were places to go to the bathroom!). He may be the only person that I know who doesn't like 'smores, but he will gag one down around the campfire with friends to be social... I have also learned that he is an absolutely devoted husband and amazing father. Yeah, sometimes I think I hit the jackpot.

Last night, Babygirl gave us our anniversary present early by showing off a new skill... CRAWLING!  It was a big milestone in our world as now she is officially mobile. Time to kick the baby-proofing into high gear.

For the weeks leading up to this milestone, Jason has been "training" her for what I call the Baby Olympics. He would stack cups across the room and entice her to crawl/wiggle or otherwise mobilize herself to come and knock them over. We are also getting really good at throwing balls and toys in a competition I call the "Binki Toss". We have observed that she does a lot with her left hand so we might have a southpaw in the making like both my dad and grandfather on the Coughlin side. Unlike my dad who was chastised at Catholic school by the nuns for being lefthanded (because they thought it was a "mark of the devil"), I think we will come down on the side of whatever Olivia prefers!

Olive is getting in to more solid foods these days; sucking on pickles, lemons and limes is a favorite pasttime. Here she is working on a lime at a favorite mexican restaurant.

Baby number 2 is cooking right along and I am feeling really good. Signing off until next time, Love Claire