Where do I begin.....

I haven't updated this blog since the holiday and I really want to post at least once a month, but sometimes that just seems impossible with all on my plate these days. In any event, Olivia has achieved so much since I last posted. She'll soon be 10 months old (1/30/11) and she's WALKING!!! Yes, my baby girl started taking independent steps on 1/21/11 at 9.5 months. She's also been using her POTTY! Yes, Olivia is using her potty! Her Ganny sits her on it and she's been successful in dropping off #1 and #2. She's talking and into everything. Olivia is climbing the stairs....well, not anymore because I have a gate at the top and bottom, but if left open she'll be up 4 stairs within a blink of an eye!

I am truly amazed at how fast she's growing and how much she's able to do independently. She can tell you if she doesn't want something by turning her head and she's sooo NOT interested in baby food. My child eats table food and/or Gerber Graduates. She has 7 teeth in (4 at the bottom and 3 at the top) with about 3 more starting to surface. My baby is also super clingy to her Mommy. She wants me in her eyesight at all times, so that means she's in the bathroom with me or wherever I am, she wants to be. I try to remember that this is just a phase and will pass. She will one day not want to be anywhere near me, and that will hurt I'm sure. So for now, I'm enjoying my little baby attachment.

I'm glad to also report that I have gotten a lot better at asking for help. It's not easy raising a little one alone, and thank God that I don't have to. Olivia's Ganny and Dad are such a tremendous help. It really does take a village to raise a child.

Winter Wonderland

Olivia's 1st Christmas was quite remarkable. I was sooo excited for "Santa" to visit my daughter. I'm sure she had no clue what the heck was going on. She would have been happy with me allowing her to pull ornaments off of our tree.....oh but no! We, the parentals, declared that all of her firsts would be spectacular! Christmas certainly to be no exception. I can honestly say I still can't see the floor and the boxes to all the toys, dolls and gadgets are stacked high along the wall so that Tuesday when the trash man arrives he might just have to pick up, dispose and return to get all of my trash. It's truly ridiculous how much stuff is packed for trash. Sorry environment :-)

One view of the bounty

Another viewMy Pooh in her My 1st Christmas pajamas

Aside from the very fact that its Olivia's 1st Christmas, we actually had a lovely blanket of snow on Christmas Day. It actually snowed on Christmas!!!! How special is that? My Mom reminded me that I had snow for my 1st Christmas as well....although I was only 2 weeks old I'm sure I was excited about it. LOL. Here's a pic of the snow from my front door.


Olivia has been in pretty good spirits considering that she has her two front teeth coming in for a grand total of 5 teeth!!!! She's not even 9 months old yet and she has 5 teeth! I feel like she's growing up soooo fast...Geez. I think her gums are bothering her more at night b/c she is not sleeping well. In fact, last night, Christmas night she woke up every two hours. I dosed her up with some pain reliever (which she didn't want to take) and then she seemed to settle and sleep a little better. Its an awful feeling knowing that your child is in pain and there isn't much you can do. It's truly a growing pain. :-(. Better days ahead b/c she will soon be eating her own chicken wings. LOL. My baby doesn't want anything to do with baby food. I mean nothing. The only bit of baby food she gets is when I put oatmeal in her bottle, otherwise she is pretty exclusive on formula. Other than a few bites or tastes of what I'm eating. Table food is her thing. It's sooo cute. She opens her mouth like a little bird when I'm eating. Oh how I love all these tender moments with my girl. In a mere 3 months, she will be a year old....heavy sigh......too fast.