Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Update Part II

After the fun of the zoo was over, we had various problems to deal with around the house including our missing shingles (gotta love that Kansas wind.) I was so proud of my husband who is not at all fond of heights.

I really should have made him wear sunscreen.

While daddy was getting scorched on the rooftop, Olivia had it made in the shade.

Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Update

Today, we had our first family outing to a public place. We went to the zoo. We were extra vigilant and avoided all enclosed or crowded places. That limited the amount of animals that we were able to see, but the trip was good for our mental (and physical) health. It was a beautiful afternoon.
Even the giraffes were basking in the warm sunshine.The giraffes, of course, were our first stop.

We even got to see Olivia, the giraffe.

Next, we visited the rhinos. . .

and the elephants!

By we, I mean Ryan and I. . .Olivia slept through most of it.

We stopped by for a short visit with the zebras

and the adorable penguins.

It was nice to feel like a normal family

and it was a wonderful visit. . .until I dropped the camera. I couldn't live without my camera and I hope I didn't do any damage to it. I could kick myself.

Friday, April 18, 2008 - Update

My friend, Kerry, came over today to help me get some things ready for the March for Babies walk. Her help and dedication has just been amazing! It's still not too late to sign up. Because I don't have email addresses for all of the walkers, I thought I'd better post some information here.

We are meeting at 9:00 am at the Horseshoe Shelter (closest shelter off 21st St.) We will then have team photos taken. They will have a kids zone that has moonwalks, March of Dimes tatoos, face painting, etc. There will be a mission zone tent where you can find out what March of Dimes does to give every baby a healthy start. The walk begins at 10:00 am and we will be doing the one mile walk. We are asking everyone to wear yellow or orange if they would like. Brown would also be fine. . .can you tell we're going for a giraffe theme?

If possible, I would like everyone to get me their donations by next week. I'm going to go by the March of Dimes office next Thursday to turn everything in beforehand. If you need my address, please email me. Thank you to everyone who has helped us raise an amazing $1751.00.

Thursday, April 17, 2008 - Update

Over the past couple of days, I've realized how much Olivia enjoys music. Olivia has always enjoyed music (it was only Logan that disliked being sung to.) She will sometimes only calm down when I sing my riveting rendition of Hush Little Baby. . .ha, ha. We listen to my old records on CDs quite often. She especially enjoys it when I let her drift off to sleep to music, although I don't want her to rely on music to fall asleep. She listens to Bullfrogs and Butterflies, and The Music Machine, but her favorite is Sir Oliver's Song. She gets frustrated when there is a lot of talking and this album has very little. Plus, the songs and their messages are very good. I love sharing this part of my childhood with her. I know that there are many great children's CDs out today and I'm sure we'll delve into those at a later date.

I hope you all enjoyed her laughing video. It was especially funny because Ryan always plays these little games with her. Sometimes he'll get a little smile from her and sometimes he'll just get a blank stare. He always responds with, "Someday, you'll find that hilarious!" And. . .she finally did.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - Update

I don't have much to say in an update today (I mean, how do I follow that video?) Plus, the video is probably good enough for 2 days worth of updates, right? We've been trying to get Olivia to recreate that laugh all day, but no success yet. At least we got it on video so we can watch it over and over. . . .

Tax day is no laughing matter, Olivia

Today, Olivia laughed for us for the first time. Wow, it just made our day. To hear her laugh, you may want to scroll down to the bottom of the page and mute the music player. Then, you can play the video. She is just adorable.

After all she's been through, to hear her laugh (and my husband laugh) was one of the best moments ever. To share a moment like this with my family was indescribable.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - Update

Still fresh as a daisy. . .

With Olivia sleeping mostly through the night, one might wonder why I still have these dark circles under my eyes. I'm having a bad case of insomnia and can't seem to get to sleep before 2 am. Last week I took Tylenol PM in order to get to sleep, but this week I'm determined not to take anything. It makes me too restless and groggy in the middle of the night and I find it hard to get out of bed to check on Olivia. I think of all those nights when I was up with Olivia and would have given anything to sleep. Now, she's in her crib fast asleep and I lay staring at the ceiling. . .it's gotta be some kind of cruel joke.

Monday, April 14, 2008 - Update

Animals? Where are you?
There you are!

You're all so funny!

Olivia is becoming increasingly aware of everything around her. So much so, that it's often hard to get her to take her bottle. She wants to look around and smile and talk to everything she sees. She's realizing that she can hit some of her toys and make them play music. It's very rewarding to watch her make these discoveries. She also has developed a newfound appreciation for her mobile. Who knew that little animals dancing around in a circle could be so entertaining.

Sunday, April 13, 2008 - Happy Birthday Julia!

Happy Birthday, Julia!

When I met Julia in 2001, she had just turned a year old. I went over to Ryan's parents' house to be introduced to everyone for the first time. She held her arms out to me and grabbed my finger and led me around the house. I was so nervous and she made me feel much more relaxed. Babies are good judges of character, so I figured if she liked me then maybe everyone else would too. She always knew that I was her Aunt Jodi.

Last year on April 13th, I gave her a dozen roses. This year, she gave me a dozen roses.

Julia was my flower girl in 2003.

Here we are at Alex's 2nd birthday party in 2002.

Ryan and I left Olivia with my parents today and went out to lunch for the first time in. . .I don't know how long. We then headed over to Julia's birthday party. It was good for us to get out and spend some time together. We were anxious, however, to get back home to our little girl. Oh, and before I forget. . .be sure look here or check out the local section of today's paper. My dad was interviewed about the Joe Cocker/Mike Finnigan concert last night.