Saturday, July 11, 2009 - Update

My dad with his two kids and two granddaughters.

It takes two people to light 60 candles.

And he blew them out in a single blow!

Helping grandpa open his presents.

Grandpa and his girls.

Kissing cousins

Good snacks and great conversation.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Sailing!

Guess who's turning the big 6-0?

He may be 60, but he can still out-run, out-perform, out-work, and out-last most of us. I don't know. . .Olivia may have met her match. We hope you have a wonderful birhday! We love you!

Penelope

Princess Penelope

Oh, what a day. Came home tonight to clean the guinea pig cages like we do every Friday night and found that Penelope had died. I thought she would outlive them all. . .she was stubborn enough. She was almost 7 years old, which is the longest that any of our guinea pigs have lived. I got Penelope back when I was living in my Andover apartment and planning my wedding. She moved three times with me. She was one of the guinea pigs that I was especially close to. . .except when I was pregnant. For some reason, Penelope would not have anything to do with me while I was pregnant. . .she wouldn't even let me pet her. It was the oddest thing. . .like she thought she was being "replaced." She definitely acted like she was royalty with a take charge attitude. She kept the other girls in line. Penelope will be greatly missed.

Smile

July 2008

July 2009

I love comparison pictures. When you are around someone 24 hours a day, you don't notice the subtle day to day differences. Boy, what a change within the past year! It does my heart good, however, to notice that her smile and exuberance for life hasn't changed. I hope it never does.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - Update

Marilee and Olivia by the tigers

The tigers were right up by the glass.

This guy was so funny.

There was even a baby giraffe.

We had a great day hanging out with my friend, Marilee. We ate a yummy lunch at Olive Garden and then headed to the zoo. Olivia did awesome the entire time. I was hoping the day's activities would wear her out and we could take a nice, long, afternoon nap. No luck. . .it's 4 pm and she's still going strong.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - Update

Olivia has been sleeping in until almost 10 am in lieu of a nap. She has discovered the joy of morning sleep. . .ahhh. . .it's the best. I actually had to wake her up this morning for her Rainbows appt at 9 am. There's something inherently wrong about waking a sleeping baby or anyone enjoying a restful slumber, really. Maybe I'm a bit biased towards sleep, but it sure helps a tired mommy. Once Olivia is up. . .she is up for the rest of the day and doesn't slow down. Who knows how long it will be until she starts napping again. She has been going to bed a bit later because she can't seem to fall asleep until the sun goes down. I'm sure she'll be waking back up at 7:30 am just when I start enjoying this new schedule.

Fun In The Sun

Today, I went over and played outside with Izzy.

Two crazy girls!

Uncle Donnie spraying Izzy with the hose.

I couldn't decide if I wanted in on the action.

Izzy got soaked!

Do I or don't I. . .

My cousin Izzy sure knows how to have fun in the sun!

Comfort

All children have ways to comfort themselves. . .whether it's a blanket, a thumb, a pacifier, or a stuffed animal. I forget that those who have never been around Olivia, don't know this side of her. She sucks on her hand to calm herself and has done so since the NICU. She has such a strong gag reflex, her thumb would probably be too much. She especially likes to lay down on a soft, fuzzy blanket and suck on her hand. It's really cute and is just one of the many special things about her.

Sunday, July 5, 2009 - Update

Our fourth of July festivities were cut short after hearing the devastating news that Ryan's aunt Peggy passed away. She has been fighting cancer for some time. My heart goes out to her husband, children and all who knew and loved her. It's been a tough week for our families. Earlier this week, Ryan's uncle fell from a combine and broke his back. After being airlifted to Wichita, he underwent surgery to fuse some of his vertebrae. This is the same uncle who suffered a stroke last year and is still facing challenges because of that. How much should one man have to endure? Because of his accident, harvest has been a bit more challenging for the family. Ryan's dad is still out at the farm, which left Ryan's mom without him at home when she heard the news about her sister. What a tough week for everyone. Then, I hear the news today that my uncle is in the hospital with the swine flu. Please keep our families in your prayers.