Friday, August 15, 2008 - Update

I like to watch the Olympics in my favorite chair.
Go USA!

It's pretty fun to watch.

This race is a real nail-biter!

I can't believe it!

Another world record!

Is There A Place In Your Heart?

For a baby rat like me?

I'm asking because a lady I know (fellow rat lover) was contacted by PetSmart because someone left two female rats in a shopping cart. Because she is so kind-hearted, she took both of them only to find out that one of them is pregnant. She is unable to keep the babies because she has already tried to save more than she can comfortably take care of. If she is unable to find homes for the babies, they will have to be euthanized. I would take them if I could, but we just can't right now. I told her I could surely find homes for them.

I cannot tell you enough positive things about pet rats. My two girls are amazing pets. I could go on and on about them. They bond very deeply with their owner. If you decide you'd like to have one (I would recommend getting two, however, because they are very social) you would be able to hand pick them out. The mama is ready to give birth any day!

Still haven't decided? This site has a lot of information and pictures about pet rats. Remember, they are as different from wild rats as dogs are from wolves. Anyway, if you are interested. . . .just email me and I will get you her number. When the baby rats are here, she will be bringing them to my vet's office in hopes to find them homes. Maybe they could come home with you??

Thursday, August 14, 2008 - Update

Asleep in the Jeep

Hmmm. . .I remember when she was too small to fit in this stroller. Look at her now. We had a much better night last night. I gave her some Motrin instead of Tylenol. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or not, but she slept all night long. The storm woke Ryan and I up, but Olivia slept right through it.

I can't write too much at the moment. Olivia is sleeping and I need to get myself something to eat. Eating. . .that is such a problem for Ryan and I. You know how everyone always complains about hospital food? I always enjoy it. If only we could get that kind of service at home. They could come to your door with a covered dish and you would lift the lid with anticipation. "What am I having tonight?" I'm not too picky. Then, you could just set your empty plate outside your door and someone would come pick it up. Oh, me and my crazy ideas.

Ryan and I hate wondering what to fix every night (he cooks just as much as I do.) Food remains our biggest obstacle. During the day, I find it hard to eat with Olivia and she doesn't like to wait on me while I cook something. Sometimes she doesn't like to let me eat. If I feed her when I eat, I end up not eating much myself. I call it the Olivia diet. (She's eating her baby food better, by the way.) Speaking of eating. . .I'd better do that before she wakes up.

Oh, What A Night

Last night, I kept muttering to myself. . "Are you kidding me?" as sleep continued to elude me. Here is how the night went:

9:00 pm Olivia is sleeping peacefully in her crib.

9:15 pm Olivia wakes up. Daddy goes in, picks her up, we put on some lullaby music and she goes back to sleep.

9:30 pm Ryan and I enjoy the Olympic games.

11:30 pm Decide that the Olympics is on way too late. We turn off the t.v. and go to bed.

11:45 pm Olivia wakes up crying. I get up and rock with her.

Midnight Olivia is back to sleep. I crawl back into bed.

12:15 am Olivia wakes up crying. I get up and rock with her.

12:25 am I am still rocking her and she falls back to sleep. Then, the SMOKE ALARM goes off!! I jump out of the chair, Olivia wakes up and I run in to get Ryan. He checks everything out. No fire or smoke.

12:45 am I decided just to sleep with Olivia on the floor in her room. I'm a little worried that there is a fire somewhere that we don't know about. I want to make sure that I can get to Olivia. Olivia goes back to sleep and I am almost to sleep.

1:00 am The smoke alarm goes off again!! Wakes everybody up. . .can you see a pattern here? It went off yet again a few hours later.

In the morning, I realized that I'm too old to sleep on the floor. Ryan changed the batteries in the smoke detectors over the weekend and they seem to beep more often everytime the batteries are changed. But, I don't ever remember them going off in the middle of the night. We are now missing a smoke detector and Ryan's going to go to Home Depot after work. Oh, what a night!

Go For The Gold, Baby!

How about playing the piano with my feet? Is that an Olympic sport? No?
Rolling over? No?

How about just being cute? Could I get a gold medal for that?

Only Stacie will find the humor in the title of my post. :) Anyway, I love the Olympics and look forward to watching it every 2 years. . .summer or winter, I love them both. I'm always so disappointed when they're over. Of course I missed the big 4 X 100m men's relay race where the USA took the gold. Ryan and I were probably cleaning up vomit. Olivia has thrown up the past two nights. We had gone weeks without any vomit. I'm not sure if it's due to her teething, her increase in bottles, decrease in baby food or the fact that she tried some baby yogurt on Sunday (and loved it.) So, we're back to dealing with that again along with the teething. . poor baby girl.

I just thought I'd mention the Olympics so that I could bring up Ian Thorpe and how disappointed I am that he retired. Was it wrong to cheer for an Australian in the 2004 Olympics? I enjoy watching Michael Phelps claim gold after gold and I like the synchronized diving and the gymnastics too. It makes you wonder about the potential of the human body. If all of those athletes can push their bodies to such extreme limits, you'd think I'd be able to run down to the mailbox without getting winded.

Thanks to my dad for helping me with a few things today and to my uncle Chris D. (I have two uncle Chris's) for your generous help as well. I really appreciate it.

Monday, August 11, 2008 - Update

None of us have been getting much sleep at night. We can barely get Olivia to bed before 11 pm, she's up multiple times at night and awakes at around 6 am. Today, Aunt Kimmy found two bottom teeth trying to poke through. I've been suspecting teeth for quite some time, but this whole teething thing keeps dragging on and on. Olivia went over to Grandma and Grandpa Glunt's today because Great-Grandma was in town. She probably thinks her great-granddaughter is a crabby baby. . .she's really not. We came home and I gave her some Tylenol and orajel. We're doing a little bit better. Let's hope these teeth are a little kinder to us all.

Sunday, August 10, 2008 - Update

I'm so happy I could burst!!

Olivia has this amazing ability to take my pain away. One smile, one laugh and my heart just skips a beat. She is the most amazing person I have ever met. Lately it seems that her development is just exploding! She rolls over all of the time, she tries to crawl up and over my shoulder when I'm holding her and she talks all of the time. I think she has her first word. Yes, it's. . . . .dadadadaddydadada. I know, all day I say, "Mama this and mama that and her first word is dad. . .go figure.

She worked so hard to make it over 15 lbs and finally did around the beginning of August. She is now 15 lbs 10 oz. No wonder she is outgrowing her clothes. She is also starting to use her arms more. Sometimes it's to pinch my nose. . .other times it's to see what's in her diaper. . .I'm just thrilled she's using them. And, she's mad that I'm not playing with her right now. So, better go.

We also want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE JOEL!!! Hope it was a great one.

One Boy, One Girl

Olivia

Logan

Last year on August 9th I had my 20 week ultrasound and was able to find out the sexes of my twins. It was one of the best days of my life. Baby A was measured first and we were thrilled to learn that we were having a girl. The ultrasound tech moved on to Baby B and when she announced it was a boy. . . .wow, a boy and a girl. It was perfect. I had never felt so blessed in my life. All of the pain, disapointments month after month, shots, doctor visits. . .it was all worth it. At that time, I had no idea of the pain and heartbreak that was to come. I had only experienced the tip of the iceberg.

I go back to that day and wonder why they didn't see any red flags. How could they think everything was fine when I gave birth 3 short weeks later? If I had simply uttered, "Check my cervix," would that have changed anything? I just didn't know. . .I didn't know. I trusted them to know what to check for. If they had learned of my impending premature labor, I realize that I still probably wouldn't have made it close to term. But, if I could have made it a few more weeks or even days. . .maybe Logan would still be here. I feel like I'm always looking for somewhere to place the blame and in the end it falls back on me. I'm the mom and needed to take care of my babies. I feel like I need to know more about everything because apparently you can't place your trust in other people. That's a huge weight for my shoulders. . .no wonder I'm always tired.

As time goes on, I don't expect to have my two babies with me. We no longer have the two cribs or the double stroller. Logan's clothes are packed away with the clothes that Olivia has outgrown. For the longest time, we still referred to Olivia as "them or they."

"Are you ready to go up to the hospital to see them?"

"Have you called to learn how they are doing?"

"When they come home. . ."

We rarely do that anymore, but there are still moments. For instance, I had purchased blue hangers for Logan's side of the closet and pink hangers for Olivia's side. Now, the blue and the pink are intermingled in the closet. Sometimes when I'm hanging up Olivia's clothes, there are those moments when I grab a blue hanger. I realize there will always be those moments in our lives. I don't think things like that ever go away. I'll always miss Logan and wonder what it would be like to raise my twins together. I'll always go back to these anniversaries and wonder. . . . what if.

Friday, August 8, 2008 - Update

This is mommy's new favorite outfit. She went on and on about how cute I looked in it.
She does that a lot though. I'm kind of used to it.

Remember my mom's friend, Stacie? Well, today we are going over to meet Stacie's mom and sister.

I'm pretty excited!

Here I am with Stacie. She's so nice.

And here I am with Stacie's mom. (Hmm. . . I thought I heard Stacie's mom say that she didn't want her picture on the blog. Mommy, you have some explaining to do.)

Here's another kitty! They had one at their house too!

Stacie's sister, Trista, helped me with some strength training. Whew, it was hard work.

I came home and crashed from all of the socializing (and jumping.) It was a great day.

Thursday, August 7, 2008 - Update

Okay, I had to swipe this picture from Shelley's blog. Olivia was enjoying time with her cousin, Abbey. I thought this picture was adorable!

Whatcha looking at, Abbey?

Olivia and I had lunch over at Shelley and Izzy's with grandma and grandpa. Izzy was very happy that Olivia came over to play. . .it was too cute. Olivia showed off her jumping skills and Izzy even clapped for her. Olivia also got to interact with their kitty. For lunch, Izzy was eating some tapioca pudding. Lately I haven't been able to get Olivia to eat much of anything, so we tried some pudding and she loved it!! She must have learned a thing or two about Izzy's good eating habits because she ate some carrots when we got home. We also took a nap on the living room floor (Olivia woke me up at 5:30 this morning.) I hope Shelley and Izzy got a nap as well.

I am still shocked and amazed by a gift card that we got in the mail today. There was no return address and we have no idea who this gift was from. All we know is that it was from an amazing, wonderful, generous person and we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will use it to buy something special for Olivia's birthday. Thank you. . .there are wonderful people in this world.

Cough Cough Chuckle Chuckle

One of my favorite things about being a mother is finding the things that make Olivia laugh. They are not the expensive toys targeted to cause laughter in children. They are always unexpected and they always make me smile. Whether it's the clunky cart at Target or folding jeans (yes, today she thought that was hilarious) I love nothing more than hearing her laugh. Yesterday as I was attempting to feed her, I coughed. She burst into laughter. I grabbed the camera and caught a bit of it.

Also, be sure to check out Shea's blog. We go to church with Shea and she has been a long-time follower of my blog. She is one of the most tender-hearted, empathetic, caring teenagers in all of the world.

Double Take

Mommy and her daddy
Me and my daddy

I've been wanting to get this picture for a long time and Olivia is close to outgrowing the dress. Olivia and I don't look that much alike, although I think I had the same amount of hair on my head as a baby. We tried and tried, but couldn't manage to get her to grab the tie and smile at the same time. We had a lot of fun taking the pictures tonight (and thank you, Ryan, for putting on your suit jacket and tie just for the occasion.) Who knows. . .maybe Olivia's daughter will take the same picture with her daddy.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 - Update

We borrowed this adorable Spin and Explore ladybug mat from Izzy. Apparently, she didn't like it. . .Olivia doesn't either. This would be a great tool to get Olivia to support herself with her arms, but as you can tell, she still manages not to use them. I think it would be tough to hold yourself up like that. Maybe that's why she doesn't like it. Anyway, I put her on it and then went and grabbed my camera (so that you can see what I'm talking about.) She started crying and I went to pick her up. When she saw the camera, however, she managed to grin. I took her picture. She cried again, saw the orange light on the camera. . grinned again. I think that she has learned (after 3000+ pictures)that the camera = smiles. And they were totally fake smiles because she wasn't happy at all.

Monday, August 4, 2008 - Update

Don't I look cute in my dress?
Here I am standing up. . .my favorite pastime. . .besides jumping.
Here's my cheesiest grin.

I feel like such a big girl.

Whoa. . .a little wobbly there.

Okay, that's better. . .aren't I a good stander?

Okay, these are only about half of the adorable pictures I took yesterday before church. She was extra adorable yesterday. . but, I guess I say that every day. I think she just gets cuter every day.

Olivia went over to spend time with Grandma Mary so that I could go out to lunch with my long-time friend and previous boss, Pam. It was really nice to catch up. I can't believe clients still ask about me and I've been gone almost a year. I feel so bad that they have to re-tell my story every time. Pam, we'll have to do it again soon.

Sunday, August 3, 2008 - Update

The woman of the hour!

Shelley and Jamie

I went to a baby shower today for my dear friend, Jamie. Shelley hosted it over at her house. I enjoyed seeing everybody. I have missed Jamie and everyone so much. Jamie and I used to work together and see each other on a daily basis. She is also the one responsible for introducing Shelley to my brother. Izzy wouldn't be here without her. So, she'll always have a huge place in my family's heart. I wish Jamie all the blessings in the world with her baby girl.

Saturday, August 2, 2008 - Update

Ryan and I went on a date today. . .just the two of us and it was wonderful. After lunch we grabbed Spangles' mudslides and ate them by the fountains at New Market. Then, we went to go see The Dark Knight. I hadn't been to a movie since before Olivia and Logan were born. We really needed that today. It was the first time that I actually enjoyed myself while being away from Olivia. Usually, I miss and worry about her so much that I'd rather be home. I will admit, the best part of our date was knowing that we were coming home to this amazing angel.

If you'll notice, we have added links to our friends and families' blogs. Enjoy!

Fun With Dad

Sorry about the glare from the window. Ryan's legs were really sore the next day.

Friday, August 1, 2008 - Update

My cousins, Julia and Rebekah, have such caring hearts.

Head over to Nate's site to see what he's up to now.

Please check on this family whose 15 month old son, Sully, is losing the battle with leukemia.

Sometimes it's easy to ignore other people's battles when it doesn't affect you personally. We're only human and sometimes we get caught up in our own life struggles. On a daily basis, every one of us has our own things to worry about. We never know, however, when our life is going to be touched by cancer, premature birth, the death of a loved one and many more unimaginable things that we feel will never happen to us. Going through all I've been through in the last year. . .it has meant so much to me for others to take such an active part in what I'm going through. You have read my blog, left comments, sent cards, donated to March of Dimes, participated in the March for Babies, learned about premature birth and made a special place in your heart for Logan and Olivia. Thank you.

Thursday, July 31, 2008 - Update

It seems that every day I have less and less time on the computer. Or, maybe that's not the case. Maybe I just have more and more blogs to check. . .and a MySpace and a Facebook. That's probably it. It's like a part-time job. . .although a fun one. People say to never have a television in your bedroom. . .well, we do. (I'm sure we're not the only ones.) It's our nightly routine and it was sorely missed during those early days when we first brought Olivia home. As if that's not bad enough. . .well, for instance. . .right now the television is on, Ryan is playing his DS and I am on my laptop. It's like we have to be doing 5 things at once. . .maybe we do have a bit of that ADHD that everyone is always talking about. Ryan and I are planning to go on a date sometime soon, though, without the television, DS, or laptop. We're really looking forward to it.

I'm proud to say that Olivia finally crossed the 15 lb mark tonight. She's been teetering around it for weeks now. She is still not eating her baby food any better, but since she's taking her bottle. . . I'm not worried. I appreciate all of your thoughts and suggestions. I did buy her some Puffs to try. She had no idea what to do with them. It just sat on her tongue until she drooled it out. I don't think she's quite ready for them yet. We're still trying to get her to use her arms more. I feel like I'm the only one that's worried about that. I just see all of the things that she could be doing if she would just use them more. . .things that she is developmentally ready for. It seems all she wants to do all day long is jump, jump, jump. She doesn't care if it's on your lap, on the floor or in her jumperoo. Maybe she missed out on all that jumping in the womb and is trying to make up for it. Sometimes I see her looking at her jumperoo as we walk by with that 'kid in a candy store' look. Bless her heart. . .I love her so very much.

Izzy Has A Blog

Now, you can keep up with the happenings of Olivia's cousin, Izzy at:

http://www.dizzyfromizzy.blogspot.com/

I also just found out that Olivia's 8 year old cousin, Julia, also started a blog. We're so excited to learn about her life from her perspective.

http://www.gluntquartet.blogspot.com/

We are now officially a blogging family!

Enjoy!!

Having A Ball With Kerry

Not too much to talk about today, so I thought I'd share a video of Olivia having fun with Kerry last week. I wish I would have had the camera when she first started laughing. Still a cute video, though.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - Update

Hey daddy. . .my birthday is coming up.
I was wondering if you remembered about that pony.

The tiny one?

Not too much to report today. Olivia has been sleeping a bit better at night. Now she is refusing any kind of baby food. She will sit in her highchair with her lips tightly closed. Even the popular pears and prunes are getting rejected. I'm not sure why that happened all of the sudden. At first I thought that she just wasn't hungry, but she'll take her bottle without any problems. Has this happened to any of you? She used to be a pretty good eater.

Monday, July 28, 2008 - Update

Look out boys!

Okay, so Olivia went swimming today. . .kind of. She has a huge inflatable giraffe pool. Before I tried to figure out how to use the air compressor to blow it up, fill it up, let the water warm up a bit, and lather sunscreen on Olivia. . .I wanted to see if she would even enjoy it. And, I wanted her to try on her swimsuit. So, we put on our swimsuits and played in the bathtub. I know. . .a little odd, but I've been looking for something different to do. She was a little confused at first as to why she had clothes on, but then she figured out that she could jump and splash in the water. I was hoping to get her to use her arms a bit more to splash, but no luck there. I just may have to break out the big pool.

The Big Cart Crack-Up

I wasn't going to post anything more today, but I had to share a story about our trip to Target. Ryan, Olivia and I went to Target to do some birthday shopping for Olivia. This is probably the only year that we will be able to take her with us. Ryan was holding Olivia and I grabbed a cart. As we ventured into the store, we noticed that our cart made a clunk, clunk noise. We didn't want to be annoyed by it the whole time, so we turned around to grab a new cart. As we did, Olivia started laughing loudly. We realized that she thought the cart was making a hilarious sound. Of course, we then had to keep the cart. As we walked around Target with our clunky cart, Olivia continued belly-laughing which cracked up not only Ryan and me, but a few other people in the store as well. A Target employee even asked us if she was laughing because we were laughing. We tried to explain that she was laughing at the cart. Her laugh is so sweet and infectious that she made many people smile tonight. I was so proud to be the mom of the laughing baby.

We ended up buying her quite a few toys and books for her birthday. I'm sure none of them will be quite as amusing as that silly, clunky cart.

More pics

The real party was downstairs at Izzy's house.
Arriving in style
Cutie pie Claire
Adorable Audrey

Soon, Olivia will be downstairs playing with the big kids. I can't wait for that day. I wish Logan was here. He would be the only great-grandson and I'm sure would love all the attention from so many girls.