Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful day yesterday! Because we've had to keep Livvy inside, it was the first time in the last three months that we were able to go to church together as a family. It was great to be together again! We spent the day after church with our family, having Easter dinner and our annual Easter egg hunt. Livvy loved the eggs; espeically the noise they made when she shook them. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

To-Do List OCD?

I finally succumbed and started reading the "Twilight" series and WOW! they were awesome! I finished the third one a couple of days ago and am currently going through Bella and Edward withdrawal :)

But, my question is this: is it a problem that I read 3, 500+ page books in less than two weeks? Ahhh! I've been thinking a lot about it the last couple of days, because, seriously, where did I find the time? Not only that, but what did I not get done because I was reading?!

My family teases my mom a lot about her reading compulsion because when she starts a book, she disappears, and you do not see her again until she is finished. I think I am beginning to pick up the same habit, but why is that? Why do I feel like I HAVE to finish every book ASAP? Besides the obvious answer of thoroughly enjoying the book and dying to know what happens next, I really think it has something to do with my "To-Do List OCD".

I have at least 2 or 3 "To-Do" Lists going at all times and I LOVE to cross items off. If I did something that was not on one of my lists, I ADD the item to my list so that I can cross it off. OCD, I know :) But it makes me feel a great sense of accomplishment to be able to cross it off and be finished with it. Ironically enough, I have never put "read book" on my to-do list because it has always been something I get to do for relaxation or after all my other "must dos" are done. But in some silly way, I think in my mind, that finishing a book is another thing I can mentally scratch off, get rid of and leave behind in my crazy, whirlwind of a life! Mmmmm...now if I could only scratch off catching up on my scrapbook at the same velocity that I can a book. :)

Now back to reality and the other 100 things that need to be crossed off my lists, not just mentally but physically too!

Tagged....again!

TEN YEARS AGO.....I was finishing up my first year at Rick's college and recovering from mono. I was taking a clogging class which I LOVED. Almost exactly 10 years ago today, I went to Hawaii during spring break with one of my friends from Cosmetology school and came back sooo tan that my new nickname became "blackie" (love, love, love the sun). I was also sort-of dating my high school "sweetheart" AND a guy that I had met at Rick's. (It was a mess, I wouldn't suggest it). And most of all, I was playing way too hard and loving it! (which might explain the mono, I don't do well on little to no sleep)

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED..... South Jordan, Bluffdale, Chile, Israel, and now West Valley

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST......Run, Write in Journal, Pick up Livvy's pics, Wash, Get my hair cut.

I ENJOY......SUN, SUN, and more SUN....can you say skin cancer? Reading, scrapbooking/crafts, Livvy's giggle, anything with Kirk (well...mostly anything, I could pass on golfing and fishing), crossing things off my "to do" list (I'm almost obsessive about this), playing games and traveling.

THREE BAD HABITS.....Drinking soda. Hands down, this has been the hardest one for me to break. Going to bed late because I try to get everything done after Livvy goes to bed that I didn't get done during the day (I NEED to cross something off the list). Being critical of myself.

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME.......I have always wished that I could sing well. I really want to LOVE running. If I could visit anywhere in the world I would choose Australia. One of my biggest fears if being a failure. I clogged for 10 years with 5 of my best friends.

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD.....
Shoe sales"women" at Nordstrom, Cosmetologist, Loan Processor, Checker at Albertson's, and Broker Coordinator/Funder for a small lender.

Unstoppable!

One of the great things that came out of our experience at Primary Children's Hospital was that Livvy learned to roll over! Yes, she was 7 months old and couldn't move herself anywhere :), but now she is unstoppable! Now that she has figured out that she has the ability to move on her own, she cannot be held down for anything. She thinks she is invinceable. If something is in her way, the couch, for example, she rolls into it over and over, thinking that it will eventually move. It is hilarious to watch, much to her dismay.

After a month and a half of rolling around, I think she might start crawling soon. She has figured out how to get up on all fours, and can move backwards (which is very frustrating when the item she wants is in front of her), but she hasn't figured out how to move forward yet! She still does her special helicopter move which helps her to change her rolling direction and allows her to get wherever she wants to be.

Wow!, its hard for me to get anything done....I know you all are thinking, "just wait till she starts crawling and walking". Nonetheless, it exciting to watch her learn so many new things everyday!

Pros of rolling over:
*more mobility
*entertained for longer periods of time
*opportunity to explore

Cons of rolling over:
*nap/bedtime is a CIRCUS
*bumps and bruises
*no item around her is safe
*no more snuggle time with mom
*made her very independent
*she now sleeps on her belly, curled up just like mom, which makes me very nervous about SIDS


Other fun things that Livvy is doing right now: spitting, rolling her tounge, blowing (she learned this by Kirk blowing in her face when she was cranky, except it doesn't work anymore because now she just blows back), she loves feet (hers, mom's and grandpa's), she is saying "da-da" (I have to keep reminding Kirk that this is because of easiness not favortism..hehe), jumping in her jumper (she whines when its time to get out, she could stay in it for hours), she can get to her belly from a sitting position and she loves to laugh, especially when she is being tickled.

Respiratory Syncytail Virus

Its been over a week since we came home from the hospital after Livvy landed a spot in one of the rooms at Primary Children's. Our all-inclusive stay lasted for four days, and it was four days too long!

After taking Livvy to InstaCare one night, they told me that I needed to take her up to Primary Children's Hospital because her oxygen intake level was way too low and getting lower as time went on. They could also see a lot of liquid behind her lungs which is a huge warning sign and suggests that it could be RSV or even pneumonia. Being kind of naive about RSV, (the only thing that I knew was that it could be deadly) I started to stress immediately. I left the InstaCare at about 10:30 p.m., and headed up to the hospital. I was so stressed about the situation, I passed my exit and found myself heading towards Kirk's work instead :) It probably ended up better this way; we were able to go to the hospital together and for me, everything is much better when Kirk is with me.

About 2:00 a.m., after monitoring Livvy in the ER for a couple of hours and taking a few X-rays, they ruled out pneumonia and received back a positive test for RSV. The doctor came in to tell us the outcome of the tests, and let us know that we would be moving into a room upstairs in the Infant Care wing of the hospital. What!? AHH!

During our time in the ER they also started suctioning out Livvy's lungs, something that they would continue to do all day, every day, while we were there......this was pure hell for me. I had to leave the room each time (sobbing of course) as Kirk and the nurses tried to hold her screaming body down. The first time it was done, the nurse had to change the size of the tube that they were putting up Livvy's nose and down into her lungs because the liquid was so thick and so abundant. Pure torture for everyone. This is one of those things that really exemplifies the statement "I'm doing this for your own good, and only because I love you." I try to keep reminding Livvy (and myself) of this every time she has to be suctioned out, especially while I have to suction her here at home. It is truly something I would never do if I didn't love her so much!

We were released from the hospital after Livvy was able to do three things: keep her breathing saturation up on her own without oxygen, suctioning with a bulb instead of the vacuum (so I could do it at home), and eating regularly (which was much easier once she could breathe better). They tried several times to take out the oxygen tubes but they kept having to replace them because her oxygen level would drop as soon as she fell asleep (its natural for it to drop when you sleep, but not to the level that Livvy was dropping).

We were finally able to go home after four days...which was fabulous, especially since they suggested at the beginning that we would be there at least a week. I lived at the hospital the whole time because I could not bear to leave, even though it meant showering in the nasty, nasty hospital shower! (I wore my socks in the shower and then threw them away after I was done.....hehehe, Kirk says he does not know how I survived Chile...and my response is "Flip-flops!")

The doctors suggested that we keep Livvy quarantined until May....the nurse laughed after they said it because my chin hit the floor. I thought they were joking at first, but they were serious, serious! So, for now, Livvy isn't leaving the house except for a fast ride around the block and in a month or so, she can start going to places that are not heavily populated. The doctor said to definitely stay away from the grocery store, restaurants and church and if possible, small kids since they are "germ-carriers". Livvy can contract this again, in fact, the doctor said he has seen many children have it twice in one season. No thanks! (and peak has just begun....February and March are the worst months for it). So if I seem to be going a little crazy, I probably am :) but once again, if I didn't love her, I wouldn't do it! Luckily, Kirk is a gem and does his best to relieve me as much as he can.

This experience will definitely be added to my review of the year as one that we will want to forget! If I had to describe our experience in one word it would be: HEART-WRENCHER!

2007 in a Nutshell

Things to Remember:

Our miracle, Olivia, finally arrived

I turned 28 (Ahhh!)

Selling our Townhouse (almost)

Girls trip to Chicago

"Wicked"

Livvy's blessing with most of our family near

2 Trips to Florida

Disneyworld with Kirk

Not working for the first time in ??? years

Wonderful Books

Sobbing in the movie theatre with all of the Glancy girls

Arrival of 2 new nephews

Kirk's promotion at FedEx

Bearlake with the Thompsons

Living with Grandpa

Starting Girls' night out with high school friends

Livvy's first Christmas

General Relief Society meeting with all the girls

New Business Ventures

Learning to do Genealogy

Trip to Mesquite for our Anniversary

Countless hours of service from our family and friends

Many Blessings

Things to Forget:

Sale of our townhouse falling through

Moving, packing and unpacking

Computer crashed

Gaining 49 pounds

Teething

Unorganized pictures

Poor Journal Writing

Having Thrush AGAIN!

Pale, white skin

Two cavities....my first EVER!

Falling down Grandpa's stairs-TWICE!

Kirk's "car accident"

Looking forward to:

Wearing my "skinny" jeans again

Finding a new house

Decorating my new house

Playing with Livvy more

Watching Livvy devour her cake on her first birthday

Watching Livvy crawl/walk and learn many other new things

Family vacations

Adding music to my new Ipod

Bowling with Kirk

Prioritizing better

Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking and more Scrapbooking

Visits from the crew in Idaho and Virginia

Winning the Thompson family "Biggest Loser" contest!

Warm, Sunny Days

A tan

More family time

Being three steps ahead instead of three steps behind (o.k., I would settle for one step ahead :))

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

***Thanks Mandy for this idea, its just what I needed. I loved some of your ideas, as you can see!

Character Trait or Phase?

I hope its the later of the two! Livvy has been throwing awful fits lately about everything! Today I took her bottle away when it was gone and she apparently was not finished with it:) Wow! I also tried to take the cup from her in the bathtub to rinse her off, (I handed her a rubber duckie in its place hoping to distract her) and wow! another one! The distraction obviously didn't work! I would like to write this off as part of teething, but I really think she is learning that if she screams loud enough, she just might get what she wants. Kirk and I wondered if it was too early to teach her that's its unacceptable, and we thought maybe she was too young, but I'm starting to think that if she realizes she can cry to get it, she can probably understand that fit throwing in the Glancy household is not o.k! Now, to figure out a way to teach this to her :)

6 months!!!!

Livvy had her 6 month appointment yesterday and the doctor said she is "perfect". She weighs 18 pounds, 14 ounces and is just under 28 inches long. She is in the 89% for weight and 96% for height. Of course the doctor made his same joke : "doesn't look like she is having any trouble with feeding...chuckle, chuckle, chuckle". Nope, not at all, and we are grateful for that!

She also received another round of shots, including one dose of her flu shot and boy did that make her sick! The shots have never affected her before so the flue shot has definitely thrown us for a loop. She woke up about every 45 minutes last night starting at about 4:00 a.m. She had a fever and it wasn't letting her stay asleep. This wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't gone to bed about a half hour earlier when Kirk finally got home from work. Needless to say, I have felt like a zombie all day today. So when I read this email below from my sister it made me laugh.....its always nice to know that there are others raising kids in a not so perfect world. :) "And this too shall pass" I will sleep good tonight and it will be history tomorrow! (In Livvy's defense she has been an angel all week. I have trapezed her around the town for 3 full days, running errands and visiting friends and she has not thrown one fit!)

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mum all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of choc.bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any colour, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the lolly aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mummy' to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat in the living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,' because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare tomato sauce a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, MUM...!

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children happy, healthy and always believing.

**I hope you got a good chuckle and some rejuvenation to start again tomorrow. I did!

Brrr....Its Cold!

Livvy and I just got back from Florida and it is sooo cold here!

When we left for Florida we originally planned on staying about a week, but when that week was up...we weren't ready to comd home yet and so... we ended up staying 2! We were having too much fun to come home! Kirk was able to join us for a weekend but after a week of being by himself, he demanded that we come home :) (not really, but he was REALLY anxious).

In Florida we golfed, shopped, went to the beach and mostly just enjoyed one another's company. The weather was gorgeous, not too hot or muggy, just perfect. Livvy and I went for quite a few walks and enjoyed the sunshine. The whole family could not get enough of Livvy and she rarely wasn't being held! When we got home, she continued to want to be spoiled...she is not aware that there is only one of me :) It was fun to be able to give Kirk's family some time to spend with her....she is one lucky girl with wonderful family on both sides.

One of the greatest things that kept happening while we were there was random people stopping us so they could hold/play/gawk at Livvy. She really was the "star of the show" everywhere we went. It was so random. It happened at least once a day and sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. I'm not sure if its because they don't see as many kids back east or just because she is so adorable :) but you can definitely say I was always a proud mamma, and she, of course, enjoyed the attention. People are so nice there...Southern hospitality maybe, but so unlike here?

Livvy did really well on all 4 plane rides as well. I was a little worried but grateful that Kirk was with me for her very first time on the plane, it made the two on the way back by myself not so nerve racking! :) I was worried about how she would handle the pressure more so than keeping her occupied, but it didn't seem to bother her much. We kept shoving the binki in her mouth so she would suck on it to help pop her ears, but it was tough since she doesn't really like her binki unless she is trying to go to sleep. She kept spitting it out with a disgusted look on her face. :)

It feels good to be home though and back in our own space, but we will definitely be going back the next chance we get!

Happy Halloween!

Livvy and Carter (Livvy's Cousin)

Don't we have a beautiful flower!

Ounce by Ounce, She Is Growing!

First go at rice cereal..."do you have anything with a better texture"?


So Happy!


Will mom ever stop making me wear these!?


Thumb Sucking Begins!




Learning to Sit...with a little assistance


Olivia is getting so big! Its hard to believe that she is five months old (tomorrow). She is at a very fun age where she is learning all sorts of new things. One of my favorites is her laugh, she loves to be played with and giggles the entire time. She is also very curious and looks around constantly. My grandpa calls her "bright eyes" because she always has them wide open trying to find the next thing that will keep her intrigued.

We started rice cereal about two weeks ago and it was hilarious. Most of it ended up on her or me:) It seems like she has a major gag reflex.....or maybe I have passed on my texture issue, whatever the case, she is still not sure if she likes it or not. I put her in the bath after one of the first feedings and all of the sudden she started spitting a bunch of cereal out....she had saved it in the side of her cheek instead of swallowing it! Stinker! And how did you get to be so smart!?

She is definitely a wonderful addition to our family and such a bright spot in our lives. Kirk and I have both been a little stressed lately and we sometimes look at each other and say "let's wake Livvy up", she always eases the stress and brightens the day!

Stop Honking, I'm on the Phone!

I know, two posts in one day! Unheard of for me! :) But I saw another bumper sticker that totally made me laugh. I'm not quite sure why I have such a fixation with bumper stickers lately, but this one said, "Stop Honking, I'm on the phone!" You could not find a better bumper sticker to describe how I feel about drivers lately. I swear, as soon as someone that is driving around me does something stupid, I think "they must be on the phone" and 95% of the time, they are! Talking or texting, hands free or not.....people cannot concentrate 100% on the road if they are using their phone for whatever reason!

Now, to avoid being hypocritical, I am very guilty of using my phone when I drive. But do I drive stupid when I am? Who knows? Maybe I am in your 95%? :)

So follow the advice of this bumper sticker: don't honk when someone cuts you off or wanders into your lane...do you really think that they can talk/text, drive and look around to see why someone is honking at them all at the same time? Not likely!

P.S. The other 5% are usually eating! :)

TAGGED!

I have been tagged by my friend Mandy.

The rules:

A.Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for these rules.

Here are my 6:

1- I love to create but I am not really that creative (I am really great at copying anything!)
2- My greatest weakness is soda! I have quit drinking it several times (namely when I was pregnant), but I hate to admit that it makes me REALLY happy :) (Could this account for my first two cavities ever at the dentist last week? GRRR!)
3- I love to buy shoes but I hate wearing them
4- I'm learning how much I hate SPIDERS by living in my Grandpa's basement. Especially Hobo Spiders which are the majority in this house! Ahhh!
5- I get bored with a lot of things really quickly if I'm not staying busy but there is one thing that I never get bored of: laying by the pool (or any body of water) and reading a book. A pina coloda is also a nice addition to this, but is not a necessity.
6- One of my favorite things lately is laying beside Livvy and tickling her while she laughs herself silly. She has an adorable laugh!

I don't know that many people who have a blog so....here are my tagged victims: Kirk, Les, Nick, Nichole and Christy (Christy, which means you have to tell me how to see your blog :)) Enjoy!

Missy

God Bless America!

As Livvy and I were taking a walk today, I saw a bumper sticker that said "God bless America....and quickly please!" I chuckled a little bit at the implications of the sticker and then thought a little more deeply about it the whole way home. With all of the things that are going on in America right now, especially with the pending presidential election, we really do need the help of God! For a blessed land, which I truly believe that America is, we definitely have our problems. However, I believe that most of them can be solved if we truly tried. My Grandpa was watching a talk show tonight while I made dinner and one of the guests (I didn't catch his name but he was an analyst) said that he predicts that Hillary Clinton has an 80% chance of winning the election next year. I pray the Hillary Clinton doesn't win...the second coming is sure to come if she does :) But then again, it may mean that more will say "heaven help us!" and allow him to really do so!


So I agree.....God Bless America, and hurry please! We need it!

Holy Crap, we have a lot of CRAP!

We moved out of our townhouse this past weekend and wow, we have sooooo much CRAP! As people were carrying everything outside, I kept thinking, "The truck is almost full, we should be done any minute!" Don't worry, we rented the biggest truck U-haul has (26 footer) and had to make 2 trips to the storage unit! That does not count the things that are still at the house waiting to be brought to Grandpa's so we can use them over the next 6 months, or the things we brought to Grandpa's a month ago when we started living here officially. Where did it all come from? When we moved into the townhouse it was so empty, it felt so bare and we felt like we had a TON of room. Now it seems as though we were bursting at the seams. I guess my mom's theory of "if you have the space you will fill it" is being realized with Kirk and me. :) As we look for a new house we keep thinking we have to have at least the amount of square footage we had in the townhouse, otherwise, how will we fit? Especially with more kids? If we downsize, will my mom's theory reverse itself and help me to get rid of some of it? (I've already made quite a few trips to the D.I.)

The great question remains, if this stuff is all just "CRAP", why is it that I can't get rid of it?

Cousins!

Livvy and her cousins at Bear Lake!
Brooklyn, Kennedy, Livvy and Carter!

Olivia's Blessing

We blessed Olivia this past weekend! What an awesome day! It was so fun to have most of our family and friends there. We appreciate all of your love and support. The blessing was beautiful and Livvy looked adorable.

Thanks to all of you that shared it with us (and to those who shared it with us in thought).

We love you all-

Missy

Olivia's First Trip

As I write the name of this blog entry I'm chuckling as I realize what I entitled it: "Olivia's First Trip" instead of "5th Anniversary"..... which is why we took the trip...a celebration that we made it this far..hehehe. It really goes to show that our lives now revolve around the "little one" that is such a blessing to us!

We took a trip to Mesquite, Nevada a couple of weekends ago to celebrate our anniversary and we had a blast! What a fun, short, drive....and a relaxing weekend. We decided to go to Mesquite because it was close (we weren't sure how Olivia would do) and also because Kirk and I could both participate in our favorite ways to get a little R&R. I bet you can't guess what they are: golfing and sunshine!

Kirk was able to play on "the best golf course he has ever played", and I was able to lay by the pool, read a book and soak in the sun. (A couple of people have asked if Kirk played by himself....for those of you that don't know Kirk very well, he can have a good time playing golf whenever, with whomever, and wherever; even if that means by himself! ) We also spent some time eating at the buffets (another Glancy favorite), reading in the hotel, drinking pina coladas, and shopping at the outlet malls.

We did recieve a few....ok, quite a few stares from those around us as we walked through the hotels and casinos with a baby. You didn't see too many babies or any kids for that matter. We just laughed and thought "we are trying to have a great, wholesome, family vacation"....hehehe. For us, it was. :)

Olivia was a gem....she slept the whole way there and back; and sleeping in a new place in her pack and play didn't even phase her. We were a little worried that the heat would be an issue for her, but we were inside most of the time so it didn't matter much.

I'm posting a pic of her in the pool (or by it).....we took her down to the pool for a total of about 10 minutes. We thought the hat would shade her a bit (too big) and we could sit under a cabana, but they were all taken. It was so bright that she didn't open her eyes the whole time we were out there. Instead, she shut them tight and nuzzled her head into her daddy's chest. So we snapped a few pictures, put her in the pool, and then Kirk took her back to the room. Good thing, on my way back to the room after laying by the pool, the thermometer read 116 degrees. Wow! No wonder I only lasted about 2 hours, I usually have no problem being out all day :)

Cheers to 5 years and memories of Olivia's first trip!

Missy

2 Months!!

Wow how time flies! Olivia was born 8 weeks ago today and time has flown by!! As I think back on all the things that have happened since then and the feelings and emotions that I have felt....I realized that I don't have one of them written down! So, I am renewing my goal to write once a week :) But for now, I need to play catch-up, so here we go, starting from the beginning......

Pre-Birth:

By the time I hit 39 weeks I was measuring 40, almost 41 weeks and felt as big as a house. Nothing fit me quite right, my stretch marks were growing by the hour and I was soooo uncomfortable. We went into the hospital the Wednesday before Livvy was born as my contractions were 5 minutes apart but because they weren't strong enough, they sent us home and we reluctantly left. The next day at my doctor's appointment we all but begged him to start me, I was uncomfortable and so was Kirk:) He told us to go into the hospital that night, make a big deal about the pain and discomfort and since he was "on call" he would not send us home. We went in about 10:30 that night, May 24th, (my contractions had stopped during the day and I'm not that great at faking) and after they tried to send us home about 1:00 a.m. my doctor instructed them to give me some potocin and start the process. When the nurse came back to tell us that they were going to start me, Kirk looked at her and said "I could hug you right now!" Was I really that bad?

Labor: What an experience! Birth really is a miracle! How does one's body just know what to do? Wow! Labor and delivery was A LOT easier than I had imagined. When it was all over I thought to myself...that's it? HAHA! Once they got my epidural working correctly, it was a breeze. (Note to self: have the anesthesiologist start with a low dose of anesthesia next time to avoid anxiety attacks) Why anyone tries to go natural I will never know....if you have, props to you!, it is something I will never try.

After watching 4 videos and a little cat nap, she was ready to come out. I could feel her head moving quickly down the birth canal, what a weird feeling. Kirk ran to get the nurse and sure enough, she was coming! I only pushed on 4 contractions and out she came. I had a mirror so that I could see the whole process. Olivia's cheeks were so chubby that when just her head was out and the doctor stopped to tell me to look, I thought her little behind had come out first instead of her head. We had a good laugh...her cheeks were so cute (I say were because unfortunately, they are thinning out).

The experience of having my daughter placed on my chest just after birth and looking into her eyes is indescribable....to try to describe it would be an injustice. I cried, of course, and could not believe the true miracle that new life is....wow! From that moment on, I didn't want her to leave my side, its amazing the amount of love that I felt so suddenly. She had a great set of lungs and let us know she had arrived right away. She stopped crying when they set her on my chest, that was a good feeling, she knew who I was!

The hospital stay was great, Olivia didn't leave our room except for about 25 minutes when they took her to the nursery to suction her out a bit. She had quite a bit of gunk still in her that was making her breathe funny and being a worried mom, I was having a little bit of a breakdown over it. :) We stayed at the hospital for two days and had lots of visitors from family and friends....all of which we thoroughly enjoyed. We loved showing Olivia off...of course to us she is the cutest baby ever! :)

Post Birth:

I'm not going to lie and say that it has been peaches and cream since we brought Olivia home from the hospital. I think that I have experienced the thousands of emotions that exist in this world at least once since she was born if not more. Being a new mom is such a roller coaster ride, one minute I cannot get enough of her and the next I feel a little overwhelmed that someone is so dependent on me for their existence. But like most things, the great outweighs the not so great and she has been a joy. As much as I dreaded those late night feedings (it had been awhile since I saw the 3 and 4 o'clock hour), as soon as she looks at me with her big eyes, they aren't so bad and the tiredness sort of melts away, at least for the time being so we can enjoy the moment.

Watching Kirk with Olivia has been one of my greatest joys. I knew from the minute we found out it was girl that she would be the "apple of his eye" and know exactly where to go to get what she wanted. I thought it might take a little bit to see it, maybe when she was a little older, but she already has him hooked, and he is loving every minute of it. Kirk changed EVERY diaper but one in the hospital, I was shocked....but that should give you a good idea of how great he is to help me with her. Bathtime and her nightly feeding was his time to bond with her....now that he has started his new schedule at work he's reluctantly given those duties back to me but he still enjoys doing it on the weekends. One of his favorite things to do is to get her dressed in the morning....it creates a little bit more work for me since I end up with the job of hanging up all of the outfits that daddy tried on her.....who knew that "dress-up" would be so fun? :)

Despite the fact that Olivia has reflux and is quite cranky sometimes, she is a wonderful baby. I'll admit there have been times when we have cried together because I don't know how to fix her pain, and it wears on me emotionally. I told Kirk that if I have to hear "she will be fine" one more time I might have a breakdown. Its hard for me not to be able to "fix it". As her mother I should be able to do that, right?

Olivia has started to smile and giggle a little bit. We opened up one of her toys that she lays under and watches the lights and objects move and its fun to watch her be so fascinated with it. She is growing quickly, we have had to put many outfits away even though she only wore them once....what a shame :) But the girl has definitely got a closet full of clothes thanks to her aunties, uncles and grandparents! She is also starting to sleep most of the night; when she slept for 8 hours straight two nights ago, I had to check on her about every 30 minutes to make sure she was still breathing. Hopefully soon I will also get 8 straight hours of sleep...its been a long time!

Wow, what a ride. So far so good....Olivia truly is a miracle. Our family feels more complete, like this is how it was meant to be. We know it is. She has honestly healed my heart, something I wasn't sure was possible 100%, but she was the missing piece and I am so grateful for her. The Lord has interesting ways of giving you what you need.....his "tender mercies". Olivia is one of those for me.

Missy

Olivia video

ok everyone, here it finally is!