Puryear Family

January Sleeping Issues--Again, Seriously!?

2012-02-05T20:19:00.002-05:00

At least they like to cuddle!

I don’t know what it is about January and my kids, but manoh man, when they are babies they do not like to sleep at all during thismonth! I don’t know if it isbecause we are coming off the high and craziness of the Holiday season, or wejust run them so ragged they are overtired, but we struggled with Madelyn’ssleeping this month. I think backto two years ago in January 2010 with Olivia and it was rough. She became overtired because we did notfollow the sleep schedule over the holidays, a schedule we were unaware at thetime we had established. So thisyear I was determined to keep things normal over the holidays andconsistent. The sickness threw usfor a loop, but we were getting back into a groove by the end of themonth. At this point Madelyn wasstill in her pack-n-play in the office and Olivia was in her crib in the sharedroom.

Over the Christmas break we start with sleep training byletting her cry for five minutes before we rushed in to replace the pacifier orswaddle her up again. Thisprogressed pretty well and for three nights in a row at the end of break, sheslept through the night…like really through the night! 6:15-6:30! Go Madelyn Go! So we decided that she was probably done eating at night and we couldbegin step two of sleep training. We were not going to replace the pacifier anymore and let her startself-soothing. She cried for awhile on Friday in early January and then for the next four nights we did nothear from her again. Anothervictory! This was way easier thanOlivia. Time to make the move fromthe pack n play into her crib and with Olivia. The first two/three nights were rough. She cried on and off for quite a whilebefore settling herself down and falling back to sleep. Poor Olivia! I felt bad for her to be at ground zero of the crying! Madelyn continue improve though. The only downside was she was awake,talking in her crib around 5:45/6:00. Not a huge deal I will take that, if she continued to sleep through thenight. Her talking in the crib didwake up Olivia, so her new wake up time this month was 6:15 versus her old 7:00time, again not the end of the world.

For about a week things calmed down. Then Madelyn started crying during thenight again. We figured it wasbecause of a cold, again. She wasall congesting and Olivia was coughing too. To Dr. Lancaster we go, finding out both girls had earinfections. Back to Giant for moreantibiotics, only to find out we needed a different card for our prescriptions,so back home, and then back out to Giant. This was a really funafternoon.

The antibiotics helped both girls and sleep improvedagain. Then another night the nextweekend, Madelyn finds her pacifier in the middle of the night and fussed forthe next hour. She got her fingersstuck in the pacifier and as she would get it in her mouth and fall back tosleep, relaxing her hand, it would pull the pacifier out of her mouth. I went in against my better judgment,and helped her get her fingers out of the pacifier. She finally went back to sleep for good that night. The next few nights we would sneak intoher room and grab the pacifier out of the crib when it would fall out of hermouth. It kinda helped, but shewould wake up and cry for about 20 minutes at night. Our daycare women, Miss Sharon, suggested we just get rid ofthe pacifier, if we were going though all this trouble. She can put herself to sleep and is agood self-soother. It was really cutebecause when we arrived back to her house at the end of the day last Friday,she was excited to report Madelyn did not use the pacifier all day! She took two naps and only fussed for afew minutes! We were equally asthrilled and packed up all the pacifiers and put them away, so Olivia could notbe the helpful other sister and put it in her mouth! Friday night—success! Saturday night, not so great, she cried on and off for 45 minutes in themiddle of the night. When she wokeup her diaper was huge, so I thought maybe it was uncomfortable for her. The same crying happened again on Sundaynight. Convinced something waswrong, I took her to the doctors to be sure her ear infection has clearedup. It did. And Dr. Lancaster explained she isgoing to bed so early, she might be crying because she is hungry. The new plan was to feed her in themiddle of the night again and see how that went. Frustrated, and feeling like a awful mom because I am not feeding her when/if she ishungry, for the rest of the week I have gotten up and fed her. I play a game with myself now. How fast will she eat and get back tobed. Things are better, but westill feel like Madelyn will have to do another night or two of crying it outand it would not be fair for Olivia. We made the choice to move her crib into the office until she is fullysleeping peacefully all night long!

I do not knowwhat is going on in the month of January with my two girls, but I for thesecond time as a mother, I am glad to see this month come to an end! As I write this blog entry, I amrealizing we lack consistency in our sleep approach. We can only move forward now and hope to get this girlsleeping better soon!

A December to Remember!

2012-01-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Puryear Family 2011

Madelyn's first Christmas was a memorable one for sure, but leading up to the actual Christmas celebration was a little...insane! She is quite the happy four and a half month old baby now, but it was a rough go of it during December. Olivia continues to thrive as well, talking up a storm and making us laugh on a daily basis! Before I get ahead of myself, lets recap Thanksgiving!

Breakfast time with the girls

The Wittman Family, Jill, Steve, Emma, and Ava, were visiting the Beach for Thanksgiving this year, and we of course had to make the trip to celebrate with them and the other Puryears! Besides leaving something at home and having to head back, causing Madelyn to scream the last 25 minutes of the trip because she was starving, the ride down was quite pleasant. We had a great time catching up with the family, eating lots of yummy food, and even got to spend time outside. The Wambolt family, Scott, Carol, Brayden, and Blake, also came down on Friday and all six grandchildren played together. Olivia had so much fun with the cousins, and it was great to watch them all playing together. We have great memories of that weekend, and I just love when all the cousins get together. Thank goodness my in-laws built a big enough house to hold us all!

We tried to get all the cousins in one place at one time!

The Thanksgiving break was enjoyable, but it was time to really get into a groove! I was finished with Maternity Leave right before Thanksgiving, and only worked two, three day weeks. However, it was time to work full five days weeks and get Miss Madelyn and Olivia adjusted to daycare full time. Olivia loves Miss Sharon, our daycare woman, so she was not really my worry. Madelyn seems to be very alert and aware of where she is and therefore, usually has a rough time sleeping in new places. I was worried she would not sleep at Miss Sharon's and we would be dealing with an over tired, cranky baby. However, she slept! Even on her second day at daycare, she gave Miss Sharon BIG smiles. I feel confident both girls are in the right place, and we feel blessed to have Miss Sharon in our lives. The transition back was pretty smooth for everyone, but just after our the first full week back, the tides turned and the waters became pretty rough!

Olivia had a runny nose and a little cough after Thanksgiving, but we did not think too much about it. She seemed to have recovered by the middle of the week and when we received a call about being the Holy Family in our churches theatrical performance of Walk to Bethlehem, the first weekend in December, we thought it would be an experience for Madelyn to play Baby Jesus and Olivia was a sheep. The night was pretty chilly and we bundled up for our performance! My mom, Julie, was the narrator of our scene and Tyler was a Shepard. Olivia just loved preforming for the groups of people! She would say, "hello people" and then she would tell them which way they were to go after my mom was done narrating the scene. Madelyn on the other hand was a warm and cozy Baby Jesus and slept in my arms for most of the time! We arrived home late that evening and both girls were exhausted! I nursed Madelyn and was hoping she would sleep through the night because she ate two hours later than usual. However, I was severely wrong! She usually wakes up once in the night to nurse and then goes right back to sleep. However, she decided to wake up at midnight, then two o'clock, and then four o'clock, and finally six o'clock! It was pretty crazy and uncharacteristic of her. Dan and I attributed to the fact she was overtired and went to bed late. Then Sunday night the same type of situation. She was awake about the same amount of times on Sunday night, and she was starting to cough. We figured since she was outside on Saturday night, she probably had Olivia's cold...great! The other thing that changed on Sunday was she would only nurse on one side. Monday night brought the same result and she even refused to nurse. I figured she was exhausted and she had enough to eat, but I was wrong. Around 10:00 pm she started crying and it lasted for more than five minutes, so we went in and realized she was all stuffed up. I immediately took her into the shower to break up some of her congestion and then at 11:00 I nursed her again, and figured we would be good for the night. Not so, at 3:30 am she was awake again and Dan went in to calm her down. Then she was awake again at 6:00. With only five hours of sleep, we decide something was wrong, and we needed to call the doctor! On Tuesday we had our first visit to Dr. Lancaster and she diagnosed Madelyn with a type of respiratory virus and the start of an ear infection, which explains why she was awake each night and would not nurse! Dr. Lancaster instructed us to start a nebulizer treatment with her twice a day and she was on antibiotics too.

Neb Treatments :(

The next two weeks were rough. Madelyn refused to nurse, and the nebulizer treatments were agonizing! I started pumping full time and she would only take a bottle. This was emotionally rough on me, but we pushed forward. On Monday, less than a week after we had been to the doctors, Madelyn's entire body broke out in a rash and she hardly slept that night, again! Tuesday December 13th, Olivia had a dentist appointment and we decided to keep Madelyn home too, hoping for a doctor's appointment. Two bits of news happened on this day. First Olivia's upper right tooth needed to be pulled in order to preserve her adult tooth, and Madelyn had an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin. It seemed that a fall that Olivia took in the Spring, which chipped her left front tooth, had an impact on the right tooth too! We also discovered that Madelyn's ear infection was healed, but she had a reaction to the medicine. Whether she is allergic is still to be determined, but for now she will no longer receive amoxicillen medicine! At this point, ten days before Christmas we started to heal, and boy was it a LONG few weeks! However, the joy that Olivia had on Christmas morning melted our hearts and made the rough seas of December worth all of the struggles!

Christmas Morning, chillin in bed!

Christmas was an amazing event this year! We were finally all healthy and happy! On Christmas Eve, the girls and I spent the day at my parent's house because Dan went with Laura to the Ravens game. We did our traditional appetizers and were able to make it to two different church services, the children's service and the 7 pm service. By 7:00, both girls were exhausted, but we pushed our luck and it worked out fine. Olivia spent the sermon playing with my iPhone and Madelyn slept the whole time. After the services we had several people compliment us on the girls behavior, but my favorite was, "wow she is two and knows how to use an iPhone!? My mom can't even turn it on!" Aw the joys of technology!

The Puryear Christmas 2011

Christmas morning was equally as memorable! Olivia and Madelyn awoke to a new play kitchen, the best present ever, in front of the tree! Madelyn had fun playing with her new Pooh toy and Olivia hardly noticed there were other presents under the tree! It was so enjoyable, and Olivia kept saying, "Santa brought me kitchen! Thanks Santa!" It melted our hearts and it was so much fun that she understood Santa! So our morning was relaxing and it was wonderful being a family of four! Then after nap we went to my parents for more family time. We had quite an extended family event with greatest and one of her friends from Heartlands, and of course the newlyweds, and Kym had a friend celebrating too. It was quite a bit of people and made the day jolly!

After Christmas we headed to Ocean City to continue our Christmas celebrations at the Puryear's! The first night, we decided to try to do an all you can eat crab leg dinner with both girls, Laura, and Jean and Lee. I am happy to report it was a success! Olivia had fun eating the crabs for quite a while and even the dinner we ordered her. Madelyn was a bit cranky and finally fell asleep in my arms. This worked to my benefit because the whole table was offering pieces of crab meat and I did not have to work as hard for my meal :) Thanks Madelyn. We were there for about 2 hours and when we left all of our bellies were full and we did not cause a scene in the restaurant! The next few days were relaxing. We celebrated Christmas, ate lots of great food, and played lots of games. It was just what our family needed after our crazy December sickness. This week we also had very successful nights of sleep with Madelyn and she started sleeping through the night! However, this did not last...more to come on that issue!

Addie, Olivia, and Madelyn, ringing in the New Year

Finally we headed home and we celebrated New Years Eve with our traditional group of friends, Monica and Rob, and Courtney, Kris, and Addie. We had a great night with appetizers and old time games. The girls all headed to bed and the fun began! Our lives have changed so drastically in the past two years, but we still know how to celebrate and have fun...even though we are just in the comfort of our house!

December was definitely a month of struggles, chaos, and lack of sleep, but the look on Olivia's face Christmas morning and the smiles from Madelyn made everything worth it! We are quickly learning that no matter how rough it can get with two young kids, the smiles and happiness outweigh it all!

So here is to 2012...bring it on! We have many, many more pictures in the online albums. Check them out here if you want <https://picasaweb.google.com/116339140741596376327>

Happy New Year!

8 Things during Madelyn's 8 Weeks

2011-11-09T09:43:00.004-05:00

Madelyn Faith 6 Weeks

Madelyn Faith is two months old, and I can hardly believe how exhausting, challenging, and exciting our life has become! Madelyn is a great little baby and loves to be held and cuddled. So in honor of her being eight, almost nine weeks this blog entry is dedicated to her top events and favorite things from her first eight weeks!

Madelyn slept away during the rehearsal

Number 8: Aunt Bethany's Wedding Weekend

At four weeks old, my sister Bethany was married at a lovely ceremony at Mountain Branch Golf Course. I was in the wedding along with Olivia, who was the flower girl. It was a crazy, busy, weekend, but such a great time! Olivia successfully wore her dress the entire night, it was touch and go, because she would not wear the dress at home! Madelyn Faith was a darling, sleeping in anyone and everyone arms. She was able to meet so many cousins, aunts, uncles, and close family friends. The weekend was pretty chill, so she stayed bundled up in her swaddle blanket most of the time at the wedding. It was a very memorable weekend and the two girls were so amazing with the chaos and excitement. We are so happy for Bethany and Bryan!

Number 7: Madelyn's Favorite Place to Sleep

In the rocker sound asleep!

At her one month appointment Madelyn was diagnosed with Acid Reflux. This explains her crankiness after eating and why she cries when we put her down flat. Dr. Landcaster recommend she sleep elevated and she has medicine to take three times a day. As a result, we decided to let her sleep in her rocker full time. Man oh man does she love that bed! It was given to us as a gift from my sisters in law after Madleyn was born and it has been the best gift yet! It seems very comfortable to us, almost like a hammock. She has been sleeping much better and was in that full time for about a month. Then I, starting to panic a little about starting daycare, and began to transition her back into the bassinet. It was a tough week because she would not sleep for longer than 40-minutes to an hour during the day, but one night I just went for it and she slept fine! She still sleeps in the rocker, which is so convient to carry places, but is in the bassinet full time again. The medicine seems to be helping a lot, and it is obvious when we have forgotten to give her the medicine. You can honestly seen the pain on her face when she spits up. It is very sad. For now though, we she is feeling great and is all smiles. Not to mention an amazing sleeper! The next step is out of our room and in with Olivia...um, we are waiting on that for now!

Number 6: Bath Time

Splashing with her hands!

We have another water baby for sure. The first bath was a little touch and go, Madelyn screaming the whole time, but the second bath she relax and loved it. We give both girls a bath together and Madelyn loves to splash and watch Olivia. Olivia loves her bath already, and adding Madelyn to the mix is so much fun for her. She loves to laugh at her and especially "help" with washing her. We have to remind Olivia to be gentle and not dump water on her head. We encourage her to get her belly, but she really likes the head. Madelyn is a great sport and does not seem to mind the water being dumped in her face. I think it is going to be more exciting when Madelyn can actually sit up and splash back at Olivia. Oh the times to come...

Number 5: The Restraint Swaddle and the Pacifier


Olivia wanted to sleep next to Madelyn on the floor.

Both kids simply crave the coziness of the swaddle. We swaddled Olivia until she was almost six months, and we started doing the same with Madelyn. One difference though, Madelyn will break out of the swaddle and then wake her self up, hitting her face with her hands, trying to suck her thumb. So at about 3 weeks of age, I pulled out the big gun swaddle....The Swaddle Blanket, which is complete with a Velcro strap to secure her in. This has made a huge difference and she sleeps much more soundly. I feel awfully bad because it seems like we are putting her into a straight jacket, but she is sleeping better and who can complain with that!

Asleep with pacifier in her mouth.

The other trait that Madelyn has is a desire to suck and Olivia would never really take the pacifier, but Madelyn loves it. We had had quite a struggle with keeping the pacifier in her mouth. Dan and I had a rule with Olivia never to put her down with the pacifier in, but with Madelyn we have not choice. As soon as that falls out she will wake up. It can be quite frustrating, and we are constantly playing the game I call, "Pacifier Wars." The good news is when she is finally in a deep sleep the game ends, but can sometimes last thirty to four-five minutes. On the other hand, at night she usually sleeps without needing it replaced. So we play the game during the day, mostly. Since she sleeps upstairs, I use the stairs as a work out. I feel like we need to put a positive spin on it! She still tries hard to get that hand in her mouth, and recently we have let her fuss a bit more to get that hand in her mouth. I would rather deal with the dental bill, and have a good self soother! I will probably look back on these days in a few years and say why is she still sucking her thumb.

Number 4: Fall Adventures


Larriland Farm Pumpkin Photo

Peach and apple picking, vising the pumpkin patch, family walks, Raven games, and Maryland tailgates are all the fall adventures we have enjoyed as a family. We love Larriland Farms in western Maryland and have gone twice this fall. It has become quite a tradition to pick apples in the fall and then get our pumpkins. The farm has hayrides, animals, and a hay maze. Last year we went with Olivia and she was not quite walking, but this year she tore up the hay maze! Madelyn was comfy cozy in the Bjorn and was earned much attention. My favorite fall picture was at Larriland with the girls sitting by the pumpkins. We also visited another farm, Elioak Farm, which has more things to run and play on and more animals to pet. We visited this farm twice, once with Courtney and Addie, and once with the Joy family. Again, Olivia had so much fun this year and really liked feeding the goats. Madelyn slept most of the time during each visit, but we have pictures to remind her and I can envision next year she will be keeping up with Olivia!

Before the walk

One of my favorite parts of the fall is the weather and football. We have had great fall weather and have taken advantage of the days. One event we did participate in is the BWI Family Fun Run/Walk. Three years ago, Dan and I ran in the event, but this year we walked with the girls. We let Olivia out the last half mile, and she was hilarious! She wold watch the other people walking by and the stare at the planes taking off next to the walk. My favorite part was at the end of the race. She reached the finished line and everyone starting clapping. She stopped and starting jumping up and down! It was so cute because she caused a traffic jam. Madelyn spent most of the race sleeping in the stroller, but the end she woke up and grandma has to bring her across the finish line.

Football is our other favorite. We have been to most of the home Terps game this year and that was possible because my parents willing watch the girls. The other games we brought them to the game. Olivia was fascinate by the crowd, the players, and the Turtle. Madelyn also woke up for the game and was a cuddly little girl. We are certainly a football family and on Sunday spend the day watching the Ravens. Most of the time the game happens during nap time, or dinner time! When Olivia wakes up her favorite part of the game is eating cheerios and cheering for the plays that "all fall down and get boo boos." Then she will say, "they need band-aids." So cute! Madelyn has also become more observant and is starting to like the colors on the TV. I cant help but wonder what will happen next year with two mobile kids.

Number 3: Daily Outings

I like to keep the girls busy and we have had quite a few outings while I have been home. We frequently visit the library, Storyville, the mall, and have play dates. Olivia's favorite has been walking in the cemetery behind our house. She likes that because she can get out and run freely. Madelyn is such a good little travel and will stay in her car seat or the Bjorn. Again, I get a lot of looks from other moms, saying, "I am impressed you are out and about." My reply is, "We get bored at home and need to stay active." I feel like you need to get out and about to break up the day. We are usually home by 11:00 for lunch time and nap! The only issue, it is really hard to take picture when out by myself, so we have no pictures of our adventures!

Number 2: The Play Mat and Bouncer Seat

Including Madelyn in our puzzle play!

Just like her big sister, Madelyn loves the play mat and the bouncer seat. What a life saver these have been. We actually purchased a new mat for Madelyn and it has more bells and whistles than our original one. It is so much fun to watch her stare and try to hit the various toys hanging from the toy. She is really getting good at hitting them and if you step back and watch she will just start to smile! It is great because this toy will entertain her for quite a bit of time.

She also loves the bouncer seat and will fall asleep in it, one day we played puzzles and Olivia put the pieces onto Madelyn. Most days though we have to move her upstairs because Olivia will see her sleeping and feel like she needs to be bounced. So she will walk over to her and really bounce Madelyn. Of course she wakes up, crying. So we quickly put an end to the sleeping in the bouncer. Poor thing!

Number 1: Madelyn Loves Her Family

Playtime with my girls

All smiles for her family. Madelyn has become quite observant and her face really lights up with a toothless grin whenever we put our face in front of hers. She really loves to watch Olivia and when she focuses on her she will watch her for quite a few minutes. My favorite time of day is when Dan comes home. It is fun to watch him hold Madelyn and when she realizes who is holding her she will smile wide for him. I look forward to seeing the interaction between the two girls. Olivia has been wonderful with her and the way she looks at Olivia I hope they will be close!

Madelyn has become quite a happy little baby and that smile just lights up my days!

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Flooding-Oh My!

2011-09-10T12:47:00.000-04:00

Madelyn at one week old, sleeping away!

Where to begin! It has been quite an eventful three weeks home with Madelyn! Three weeks ago today, she arrived during quite a lightening storm and continues to survive the natural disasters!

At 5 days old, while all the house was napping, I heard a boom come from Olivia's room. I think to myself, "why is Olivia awake and how did she get books to drop?" Suddenly, the dresser begins to rattle and the TV looks like it is going to fall off the dresser! Not quite comprehending what is happening I run to the top of the stairs and yell down to Jean, "is this an earthquake?" I hear a little cry from Olivia's room and Jean is standing over the pack -n- play on the main floor. There are many thoughts that flash through my mind, but suddenly it is over! In the aftermath of the 5.8 earthquake on August 23rd, we were fine and had quite a scare. Olivia woke up from her nap at that time, and Madelyn just slept right through it! Dan was at school and we connected after a few minutes, but he was fine and Howard County Schools sent everyone home at that point to check the structures of the buildings. Lee, in Ocean City, did not even realize that an earthquake had just struck! One natural disaster down and two more to come!

Little bit of floor time!

On Saturday, August 27th, at 8 days of life, Madelyn experienced another major event. Hurricane Irene, a category three storm, was traveling up the East coast. Dan and I did not really buy into the hype that the storm brought, and did not worry to much about it. However, we did need groceries for the week, so one advantage to having an 8 day old is that after the 5:30am feeding, I headed to the store before the frantic crowds hit! I was in and out of the store by 7:00am and we hunkered down for the day. The media was hyping up the fact that we may have power outages and downed trees, and I was praying that we would not loose power! After a visit from Carol, Scott, Bradyen, and Blake, who came to meet Madelyn, the rain started to come down. Laura come over for a little Hurricane Party/Fantasy Football Draft Party, and the lights only flickered once. I went to bed still praying we would not loose power! When I woke up at 4:30 am to feed Madelyn, I looked outside and the entire neighborhood was black, the rain was coming down, and the wind was blowing hard! However, our side of the street still held onto the power! We never lost it, but the rest of the neighborhood was out until Thursday! We felt very grateful for maintaining our electricity. The rest of the area was a mess. We had several roads closed around us from downed trees and Dan even had the first day of school off because of lack of electricity! It was quite a memorable event.


A visit from the cousins!

Finally, during the past week it literally rained for the past three days! Thanks to the former Hurricane Lee, we had the left overs this week. I have been going a little stir crazy, and we tried to go out somewhere each day. The hitch in that plan was that Olivia woke up from her nap on Tuesday with a 102 degree fever! We visited the doctor on Wednesday and it was another virus. There was nothing we could do except Advil and fluids. Upon arriving at the doctors the skies unleashed. It began to rain as hard and as fast as it did with Hurricane Irene. Yay, two kids to get to the car. Luckily the nurse offered to keep the girls at the door and I could pull up the car. I was soaked, but the girls were fairly dry! Olivia kept staring at me, saying, "Mommy wet!" Thanks Olivia I did not realize! Wednesday caused many trees to fall again and flooding on many roads. There are crazy videos of Old Ellicott City streets looking like a river!

On Thursday we headed to the mall for some dry entertainment. We met up with Miss Sharon, our day care woman, at the Story time. Olivia had a great time and we even rode the carousel! Madelyn was a good little girl and we had a brief stop at the food court to have a bottle and a snack. I was so excited to have a successful outing with both girls on my own! It is the little things!

Best of Friends!

Madelyn continues to grow and eat well. We are struggling to understand how to keep her asleep. She is very strong, and really likes to use her sucking reflex. However, the pacifier does not stay in her mouth. She could be dead asleep and if that thing falls out she wakes up and starts to cry! I told Dan we are not putting her to sleep with the pacifier because I do not want to play that game all night long. So far we have won the battle. Haha! The other challenge is when we swaddle her, she will slowly get her arms out of the blankets. This was not a huge deal with Olivia she would continue to sleep with no issue. On the other hand, Madelyn will then start trying to suck her thumb, fingers, or hand...and wake herself up, crying! Feeling frustrated, I pulled out a blanket with Velcro called a SwaddleMe. We never really used it with Olivia, but with Madelyn it is like a straight jacket like contraption! When she is in it she cannot get her arms out. This allows her to sleep longer...most of the time. We often hear her let out grunts and cries trying to get her hands outs. Once again...one for the parents!

The BIG sister!

Olivia is doing very well. She loves Madelyn and is very interested in her "feeding." She will tell me "Madelyn feed other side". She loves to help change her diaper and see her poopie. Lately Madelyn has been spitting up and Olivia will say, "see spit up, gross." We have gotten into a bit of a routine, espcially in the morning. Madelyn will sleep until 8 or 9 am. Olivia and I have breakfast and play for a bit. When Madelyn wakes up to nurse, Olivia will say, "watch Gabba now." I reply yes and we head to my bed to watch her show "Yo Gabba Gabba" while I quickly feed Madelyn. It is a nice break for everyone, and the only 25 minutes of TV she watches!

~First bath~

So Miss Madelyn has had quite an adventure filled first three weeks! She has visited the library, the zoo, and the mall. She also drank her first bottle and took her first bath!

We gave both girls a bath at the same time and that has been cute. We had to encourage Olivia to put water on Madelyn's belly not her face! Madelyn cried the entire first bath, but the second one was much smoother!

We also fed Madelyn a bottle and that is a huge step for me! I like the fact that I am not the only one who can feed her now. It makes us a bit more mobile and I can give Dan a bottle to feed to her and I can sleep a bit more at night!

Life with two girls is going well! This week will be exciting, and Madelyn will be meeting many new family members because Bethany's wedding is on Friday! We look forward to Olivia being the flower girl and celebrating with Bethany and Bryan!

Welcome Madelyn Faith

2011-08-26T21:07:00.000-04:00

Introducing...Madelyn Faith

Madelyn made quite an entrance into the world! Before we get to the drama, let me explain her middle name. As most people know it took us 18 long months to conceive Olivia. We decided to name her Olivia Grace because by the Grace of God we became pregnant! Madelyn was a bit easier and we determined she need to have the middle name Faith because we have always kept our Faith that everything would work out the way it is suppose to be! Keeping that thought in mind we awaited the arrival of our little girl and she lived up to that middle name during labor!

Such a diva already!

Because this was my second child, my doctor offered to induce me on Thursday, the day after my due date. I was a bit nervous to be induced because my first labor was fairly "easy", and I did not know how my body would react to the procedure. I agreed, figuring that if a spot was open, then it would be the right choice. Plus it was a lot easier to have a plan of what to do with Olivia than the unknown! So on Thursday August 18th we arrived at Howard County General, after dropping Olivia off at my parent's house. I was checked in and had an IV started before Dr. Esposito checked me out. When he entered the room I could tell something was not right. He did an exam and determined I was 2 centimeters dilated and 60% a faced. Then he said, "we just had about 5 women arrive at Labor and Delivery and there is not enough staff to cover everyone." He then explained that since my procedure was an elective induction, I was probably going to be sent home. Honestly, I was fine with that outcome. I was nervous about this to start with, and I took it as a sign it was not the right time. Two hours after arriving at the hospital, we left to go home and wait!

Another thumb sucker?

Talk about everything happening for a reason, when we arrived at my parents house, Olivia felt warm to me and my mom thought so too! After taking her temperature, I decided to call Dr. Landcaster and ask her if we could come in for a quick check. I was worried it was an ear infection and with the possibility of a new baby soon, I wanted her on antibiotics as soon as possible. That afternoon it was determined she had a virus called Hand, Foot, Mouth, and it would just take time to pass. PHEW! At least it was not an ear infection. Dan and I decided we have been pretty bad about washing her hands, after we are out in public places, so we will be better about that! That afternoon, we gave her lots of love and fluids and she seemed to be better.

Fast forward to 8:30 pm. We are watching "The Dilemma" downstairs and I start to feeling something. About ten to twelve minutes later I feel it again. Before alerting Dan, I keep track of the timing and about half an hour later I tell him to start timing. He determines I am having contractions about ten minutes apart. At 9:30 pm we call my mom and ask her to come stay the night because this baby is most likely coming soon! We also called Dan's mom, Jean, and tell her she should probably leave in the morning because she was going to help with Olivia. We wait out the contractions and about 12:00 am call the doctor to let him know. I was ready to get to the hospital and get an epidural so we could rest a little bit before the fun begins! We then discover Dr. Esposito is still on call and he says to come in he will check me out.

12:30 am we leave for the hospital and at 1:00 they put me in a room to determine if I was going to be checked in to stay or go back home. As an awful nurse tries to get an IV needle in my arm, poking me about four times before she "gives up," Dr. Esposito checks me out. He determines I was now four centimeters and 100% a faced. I would be staying and having this baby! YAY! Then as he begins to ask me about pain medicine and I say I would like an epidural, the lights in the entire hospital go out! An awful lightening storm knocked out the power. Less than a minute later, the generator begins and we have lights again! But what a shock!

Proud Daddy!

The next adventure began when moving rooms. Since they were unsure if I would be admitted, I was in a small room first. When it was official, the nurses then had to move me down the hall to an actual Labor and Delivery room. I had to get up and use the bathroom and while I was in there, two nurses took the bed I was in and started wheeling it down the hallway without me! So we rushed to keep up, I holding the back of my gown closed, and Dan carrying three bags! As we approached the room a contraction started and I had to hold onto the doorway for support all the while a third nurse says, "there goes your ride!" Thanks lady! As I think back it was all pretty comical, but in the moment I was not a happy person, who was still missing an IV line!

Cuddling with mommy!

Finally, I get to the room (minus an IV) around 2:00, and I immediately ask about an epidural. At this point the contractions are about 2-5 minutes apart and growing with intensity! My new nurse, who I loved, says I have to have a whole bag of IV fluid first! She quickly put in my IV and I waited! UG! How long will that take? She did not know for sure, but 30 minutes later and many painful contractions, the epidural is given! What an instant relief! I cannot imagine why a woman would choose to have a natural delivery anymore! Epidruals are magical! At this point it was about 3:00 am and Dan and I were able to catch a few hours of sleep. Sorta...

From 3:00 am until 5:00 am, when the Doctor came to check me, the nurse kept coming in to check me and move me because Madelyn's heart rate was getting funny readings. Nothing to panic about, but she wanted to keep moving my position. At 5:00 I was about 7-8 centimeters dilated and Dr. Esposito decided to break my water. Then he said he would be back to check later. Another half an hour goes by and I am in and out of sleep, and I begin to feel the sensation to push. Suddenly at 5:30, Dr. Espostio comes in and says, "I don't like the her heart rate. Let's see where we are now." At this point I am now fully dilated and he says it is time to push! YAY!

~7 pounds and 4 ounces~

The pushing begins and Dr. Esposito disappears for a few minutes and we find out later he had to help another doctor because the baby was stuck! When he reappears, he observes her heart rate and after two more pushes decides it is time to get her out! He says, "we need to vacuum her out, now. You are so close I would hate to do a C-Section." I said, "Yes. I do not want a C-Section" Literally a minute later I start pushing on another contraction and suddenly she is out before Dan can count to ten! It all happened so fast, and they wanted her to get checked out by the NICU first that Dan did not even get to cut the cord! It was a little chaotic at first, but everything ended well with a healthy 7 pounds 4 ounces, and 20 inches long baby girl, delivered at 5:52 am! To be honest, over all that was an amazingly easy delivery, which fits her middle name! We kept faith she would arrive when it was time and she did!

Puryear Family of Four

It was so strange to have this little girl in our arms by 6:15 in the morning. Thinking back to Olivia's labor and delivery it was about 14 hours, so I figured it would be the same time frame. Nope, Madelyn arrived 10 hours later! We had the entire day to spend with her and she was able to meet most of our immediate family that day!

The Puryear Sisters

The most special part of the day was when Olivia met Madelyn for the first time! She immediately wanted to hold her and give her kisses! It was a precious moment, and it is a memory that will always stay with me! So our story continues as our family grows! We are so blessed with love and support of family and friends, and two beautiful girls!

PS- I am adding pictures of Madelyn below the matching picture of Olivia. So scroll down the right side and see how the two girls compare at the same ages!

Washing Hurley

2011-08-15T19:20:00.000-04:00

Today we caught Olivia giving Hurley a bath! It was hilarious and I was able to catch a little but on my iPhone!

"Olivia-isms" at 21 Months

2011-08-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

Kids say the darnedest things! The past few weeks we have really been laughing at the things coming out of Olivia's mouth! We wanted to write down the ones that really made us laugh and share them with you! So in no particular order, here are the ten "Olivia-isms" that have made us laugh recently:

Jumping in her crib for approval of her name on the wall!

1. While getting the new room ready for the girls' room, Dan was hanging up their names above the cribs. He wanted me to be in the room, so I could guide him as to how I wanted them hung. I pulled in Olivia's little table and we painted with watercolors, while he worked and I supervised! While hanging the first letter in "Lil Sis's" name he bent the nail and cried out, "Shit." I said Dan, "Little ears are listening" and he replied by saying, "Shoot." Olivia, painting on the white paper, looks over at Dan and says, "Shoot...Daddy Shoot!" We both started cracking up of course! For the rest of the afternoon, every nail that he put into the wall, Olivia would say, "Shoot." Lucky for us this word has not stuck with her. She has said it a few times, but not like that afternoon!

2. Every time Olivia sneezes we say, "Bless you" to her. Well recently I sneezed three times and she looked at me with this half smile on her face. I smiled back and she said, "Bless you." It was the sweetest thing ever! Then Dan sneezed the other day and she said it to him too!

3. Are you kidding me?
Yesterday we went to the zoo and left around 6:30, so we brought her green "night night," which is her blanket. When we arrived home she pushed night night down onto the seat and I said to her, "are you going to carry night night inside?" She replied, "no." I looked at her and said, "Are you kidding me!" She looked at Dan and with her hands thrown into the air yelled, "are you kidding me?" Dan and I looked at each other and laughed so hard! This morning she said it again, when prompted, but it is so cute!

Running after that little alligator

4. At the zoo, the keepers brought out a huge python snake and an alligator. Olivia was too young to touch the animals, so the keeper put it down on the ground and it started to run away. The keeper encouraged Olivia to walk with them and she loved it. Suddenly, as we watch from a close distance, she says, "hug gator." Dan quickly caught up and made sure she was not approaching the animal! A few minutes later while watching the python again, she started to run over to the alligator again to hug. We decided at that point it was time to move along!

5. Again with a zoo story, we were watching the elephants and the Zoo Keeper was right there, answering questions and feeding the elephant. Olivia kept calling the elephant a monkey, but that is another story! About five minutes later, the Zoo Keeper's walkie talkie went off and he announced it was time for him to go eat dinner. He said good-bye and walked away. As he was walking across the elephant habitat Olivia asks, "Where he going?" Without waiting for an answer she says, "He go potty."

"There he is!"

6. She constantly wants to know where Dan and I are, or where Hurley is in the house. She will ask, "Where Mommy go?" or "Where Hurley go?" When she finds me or the dog, or the object she is looking for she exclaims, "There she is!" Her excitement makes it seem like we went away for hours. She was also doing that in the store the other day. It is kind of an ego boost when a person is so happy to see you!

7. We understand and realize we have a full blown toddler, but seriously the asking questions over and over and, repeating herself is starting to wear us down! It is funny most of the time. For example, on our way to the zoo, she told us like seven times in a row where we were going. "We go zoo, we go zoo, we go zoo..." or she will ask for her milk over and over, "I drink milk...I drink milk..." It is very cute, but there are just some times when I am like I heard you Olivia! I am sure this is payback for what I did to my parents!

8. She has quite a large vocabulary and is picking up new words on a daily basis. However, when she doesn't know the name of something she just says, "This...this" and points. Most of the time we will give her the words, but other times it becomes a guessing game. She has to repeat, "this...this" until we figure out what she is talking about!

9. "Do again!" You know Olivia really likes something when she laughs and says, "do again!" Her recent favorite is smelling her shoes and then saying, "pee-u" she laughs so hard and then says, "do again!" There are many other examples of course and she is such a happy little girl!

10. Finally, I made the mistake of telling Olivia her diaper was HUGE and then showing her the inside of the diaper. Now each diaper change she lays down and says, "I see huge" and I have to show her the inside of the diaper! When it is a messy diaper, I exclaim, "oh yucky" and of course she replies, "I see yucky." Needless to say, diaper changes have become interesting!

Maryland Zoo Picture

There are more sayings of course and as I was writing this entry, more sayings begin to pop up into her vocabulary. We have really enjoyed this past week with just Olivia. Life is about to get a little more crazy, but honestly, we would not change it for the world! Dan and I are having a blast watching Olivia grow and blossom each day!

Our Little Toddler!

2011-08-02T21:08:00.000-04:00

Olivia at 18 months

Once again it has been way too long since our last update, but it is amazing how quickly life happens when there is an active toddler running around. If you notice the date on the blog says July 3rd. I have been working on this update for a month! :)

Olivia has really come into her own in terms of personality! She loves the computer, so it makes it difficult to update this blog with her around. If we turn on the computer she walks over and says, "up please" and when she is on our laps, she will point to the computer and say, "fish!" We recently showed her some YouTube videos of her new interest, fish, and she loves to watch them...all the time! In any case we have a lot to update about and I am probably missing so much more!

Helping plant Spring time flowers! Check out that ponytail!

There are many physical changes lately in our Livy Loo! First she is growing much taller, and her feet are getting bigger too! We recently noticed that her toes are starting to overhang her sandals. Her feet are size 4 at this point and I think she finally made it into size 5. The only problem is that the stores are not really stocked with sandals anymore! So, unfortunately we may have to stick with flip flops for the rest of the summer!
The other big change is her hair! Dan and I were both bald until we were about 2, so we have been pleasantly surprised lately because her hair has been growing like weeds! We have to pull it back into a ponytail daily, and our favorite style is two pigtails. The best part is she usually leaves the rubber bands in her hair, but while riding in the car likes to pull the hair clips out! That is always fun in the morning when we are running late to school and we have to stop to redo the hair before we go into Miss Sharons! Oh well! I am looking forward to braiding her hair!

Our little helper, making the graham cracker pudding dessert

We have quite the little nosy, but helpful daughter on our hands! She loves to help out with anything, especially with food! She is obsessed with what we are cooking and always wants to help out. Of course her favorite part is licking the bowl and utensils! Other favorite helping activities include sweeping, and washing...anything, including her blanket, "night-night." She has recently begun to challenge the whole cleaning up system, so this can become a battle at times. Just this morning we were playing with Legos and it was time to clean up. She bought into my whole "which color can you put in the box" game, when suddenly she picked up the box and dumped them all out, yelling, "Oh no!" A little frustrated, I said again, "okay time to put in box." She ran away and started circling the dinning room table, laughing! A little upset I decided to ignore and read a magazine until Dan came down the stairs and she wanted a hug from him! UG...we did get them picked up, but it seems that she is becoming Little Miss Independent!

Miss Olivia Grace has really come into her own in terms of language development. It was just after we got out of school we realized she was speaking in short complete sentences (about 19 months) and this summer has just blossomed as a communicator. She certainly knows what she wants and how to communicate that to us! Some of our favorite saying are as follows:

"Four, five Hurley poops" she likes to count our dog's poops in the backyard and whenever we ask how many she counted out there she replies, "four, five Hurley poop." My favorite is when she tells Dan to, "get bag, pick up." It is pretty funny!
Early Spring/beginning of the summer everything was responded with by saying, "kay." We would ask her to do something and she would reply with, "kay." Recently she started saying yes and no, but I like the days of "kay" much better!
"Hug...fill in the blank." She loves to hug anything and everything! She will hug the bugs that land on her outdoor play climber, she hugs the bears in books, her baby, Hurley, and of course family members and friends! She is a hugger, not a fighter!
She counts everything! Often starts at four, five and gets to ten, but more recently has started at one and can get to ten with help from us! We often count the steps and other objects. She will sit in her car seat and count her shoes!
"Some...fill in the blank" again it is hard to sneak a snack anymore. As soon as she hears a package being opened in kitchen, she darts in and says, "some cracker" or "some cookie" it is strange she always knows what we want to sneak to eat! That should help me with my diet in the fall!
"Ride Jeep" her favorite car to ride in is by far the Jeep and she is disappointed when she has to "ride mommy's car." I think mostly because she can see out of the windows better, but she loves to ride, especially with the doors off and the back rolled up. There is something about the wind in her hair she is just like her dad!
"I go potty." During Spring Break we bought a little potty to start the introduction of the potty to Olivia. Well she certainly has the idea and is a little obsessed with it! If I go into the bathroom she is right there sitting on hers too! She loves to say "I go potty" and go to sit down. To be honest, we have had three successful pees and one poo on the potty. To be even more honest, she is ready to start the process of potty training, but Dan and I are very hesitant to commit this close to the new baby being born. Hope we can have success in the next few months!
"Climb" the stairs, the couch, the bed, the dinning room chairs...she is ALL over the place and loves to climb on everything!

There are so many more, but these are just a few of our favorites!


Water fun in the sprinkler!

Many of her favorite things include being outside, playing with any kind of water, including he sprinkler, the pool, and of course the ocean! She loves this puppy she received as a present that barks, wines, and then sleeps by snoring. She adores this toy and brings it everywhere! She still loves her books and her recent favorites include, The Napping House, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom, Daddy Hugs, and Click Clack Moo. I think I have all of them memorized! She still is loving food of any kind, especially "ice cream" and "cookies!" There are more things she loves, but I forget right now :)

Playing outside on the 4th of July

We constantly have music on in the background of house and always in the car. The music is in her soul! She enjoys singing so much! She will sit in the car and just sing to herself. She says, "I'm singing" it is very cute! In early July we joined Gymboree and she attends class once a week and loves the music element to the class. She will come home and sing the songs all week. Her new favorite song is, "The Wheels on the Bus" We have sung every verse I can think of and her favorite is the people go up and down. She throws her self down on the ground! Yesterday morning I was getting ready for work and I could hear her in the crib saying, up and down and then jumping down on the mattress! It was pretty funny to hear.

Our daughter has become quite tech savvy too! She loves our new iPhones, especially the FaceTime feature and a doodle app. She loves to "see" the person she is talking too. Currently, my parents and Aunt Laura are the only ones we FaceTime with and she is so much fun to watch! She will wave into the phone and have a whole conversation! The crazy part is that she is growing up in a era where seeing people on the phone is possible! Whoever would have thought it would be a common thing. She also plays with a doodle app we have on the phone and a Skeeball game too! We do not often let her play with the phones, but when she gets a hold of it she can navigate through it to the places she wants. It is pretty crazy to see her playing with the phone!

Last nap in her "old" room! That smile melts our heart!

To end this long and much needed update, it is important to talk about the other changes in our family. We are about 15 days away from Lil Sis' due date of August 17th. We have been busy working this summer on a new room for both girls to share and trying to get Olivia to understand what is about to happen. We did switch the rooms up and both girls are in our former guest bedroom with two cribs and two dressers. She will look at the other crib and say, "sisters," but I am not sure how much she really understands that soon a baby will be in that crib too! She will hug my belly and say, "hi baby" and "hug baby" I think she will adjust well when Lil Sis arrives, but it will certainly be an adjustment period! We put the pack-n-play up in the living room for naps and changing the baby when Olivia was sleeping the other day. When she came downstairs she said, "my bed!" She is noticing the changes in the house and she seems to be doing well. Time will tell! For now, we wait and wait and wait! I know I speak for myself, I am SO OVER this pregnancy. We are all ready to meet Lil Sis!

I am sure our next Blog update will contain the great news of Lil Sis' arrival! Until then, keep us in your prayers! Thanks as always for keeping up with our lil family!

Love to all,
Laura, Dan, Olivia, and Lil Sis

It Has Been Way Too Long!

2011-03-13T22:16:00.000-04:00

15 Month Valentine Day Pictures!

My goodness I can hardly believe how times flies! Every weekend I say to Dan, "I am going to update the blog this weekend! We have so much to include about Olivia and our growing family!" The weekends always seem to get away from us and on Sunday I am upset that I never got to update the blog!

Miss Olivia is 16 months now and has developed quite a personality! She weighs about 22 pounds and is 30 inches long. That puts her in the 36% percentile for weight and 36% percentile for height. What is funny is she has tiny feet, size 4, and it has become difficult finding shoes that fit her that are for a walking/running/climbing toddler. I am sure there can be worse things than small feet! I always wished she would have small feet and hands too! She is definitely our little toddler, constantly on the go and a little mimic! We are having fun with this stage, but to be honest it can be exhausting!

We decided that the theme of this entry is, "The reason why I have NOT updated the blog!" Here is the list of reasons in no particular order!

Teething

It is hard to capture her teeth, but if you look closely you can see top ones!

My goodness we never had an issue with teeth and Olivia until the molars started to enter the mouth! Right night she has four front teeth on the top, two on the bottom with two more breaking through. In the back of her mouth she has four molars now, and the other day at the doctors, she said there are four more breaking through! WOW...lots of drool and lots of cranky! We feel terrible, but there is nothing we can do except offer her the teething rings, wet washcloths, and her tooth brush! Yes, brushing those new pearly whites is one of her favorite activities! She will walk into the bathroom three and four times a day point to her teeth and say, "brush." So there are days when she just wants to cuddle with us and that is fine with us. It has not affected her sleeping at all...just her waking hours! Hope this all ends soon. She does look so much older with a grin full of teeth!

Talking

Most of you know me and know that I love to talk! Well I guess this trait has been passed down to Miss Olivia! Oh my goodness what a talker! What amazes Dan and I is how from week to week she adds to her vocabulary and her talking becomes so clear! There are many times we still have no idea what she is saying, but there are more times now we can understand her. About a month ago, I counted and she could say over 20 words, but now that number is larger! Her favorite words are, please, cheese, walk, eee for Hurley, and milk. Of course she is always shouting for daddy and momma! My favorite word she says is night night, which apparently she named her blanket that! We would always say ready for night night Olivia and she would go runing for the stairs. While changing her into her PJ's we would give her her blanket to cuddle with and suck her thumb. I guess she understood night night to be her blanket and now it has been dubbed that name!

Walking

At the playground!

"Walk...Down...Walk" is a constant phrase we here when walking through stores or the parking lots! Olivia loves to walk and walk and walk! We will go to the playground and she likes to go down the slide a few times, but she will spend more time walking around the place than on the equipment. On weekends we take daily walks outside, weather permitting, around the block. She has certainly mastered this skill and it has only made our life more exhausting. haha

Eating

Well she loves to eat! Anything and everything we give her she will gobble down! She will usually have oatmeal, or yogurt for breakfast with some Cheerios and fruit. Lunch is a variety of items and we usually try to vary it up with some kind of protein a fruit and a veggie. Dinner is about the same. Right now she prefers to eat, cheese, pasta, avocado, blueberries and strawberries and oddly enough her favorite veggie is zucchini! We are constantly giving and trying new foods and she loves it. Her most favorite food is off of mommy or daddy's plate! We often have to say no it is mommy's or no it is daddy's. Then a fit is usually thrown, but we try to distract!

Waving

Bye-Bye, to her shadow, dogs, and cars, Olivia loves to wave at anything and anyone! She has developed this princess like wave. She holds her arm out in front of her and moves her entire wrist back and forth! We have no idea where she learned that from because we never waved to her that way, but man oh man I hope this is not a sign of what is to come! haha. In any case, she is quite the waver and that is usually accompanied with blowing kisses as well. One thing is for sure, she is a lover not a fighter!

Feeding Herself

Eating her yogurt with her spoon!

Olivia has always wanted to use the spoon herself and often gets upset if we do not let her feed herself, so recently we gave up control a bit and let her go for it on her own. The task can get messy, but to be honest, she is doing wonderfully! She can stab most items with a fork, but still needs help with soft things. Her cereal and yogurt are on the way to being mastered. It is nice to be able to give her something and walk away or sit down to eat too. Our little baby is growing up!

Traveling and Other Visitors

The girls

We journeyed to the beach after Christmas to visit with Dan's family. Olivia is an excellent traveler! She will usually sleep for about an hour and then be content to look at book after book! She loves being at the beach house too. Olivia had a blast keeping up with her cousins!

We had two weekend visitors in February. My friends from college, Denise, flew down to Maryland and Beth drove up from Virginia. Olivia hardly napped all weekend because she wanted to play with the girls! We had a girls night out and left Dan home with the baby! It was nice to have them here and I look forward to seeing them again soon!

Last weekend my mom, Tyler, Olivia, and myself traveled to Ohio for my cousin Heather's wedding. The car ride out was fine. We stopped for dinner and shortly after, she fell asleep. It was a bit chaotic when we arrived at the hotel at 11:30 that night, and both kids were awake for a bit. She settled down though and took a fairly good nap on Saturday. Saturday night we pushed the limits and she was up way past her bedtime. Exhausted, she finally succumbed and fell asleep in her stroller. Sunday's drive home was long and we ran into snow, but her exhaustion helped the journey! She did not really want to be walking around anyway! Tyler turned on a movie and that kept her occupied for quite a while too! She is our little traveler and we look forward to more road trips this spring!

Favorite Anecdotes

There are many Olivia stories, but these are the ones that make us smile the most!
Ring Around the Rosey was taught to Olivia by Grandma and Grandpa Hart one night when she spent the night. It is a cute little game, but for weeks she was obsessed with it! She would walk up to you and hold out her hand saying, "Ashes, Ashes!" It was fun and adorable the first few times, but when it went on for hours one day...I had enough. I taught her how to twirl and I sang the song for her! She still loves "Ashes" so you are not allowed to say that word unless you want to spend hours spinning in circles!
Itsy Bitsy Spider is another song, Grandpa taught her. This one is fun to watch her move her two index fingers, trying to move that spider! We sing it in the car on the way to school and she is getting really good at the other hand movements! We want more like that Grandma and Grandpa! haha
The last of our favorite Olivia anecdotes includes Hurley. A few weeks ago we were eating breakfast in the dining room. Olivia's high chair was facing into the kitchen. All of the sudden she says, "EEE (her name for Hurley) No, No!" We turn around and sure enough he had his head all the way into the garbage can. Apparently someone did not close the lid and he was having a field day! We laughed about that one for awhile!

Olivia's Favorite Activities


Dont take me inside!

One constant favorite in her life is reading books! I would like to think it is because we have read to her since she was born, but I am sure it is also because both Dan and I love to read too! We have so many books and she loves to read them in the car, in her room on her favorite chair, and in the living room with the bin of books. This is the only activity that will keep her attention for a span of time! Her favorite book at the moment is "Blue Hat, Green Hat" by Sandra Boyton, she often giggles when the last character is wearing the wrong outfit and the book reads "Oops." She will repeat oops. She is also into the books that make noise. We bought two new books with buttons and sound. When she pushes the button it will say what it is. Perhaps the favorite new book is the animal noises one. She pushes the button for kitty and it meows. She will sit in the car and hit the button for the animal noises the whole ride. We are constantly saying what animal makes the noise. Hopefully one day she will know it and say it back to us!

Her second favorite activity is walking and playing outside. Whenever the weather is nice she is outside playing both at Mrs. Sharon's, our house, and grandma and grandpa's swing set. It is very hard to get her back inside. Often she throws a fit when we come inside, as you can see with the above picture! Mrs. Sharon was surprised last week when Olivia threw a fit for her when she needed to bring the kids inside. It was funny to us because Olivia will throw a fit and this is the first time for Mrs. Sharon to see that!

Lastly, all day it is up and down the stairs. We use to have gates up to block them, but she is so confident going up the stairs and loves to play in her room. So we gave up on the gates this past month and are teaching her to go down the stairs too. She has almost mastered going down too, but she likes to play on the stairs and we often have to stop her and say, no playing. I am thinking though in the fall we will have to gate off the stairs to keep her retained to one floor of our house because...

Baby Puryear #2 is preparing for an August 17th arrival

Yes it took us 18 months to finally get pregnant with Olivia and had to go through IVF, but in December we found out we where expecting again! It has taken us by surprise, and we feel so blessed! To be honest, in the past few weeks I have just started to show and it is starting to become reality. The two kiddos will be 21 months apart and I will stay home with both kids in the Fall! I think I will be teaching summer school this summer, but it will be great since I will have an extra three months off! I can handle that! We have an anatomy sonogram on March 29th and we will find out the sex and if everything else is healthy! So for now we keep telling Olivia about her baby brother or sister and use the word baby a lot. We do not think she has any idea what it means, but I am sure she will soon enough!

This blog has been four months coming and I hope we do not go that long again, but running after a toddler takes much more energy than I ever imagined! We continue to be amazed on a daily basis and some days are more exhausting than others, but overall we would not change a thing!

We will update soon! Until then, enjoy the pictures on the Picasa link and pray for a healthy baby!
Love to all,
Dan, Laura, Olivia, and Baby Puryear #2

Is It Really Thanksgiving?

2010-11-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

Olivia turns one!

Oh my where has the time gone? I hope that everyone had an wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. The big question that was throw around this weekend was, "is it really Thanksgiving?" The fall season has begun and we are enjoying each moment, as we realized it goes by so fast! If I had to recap the fall in one sentence it would sound like this: We are thankful for the two front teeth Olivia has now, a happy healthy, 20 pound one year old, who has learned how to walk and talk, and blah blah

Since the last entry in September, we visited two farms, the Maryland Zoo, gone apple picking, traveled to Rochester, traveled to Ocean City and spent time with the Wittmans, grew two front teeth and have four more that are working their way through, celebrated Halloween and a first birthday, started really talking, blowing kisses, giving kisses, and most importantly started walking! Of course and most recently, celebrated Thanksgiving! Now do you understand our lack of attention to the blog?!

The following descriptions are in no particular order and are brief descriptions of our adventures! There are pictures on Picasa Web Albums that show off our events in more details, if you are more visual.

Fall Festivities

Watch out sheep, here comes Olivia!

Olivia has always loved Hurley, but we recently discovered a love of all animals . We went to Elioak Farm with friends in October and they have a petting area. She was enthralled with the animals! She was practically crawling over the fence to get into the pen! We also visited the Maryland Zoo on Friday after Thanksgiving and were able to walk around the petting area and she was trying to hug all the goats in the pen. She was so excited and provided us with several laughs.

Chowing away on the apple

We also discovered another love of Olivia's, apples! Tyler went along with us in October to Larriland Farm to pick apples from the orchard. Olivia was in the stroller because she was not stead on her feet. She was very interested in what we were doing. Of course when you apple pick, you need to eat an apple. She kept pointing at our apples, so we found a baby like apple and bit off the skin, then handed it to her. She was in her glory! She gnawed on that apple the entire time we picked apples! It was quite a sight to see. We realized she prefers bigger bites of food. Once in a while she will eat a bit that is too big, and she will spit it out. She is doing quite well I if I say so!

Girls Weekend to Rochester

The first weekend in October my Mom, Bethany, Kym, Olivia, and myself made the journey up to Rochester for a girls weekend, and to celebrate the baby shower of our good friend Amy Knight (Scata). It was a bonding experiences for us and Olivia was a fabulous little traveler. It was great to for her to meet her Uncle Ron, cousins Colin and Andy, and of course to see Greatest and Uncle Ken again. She missed two naps, went to bed late both nights, was in the car seat for 17 hours and hardly complained! The best part was on the way home she sat and looked at her books by herself for more than a half an hour! My mom would just give her an new book when she threw one on the seat! The weekend was great and my sisters and mom were a great help with Olivia. We missed Dan! I think he enjoyed his bachelor time, but was ready for his girls to get home.

All the Cousins Together

The Puryear, Wittman, Wambolt Cousin Photo Shoot

-The Girls-

As some of you know Jill and Steve Wittman, Dan's sister, moved to Geneva, Switzerland for three years. We miss them very much, but keep up with them using Skype! Before they left, they spend some time in Maryland, visiting the siblings. Steve flew to Geneva before the rest of the family, so Jill and her two girls, Emma and Ava, spend time in Ocean City. We visited them for the weekend. The three girls together was so much fun! The weather was lovely and we walked on the Boardwalk, went for two boat rides, and played outside. The Boardwalk area in Ocean City has huge wooden play toys, which are great in the off season because they are not overrun by kids. Emma and Olivia had the best time discovering, crawling, and running (well Emma ran), all over the toys. Olivia loved the sand, of course, and this time was more mobile in the sand. We had to keep an eye out for her because she kept trying to escape. We also had two boat rides on the Cris Craft. Olivia and Eva joined us for one and then Emma, Jill, Dan, Lee, and I went on a two hour tour for the second ride. O and E were so cute in the over-sized life jackets. The weekend was bittersweet because we had to say good-bye to the Wittmans. There are great pictures from the weekend and a cousin photo shoot on the photo link! We are looking forward to seeing them at Christmas time. I am sure we will have lots of good stories now that Olivia is walking and Ava is crawling!

Teething

No longer a toothless grin, Olivia's bottom teeth came through at some point in the spring and her top two teeth broke through in the late summer, but it was mid-October they became cute little fixtures in pictures! She is now cutting the top two "fang" teeth and the the bottom two as well. I looked into her mouth the other day it the entire top of her mouth looked like it was white and swollen with tooth buds. It must me awful, but she is holding on. She loves the frozen teething rings. Last week I discovered her fingers had scrap marks all over and I realized she was chewing her hands. So I try to save her fingers by handing over the Soothie things. It is a pacifier for infants because it has a place to put a finger in for a baby to suck on. She LOVES to put her own finger in it and that has really saved her fingers.

Talking and Talking

Talking up a storm! I think her first official word was Daddy, but she had since learned, light, yes, mommy, Hurley (yes she says some of the word), cheese, please, and a few others I cannot think of now. It is amazing that she can communicate with us, she can sign to us, but usually prefers to point at the object and make a little noise. We are well trained and usually give her what she needs, but we always name the item. I guess we should encourage her to sign or use her words more!

Halloween Time

All bundled up ready to go outside!

We did celebrate Halloween with a party at our house, a Maryland tailgate, and good old fashioned trick or treating! We usually have a Halloween party, and this year I think at one point there were more kids than adults! Olivia was a pumpkin and looked so cute. We put the hat on her several times and she kept it on most of the nights. We are a family were a pumpkin patch this year. Not very creative, but the price was right. Pumpkin carving was a family affair this year and Olivia like to put the top on her pumpkin and then take it off. She sat in her highchair for quite a while, while we finished carving. Tyler came over to trick or treat. We went out for about forty five minutes and Olivia had a little stash of candy that Dan and I ate! Next year will be fun because she will be able to really walk around and say, "Trick or Treat!"

First Birthday Celebrations

Our little one year old!

Just dive right in!

Finally, she turned one! We had two birthday bashes, lots of cake, and plenty of gifts! My parents and Grandma Mary Lou came over for a birthday dinner on Monday, her actual birthday. We dressed her up in tutu and matching pink sparkly tights. She looked like a little princess. My favorite part of the evening was the smash cake! We sang to her and put down a little cake. She had not trouble putting her hands right into it and licking it all up! At one point she just put her face right into the cake! We all had a good laugh, and then we opened presents. She received a few gifts from Tyler, Grandma, and Grandpa, and a few from friends who could not make the party on Saturday. The best toy gift was the walking toy from Skylar and Bryce. That was the catalyst in giving her the confidence to take her first steps! The evening flew by and soon it was bed time. Dan and I can hardly believe we have made it a year with a child! Our life is drastically changed, but we cant remember not having her in our lives!

We had huge bash on Saturday for Olivia. The theme was pink and the number 1! We served chili, bread, some appetizers, and of course cake! There were about 25 people who came to celebrate and it was a tight fit for a while, but well worth the closeness! She received so many gifts and had some help from Brooke to open them all! We played a few games, but the most fun was that smash cake! We felt so blessed to have the love and support from our family and friends on her Birthday and throughout the year! As people started to leave the party, Olivia climbed up the stairs and went into her bedroom, pulling her blanket from crib and laying down on her rug in her room. So I put her into bed, exhausted by the day, she slept for a little while! The day was certainly memorable!

Walking and Other Developments

As I close this LONG and DETAILED entry, I must add I am astonished how quickly she develops a skill! Take walking for example, she was cruising for weeks, then on Saturday (November 20th) she was walking around the living room table and stopped. With a second thought she let go, and started walking towards the dinning room where we were sitting. She stopped half way to clapped, then continued on towards her toy! I was crying and I realized she is a little girl now! Now she has taken off! She walks/totters/falls everywhere, and has even started to climb! She has been clapping for months, but waving bye bye, blowing kisses, and giving kisses, just started happening before her first birthday. It is like one day in her brain, things start to click and she can do all the new tricks we have been encouraging her to do all along!

So our live is a whole new crazy now, keeping up with her! We absolutely LOVE it and cannot ask for anything more!

10 Things That Make Us Smile in the 10th Month

2010-09-09T21:29:00.001-04:00

Olivia has developed quite a personality over the past few months! She brings a smile to our faces daily, and too many times we laugh out loud! One of the comments we tell her daily is, "I don't think you can be any cuter!" We thought we would share some of the ten things she does that makes us smile! We hope this will share some joy to you too!

The list is in no particular order:

1. Group Hug

Recently when holding Olivia, we will encourage her to have a group hug. She caught on to it and now will lean in towards Dan or myself and we have to say, "yeah, group hug!" She smiles and seems so happy with herself!

She was in the process of yelling, "OOH"

2. OOH
This is Olivia's favorite word! Whenever something is interesting to her she yells out "OOH." When Hurley walks into the room, she yells, "OOH." If she discovers something new, she yells, "OOH!" You get the idea.

3. Outside Voice being used inside

We are not sure where she gets her loudness from, certainly not me! (haha). At times Olivia is so loud. She will be in her car seat and let out a loud yell. She will be playing with her toys and suddenly be babbling, followed by a loud yell. Often when we put her in the high chair and walk to the kitchen to get her toy she will scream to us! We laugh, but tell her that is an outside voice Olivia. We are hoping that she will soon understand to use that yell outside. We will have to see about that! haha

Wait for me!

4. Following us from room to room
Now that she has mastered crawling, she is all over the place! We will put her down in the living room and walk into the kitchen. Following behind, you guessed it Olivia. It is so cute because when you look down it is this little person making her way across the room. My favorite is when she crawls up to us and reaches up for us to pick her up! It melts my heart!
5. Cuddling with her blanket
Now that we are back at school, we have to go in and get her earlier than we were this summer. This summer it would be after 7:00 before we went in to get her. Now it is before 7:00. She is very much like Dan and needs some time to wake up. The past week or so, in the morning, I will pick her up and she immediately grabs her blanket and has to cuddle with it and suck her thumb while I change her diaper and dress her. Often she will take the blanket with her while she nurses too! She just loves that blanket! At night I cuddle with her after book and prayers with the blanket and she lays there, sucking her thumb.

6. Greeting us after naps, sitting up in her crib, playing
We do not rush in to the room when she wakes up from naps, giving her a few minutes to wake up. When we do go in the room, she is often found sitting up, "playing jail", shaking herself back and forth on the crib railings. As soon as she sees us she lets out a huge yell that often sounds like "Hi!"

7. The grumpy, angry, hungry cry, that resembles her mother's hunger cry!

If you do not know I like to eat, and so does Olivia. I also get kinda grumpy when I am hungry. Dan discovered this trait during our 2008 trip out west, and has become a running joke with Dan and I. We think Livy has the same irritation when she is hungry because around 5:30pm, her dinner time, she gets very grumpy and often will just start to cry. There have been several nights Dan will be feeding her while she is crying and opening her mouth for more food! She will finally quite down after some food. The scene is pretty hilarious. Dan is so patient with her when she is that upset too!

Kicking the waves in Ocean City

8. Her love of water

It does not matter what it is, the ocean, pool, bathtub, kiddie pool, or Hurley's water, she will play in it and love every minute. She loves to kick in the water, drink the water, and splash and splash.

9. Her reaction to other kids, especially Tyler

Olivia is thrilled to be back at daycare because of all the other kids. The moment we drop her off in the morning she is looking around Ms. Sharon's for which kids are there already. She follows the bigger kids around too. The family member who earns the biggest smiles is Tyler! Her entire face lights up. She also loves Brayden. Last weekend at his house he started laughing at a toy and she immediately started to giggle too. He would laugh again and so would she. It was adorable.
10. The way any kind of music makes her bob her head and clap her hands
Finally, a lesson we can take away and apply to our own lives is a ten month olds love of music, especially Olivia. She has a music table she is borrowing from Gram, and she is obsessed with it. We put her down and she heads straight for the table. She will bounce her head and clap her hands! Often a song will come on the radio and she will bounce her entire body to the beat. My favorite happens when the TV is on...I will be nursing her in the morning and the Today Show theme will start. Shes will stop nursing and look towards the TV, smile, and clap her hands. I laugh every morning because of her! So the next time you hear music think of our baby bouncing to the beat!

We hope you enjoyed the list of ten things that make us smile! Life with Olivia has flown and we look forward to what else will be added to this list!

Summer of 2010 Wrap Up

2010-09-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Our little family during the trip to Myrtle Beach

As our tan lines fad and the school year begins, we remember what an amazing summer it was! Since our last blog, Olivia has been non-stop! She started army crawling in late July and has since mastered the fine art of crawling by the middle of August. Now as she nears ten and a half months she is pulling up on everything! Before we get ahead of ourselves here is the recap of our Myrtle Beach trip, her nine month doctors appointment, and all of our August travels!

Olivia had her nine month check up before we left for our beach vacation. She continues to grow and be healthy! She weighed 17 pounds and 12 ounces, putting her into the 34th percentile for weight. Her height was 28.5 inches, falling into the 83rd percentile! She is a long and skinny baby! The doctor said everything looked good and her ear infection from last month was all cleared up. She cried a little for the shot, but otherwise was a perfect baby.

Three Generations!

The last week in July brought us a beach trip with my mom, Tyler, and Greatest to Myrtle Beach, SC. The trip down was uneventful and long. Olivia did well in the car, but became a little fussy towards the end...we all were though! The week long vacation was restful and I know that Greatest loved spending the time with two of her great-grand kids! Each day we had to make the tough choice of going to the beach or the pool. A few days we did one in the morning and the other in the afternoon (tough life I know)! The last morning we went for a walk on the beach before the crowds hit and it was beautiful. Of course Livy loved the beach and this time was more interested in the waves crashing on her! At one point a wave crashed right up to her face and after the initial shock wore off she started laughing and clapping! Dan and I were able to head out for a dinner one night and Greatest treated us to dinner another. We missed my dad and sisters, but it was a fun family vacation.

Tyler and Olivia on our final day in Myrtle Beach

We had two weddings the first two weeks of August, so we left MB on Thursday. The drive home was quite eventful though, and it was a good thing my mom decided to leave with us! We left around four and stopped for dinner around five, and continued driving. I was growing tired and we decided to switch drivers. Dan was on the road for about twenty minutes and he ran over a huge pipe in the road, slicing our tire (yes our brand new tire). We quickly pulled off the road to investigate the damage. I previously failed to mention it was about nine thirty at night and pouring down rain! So on the side of I95 in the middle of a thunderstorm we, and by we I mean Dan, changed the flat tire and drove the rest of the trip on our spare tire. That added an extra hour to the trip! To top it all off...we were caught speeding by a speed camera at 2:30 am and got a ticket in the mail a few weeks ago! $150 dollars, plus $200 for the new tire...it was an expensive ride home! I feel very blessed we got home safe and Olivia did not cry at all during the whole tire incident.

The Wambolt Cousins with Olivia

As I previously mentioned, we had two weddings on back to back weekends in August. Both weddings were in New York and it was easier to leave Olivia in Maryland while we made the trips up on Saturday morning and home on Sunday. First wedding was Beth and Oliver's in Binghamton. For this wedding Olivia stayed at Grandma, Grandpa, and Tyler's house. The second wedding was Shannon and Scott's in Jamestown. We dropped Livy off at Aunt Carol and Uncle Scott's house to be watched by Gram, Grandpa, and Brayden, because Blake Lee Wambolt was born on August 13th! While Carol rested and recovered in the hospital, Olivia played with Brayden at his house. Everyone had a blast and I know Gram loved playing with the grand kids. We feel very lucky to have such a supportive family to leave our daughter with!

We were very busy in August and even made a final trip to Ocean City before school started. Olivia spent three days on the beach and even had her Scopes taken on the beach! She took short naps on the beach, so when we dropped her off for day care on Tuesday she was a little over tired. Oh well she had a blast with Ms. Sharon and the other kids!

As the summer fades to fall and Olivia re-adjusts to day care and us to school. Her first summer was a memorable one and I look forward to what is ahead!

My first summer

The Balash Family

2010-07-27T22:09:00.003-04:00

Emme and Livy wearing their matching dresses!

Jenn, Brian, Ryker, and Emersen came to visit on July 18th! We were so excited they were visiting because Emersen and Olivia are three month apart and had not met each other yet. Plus we have not seen Ryker in almost a year! We were a little worried about how they would sleep since our house a little, but it worked extremely well. After running into traffic in Virgina, they arrived with two passed out kids around 10:30p.m. We were happily waiting with beers and smiles.

Yup-That is Jenn, Brian, and Laura!

On Monday we decided to visit the Maryland Zoo. The day was extremely hot and we were all a bit sweaty! However the big kids managed to have a fun time at the zoo! The kids were wonderful and enjoyed the animals. Ryker had a blast running from animal cage to animal cage. I think his favorite part was either the giant slide or the train that drives through the zoo. Emme was a precious baby and slept the first half of the visit. The just hung out in the stroller watching the world go by! Olivia was extra cute this trip. We have taken two other trips, but this time she was able to see the animals and she loved the ducks the best. In the afternoon we hung out and had a little happy hour! Of course that evening, as the kids were passed out, we had to watch The Bachlorette. I think that was Brian and Dan's favorite part of the day!

Kiddie Pool Fun with Ryker

Tuesday brought another hot day and we decided to have a water fun day in the backyard. We played in the kiddie pool and had some sprinkler fun! Tyler, my mom, and Kym visited for a bit and Ryker was all about playing with Tyler. Brian was even able to stay cool with a little head dunk in the sprinkler. Emme and Olivia had some time together in the pool, kicking around and laying on their stomachs.

After a nice afternoon nap, we left to play at a local playground. Again Ryker had a blast with the steering wheel, the slides, and running all around. The girls went down a few slides, but they were not as active as Ryker. On the way home we picked up some dinner. During dinner, Jenn and Brian decided that it was best to leave that evening and travel home while the kids were sleeping. So we sadly helped them back up and they left on Tuesday night.

The three buddies and Grandma helping out too.

We have such a great time hanging out...if only we lived closer!

Beach Weekend in July

2010-07-22T15:05:00.001-04:00

Loves the water and the sand!

Olivia fourth trip to the beach was quite the eventful one. She had so many adventures I am not sure where to begin! We arrived on Thursday and after a quick afternoon nap we headed over to the pool down the street from the Puryears. Once again I forgot my camera, but Olivia adores the pool. She loves to kick on her stomach and lay on her back. We even went under the water several times with her. She is quickly turning into our little water baby!

She kept licking the life jacket when it was on.

On Friday Livy had another first~she took her first boat ride. Lee took us on a boat ride for over an hour. Olivia really seemed to like it. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open when the boat was moving fast, so we turned her away from the wind and she wanted to touch the water in the back of the boat. The life jacket was not her favorite because it did not fit perfectly, but she will have to get use to it! We look forward to many more boat rides in the future. That evening we also went out for an all you can eat crab feast! We started dinner on the earlier side, so that hopefully Livy would last until we were done eating. She was a little angel. We were seated by the waiters station and she watch all the waiters walk back and forth, smiling and watching them all. She was very interested in the food we were eating, so we gave her corn off the cob to eat. She was entertained by that too. We all had plenty to eat and she did not even fuss! It was a lot of fun and great to know she was content to sit in the high chair for over an hour.

Hurley wanted in on the toy action!

Saturday was another adventure! The plan was to wake up, eat breakfast, and head to the beach for as long as Olivia would last. We packed up the car, the two beach bags, and headed out the door about nine o'clock. As we pulled out of Ocean Pines the skies did not look so great, but we drove on. When we arrived at the beach, Livy had fallen asleep in her car seat and the skies were dark. We called back to the Puryears and talked to Laura, who informed us that it was raining back in Ocean Pines. We decided to sit in the car for a few minutes to let her finish her nap and see if it would pass us by. It held off until she woke up and we ran out to the beach for twenty minutes before the skies unleashed. It ended up raining all day :( So our plan was foiled. The back up plan? Head to the Outlets! Jean babysat Olivia while we went out shopping with Laura. Then we played some games that afternoon/evening. It was another eventful day...just stunk that it rained.

Family photo opt down by the surf

When we woke up on Sunday the sun was shining and it was time to try the beach again. We let Olivia take her morning nap at home and as soon as she awoke we were off to the beach! We set up camp and were in the for long haul. Olivia enjoyed playing with the water so much we had to fill it with fresh water because I was afraid she would get sick. She splashed, knocked over, and dug in the water. When she ate the sand too much we had to put her on a towel. We did take her down to the water and really put her in the surf. She LOVED it! She was laughing and having a great time. We definitely have a little beach bum in the works! She then finished her bottle and ate some pears. About one o'clock she was pretty exhausted so we crossed our fingers that she would sleep on the beach. I held her until she was almost asleep and then we put in under the cabana and laid next to her. We did have to soother her once when a loud person talking walked by and scared her. It worked perfectly and she slept for a little over an hour! YEAH! She also took her three o'clock bottle on the beach. Life is good when you spend a day on the beach. Dan and I were delighted that we have a little beach baby!

The weekend was wonderful and we were sad to leave. We look forward to seeing Gram and Grandpa Puryear in a few weeks and heading back to the beach in August before school starts again!

Fourth of July 2010

2010-07-22T14:37:00.000-04:00

Can I have that toy Grumpa?

Fourth of July weekend was a real bang this year! We hosted a impromptu Happy Hour with my parents, Tyler, and Laura, the Original. The weather was beautiful and we hung outside in the backyard. Olivia loved playing with all the guests, especially crawling all over Grumpa! She even ate her dinner in her highchair in the back porch. Laura hung out for a while and played Rock Band that night. It is great to be able to hang out even after Livy is in bed. Dan is excited that even though he has a child he can still play video games! haha

Playing with Monica

On Saturday we had more guests over to celebrate. Our friends Monica and Rob came over for a cookout/game night. We roped them into walking up to the Catonsville Parade. We are usually in Ocean City for the 4th and this year I really wanted to see the yearly parade that runs through our town. So we walked the mile and a half to the parade route in the sweltering heat, watch the parade for about half an hour, then marched back the mile and a half! Needless to say we were all hot and ready for a nice cold beverage and appetizers by the time we came home from the adventure! I was really happy to see the parade and Olivia was wonderful! She loved watching all the people and did not cry at all when the loud fire trucks drove by, sirens on. Later that night we played several games and enjoyed the company. It was great to spend time Monica and Rob before their wedding on July 16th. As they left for the night we did walk out to the front yard and watch some of the Catonsville fireworks. We are hoping that next year Olivia will be ready to stay up until ten to see fireworks.

The cousins in the matching shirts.

The weekend came to an exciting close at my parents house on Sunday, the fourth. First we had to have a photo shoot because Olivia and Tyler had on thier matching Old Navy shirts. We had a ton of outtakes, but were able to keep a few good pictures. I hope that the t-shirt thing will become a tradition, but we were all saying that Tyler will probably not want to match next year. We had a cookout over there too and two special guests stopped by. Blair and Gayle joined us for an afternoon play date! Blair is six weeks older than Livy and the two of them were hilarious to watch. Olivia would be holding a toy and then Blair would reach out to grab it from her. Blair would hold onto the toy for a few minutes then Olivia would grab it from her hands. It was adorable. We love getting together with Gayle and we are hoping to see them again soon.

It was quite the busy weekend and so much fun with all the family and friends to celebrate.

Playground Visit

2010-07-06T13:49:00.001-04:00

Slowing, slowing, going down the slide

Climbing the rock wall

Olivia is a very observant child and loves daycare because she can watch all the kids play and Miss Sharon takes her outside and on trips daily. Knowing she is an active child, we try to take her out of the house daily for some kind of activity. Last week we took walks at parks, when it was over a hundred degrees we went to the mall, and the other day we visited the Meadowbrooke playground for her first trip to a playground. I thought there would be swings, but there were not any so we made do with what they had! So we started by walking the path around the playground and then we tried to play as much as we could. I honestly think she had more fun watching all the kids running around! She tired several slides, the rock climbing wall, the bridges, and her favorite the mirrored wall. We set her down in front of it and she laughed and laughed at herself! It was quite adorable! Here are some of the hightlights:

oh yes, a mirror to check myself out in!

How can I do this myself?

After the playground we decided to grab something for dinner quickly and Red Robin was the perfect place. This was our first dinner outing in several months and Olivia was wonderful. She sat in the highchair and was fascinated by everything around her! The Red Robin bird was visiting that night and she watch him walk all around the restaurant. It was quite funny!

It was a fun little day and while I LOVE this stage, I do look forward to when she can run around the playground!

First Ear Infection and Pink Eye--Oh My!

2010-07-06T13:35:00.000-04:00

What a beginning to the summer! The first week was great! We basically hung out at home, going for walks, "swimming" the kiddie pool, and playing with all the Olivia's toys! It was a nice relaxing start. Finally on Sunday though we were ready to get out of the house, so Dan and I decided to head to see a movie with our friends Courtney and Kris. Aunt Bethany was available to babysit and that was a huge help.

When we returned from the movie Miss Olivia was all happy and smiles, but we noticed greenish goop coming out from her eyes. This happened before around Christmas time and the doctor explained it was probably because of her blocked tear duct she had at birth. We did not think much of it and had a nice afternoon hanging out with Bethany, Courtney, and Kris. About 4:00 she became fussy and nothing really made her happy unless she was being held. We figured she was tired and missing her cat nap she usually takes in the car on the way home from school. Well the little fussiness became full blown cries about 5:00 and we figured she was exhausted. Usually when she is tired she can be consoled and cuddled, but this was different she was crying continuously. We put her to bed around 6:00, assuming she would wake up. She did not wake up and was a happy little girl in the morning and the green goop disappeared. I called the doctor anyway in the morning. The office recommended I bring her in to get checked out. As soon as Dr. Landcaster saw her she said, "Usually pink eye comes from an ear infection." Sure enough she had an ear infection in her left ear and pink eye in her left eye. So to the pharmacy we went to pick up her antibiotics.

Dan and I were laughing because she was in day care with other kids for months and the same week she is home with us she had her first illness. I was glad she lasted almost eight moths! I think it is all that milk I am feeding her, filled with antibodies! haha

She is doing well now and is taking the medicine with out much of a fight!

The Top Ten List of Months Six and Seven

2010-06-24T11:09:00.075-04:00

Wow What a couple of months it has been! We are finally done with the school year after a very extended length of time, and now it is time to kick back, relax, and enjoy our time with each other! We have very few plans for the summer. A couple weeks at the beach and some tutoring dates sum it up. We look forward to many more updates this summer with our free time!

So much has happened in the life of Olivia Grace! I thought making a Top Ten List would help sum of the changes, firsts, and growth that has happened in the past six weeks! Here we go:

1. Olivia is rolling over officially!

She is starting to become our little mover. She loves to sleep on her stomach now and is starting the army crawl in a 360 motion!

2. She is eating solid foods three times a day!

We have only found a few foods she dislikes and that includes peas and any mixed veggies. Her favorites include carrots, green beans, pears, and peaches! I tried to make my own food, but she did not like my carrots. Then we became so busy I put it on hold until this summer. So look out Olivia I am starting to make it again!

3. Olivia spend three days with Gram Puryear while mommy and daddy were at Outdoor Ed!

It was the first time away from Olivia, but she was in good hands. Jean came and stayed with Olivia and what adventures they had! "Olivia" created a whole journal of the time we were apart. They went out to lunch and a trip to the store topped the list. Gram and Olivia left early on Friday and Dan and I met them at the beach that afternoon. We missed her terribly and was so happy to see that smiling face again. It was great though that Olivia could spend time with Gram, I know Gram had a blast with her granddaughter.

4. Olivia had her first trip to the beach and loved the sand and water!
Did we have any doubt since she is our child, but she visited the beach on Memorial Day weekend and she loved it! She sat in the sand and ran it though her fingers for a while. Then figured out she could put it in her mouth. We moved her to the center of a blanket at that point! She loved the water too, especially knocking over the buckets we would bring to her. The nap was not successful, but we will try again. We have all summer to figure out how to get her to sleep under the pop up tent!

5. Another weekend she spend a whole weekend with Daddy alone while mommy was away!
The weekend of June 18th, I had a bridal shower/bachlorette party for my friend Shannon. So I headed out for NY early Saturday morning and Dan had Olivia all to himself for a day and a half! Dan and Olivia played in the pool, read books, played with Hurley and hung out with Aunt Laura.
I was sent text message updates and missed her so much. I had a blast in NY though and it was nice to see the Keuka Soccer girls again. Dan is such an amazing father and it is fabulous that he spends time with her!

6. Now she holds her own bottle!
Well the other day I tried to nurse Olivia before she went to bed, but she was having nothing of nursing! So we heated up a bottle for her and sure enough she laid on the bed and sucked the bottle down, holding it herself the entire time! When she was with Dan he also made the comment that she likes to hold it for herself and on Saturday night she would only drink it on the changing table. So our baby is becoming so independent. It is very adorable to see her lay there feeding herself.

7. She can sit up all by herself!
Shortly after she turned six and a half months, she was sitting by herself. It was a Monday and usually we set her down on the floor to play, propped up with something. For several weeks she was sitting by her self for a few seconds. On this Monday in May, I was sitting behind her and I realized she was sitting by herself for more than a few seconds! The seconds became minutes and we realized she reached the sitting milestone! Since then she prefers sitting up to play, and watch what is going on around her. There have been an occasional bumps and knocks by Hurley, but she rebalanced herself and stays upright. The few times she has fallen over she clap and shout "yeah!"

8. Is always babbling, screaming, and laughing.

"DADADADA" "BABABABAB" "ABABABAB" and various others can be heard thought the house and car! Just this morning it sounded like she did say "MAMA," but we will see. She is so loud though. (I have no idea where she gets that from!) Just laughing, screaming, and babbling. It is so much fun to listen to her talk!

9. She attended several parties!
The Spring time and especially the end of the year brings many parties! Olivia attended several this spring, including Monica's Bridal Shower that was at our house, Kate's graduation party, two retirement parties, and the end of the year annual happy hour! She was an angel at all and let anyone hold her. She smiled at everyone and loved every second of the new faces. We feel so lucky because we can take her places and she does not have the stranger anxiety. She is also a good little adjuster too She will roll with the new places, eat her food, and fall asleep easily on the way home. We just have to hold her for a few minutes when we get home and put her in the crib. Dan and I had the whole party system down cold. We knew exactly when it was time to leave! I know you are surprised we have a child that loves to hang out and party!

10. Finally, cut two bottom teeth break through!
After many months of drool and endless items in her mouth, Olivia cut her two bottom teeth! The left arrived first around June 14th and the right bottom arrived a few days later. She was a trooper! She was not sleeping as well, but stayed a happy baby. I was waiting every night for her to cry out in pain, but it never happened. We lucked out with the bottom. She is very protective though and will not let us near those new teeth! We can tell now that the top are making there way next. The toothless grin is soon to be no more!

Well this pretty much sums up the events of the past six weeks! It was an extremely busy months of May and June. There are over a hundred pictures on the Picasa Web Album, including the beach trip and out pool time! Please feel free to link to those on the right column.

We promise to update sooner!

Love to you all

Six Months Old

2010-05-08T21:27:00.000-04:00

We can hardly believe that Olivia has been in our lives for half a year already! The time has flown by and we continue to treasure each moment! We had a doctors appointment on Tuesday and after a very LONG wait we discovered Olivia has grown an inch and a half to 26.5 inches long and has gained almost three pounds! She now weighs 15 pounds and 9 ounces! Her height puts her in the 77th percentile and 43rd percentile for weight. The doctor said she is growing well and should start trying real food. Our plan is to make our own food and then freeze it for the week. To be honest, I have bought some Gerber green beans so we will see how this goes! Dr. Landcaster said that now her food is just to experiment with and learn to eat different textures. Most of her nutrients will still come from milk. We are excited to try out some new foods.

On her six month birthday, May 1st, we had quite an eventful day. At Noon, we scheduled a photo shoot at Target for her milestone pictures. She was wonderful and charming, and the Target staff worked patiently and efficiently! The pictures turned out beautifully and we will be able to pick them up next weekend! Our next stop, to pick up Tyler and Aunt Laura and head to the Maryland Zoo!

We arrived at the Zoo around 2:45 and the zoo closed at 4:00, so we knew we had to hurry through the park. We started in the Children section, which was adorable and Tyler had a blast! This trip was much more eventful than our first trip. The crowd was minimal, and the animals were out and playing! Of course I forgot to grab the camera so we missed out on great photo opportunities...oh well I am sure that will not be the first time. The animals we saw included, the cutest otter doing back flips off a rock, snakes slithering, bats flying, penguins swimming, a camel giving rides, polar bears, giant tortoises eating grass, lazy cheetahs, and ravens. The most exciting part of the day was when a monkey went a little crazy! We were standing by the outdoor monkey area and one of the monkeys came over to place we were standing, turned towards us and sat down. It was cute, but suddenly he freaked out! He picked up a huge water container, dumped it out, and threw it at the plastic viewing area. Then he jumped up and kicked the plastic area. The four of us jumped back, surprised and a little scared. I have never seen a monkey act that way and it was pretty intense. Tyler claimed that he had anger issues! It was quite an eventful day at the zoo and we love that we only need to use the pass one more time and we have paid off the pass! I am certain we will return soon.

On Sunday of her six month birthday weekend, it was my mom's birthday. The entire family drove out to Harper's Ferry in western Maryland to hike and walk around the historic town. While we were getting ready, Tyler kept Olivia occupied by playing and reading to her. We had some very cute pictures of the two of them! The day was enjoyable and felt like the summer with the temperatures in the 90s! Olivia was a great little girl, sleeping for about 45 minutes on the way to Harpers Ferry. She ate when we arrived and then sat in her stroller for most of the time. She was such a great baby. By 12:30 she was growing tired and we were all hungry. So we headed back to the car and across the street for a picnic lunch. I put Livy in her car seat and she was asleep in a matter of five minutes! While we ate lunch we kept her in the car with the windows rolled down and ate lunch about 100 yards away. After the bugs ran us out of the area, we headed back to Mom and Dad's for presents and dinner. The day was fabulous and I know my mom had a great birthday!

She had quite a busy weekend, but she continued to sleep well at Ms. Sharon's house. It was a very summer like week, so they headed to the park most mornings. Olivia slept in the stroller while the other kids ran around. She watches those kids so closely and cannot wait to run around with them. Next fall I am sure she will be close to giving them a run for their money!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I am excited to celebrate my first official day!
Love to all~

Baptism

2010-05-03T13:30:00.001-04:00

"A child is a precious gift from God

And baptism is God's gift wrapping"

Olivia's Baptism was a weekend event, starting on Friday night by prepping food at our house, and continued on Saturday with more food prep at my parents house! Since their house is bigger and closer to church we decided to have the brunch at my parent's house on Sunday. I am not sure if Olivia was aware of what was happening, but she did wake up at 5:30 am on Sunday morning. This was not in the plan. Although, as we are finding out with kids it is important to roll with what happens...so we rolled!

In recent weeks Livy has become quite the little church girl, sitting quietly on our laps, playing with toys. We were all excited thinking that she would be awake and alert for her baptism. Well, since she woke up at 5:30, she was ready for her nap right as church started! The service progressed and Olivia's eye lids become heavier and heavier. Surrounded by family and close friends, she fell asleep in my arms!

As Pastor Andy called us forward for the baptism, she slept on. As the two other little girls babbled on next to her, she slept on. As the congregation announced their support for the three girls, she slept on. And finally, it was her turn to be baptized. Pastor Andy looked her, looked at me, and said, "She she really sleeping?" I nodded. He asked, "do you want to just hold her." I replied, happily, "yes!" With her in my arms, fast asleep, she was baptized with water poured on her head three times, in the name of the father, in the name of the son, and in the name of the holy spirit. She slept on! With tears in my eyes, we stepped back away to the rest of the group and the baptism ceremony came to a close. It was a proud moment as a parent. A journey that was so challenging for us was now gift wrapped as she become baptized!

Then it was time to celebrate with our family and friends! Lynda and Jeremy Celmer, Lauren and Kevin Bauer, and Kelly Rogers were a huge help by leaving church early to start the coffee and put the egg dishes in the oven to warm up. When we returned home the food was ready to eat! The brunch menu included egg dishes, french toast casserole, bagels and muffins, egg salad and tuna sandwiches, fruit salad, and caesar salad. Our theme was flowers and my sister Bethany did an outstanding job creating the centerpieces for the celebration! The food was delicious and the company was even better! Olivia was a little angel and even posed with each family to take pictures. We then opened presents and then ate the fabulous cake.

We wrapped up the party about 1:00pm and Olivia, exhausted, went down for a nap. She looked adorable in her little dress and had quite a model shoot before church. The entire day was memorable and we felt so blessed to have an amazing family and close friends help us celebrate her baptism! For more pictures check out the online album!

We love you little Livy Loo!

Spring Break Ohio Trip

2010-05-02T20:59:00.000-04:00

This year was a different kind of Spring Break! Last year during Spring Break I was 8 weeks pregnant and we were down in Orlando, Florida. The whole trip Olivia was the size of a kumquat, so we called her our little kumquat all week!

Present day, we have the joy of that little kumquat and we had a blast with her! On Wednesday early morning, 1:30 am, we left for Cincinnati, Ohio. Olivia was the perfect little traveler and when I picked her up and put her in her car seat she smiled at me, took her pacifier, and fell back to sleep! We did not hear from her in the back seat until 6:00 am. We the stopped for breakfast at 7:30 and gave her a bottle! She was happy and smiling at everyone during breakfast! We had about 2.5 hours to go, so I sat in the backseat with her, reading books and playing her toys! About 9:00 am she became fussy. I moved back to the front and she feel asleep, taking her morning nap! It was delightful trip and driving through the night was not that bad! Dan slept while I drove and I passed out when he took over the driving at 4:00am!

More importantly though, we arrived at Jill and Steve's house around 10:30 and were greeted by Jill, Miss Emma and our new niece Ava! Steve was away on business, so we were ready to give Jill a helping hand! It was a very warm day, so we hung around the house and played with Emma and Ava! Olivia loved watching Emma run around and play. After a bit of a home improvement conflict, we cooked dinner for the Wittmans and enjoy some wine! We had a relaxing evening and went to bed on the early side!

The next day, Thursday, Steve arrived home from his trip around noon. So we hung out that morning and then Jill made a delicious pizza for lunch! When Steve arrived home we sat around and chatted for a while and decided to walk around Hyde Park. It was about this time that Jill and Steve revealed to us they are making a Surf and Turf dinner to celebrate my 30th birthday! After the kids were down in bed, the adults had time to play! We had a fabulous dinner and a memorable evening! Poor Jill was a trooper and stayed up with us. I remember clearly the night feedings and not having a full nights sleep! However, Jill was great and we were so happy to hang out with her! Later in the evening decided to watch Lost, but Jill fell asleep, holding hands with Ava. It was adorable!

Our final day in Cincy, was Ava's 1 month check up. So we hung around in the morning and in the afternoon had a picnic and hiking trip. We picked up yummy Dewy's Pizza and the hiked about a mile in a local park. We all enjoyed being outside and Emma was the best little walker on the hike! Dan and I decided to leave Ohio around Olivia's bed time because it was be easy to get home and put her in her crib. So we sadly said good bye after Olivia ate dinner and headed back to Maryland. Again, Olivia was a great little traveler and when we got home around 2:30 am I took her out of the car seat, swaddled her up and put her in her crib. She fell right back to sleep and we heard from her about 7 am.

We had a great visit in Ohio and I look forward to Olivia being able to run around with Emma and Ava! She is so lucky to have cousins close to her age!

There are more pictures on online album of all three girls!
Thanks for having us, Jill, Steve, Emma, and Ava...we had so much fun!

Maryland Zoo and Easter Too

2010-04-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

To start our Spring Break we decided to spend Friday morning at the Maryland Zoo with my mom, grandma (Olivia's Greatest), and Tyler. The line for the zoo was insane and we waited in the line to get in for 40 minutes! We enjoyed people watching and discovered that members have their own entrance to the zoo! So we decided that the cost was worth it and we bought a year long pass to the zoo! We also put down that we have 2 kids and we will always be able to bring a guest! So who wants to hit the zoo with us!?

When we finally were able to enter the zoo we started at the Polar Bear exhibit and it was around 11:30, Olivia's feeding time. So we found a shadowy spot and started to give her the bottle, but she was too distracted and ate only half the bottle. Figuring she would be a mess and starving in half an hour, we ventured on to the Africa section. Greatest and my mom hung back and Tyler, Dan, Olivia and I walked ahead to view the lions, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, and penguins. We had Olivia in the stroller and it was around the penguins that she started to fall asleep in the stroller. We were very impressed because she missed her morning nap and she hardly cried at all! We looked down and she was out! We decided at that moment it was time to make our way back. Plus Greatest was done walking around too. My favorite part of the zoo trip was the giraffes because that was the one animal that we could see up close and personally! Dan's favorite part was the penguins because several did a belly flop right into the water and they were hysterical to watch! I know the next time Tyler wants to bring $2 to feed the giraffes! We will have plenty of time for that since we plan on going to the zoo several times in the next year. Next time we visit we plan to head over to the petting zoo part. I know Olivia will love that part!

This weekend was also Easter. In the morning we found a basket left on our table from the Easter Bunny, but we waited to open the basket until after church at my parents house. We attended the 9:30 church service, sitting next to Greatest! Olivia had another successful week at church, sitting through the whole service! She loved sitting next to Greatest and trying to grab her nose and glasses. When we went to the front for communion, she received all kinds of compliments and oohs!

When we arrived at my parents house a note was on the door that there 50 eggs in the backyard for Tyler, Shayla, and Olivia to find! So Olivia had her first Easter Egg Hunt and she was able to find two eggs! She enjoyed eating the plastic egg more than the candy inside! We had an enjoyable day with the family and Olivia took a two hour nap at my parents house!

She also opened her two Easter Baskets! She was spoiled with a bunny, two outfits, and book from Gram and Grandpa Puryear. The other basket had a fun ball toy and bubbles!

It was a memorable first Easter and I think we wore that little girl out! Today she took a 2 hour and 10 minute nap and an hour and a half nap. Hopefully she will catch up on that sleep because tomorrow night/Wednesday morning at 1:30 we are leaving for Ohio to visit Jill, Steve, Emma, and Ava.

Hope you are all had an loving Easter!
love
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

Cereal Time

2010-04-05T20:05:00.000-04:00

Olivia turned 5 months on April 1st, so on Monday March 29th, we decided it was time to start feeding her cereal. Our first indication she was ready was that everything goes into her mouth! When we eat or drink something she needs to see or touch what we have. She can sit up very well with support, so we knew it was time!

Our pediatrician, Dr. Landcaster, recommended that we give it to her very thin first and then slowly make it thicker. It has been about a week and we tried several ways to feed her. The first night I sat her in Dan's lap and that was not very successful as she wanted to hold the spoon and most of it did fell onto her bib and clothes. The next night, Tuesday, we decided to try her in the Bumbo. That was a little more successful and more cereal appeared in her mouth! She has more fun holding the spoon and biting on it than eating the cereal. Finally, on Wednesday we discovered the best approach, the bouncer! This bouncer seat has been quite a lifesaver for us! (Thanks again Brookie and Chris) The bouncer angles her just right and she can eat all her cereal much better!

She is so cute when she eats, grabbing the spoon and putting it into her own mouth!

Thus far cereal has been a success and we make it a little thicker each night. She really loves to eat it too! I look forward to trying new foods with her!

My Mommy's Amazing 30th Birthday

2010-04-05T14:20:00.000-04:00

My Mommy turned 30 on March 29th and as a surprise Daddy planned a whole day of festivities! It all started on Friday when Aunt Denise flew into town and Daddy presented Mommy with her acceptance letter to her own Amazing Race! The first clue was given to Mommy and she was told to head to the airport to pick up her Amazing Race teammate! I stayed home to hang with Dad and Hurley, waiting for Aunt Denise to arrive! When she arrived she was so shocked at how big I have grown! I hung with her for a little bit, but I had to go go bed! Saturday was the when the real fun was happening!

At 10:30 in the morning, while I was down for my nap, Aunt Laura arrived and announced she was the driver for the Amazing Race and they were given their first clue! Dressed in Maryland gear, the girls set out to the first stop, The Terrapin Adventures, to complete a zip line and a giant swing! Mommy told me later, "the zip line was a bit scary at first, but once you jump off the platform and are on the line it was very cool." Her favorite part was the giant swing because it was an adrenaline rush. I am not sure what an adrenaline rush is but it seems like fun because Mommy could not stop shaking and talking about it! She told me later that it was very scary and when they pulled the girls up the release line did not work the first time so it was even more nerve racking because they were waiting for the swing to drop! When it did not the man running the ride brought them down and fixed it. The second time they dropped right away and it was extremely scary! The staff was so nice and even let them go a second time! She can't wait to go back and try it again. I can't wait to be old enough to have an adrenaline rush! I like to swing too!

The next clue was to head over to grandma and grandpa's house and she had to preform a road block. This posed a challenge for Mommy because she had to start a fire in the fire pit and make it high enough and hot enough to burn a piece of rope. I think Daddy got that idea from Survivor! Mommy had a difficult time with this task and she was a little frustrated. My cousin Tyler told me he tried to help and that made it go faster! Finally, she got the fire burning and she was off to Old Ellicott City for a Detour task!

During the next stop, The Wine Bin, the Detour, a choice between two tasks, was called Over or Under. Mommy, Aunt Denise, and Aunt Laura had to choose to buy a bottle that cost over $50 and under $70 or three bottle that were under $20. The other catch was they had to be different types of wine, ones that Mommy had never had before in her 30 years. After a short discussion, they decided to go with Under because they were able to get 3 bottles! The Wine Bin was an exciting store and the three bottles bought were called Blue Reef Shiraz, Ass Kisser Chardonnay, and a bottle of Champagne to toast Mommy's birthday!
The next two stops were in Baltimore. The fourth clue required Mommy to get her picture taken at Edgar Allan Poe's grave site and the next clue had the team find the Johnny Unitas statue in front of Raven's stadium and get her picture taken again. Finally, the race was over and it was time to open the last clue, which told the three girls to come home and get ready to celebrate with a happy hour! When she arrived home she was greeted by me, who was very hungry, and her family and friends! I was so proud she was able to complete the Amazing Race! It seems like she had a blast!

While mommy and the girls were on their Amazing Race, I stayed home with Daddy to get ready for the party at our house. Aunt Courtney came shortly after Mommy left and played with me while Daddy prepared the food. Next to arrive was my cousin Brayden and his parents, my Aunt Carol and Uncle Scott. They ran quite a few errands for Daddy and were a huge help that day too! Daddy made all kinds of food, each representing a stop on mommy's race! I think Aunt Carol and Daddy had the most fun cutting up the chicken to make chicken wings!

The party was a blast and Mommy had a great time celebrating! My favorite was helping her blow out the candles, even though I wanted to put my hands in that frosting!

I was such a good girl that day too! I played on the floor, let people hold me, and even stayed up past my bedtime, but was not a cranky girl! I know Mommy had a blast and was so grateful for the family and friends that help her celebrate her 30th! Great job on planning the day, Daddy!

Love
Olivia

March Madness

2010-03-23T14:52:00.001-04:00

March is not only Madness with the NCAA Tournament, it is also filled with birthday celebrations! We began this month celebrating my Dad's birthday. We welcomed a new niece to the family on March 10th, Ava Claire Wittman, born two days before Dan's birthday. This past Sunday we celebrated my sister Bethany's birthday and we will close the month with my 30th birthday! Plus Olivia celebrated her first St. Patrick's Day! Crazy times!

As for celebrations, we look forward to meeting and welcoming Ava into the world when we visit Jill, Steve, and Emma in Ohio in April! Laura Puryear made a connection that all the granddaughters have vowel names (Ava, Emma, Olivia) all we need is a Isabella and an Ursala and the names complete all the vowels...well maybe there is hope with Carol and Scott! Just Kidding. Dan had two celebrations one on Friday night and a family gathering on Saturday afternoon. My parents and Tyler came over and babysat on Friday so we could have a little date night/Happy Hour celebration! It was great to get out and see our friends and even thought it was an early night we had a blast! Jean stayed over night at our house on her way out to Ohio and was able to celebrate with Dan and the rest of the family on Saturday afternoon. Olivia had a great time playing with her cousins Brayden and Tyler and the rest of the family had a nice time catching up! Here is a hilarious picture of Dan blowing out his candles holding Olivia. If you look very closely at her face she looks like she has no idea what is going on~

hahaha At least Brayden and Tyler were having a blast blowing out the candles! Other pictures from the day are on the Picasa Web Album.

In other Olivia developments: She celebrated her first St. Patrick's Day (and no she did not have green milk, but Dan did make green eggs for breakfast!), has begun to roll over, but not consistently and more at day care, and is officially sleeping through the night! We are now on our third week in a row of her going to bed around 6:30-7:00pm and she sleeps until 6:30-7:00am! She is just so cute and most mornings we do not go in to get her until we are all ready for school and she just lays in her crib and talks! This past Sunday we did not hear a word from her and at 7:40 decided it was time to get her up and get ready for Church. When we entered her room she was just laying there trying to suck on her toes! My dad says we should probably stop at one! haha we will see about that one! She is drinking 8 ounce bottles at day care and we will start cereal over Spring Break in April! I know she is ready for the solid food because she keeps grabbing at our cups and forks when she see us eat! She still continues to drool...and drool on everything. There is still not sign of those teeth...just a lot of drool!

This past week Spring has begun to make an appearance and the temperatures rocketed last week, topping in the 70;s. Olivia had so much fresh air last week it was wonderful! We were able to walk with her and Hurley in the early evening and she loves it! We now have her in the Bjorn facing out and she looks at everything and kicks her little legs the entire walk! I look forward to more outing with her in the Bjorn and her being awake and aware of what is around her!

I hope that Spring has it your area of the world! We are LOVIN the warm weather and the week and a half until our Spring Break!

Eating, Sleeping, and Playing

2010-03-07T13:26:00.003-05:00

Olivia continues to grow and become so interactive. It seems like every stage we get through and she starts a new one we say, I love this stage!

She is eating well about every 3 hours during the day and at night will last anywhere from 6 to 10 hours. Last week she slept through the night twice! By sleeping through the night I mean from 6:30pm until 6:30am! I actually did not set our alarm because usually she is up once a night and I set it after that night feeding. At 5:45am I jolted awake, realizing I never fed her last night! I shake Dan awake, nearly scaring him, say, "She slept through the night!" He cheered and then feel back to sleep while I got up and showered! The next night she slept from 6:30pm to 3:50am and the following night slept through the night again. It is not consistent yet, but I have enjoyed the past few nights with longer stretches of sleep! It is amazing how it makes the days easier! She has had nights when she is a restless sleeper and will kick all the covers off and even kicked out of her PJ's. On morning when we went in to get her she looked like this and we got quite the laugh!

Since she is sleeping better, playtime is much more fun! She loves the Precious Planet Jumpero toy we have for her. After her recent growth spurt, she now can touch the bottom of the toy and can jump up and down! Last weekend she was content to play in the toy for 45 minutes and we took her out of it because it was close to nap time! She also loves to lay on her back and bat at toys, stare at Hurley, and watch the other kids at daycare. Olivia will tolerate tummy time and has rolled over several times from her tummy to her back. This is not consistent, but it is fun to watch the few times she has preformed of us! She still loves her bouncy seat and is grabbing at everything she can get her hands on! She will hold onto her toys and investigate it and then put it in her mouth.

She has also become very verbal! She cooing all the time in her car seat, playing with her toys, when we are changing her diaper! We hear her in the morning in her crib cooing and laughing. It is the cutest sound ever! Olivia has also copied Dan and I and started blowing raspberries with her mouth. It is quite mess and get drool everywhere but Miss Sharon was impressed because she is not suppose to do that until 6 months! Dr. Landcaster also saw that trick at her 4 moth check up and comment she will probably be very verbal. Um..wonder who she gets that from! LOL

So all in all Livy Loo is growing up fast and playing hard! Here are some other family pictures:

Surviving Day Care and Turning 4 Months

2010-03-07T12:35:00.000-05:00

Here is Olivia packed and ready for her first day of daycare with Miss Sharon!

After an extended Maternity Leave of 15 and a half weeks, Olivia began her first day with Miss Sharon. I was very nervous to leave Olivia with someone who was not a family member and I was terrified she would cry the whole day and be a mess each evening. As a result, we visited Miss Sharon on Monday so Olivia could get use to her house and we could drop off some of the extra things to keep at daycare. Surprisingly, Olivia did not cry once and loved watching the other kids playing around. I felt much better about leaving her at this point. She was scheduled to start on Tuesday but because of all the snow we did not return until Wednesday February 17th and were delayed 2 hours each day that week! So it was a nice, easy transition to work and daycare for Olivia. We rushed out of school as soon as the kids left and when we entered to get Olivia we were greeted with her huge smile and giggles! She was so happy and it was apparent as she looked at Miss Sharon with another huge smile. We got the full report that she ate, slept, and played with out any fussing. We knew we found the right place for Livy and we continue to be impressed with Miss Sharon! Thank God we found her!

There is a part of me that is glad to be back at school. I was able to realize, during my maternity leave, that teaching is something I love to do and I missed the classroom while I was gone. Knowing I am in the right profession, helps the days to go by quickly. The best part of my day is when we pick her up and she flashes that heart-melting smile!

As we fall into a new routine she has had stay busy on the weekends and have many visitors too. Laura and her roommate Lindsay came to visit the other weekend and my mom stopped by too.

Last weekend, when she turned 4 months, we started the March Month of Birthday Celebrations by celebrating my dad's birthday. Olivia also met her cousin Blair for the first time. They had quite the play date on the floor, staring at each other. It was quite cute! Blair is 5 weeks older than Olivia and we look forward to many more opportunities for play dates with the Lake Family.

On Thursday we had Olivia's four month check up and she continues to grow! She weighted 12 pounds 12 ounces and was 25 inches long. That puts her in the 31st percentile for weight and 78th percentile for height. Dr. Landcaster also talked to us about starting her on cereal. We decided to wait until Spring Break time, which would be around 5 months, to start cereal. She seems to fine at this point with her bottles at daycare and is sleeping fairly well.

This weekend Dan's parents came to visit and Olivia was spoiled by her Gram and Grandpa Puryear! It was fantastic to have them visit and stay with us. I know Olivia was excited to play with Gram and Grandpa. Gram will also be stopping by next weekend on her way to meet her newest granddaughter, Jill and Steve's new baby, who will be born sometime this week! We are so excited to hear all the details!

Hope all is well and we will update again soon!

Snowmageddon 2010

2010-02-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

Today should be my second to last day of Maternity Leave, but over 30 inches of snow covered the Maryland area, crippling the state! As a result, schools are closed and another storm is predicted to blanket the area again tomorrow night into Wednesday, adding another 6 plus inches! So today should be my second to last maternity leave day, but I think Mother Nature is having her own fun! At this point, Dan is outside for a third day digging out and Baltimore County Schools have closed for Tuesday and Wednesday, so we will wait to see what Howard County decided to do.

My car fell victim to a hit and run sometime Friday night/Saturday morning during the storm. Someone lost control of their car and sideswiped my Alero, leaving a dent in the fender, the driver's side mirror is dangling, and a huge dent in the passenger side door. Needless to say they did not leave a note or knock on our door to let us know what happened! So on top of digging out we have to take the car over to get fixed! UG! Here is a shot of the car covered in snow, you cannot see the dents well, but they are there and you can get a feel for just how much snow we received:

Other than the car incident we have had a good time and we only wish Olivia was bigger to enjoy the snow more! Dan is dying to make a fort in the backyard with her and play inside! Hurley is having the time of his life, running all around the backyard. We had to block the back area off because the snow is so high he can practically walk up the snow and over the fence! He is hilarious when he runs to the top of the snow in the middle of the yard, because he looks like some kind of wild animal, watching over his land!

Courtney and Kris traversed the elements yesterday and came over to watch the Superbowl. Dan dressed Olivia yesterday in this very boyish football onsie, but he added the headband to make her more girlie! We got a great laugh at her look:

It was an eventful game, but Olivia was asleep before kickoff! We all had a good time watching the game, eating yummy snacks, and drinking some beers!

OH BREAKING NEWS: Howard County Schools will be closed tomorrow! YAHOO!

Back to the blog:
We did take Olivia out in the snow on Saturday and she laughed at the snowflakes that feel on her. On Sunday the sun came out and when we took her outside it was so bright out she had a hard time keeping her eyes opened and focusing. So we were not outside for long. We did compare some of the snowbanks that were not shoveled where it was just snow and they were higher than her little body.

Well hopefully the next huge snow storm Olivia will be able to play in the snow better! I know Dan and I will be more excited than her! Haha!

To see more pictures, check out the photo album on the Picasa Web Albums!
We will continue to dig out and hope for more snow days!
Love to all

3 Months Old

2010-02-02T12:45:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Olivia officially turned 3 months old and we spend the day helping Grandma feel better! My mom has been battling some back issues and yesterday was off of work, so I packed up Olivia and went to keep her company. I also think she kept me company. It was an enjoyable day and Grandpa was home for the afternoon and played with Olivia too! To my relief she took two 50 minute naps in her pack n play at their house. That made me happy because in just a short week she will have to sleep in that at Miss Sharon's house, her daycare women. For the next week I will continue to make Olivia laugh, give her lots of hugs, and enjoy the precious moments with her. At least I can look forward to Spring Break and then Summer Vacation!

So how has Miss Livy Loo changed in the past three months? Where to begin! I was looking at her pictures the other day and it is amazing to see how much she has grown! She now looks less like a starving alien and more like a healthy baby!

It is just so cute to see her face light up when she see something she likes or someone she recognizes! She has started cooing now and it is getting pretty loud! The first time I heard her start cooing loudly was a few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen putting dishes away and she was laying in the living room under her play gym. I heard this noise and I thought she was ready to switch toys. When I went into the room she was under the gym talking away at the toy! She has the cutest little voice ever! Of course on the flip side her cry can be equally as loud! I joke that she is going to be as loud as her mother! I guess it is my payback for being so loud...poor Dan!

She has been gripping things in her hand since Christmas time when Aunt Jill put her rattle in her hand. She will hold onto the item for a few minutes and then fling it on the ground. Well the past few days her new tick is that she will reach out and begin to grab at things. I really saw it this morning when she was sitting in her swing toy we have. There is a dangling bear on the side. She reached out and started batting at it! It was very cute! I cannot wait until she begins to pull at my earrings!

We continue to work on her stomach muscles by daily Tummy Time. She prefers her back though because she likes to look around and investigate what is going on around her! She will tolerate Tummy Time and is close to rolling over. She is starting to figure out that her arm has to come up above her head, but she just does not get that force to roll all the way yet. I do help her out when she really gets frustrated!

The sleeping has become much improved too! We have started a bedtime ritual and she goes down between 6 and 6:45, depending on the type of naps she had that day. The crying has been extremely minimal since we have figured out that we were making her overtired and she could not fall asleep! When we catch her yawning we begin our nighttime ritual. It has worked out pretty well. Most nights she wakes up for one feeding and then wakes up between 6 and 7 in the morning. It is not perfect and she falls asleep much better at night. I think it is the whole quite and dark thing! At least she is taking all her naps and sleeps at night in her crib. I am sure when I return to work next week we will have a whole new issue to deal with but we will celebrate the peacefulness for now!

Well it has been quite the ride for three months. I look forward to what is ahead and it is amazing to remember where we came from:

and are now here:

Time certainly flies when you are having a good time!

Other January Events

2010-01-25T13:22:00.001-05:00

Now that we have the 2 month sleep issue on the way to improvements, I am sure there will be more bumps along the road, especially when I return to work February 10th. Olivia continues to grow and explore her world!

At her 2 month appointment, in early January, she weighed 10 pounds 15 ounces an increase of about a pound. She also grew 3 inches in a month to 24 inches long! She is in the 49th percentile for weight and 94th for height. We do not go back to the pediatrician until March for the 4 month check up, but lately she is looking so much bigger to us!

This month she also enjoyed a playdate with Caitlin and Clara Bossle, going to Tyler's basketball games, a visit from Gram and Grandpa Puryear, visiting her cousin Brayden, and being baby sat by Aunt Cathi and Uncle Randy, and of course Grandma and Grandpa. She is discovering her toys more and is more fascinated to watch and observe what is going on. Livy is also grabbing at everything along with puting everything in her mouth.

Here are some picture highlights and for more images of the month, check out the Picasa Web Link on the right column:

January Sleep Issues

2010-01-25T13:06:00.002-05:00

To say we started the new Decade with a bang is an understatement! As we came home from a wonderful Christmas in Ocean City, the reality of having a baby began to settle in. The first month Olivia was an angel and such an easy baby. Well when Dan returned to school the newborn bliss gave way to an overtired, cranky little girl! Olivia was on a bit of a schedule and by that I mean she was eating every 3 hours and would take about 4 naps daily. Usually a shorter one in the morning, which allowed me to shower, a longer one in the late morning and a longer one in the afternoon. She would go to bed around 7:30/8:00. I was all set to get right back into the swing of things on that Monday morning in January and Livy Loo had a different thought! I rocked her to sleep and put her down in the pack n play, like I have since she was days old, and five minutes later she was wide awake and crying! Not knowing what else to do I picked her up and tried again...with no success. I began to get a bit frustrated because she was clearly tired but would not stay asleep when I put her down. So I called the pediatrician and the nurse at the office told me I should not be rocking her to sleep because she was not learning to fall asleep on her own. She recommended I should let her cry it out for five minutes. Well I tried that and honestly that only made her more frantic and me more frustrated! I was in tears and exhausted when Dan came home and Olivia was a mess. She was falling asleep while I was feeding her and as a result not getting enough food. So after a frantic call to Dr. Lancaster on her cell phone she told Dan to take Olivia for a drive to settle her down. I stayed home to sleep and after an hour she was passed out in her car seat. Dan came in the room and put her down and she slept in the car seat for 9 hours that night! It was a LONG day!

The next day was her 2 month check up and we talked to our doctor about what we needed to do. Her answer was at this age you cannot spoil your child and do whatever it took to get her to sleep. So after an exhausting week of trying to put her down to sleep, I finally gave in and let her sleep in the swing, the bouncer, any place that would not wake her up when she fell asleep. It was a LONG week and Dan was not a happy guy coming home. Several nights I handed her to Dan and went to bed.

We slowly became a bit more rested and went to visit our daycare women, Sharon. On that day, I realized that Miss Sharon would not be able to rock Livy to sleep every time she need to sleep or hold her all day. So I became a woman on a mission to help get over this sleeping hump. I started to read a book that was recommended to me by several mothers, Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Babies. What I realized and started watching for was signs of when Livy was getting tired. The book also made me realize that she really can only handle about 2 hours of awake time before she needs a nap. While reading the book we also realized that we were keeping her up too late at night and she needed an earlier bed time! We were skeptical at first, but tired and that night she slept from 6:30-3:30! The book also said to keep the routine consistent with puting the child to sleep. So we now rock her for only 10 minutes, which is less than our 20-25 minutes, and put her in her crib. There have been a few times we let her cry for 5 minutes and went in to calm her down, but overall it has been much improved and she is a much happier baby! I have enjoyed this too because she is currently in her own room and sleeping most nights until 3:30/4:00am. It has been nice because Dan and I have some time together in the evenings.

Although the first few weeks of January were challenging and emotional we have come out of it as a stronger couple and more confident in taking care of Olivia.

Olivia's First Christmas

2010-01-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

It has been forever since our last update and we have been so busy with Christmas, New Years, and a bit of a sleeping issue. Here is the Olivia's First Christmas recap!

To recap Christmas, Olivia had quite the busy first Christmas. She had three celebrations and two adorable little dresses for each! Our first Christmas was with the Hart family on Sunday December 20th. She was a good little girl and enjoyed lots of floor time with her big Cousin Tyler. There is a hilarious picture of the two of them on the floor with pacifiers in their mouths! She was spoiled with presents and love!

The second Christmas celebration was with Dan and I. On Saturday before Christmas a huge snowstorm came through and dumped over 2 feet of snow in Maryland. Olivia enjoyed the snow and when I took her outside to "play" she fell asleep with the snow falling on her face! As a result, Howard County Public Schools closed for 3 days and Dan was home with us! So on Tuesday night we celebrated our family Christmas. We had a nice dinner and opened presents. Olivia received a first Christmas ornament from both myself and Dan. In the middle of our celebration Olivia had a bit of a fussy spell, crying for 30 minutes, so that put a memorable damper in the evening. Regardless it was a fun evening! We will always remember our first family celebration!

Her third Christmas celebration included a five day, four night trip to Ocean City! She was a joy in the car, sleeping the entire ride, and we successfully fit all of her things and our things in the car for the trip! We are lucky her Gram and Grandpa Puryear had lots of baby gear to help lessen our load.

In Ocean City she met her cousin Emma and her Aunt Jill and Uncle Steve. Emma loved her cousin and was such a big help with her, bringing Baby Olivia her blankets, pacifier, and toys! In March Emma will become a big sister and I know she will be wonderful. A funny story though, one morning Jill was holding Olivia during breakfast and Emma come over after a few minutes and told Jill, "Uncle Dan needs to hold Baby Olivia." Jill laughed and made room for Emma on her lap with Olivia! It was adorable.

On Christmas Eve Olivia had her first church outing, attending Gram and Grandpa Puryear's children program. The music was lovely and Olivia was quiet the entire time...quite the little angel! Christmas morning Dan and I were awake before Olivia and when we finally heard her we peeked over at the pack n play to see her laying there sucking her thumb! We told her Santa had come and it was time to celebrate! Yeah, she had no idea what was going on, but she gave us a smile.

Most of Christmas morning she spent kicking around on the floor and opening Christmas presents. The Puryear family has a tradition of opening Sleigh Presents after dinner, a tradition dating back to when Lee was a child. Olivia spent most of sleigh in the swing, sleeping, but at one point Emma was getting upset and started crying and then on the opposite side of the table Olivia started crying. I started laughing and said, "well this is certainly a new era of sleigh." It was a laughable moment and capped off a lovely Christmas day!

The rest of the week we had a nice time hanging with family and Olivia even had her first trip to the OC Boardwalk! Of course she slept in the stroller most of the time, but I am sure this summer she will have more fun visiting it!

We had a lovely Christmas and Olivia received many lovely gifts. We feel extremely blessed this year having Olivia in our lives and that is honestly the best present we have received in years!

Olivia's Favorite Things (At 6 Weeks Old)

2009-12-15T15:08:00.001-05:00

The lack of blog entries does not represent the activities that Olivia has been enjoying the past few weeks! She continues to grow and develop a personality! She is very determined to get what she wants and her set of lungs has really developed ( I wonder who she gets that from...me probably)! However she has a very cheerful and relaxed disposition as well. She began to smile about a week ago and we have had a hard time capturing it on camera because we love watching it so much! Here is one of the first times she smiled:

It is really neat because her entire face lights up and she is really starting to react to Dan and I's faces! It is heartwarming!

In honor of Oprah canceling her Favorite Things episode this year we decided to capture and share Olivia's Favorite Things. This list is much cheaper that Oprah's but just as important! At six weeks of age here are some of Olivia's Favorite Things:

Item #1: Her friend Mr. Fan

After a tasty meal provided by mom, Olivia enjoys digesting her food by kicking and flailing her arms, while staring up at the ceiling fan in our room! It will provide her at least 15 minutes of entrainment. Sometimes after a late night feeding, Olivia will fight falling back to sleep because she is staring up at the fan. Dan and I call it her friend Mr. Fan and she quite adorable staring at it!

Item #2 The Bouncer Seat

This has been one of our sanity savers. Olivia slept in the bouncer seat for the first week and a half of her life. The first night home she did not want to sleep in the bassinet, so after three sleepless hours I tried the bouncer seat, with a vibration setting, and she fell asleep quickly! So for the next few nights Olivia and Hurley slept in their little "beds" on the floor of our room. We were able to transition her into the bassinet about a week and a half later! Now she enjoys the bouncy seat during the day to stare at items and take little naps! My favorite part of the bouncy is that I can put her in it during the week while Dan is at work and take a shower. She will just lay there and sleep or just stare at the lights in the hallway! It is a nice break for me and I LOVE that I can shower daily! As I type this entry, Livy is swaddled up in the bouncy seat fighting off falling asleep!

Item #3 The Playtime Mat

The other playtime activity that Olivia loves is the Fisher Price Playtime Mat! She loves staring at the dangling toys and will lay there for at least 20 minutes! She recently discovered that she can hit the toys when she is flailing her arms about! It was pretty funny the first time she hit it because it surprised her and she stopped for a minute to investigate! I am sure it will not be long before she can kick the ball on the other end of the map! We will also have Tummy Time on this map. She does have two other playtime mats but at this moment this on is her favorite!

Item/Activity #4 Bath Time

The first bath that Olivia had she screamed the first few minutes and then settled down and seemed to like the bath. For her first bath Dan was here to help, but I felt the need to accomplish the task on my own and after Dan went back to work I tried it out! She was wonderful and seemed to LOVE the bath! She kicked around, stared at the running water, and tried to lick the water off her hands! We have our little routine now of bathing on Wednesdays and Saturdays. She has even started to tolerate getting out and being dried off!

Item #5 Her Thumb

Just like her mother and father, Olivia loves her fingers, especially her thumb! For the first two weeks of her life she would not keep the pacifier in her mouth and to calm her down Dan and I would have to stick out finger in her mouth because she could not get her own to suck on! Since then she will keep the pacifier in her mouth but still prefers to get her thumb! Often she will spit it out when she is in her car seat and starts screaming, but a few minutes later you can hear her sucking on her hands and calming down! We also hear her waking up and putting her hands in her mouth! I am looking forward to the day when she can get her hand in her mouth because then we will not have to fight with the pacifier falling out. Although I guess the dentist bills will begin to mount up as she gets older!

Item #6 The Baby Bjorn

The Baby Bjorn baby carrier has been a saving grace for us! During the day Olivia will have times when she does not want to be put down, so I put her in the carrier and finish things around the house! It is wonderful as well when we go out because it is less to carry than the car seat and stroller. Last weekend we had some Christmas shopping to get done and we decided not to maneuver the stroller in the mall, so Dan wore her around the mall and it was so much easier! She will often fall asleep in the Bjorn. I have used this to grocery shop and on nice days we will go for a walk with Hurley as well. I know the fresh air is great for her and Hurley LOVES the extra walk!

So there are a few of Olivia's Favorite Things! The first 6 weeks has been an interesting time, adjusting to her needs, learning exactly what her cries mean! It has been challenging, but now that she is smiling it is all worth it! Nursing is taking less time and she is feeding about every 3 hours, which leaves more time to get things down and interact with her!

We look forward to her first Christmas! We are venturing down to Ocean City for Christmas and are excited for Olivia to meet her Aunt Jill, Uncle Steve, and especially her cousin, Emma! Of course she is excited about seeing her Gram and Grandpa again!

Hope you all are enjoying this holiday season!

Love to all

Laura, Dan, and Olivia

Cutting Down the Christmas Tree and Ravens Game!

2009-12-02T12:04:00.001-05:00

The busy Thanksgiving weekend continued on Saturday with the cutting down of our Christmas tree and being babysat by Gram and Grandpa Puryear, while Dan and I attended the Ravens vs. Steelers football game!

With three weeks to go until Christmas we decided to get a jump start on the tree and decorations! Saturday morning Olivia was wide awake again and was not in the mood to be put down, so in between holding and feeding her, Dan and I began to decorate some of our house! We were able to get all of the decorations down from the attic and put some of the decorations around the house before it was time to head out to cut down our tree!

We traveled with my parents, sister Bethany, Tyler, and Greatest to a tree farm in Carol County. When we arrived Olivia was not happy and we realized it was time to eat...again! So in the back seat I gave her a bottle and Dan changed her diaper! It must have been an interesting site to see, but I am sure it will not be the first time she eats in different places! Then we put her in the baby Bjorn and set out to find the perfect tree!

When Dan and I finally choose our tree my Mom wanted to take a picture of Olivia because she looked oh so cute as snuggle up close to me! As we were occupied with the photo opt Dan was cutting though the trunk of our chosen tree. Next thing we know Dan is on the ground calling for help! When we looked the tree had fallen over and pinned him to the ground! It was pretty funny and I decieded to take a picture instead of helping:

Do not worry though he just had some mud on his knee! He survived and it makes a funny story! Here is the photo that my mom was taking while Dan was cutting. I personally think it is quite adorable:

The tree was perfect and after some struggle to get it home it is not set up and looking awesome! Next step is to decorate it!

On Sunday Dan's parents arrived to give us a helping hand! We had tickets to attend the Ravens Sunday Night Game so Gram and Grandpa we asked them to babysit Olivia. Jean and Lee were an excellent help to us on Sunday because we were able to finish decorating the house, set up and put lights on the Christmas tree, and I was able to take a nap! Jean also made us a tasty dinner, with leftovers, and Lee fixed our outdoor strand of lights! We had quite the productive day and so much fun that night!

Olivia was well behaved from what we hear and spend most of the evening being snuggled and held by her Gram! It was strange to be out of the house without Olivia, but I know Dan and I appreciated the time together!

The Ravens Game did go into overtime and we arrived home just in time for Olivia to be fed again! It was a great night! Thanks Gram and Grandpa Puryear!

Hope you all are having a great Holiday Season! This Friday starts the Holiday party time!

Love

Laura, Dan, and Olivia!

Olivia's First Thanksgiving!

2009-12-02T11:15:00.002-05:00

Olivia was all dressed up for her first Thanksgiving celebrations! She looked adorable in her little outfit and the finishing touch to the outfit was the baby Uggs sent to her from Darleen and Eric Butler! I took a close up because they are simply darling!

This year have have many things celebrate and be thankful for! First and foremost is our little Grace of God sent to us this year! Secondly, the love and support from our family and friends. It was not an easy road extending out family but the journey was worth the reward! We have enjoyed each moment with Livy, including the gas incident when she cried for two hours straight! We continue to learn every step of the way!

Olivia, Dan, and I were lucky to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with both families! On Thursday we spend the day at my parents house and on Friday we traveled to Carol's house to have lunch and celebrate with Dan's parents and sisters!

On Thursday Olivia was wide awake for most of the day and enjoyed watching all the busy activities in the kitchen! She was also able to meet her Uncle Pete and Cousin Derek! Of course the Greatest and my sister Kym, Tyler, Grandma, and Grandpa were there to celebrate too! It was wonderful to have everyone together and the meal was outstanding! By the time we ate though, Olivia was passed out! She spend the meal in her bouncer seat! Here are some pictures from the day:

More pictures of our eventful Thanksgiving Holiday can be found in the Picasa Albums!

Friday was the second Thanksgiving Celebration! We traveled to Carol, Scott, and Brayden's house for lunch and to catch up with Gram and Grandpa Puryear about their Florida trip! We had a lovely afternoon and the food was delicious! Here are some of the hightlights:

Again, there are more pictures of our two Thanksgiving in the Picasa web albums!

Hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving! I guess next year Livy will be eating the real food! That should be interesting!

Love to all

Laura, Dan, Olivia

Aunt Denise Visits

2009-11-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

The holidays are officially begun and the weekend before Thanksgiving Olivia had a very special visitor from New York!

Denise arrived on Friday morning and we had an excellent time all weekend! On Friday Olivia had her first lunch at Olive Garden and was such a great girl she slept right through the whole meal! Denise and I share great conversation and was wonderful to have a nice lunch instead of eating something quickly in between nursing Olivia. After lunch we headed to Nordstroms in the mall to pick up a few make-up refills for Denise. Again Olivia slept right through her first Nordstorms experience...I do not understand how she could have slept through all that shopping! It was quite a nice little afternoon!

Saturday brought another thrilling day and a new visitor to meet Miss Olivia! Beth came from Virgina to visit and hang out for the day!

Livy was left alone for a few hours with Dan and Aunt Laura as the girls went out to get our nails done! I realized about a mile down the road that this was the first time that I was going to be away from Olivia for more than an hour! I was a bit sad, but it was nice and relaxing to sit in that massage chair, chat with my friends and have my manicure and pedicure! Another nice afternoon was had with good friends!

Sunday Denise had to leave mid-morning and it was a hard to say good bye! She was such a huge help with Olivia I was lonely when she was gone! Olivia cant wait to see her Aunt Nise again soon!

The other event of this weekend was the Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on Friday! So for the second time that weekend, I left Olivia. She was in good hands with my Mom, Dad, Tyler, and the Greatest! Dan was not able to stay with her because he attended the Ravens vs. Colts football game! She was very well behaved and I have to say it does not get any easier to leave her!

It was a busy weekend, but an enjoyable one! The week ahead will be equally busy with Thanksgiving and a trip to Clarksville Middle School to meet the other teachers!

Love to all
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

"Don't Leave Me With The Baby" :)

2009-11-21T13:05:00.002-05:00

Dan went back to work this week so it was Olivia and I left to figure things out for ourselves! My goal for the week was to get out of the house at least once each day!

Monday my mom came over to spend the day with us and was a huge help! Olivia's big event for the day was when she was given a bottle! For her early afternoon feeding I gave her a bottle for the first time! She drank from it well and I was relieved to reach this milestone...it will make my life a little easier! Her other events included our daily walk and traveled to Ritz Camera to picked up some pictures we printed off. That was the excitement for the day! It was good to have mom there to build up confidence being alone with Livy!

Tuesday was a very eventful day because the Olivia's Great-Grandmother, aka The Greatest, flew into town and we had to pick her up from the airport! It was quite the experience and we made it work! Olivia took a bottle while we waited at baggage claim for the Greatest's bag and then we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house! She was such a great little girl and traveled so well!

Thursday was the best day of the week because Olivia she attended her first Book Club meeting and met all the girls! She was passed around to all her "aunts" and loved the attention! It was a great night for me to relax and enjoy the adult conversation!

This weekend is sure to be a blast because Denise and Beth are coming to visit!
Stay tuned for more updates!
Love
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

New Adventures

2009-11-13T13:10:00.000-05:00

This is my last day week day with Dan being home, helping out! He returns to school on Monday and I think he is a little excited and sad at the same time! I am feeling a little anxious about being alone with Olivia! I keep joking with Dan, saying "Don't leave me with the baby" (like that Southwest commercial)! I have to remember that I know more than her!

We did have a good time this week and she had many firsts! Sunday was a great day because we watch the Ravens game and she was all dressed up in her Ravens gear! The Ravens did not put on a stunning performance and lost to the Bengals again! At least our little cheerleader looked cute! Dan looked cute too when she feel asleep on his chest! We made sure to protect the jersey though! LOL

Sunday and Monday Olivia and I were able to get outside and enjoy the warm weather! We walked around the neighborhood on Sunday and on Monday we walked in the Baltimore National Cemetery, while Dan worked on the yard. We also ate lunch outside on the back porch while Olivia slept away in her stroller. It was a fun little afternoon. I am very excited to get outside, as I do not like being stuck inside all day!

Tuesday was a second doctors appointment and she almost gained a pound! She weighted in at 7 pounds 7 ounces! We know she is a good eater! Her weight went from the 19th percentile to the 33rd percentile! Our next appointment is not until December. It will be interesting to see how much she weights then! Tuesday also brought visitors and dinner! Terry and Ron Wojdyla came to visit and brought over a yummy dinner of Chinese food! It was quite tasty and great that we did not have to worry about cooking! Olivia was a bit fussy and we think we did too much for her and she was overtired. Oh well Terry was wonderful and rocked her to sleep!

Olivia threw us for a loop again on Thursday when we had a whole morning planned. We decided to head over to the Board of Education to take care of the insurance papers. We also wanted to head to the library to find a book on tape for me to listen to next week! One thing about kids is they do not always do what you want! She fell asleep in the car, but when we got to the board and took her out, I think the cold temperature shocked her and she was wide awake. We filled out the paperwork and I was still convinced we could make it to the library. So I fed her in the car in the parking lot. Still convinced she would just put herself back to sleep...not so much! We ended up heading home and picking up lunch on the way! I guess it was too much to ask a 12 day old to cooperate with our plans! haha

We do enjoy the little moments with her when she is wide awake, checking things out! She is very precious when she is sleeping too! I still feel like we learn something new about her on a daily basis! I do not want to rush the first few weeks, but I am looking forward to her being on a bit more of a predictable schedule. Well as much as we can a newborn to get on a schedule!

This weekend we will enjoy the moments with Dan being home and the arrival of Greatest next week!

Hope everyone is well!
Love to all
Laura, Dan, and Olivia

One Week Old

2009-11-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

What an exciting week Olivia had. Everything was such a new experience for her, Dan, and I!

She successfully made it home from the hospital on Tuesday! She looked so innocent and little in her car seat! She also met Hurley. He did well when we brought her home by smelling her and then barking a few times when she wined and moved her little feet! So far he has been quite the protector of Olivia. When visitors come to meet her he has to smell the person to make sure they are okay holding her! It is awfully cute. The other morning Dan was making breakfast, and she was in her bouncer seat making some noise. Dan told Hurley to go and check on her, so he laid down in front of the bouncer! It was pretty funny!

The first night home was a culture shock for Dan and I! Thank goodness my family brought over dinner so we did not have to worry about that! In addition, Tyler was finally able to meet Olivia. Because of the H1N1 virus, he was not allowed to visit in the hospital. On the way home from our house he told my mom, "she is a keeper" What a great cousin!

It was later in the evening when Dan and I were tested. Olivia had her days and nights reversed and slept most of Tuesday. That night she was awake for most of the night and at one point we looked at each other and said, "what should we do?" I finally got the bouncy seat and put her in that, which finally allowed her to calm down and she slept! We made it through and I read in one of the baby books that it is important to keep things light and loud during the day and at night keep the lights low and the noise to a minimum. We realized we had all the lights on and the radio was kinda loud too. So Wednesday day was much better and little Olivia slept for at least 3 uninterrupted hours in two segments that night. Since then we are making sure she is more awake during the day and quite at night! She does continue to sleep in her bouncer. Our plan is to use the bassinet again tonight! We will see! So far so good and since I go to bed around 7:30/8:30 we are doing pretty well on the sleeping front. Although I feel like every night will be just like the first...we will keep you updated!

Olivia has also had many visitors and has enjoyed her many new toys. Her favorites include her swing and her bouncy seat! She will sit and stare at the things around her for a few minutes! It is very cute and funny looking because she is so small in the swing. Her most exciting visitor this week-well they are all exciting-was her Great Grandma aka Greatest! My Uncle Ken traveled down with Greatest on Thursday to meet Olivia! It was very special treat for her to see her newest great-grandchild and for me to introduce her to Olivia. Though it was a quick trip we appreciated that Uncle Ken make the trip!

On Friday Olivia had a doctor's appointment with her pediatrician. She was weighted and measured. Dan and I had a list of questions about all sort of things. Dr. Lancaster was patience with us and made us feel like we were doing the right thing! We have kinda figured out that we have no idea what we are doing but a lot is common sense. At least that is what we think! Olivia did gain back most of her birth weight! She is only in the 19th percentile though for weight! I guess she has some growing to do!

We did have some struggles feeding on Friday night and I was very frustrated. Olivia was starving and crying, but would not latch on for the feed. We struggled for about an hour and she finally was able to latch on for some feeding. I called Dan's sister in law, Jill, for advice and she made a good suggestion that we are implementing to make nursing easier. Nursing has been much better...thanks to Jill for the advice and to Carol for picking it up!

Saturday was a busy day meeting her other cousin Brayden and her Aunt Carol and Uncle Scott. Brayden loved the baby and even posed for a cute picture! Finally, that night, parents to be, Carolyn and Rick Hogg brought over dinner! They practiced their parenting skills by hold Olivia! Rick did a great job, even though he was nervous! We loved the yummy lasagna!

Finally, on her one week brithday we took advantage of the warm day and took a walk outside! She met our neighbors and then cheered on the Ravens. Well they played horrible but she showed her support with the Ravens outfit!

We look ahead to our next week. It seems like everyday there is some sort of curve ball thrown at us to adjust! We enjoy the challenge and look forward to moments when she opens her big blue eyes!

Here are some other pictures of her visitors!

Have a great week!

Love

Laura, Dan, and Olivia

Olivia Grace's Birthday

2009-11-03T07:38:00.004-05:00

Olivia's due date of October 31st arrived and we stayed busy by visiting Larriland Farms to pick apples. I was anxious to stay busy and forget the fact that she might come past her due date. So I enlisted the help of Dan to peel and cut apples for two pies and homemade applesauce. Then it was time for the tick or treaters to begin showing up. We gave out candy then I feel asleep on the couch around 9:30 or so. At midnight Dan, tired of playing his video games, woke me up and we went to bed. Little did we know we would not be asleep for long!

Around 12:30 I started to feel pain, and I realized shortly later were contractions! When the pain came and left, I stated to keep track of the time. The first were about seven minutes apart and I endured it by walking around the bedroom. About 3:00 I woke up Dan as the pain was becoming more intense and closer together. He began timing and I explained we would call the doctor when they came at five to three minutes apart. Around 4:30 I decided to jump in the shower and realized the hot water did help with the pain! At 5:30 we called the doctor and she told us to meet her at the hospital. After I dried and curled my hair (I know some of you would appreciate that) we left for the hospital. Calling both sets of grandparents on the way, I was checked out by the Dr. Meshkat and admitted to labor and delivery at 7:15 am.

My first request was an epidural and shortly after it was delivered. What a miracle drug that medicine was! We spend the next few hours resting, updating the family, and Facebook, and watching the monitors track the intensity of my contractions, which I felt nothing, and Olivia's heart rate. I reached full dilation and was ready to push around 1:30 pm, just in time for the Raven's game to start! We started pushing during one contraction and then was asked to stop because Dr. Meshkat was hung up with another patient. While we waited for her, it was challenging not to push, but around 1:45/1:50 she was back and the challenge began. Finally, about an hour after pushing at 2:51pm, Olivia Grace Puryear entered the world! Dan was able to cut the umbilical cord and put her first diaper on! Her apagar scores were 8 and 9 and her cry was simply adorable! We were able to stay in the birthing room for 90 minutes after her birth and at that point we invited the Grandmothers and my Dad into the room to meet their new granddaughter! As the epidural worn off we all enjoyed spreading the news of our new addition and taking plenty of photos!

Here are some of the early pictures of Olivia and Dan cutting the cord:

We are beyond excited and are anxious to see what the future holds!

We love you all

Laura, Dan, and Olivia Grace

38 Week Doctor Appointment

2009-10-20T17:06:00.001-04:00

Today was our 38 week appointment with Dr. Pilvesky and when she walked into the room she says, "How are you feeling?"
I replied, "Ready to have this baby!"
She responds enthusiastically, "Do you want to induce next week? Lets see how the cervix is doing."

Well, my cervix was not cooperating and needless to say there will be no induction next week! Oh well one could only hope! So we well see what the next few weeks bring!

We did have a sonogram today and she is measuring about 7 pounds and everything looks great! Here are the last sonogram pictures. The first is a profile picture, the second and third are shots of her face straight on. She was pretty soundly sleeping during the sonogram and had this adorable pout on her face! We were all laughing pretty hard!

We look forward to her next pictures, which will be real life, more visible images!

Keep checking for updates~

Love to you all

Laura, Dan, and Baby Girl

13 Days until Halloween!

2009-10-18T16:27:00.000-04:00

We are now about 2 weeks away from the due date! Tuesday's doctor's appointment revealed nothing of importance to report. The doctor we met with was not a doctor in our practice and was filling in to help out. We did discuss the issue of the two vessel umbilical cord and she made a comment that the doctors may not want me to go too far after 40 weeks, however she would not commit to that statement because she was not a doctor in our office.

Again this week we have an appointment on Tuesday. The good news is that it is a sonogram and a doctor visit. We should have an approximate weight and measure. In her other sonograms the baby was measuring about 4 to 5 days ahead of growth. I think we are both hoping for more news than we had last week.

So the waiting game continues...

20 Days until Due Date!

2009-10-11T11:59:00.003-04:00

We are about 20 days away from Baby Girl Puryear's due date, October 31, 2009! We have been working extremely hard on the house and putting the finishing touches on her room. I think we are mostly done with the room and the house is spotless...for now! We have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, which we hope to learn more information about possible time frame! Who knows though!

Enjoy the pictures of her nursery by clicking on the an image in Picasa Photostream on the right side of the blog and please check back for updates on her impending arrival!

Love to all
Laura and Dan :)

Baby Daddy

2009-09-23T21:45:00.001-04:00

I am in and a functioning author for this blog!

This is a Test

2009-09-14T12:58:00.001-04:00

Hello
This is a test entry! How does it look??