Here Comes Olivia

Hold on to your socks, folks; today's entry is all Livi!

It was in 2007 and we had been living in Texas for a little over a year when we found out we were expecting again. We opted, once again, to keep things quiet until we were sure things were good. We also decided it was so much fun being surprised the first time that we wanted to do it again. This little one's official due date was supposed to be June 16th, 2008 (a little foreshadowing there, hehe). I fully prepped myself for the tired "I can fall asleep without even knowing it" experience I had with Eliana but didn't get that this time. I did, however, experience the morning sickness again. This time was pretty different, though, as food in general made me sick, even just the thought of it. It went on for a good month before I was able to eat much, to the extent that I can remember the exact day and meal I finally felt like eating (our friend, Tim, had a birthday and his wife, Amanda, my b.f.f., made him some oh-so-yummy sweet and sour chicken that we were invited to share-I think I out-ate everyone there!). After that I still had an occasional bout of the yuckies, but aside from that, the pregnancy was smooth sailin'. This go-around was so different from my last pregnancy that I was convinced we were having a boy...

By the time May came around, our house was an absolute mess (as it had been since moving in due to our decision to remodel-another story for another time, perhaps) but there was definite progress as our decision to move, again, had forced a speedy completion. Sunday, June 1st, came and everyone's comments were the same at church that day, "You look like you could pop any day!", to which I would reply, "I think it's gonna be this week!". Other than just feeling really big, though, I felt great. That night, however, I woke up trying to decide whether or not I was in labor ("These contractions feel like normal Braxton Hicks but they are a bit more consistent...hmm, did my water break?"). After an hour or so of me pacing, trying to make up my mind, I finally woke up Sandy. I was still feeling pretty great at this time, I want you to know, so I took my time getting ready, especially since I had so much time when I had Eli. I even put on a little make-up, which Sandy still gives me a hard time about. We woke up our next door neighbors (the most awesome neighbors one could ever, ever live next to!) so they could keep an eye on Eli who, thankfully, stayed asleep through all of this. We had to stop for gas so we could make the 25 minute trip to the hospital (odd because our car was never that low on fuel before!). By the time we got to the hospital my game face was on, labor was in full swing, 8 centimeters dilated, and, much to my disappointment, no time for an epidural (WHAT?! There's ALWAYS time for an epidural!!). I was ready to push but had to wait for the doctor to show up! The nurses were frantic and beyond relieved when she finally walked in. It took 1 and 1/2 pushes (I say 1/2 only because I had to stop long enough for them to unwrap the cord from around baby's neck) and just 20 minutes after arriving at the hospital, Olivia Ann made her entrance.

This little girl keeps us on our toes! She is often a force to be reckoned with; very strong willed, independent, and fearless. She is always on the move; so far the only thing we've found that slows her down is Dora the Explorer-she loves that show! You know she's tired when she's holding her cheek with her hand. She has been a climber since she could move enough to do it, the higher the better, and her first real heart-stopping climb, for me, was to the top of the piano-we know that skill will only be practiced more, she's such a little monkey! Olivia loves her big sister and always wants to do what Eli's doing or dress how Eli's dressed. She watches Eli closely and has figured that if Eli does it, it's a good thing to do. Livi loves the color pink. Pink cereal, pink clothes, pink toys, pink shoes; she even says "pink-you" for thank you-everything is pink for Olivia! Singing is something you often hear her doing, as well as seeing her dance. Her nursery leaders were surprised at how well she talks and sings along during singing time when she started going and had a new story for us nearly every week of how she surprised them knowing a song or saying a phrase. Livi has been known to have a temper, which has earned her a nick name of Livid Livi. But for as wild and opinionated as she is Olivia is also a snuggle bug when she wants to be and almost always has a hug or kiss to give out. She has been such a fun addition to our little family in the (almost) 2 short years she's been with us and it's going to be so much fun seeing what things she has in store for the future!