Olivia has arrived!

Jay, Eva, and I arrived at the hospital at 3:20 and not a second too late. We got to chat for a few minutes with Shannon and Tyler before their life would forever change with a new child in their lives. They seemed so relaxed and happy - excited to become a family of 4! Before we knew it, the nurse came into the waiting room and said ok, she's here! I guess that's the difference with having your second baby and also having a strong momma - only two pushes might I add. :)

Cousin/Niece Olivia Ruth Benitone arrived on March 28, 2010 at 4:08 and weighed 7# 9oz. and 19-3/4 inches long. She is so adorable as you can see from the pictures and a good size ,too! Her cheeks,arms, and thighs were so filled out and plump. Of course, we all started guessing who she favored but we all know how babies seem to change in appearance in only a matter of days. But she really is a beautiful girl and Eva was enthralled with her cousin! At one point, Olivia started crying and Eva started crying ,too. I'm sure there will be plenty of that in the future. It is always such a sight to see this tiny human being and think, "how did she fit in there?"




I hope they take pictures when Maddux comes up to the hospital with Granna (Jay's mom) to meet his new baby sister! We are so excited to finally have Olivia here with us! We love you so much!

7 months

Past the midway point, our little poobear has is now 7 months. I wish I could say how much she weighs and her length but we haven't taken her measurements yet. And we'll have to do it on our own because she doesn't have to return to the pediatrician until she's 9 months. So, I'll post that soon. This is a picture of Eva's new tutu from etsy.com (lurve that website). And I can't wait to make her next tutu, its looks so easy to do.




But, the big difference at 7 months is the appearance of two bottom teeth(central incisors)coming up! And they are some sharp little guys! Teethers, cold wash-cloths, cold vegetables, the great teether from Aunt Sarah & Liz, and just about anything is in her mouth at all times it seems. She even ran a low grade fever for about 3 days in the evening. But the worst of the pain seems to be over; once teeth break through the skin, it doesn't hurt so much according to the internet.

Besides that, Eva is sitting up on her own but still not trustworthy to leave alone unsupported on anything except the safety of comfy carpet. However, she is now sitting up in a restaurant highchair and in a store cart. She seems to be very happy being a big girl, out of her carseat when we go anywhere.

She prefers to of course be on her hands and knees when playing with toys or even better - standing up holding on to something. Her new favorite and cutest thing is when she pulls herself up to standing and then releases one arm out to you as if saying, "hey, you wanna hold my hand?"

Her favorite toys include plastic shells, piano, playskool play favorites poppin' pals, and the old-fashioned mirror. She really likes her fisher price activity table and her baby einstein jumper/exesaucer. I think I know where I should buy stock from next... Favorite games are peek-a-boo and having tickle games with mom and dad. She still really enjoys just staring and laughing at Mia and KB, especially when the animals "play" together.

Eva is on a wonderful and glorious schedule that I thought I would dread but it really has made my life so much simpler and peaceful. Eva seems to really like the consistency as well (Thank you ,Shannon). This schedule was based on cousin Maddux's when he was the same age:

7:00 -Wake up, 6-8 oz bottle
9:00 to 10:00 morning nap
11:00 6-8 oz bottle
12:00 Lunch small serving fruit or veg/cereal
1:00 to 3:00 afternoon nap
3:00 6-8 oz bottle
4:00 2 oz. juice with sippy cup
5:00 dinner small serving fruit or veg /cereal
6:30 start bathtime, pjs, read a book
7:00 6-8oz bottle, then bed

She is becoming much much better eating with a spoon. Eva loves her puffs and has mastered the "pincher" technique which is more advanced than the "grat". Yes, these are very technical terms. She seems to eat almost any fruit or veggie we try. We tried mixing her food with oatmeal instead of rice cereal and she seemed to really like that. Sometimes her teeth are so sore, she refuses to eat and just wants to chew the rubbery spoon. ;(

She is beginning to say da da da da da so I'm thinking her first word will be dada instead of moma.


The picture below is Eva's first time in the baby swing at the park.....and it turns out that if you take your baby to the park in a yellow,sear-sucker romper then you obviously have a boy...yes, this prompted me in getting Eva the pink tutu with flower headband....



Eva will hopefully be going to mother's day out on mondays at Christ Methodist. We are going today to turn in our paperwork! I think it will help me (and Jay) out to just have a day off to run errands, go to MD appt/dentist, and oh yeah...relax before I head back to work in the Fall. I also think that from watching Eva at mommy group on wed. that she enjoys "talking" and interacting with the other babies. Our friend Alissa is a teacher at Christ Methodist and we've heard nothing but great things about the school so I don't have any concerns for her safety. She might pick up a few germs but that will also be a good thing to help build that immune system more.

Hopefully, Eva will have another cousin anyday now! Liz is now only 6 days and Shannon is 15 days from her due date.

Schedule Please

After 6 months of letting Eva "snack nurse," I realize that Eva is still on a "very flexible" schedule. The only problem with that is that I realize just how much easier my life could be if I knew at what times she'd be hungry,sleepy,etc. It's a little nerve wracking to agree to a lunch date not knowing if your baby is going to have a meltdown b/c she's overly tired. Plus, she's got to be tired as well. I think my problem is that I'm out running errands and we run into "nap time" so she gets that 20 minute cat nap in and then of course there's no falling asleep after that. Also, I'm still in the mind set that my little baby needs to eat every three hours like a newborn. Silly I know. Maybe that is why my now 7 month old will drink 5 oz. q 3 hrs.when honestly, I know my 20lb girl can drink 6-8oz q 4 hours.

I know that this may seem trival and some mothers may be saying ,"I never had a schedule, I just let them eat and sleep when they wanted to." And I believe its great if you are with your kids all the time and never needed to go run errands or leave them with a caretaker (who I'm sure would greatly appreciate a schedule so as not to be left in the dark). But I would like a life. I would like happy, restful children when I run errands or leave them with a babysitter. I would like to confidently plan an outing a week in advance with no hesitation.

So, now that the time change has occured, I will not be spending 5 hours at a time running errands. Yes, it will be very confining for the first week but falling asleep in the carseat will only detour this process longer. So far today is going well, maybe tomorrow will be even better! Motherhood is definitely a journey, not a guided tour!

Books from Birth Program

My friend Alissa reminded me of the free Books From Birth program. I just signed up and it only took about 2 minutes. She'll get a book until she turns 5, so in total she'll receive 60 free books! Here's the link:

http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/usa/firsttime.php

Granna, Grandpa, Peace-pa, oh my!

Like I have said before, we are so lucky to have so many grandparents nearby. In fact, it is a challenge to see all of them in one weekend! Sadly, Grandma Alice and Grandpa David will be moving to Iowa very soon. We celebrated Grandpa's 60th birthday at Midtown BBQ before Alice drove to Iowa with her friend Marydee. I hope I spelled the name correctly. I know Eva will not remember having her Grandma and Grandpa in town so I'm trying to take lots of pictures. And when she's old enough, we can drive down Court St. and point out the house where Grandma/Grandpa used to live where she would laugh and laugh at the dog named Marie.

Yesterday, we stopped by Granna's house while we were out in Germantown and had a fun time watching Eva and Maddux play together. Maddux was very nice and was surprisingly gentle with Eva. Eva loved touching Maddux's hair which Maddux didn't approve of and let her know by giving lots of grunts. He also didn't seem to mind her playing with his toys since he found a canister of hand wipes which was far more interesting than any toy with lights or sound.

Lauren and Brook's Engagement

I have been meaning to blog about my BFF ,Lauren Tague, for sometime now. I figured that since its 6:00am and I'm up and nobody else is that it'd be a good time.
I have been friends with Lauren for over 10 years. I first met her when I went to St. Agnes in the tenth grade. It was tough for a public school girl to enter the private school arena and a year late at that too. Who would have thought that 70 white girls would be so intolerant?

Thinking to myself one night, "Why did I leave the safety and comfort of my midtown,public school friends? Why the hell did I want to spend my high school years in an all girls school?" I reminded myself of the reason I left which was to keep myself better focused and out of trouble. Sure, I had some midtown croanies already at my new school but no new friends. Not to mention, my public school friends told me they felt "betrayed" that I left. I remember when the phone rang and my dad told me it was for me (it usually was). Yes, this was before when every teenager had a cell phone. To my surprise, it was one of those new Catholic girls and her name was Lauren. Now her last name is up for debate so we'll stick with just "Lauren" throughout these time periods.

From that point on, it seems we have been inseparable. She's the yin to my yang. The Nikki to my Paris. The Angelina to my Jennifer. She's someone that I am not married to; no legal papers to bind us. But in my heart, I know I'll be by her side for the rest of my life. She is my soundboard - my rock. The place where I can go and know that I will never be judged, never ridiculed nor hurt. To call her such an unadorned word such as "friend" may be considered an insult. She is far greater than the boundaries of a friend, she is my sister.



I am thrilled to announce that Lauren has met someone who she can laugh with and love forever. And believe me, she is worse than the princess and the pea, but this one seems to be just right. His name is Brook Farr and he has passed my evaluation with dotted i's and crossed t's. He is a kind and compassionate man who would run into a burning building to save her. Well, he's a firefighter who does that anyway but you get the idea. He is one of those "smart" guys who knows a good thing when they see it so they're not going to mess it up. In fact, its a little boring to never hear her complain about him but maybe like all good things, it'll come with time. :)

They will be getting married on August 7, 2010. Honestly, I never thought this day would come because Lauren doesn't even like to commit to lunch a week in advance. But the day will soon be here and I want to wish them lots of love and good fortune in their days ahead. And I will always be there with open arms and a soundboard to listen - never wavering,never judging. I am so honored to be by my sister's side and to have something I've always wanted - a brother.

Fun Wednesday

We had a fun day today by going to our first mommy group at Hope Church. I didn't know what to expect but I had a great time talking with new moms. It's a nice reminder that there are other women in this world that are just as sleep deprived as me. Every Wednesday the group meets at 9:30 to let everyone talk about their ups and downs and also to discuss a chapter in the book, "Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl" by Lysa Terkeurst. I'll let you in on more when I know it. Overall, it seems like a positive,refreshing experience that helps women through their spiritual journey with God. And I get to spend time with my friend Alissa and her newborn son - Jack.

Eva did great with all of the other babies by gently touching their faces and occasionally turning around to make sure I was still close by. The other mothers seemed equally impressed that she was crawling and pulling herself up at 6 months. I felt like a proud mommy. :)

I decided to try and get some of Eva's finest babbling for everyone to hear. She does fall at the end but no worries - she had a soft landing against the bumper. I apologize if you find your head turning to the side; I am still using my phone for video at the moment. And yes, my mom voice is naturally that high-pitched.