Growing

Even though Olivia is still just a little peanut according to the medical charts, I still can't believe how much she has grown in the last 3 months.  It is easy to see when one of the kids try to hold her.  She fit so nice in Micah's arms a few months ago and now he has a hard time handling her head, arms and legs! :)

She has been a good little baby, but has only slept through the night once. (This mommy would really like it to be a little more often.)  It seems like we have a little stretch where we struggle with something, but then it passes and things are well again. 

Here are some new picture of our little one!

 Nick always brings Olivia to see me right after her bath and she can pull some funny faces!

 She is smiling all the time these days and is so close to being able to roll over.  Growing up so fast!

 She had her first taste of baby cereal the other night and she loved it!

 She is really enjoying laying on the floor.  Here she is laying on the quilt that my mom made for her and she is being entertained by her big sister!

 Olivia is pretty happy as long as there is someone nearby who looks at her every now and then.  That is what was happening during this peaceful moment.

 More smiles!

 Snug as a bug!  Like the other two she sleeps best when she is wrapped up.  She actually got her hand out during this nap time and was still sleeping!  So precious!

Christmas

So I know that Christmas is long past, but I wanted to get a few pictures posted before I completely forgot.  Christmas was a wonderful season and we enjoyed it with many family gatherings!

 Olivia helping me with the monkey bread for Christmas morning breakfast.

 Micah & Rebecca enjoying their gifts from my parents.

 Olivia enjoying a little snuggle time with Daddy.

 At Nick's grandma's for Christmas lunch.

 Two of the requested items - a Packers helmet & a Barbie!

 Future Packer?

 At Nick's parent's on Christmas night.

 Christmas exhaustion set in for Olivia.

Swimming with my dad's side of the family.

Sibling Love

I thought I had better write this post while I still think it is true. :)  Before Olivia arrived we wondered how the older two would react with a new baby in the house.  We have been pleasantly surprised.  Both Micah & Rebecca have taken to Olivia and are always wanting to help calm her when she gets upset.  We have been able to capture many precious moments on the camera so I wanted to share them with you.  I will probably look back at this post in the years to come and try to remember when the kids "liked" each other.

Farewell

My sister and brother-in-law (Melinda & Brian) left on Monday night to start their mission work in Maldonado, Uruguay.  It was a heart wrenching moment when we had to say good-bye to them, but God has asked to send them on their way with our blessing and so we are doing so.  They arrived safely on Tuesday night, but their 10 pieces of luggage are dragging their feet and decided that they didn't want to arrive on time.  While we will miss them terribly we are so thankful for the modern technology that allows us to stay in contact.  (Facebook and Skype are wonderful!)  Here are some photos from the airport and the final good-byes. 

 Melinda finishing the taping and zip-tying of their totes.  We wanted to weigh them before we sealed them all shut.

The kids playing on their luggage.

 A final photo with my them.  Olivia has loved having Uncle Brian across the street - not sure what she is going to do without him!

Up the steps to security they go.  We miss them already, but we love them and know that they are following God's plan for them!

Baptism

Last Sunday we had the privilege of baptizing Olivia.  It was a special time for us to commit ourselves to raising her to follow our Lord and Savior.  It was extra special because friends of our baptized their twins who were born just a month before Olivia.  It was wonderful to share the day with them!

 Olivia wore the same dress as her grandma, mom, aunt and big sister. 

It was also special because Micah & Rebecca were able to sing in church with their Sunday School classes.  I actually got some good pics because we sat so close to the front! :) (Micah is 2nd from the left in the back and Rebecca is in the 2nd row about in the middle.)

Trick or Treat

This year we had a pit crew member, a mouse and a little tiny puppy.  Not much candy, but they still had tons of fun! :)

Poor Baby

Those of you who know our family, know that we have a history of ear troubles with our kids.  Micah had several (& I mean several) ear infections prior to his first (& only) set of tubes.  Rebecca has had the same difficulty but to a higher degree.  More ear infections and 2 sets of tubes along with her adenoids being taken out.  (Both of them are doing much better, but I do anticipate that Rebecca will have at least one ear infection this winter.)  What I can't believe is that our littlest member is heading down the same path as her brother and sister.

Just over a week ago Rebecca came home with a cold.  No big deal for her, but for her 2 week old sister it is a big deal.  Try as we may to keep them apart, Olivia came down with her sister's cold starting last week Friday.  Of course I was concerned that Olivia would come down with RSV just because she is so little.  We kept a close eye on her all weekend and with no improvement I decided to take her to the doctor on Monday just to make sure everything was okay.

On Sunday evening I had said to Nick, "Watch, I bet that she has an ear infection."  I really just said it in jest and we both dismissed it because we had never heard of a 2 1/2 week old with an ear infection.  Besides she didn't act like her ear hurt.

Monday morning came and I took her to the doctor.  After closely listening to her heart & lungs he checked out her teeny, tiny ears and low and behold - fluid and redness(!) - a sure sign that there is an infection.  Both the doctor and I (and the student doctor) were so surprised.  Here it is only October and the smallest member of a family with a history of ear infection has an ear infection - sounds like it could be a long winter....

A round of antibiotics was prescribed and Tylenol on an as need basis and things seem to be looking up for little Olivia.

Sleeping has posed some interesting situations and Olivia has slept in several different positions in the hope of getting her to sleep.  Here is a photo from yesterday.  I smashed the Bobby pillow into the cradle to both prop her up and hold her tight. Big brother has also been great at holding her and comforting her.

We hope that it was just a freak one - time occurrence, but we will have to see what the coming months bring.