Grocery shopping with Oli...

Today Oli and I went grocery shopping for the week just like we've done since we've had to go back to work. She must have thought that it was boring when we first started this routine a few months ago because she would sleep the whole time we were cruising the aisles. People would stop and say hello and take a peek at her but she missed all their compliments. A couple of weeks ago she happened to stay awake for all three grocery stops and she was able to smile and say hello to everyone and she loved it so much that she doesn't sleep anymore. She's even made a few close friends at the produce store. When we walk into the joint some of the ladies that work there come up and tickle her feet, she loves it.



I got to thinking today that my parking lot procedure has changed since Oli has started hanging out with me. What I mean is that when I used to pull into the parking lot I'd start looking for the closest parking space and anybody that is potentially leaving. I've only done it a few times but I've even stalked people leaving the store and followed them to their car and waited for them to load up and leave. Well, now I pull in thinking, Oli weighs 13 pounds and some change and the car seat weighs a couple extra pounds and walking with her from the car to the store, even if it is front row parking feels like I'm carrying small sack concrete, where is the closest shopping cart? Sometimes I'll pull into the lot and there will be no carts, damn those bag boys for being good employees. So I will pass up a front row for a spot in the back but near a grocery cart. It won't be long and we'll be able to take her out of the car seat and put her in the buggy.

1st Daddy's day

For Father's day, Olivia and I made Jonathan a scrapbook of pictures of Olivia and him from birth until now. I made her help me and would only work on it if she was sitting next to me helping me. (I think he loved it!) Olivia was so excited to give it to him. I am not sure how we will top that next year. LOL.

That afternoon we were on our way to Stuart, Florida for the Police and Fire Games. This was Olivia's first hotel stay. When we got there we met up with some friends and went out to dinner. Olivia was a social butterfly interacting with everyone and enjoying the attention she was getting. She got a little fussy around 9PM but a little food in her belly ended that. She sleeped great at the hotel and we had to wake her up for breakfast. She enjoyed the weight lifting competition and couldn't fall asleep beacuse of all the noise. She finally got comfy on my legs and fell asleep for a good hour. She woke up just in time to see Daddy get his PR in the benchpress.

She had fun being a little jet setter but it wore her out so today she is catching up on her zzzzzzzzzzz's!

Busy weekend

On Friday night, I had my 10 year high school reunion;

so Olivia got to spend the evening with Grandma. We packed up all of her stuff, I never realized what it took to get a baby ready to stay at Grandma's house for a few hours would take me so long to gather her belongings, but we did it and dropped her off. When we picked up Olivia around midnight she was fast asleep and we found out that she is going to be a singing super star. Grandma got her on video singing country songs, of course she will not repeat it for us. We packed her back up and took her home. I thought she would be wide awake when we got home, but she didn't even ask us how our evening went, she hit her bed and was fast asleep until the morning. Jonathan had to work the next day, leaving me with Olivia and a tummy ache from my lack of experience in the drinking department. Not drinking in over a year, I have become a cheap date. Thank goodness Olivia was just as tired and we took a 2 hour nap together and we both woke up refreshed.

Olivia's 4 month check-up

Last week Olivia had her 4 month check-up; wow is she getting big fast. She weighed in at 13 pounds exactly; putting on just under 3 lbs since her 2 month check up. She is still our little lollipop because she is in the upper percentile for her head and length but in the low percentile for her weight. She has made the 2foot mark, making her length growth total over 5 inches in 4 months. At this rate she will be as tall as me in just over 30 months. WOW! She is getting such a great personalality. She is giggling at everything, especially her Daddy. We made her 6 month appointment already and she will be getting her ears pierced on August 16th. We will bring her in a few hours early to get her ears numbed by the doctor then come back and get them pierced. Olivia isn't scared but I am. I cannot handle the shots, I don't know how I will handle an object going through her ear. Thank goodness Daddy will be there.

No oil in sight

I'm just getting home after working two days in a row yuck yuck but, it's over with and I'm back hanging out with Oli. Yup just Oli, the three of us will hang out again in two weekends. Can't wait, but we were able to get out to the beach to see the sun set and let Oli put her tootsies in the sand and water for the first time the day before I left for work. It was an awesome sun set, there were no clouds in sight and no oil either. We got to the beach about 45 minutes before the sun went down and threw out a blanket to keep the sand off of us but Oli soon found out that when you go to the beach sand will inevitably get everywhere. I think she likes the sand though because when we put her feet down in it she gave us a funny smile and then started digging away with her toes. She's hooked. We think maybe she'll just be a sun bather though because we then dunked her feet into the salt water and the reaction wasn't the same. As soon as her toes hit the water her lip simultaneously stuck way out and she started crying. Yikes. So back to the sand we went. While we were sitting there a mother walked by with her two little girls one was a year and the other four years. The little four year old saw Oli and started talking to her and making funny faces and Oli was cracking up. Can't wait to do that again. when I got home this morning I swear that Oli was an inch taller and a totally different little girl. She's growing so fast.

Oli's big adventure

Two days ago Oli and I went to pick up a new boat. Well maybe not new there's a lot of work that has to be done before the wind is blowing in Oli's hair. Thank goodness her Grandma has a boat and is ready to take her out because she'll be riding in it before she'll be riding in ours. We had to drive on the way down to Cape Coral to pick it up. So I pumped Oli full of milk and gathered our things and we were out the door. Just like I thought she slept the whole way down. So when we got into Cape Coral the guy selling the boat directed me right to his house and my plan was to leave Oli in the truck with the AC running. Oh I forget, we brought Grandmas trailer with us because this boat didn't have one. I've never put a boat onto a trailer but it sounds easy enough, maybe it will take thirty minutes right. Wrong!!! Two hours later I was paying the guy and leaving with the boat on the trailer. Olivia was pissed I guess being in her shoes I would have been mad too. When I left the guys house I pulled to the side of the road and fed Oli bottle #2. I've never seen her drink a bottle that fast, I felt terrible. I promised her I wouldn't do that again. Her reply was, cool Dad I still love you. I hope that's what she said. Once we got home we did a little tummy time and hung out until Mom got home but then we were off again to the boat ramp to get this boat to back off the trailer a little to make it easier to pull the trailer and leave the boat sitting on blocks. So by now I think Oli absolutely hates this big ugly thing on the side of our house. When she and her friends are tubing and skiing on the back she'll have a change of heart.

Today Oli surprised herself and me. She was sitting in her bouncer seat and I was shaking a rattle in her face and she reached up and grabbed it. She moved very slow and watched her hand all the way to the rattle and I think she was amazed when she was holding it. At any rate she's getting so big. Shawntel and I won't need to worry about hurricane supplies this season if we get hit we'll survive off of Oli's thighs they are getting pretty meaty.

Wow how time flies by.

Olivia, the doggies and I went for our daily walk today

and all I could think about was the past 3 months and how much Olivia has changed. I cannot believe that she is rolling over from belly to back. She loves lying on her belling up on her elbows, if that makes sense. She is giggling and talking which just cracks me up. I think she thinks that I can actually understand her. Jonathan started to walk her in the Bob without the car seat to give her more air and she looks like she is about to jump out of an airplane with her parachute on. She loves her walks even though it is humid as all get up, the doggies love it too getting out of the house. They are actually starting to lose some weight. Roxy pulls us along and Jazzy serves as our anchor. The past few days Oli is trying to sit up on her own. She gets her head going up and her torso is trying to follow but just not quiet yet. When I gave her, her bath last night she was actually helpful in lifting her chin up so I could wash underneath. I never realized how much fun having a child was going to be. Sure the first month was crazy with sleeplessness but now she is sleeping every night from 9pm to 5:30am when I wake her up to eat breakfast. We are enjoying her so much and cannot wait for her to go out onto the boat for the first time, hopefully in the next few months.