um...an update

I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving day, unfortunately. I just never seem to remember my camera these days. It's painfully slow and the battery just never stays charged. Plus I'm beginning to realize how old fashioned my once top-of-the-line camera is. (4 megapixels used to be high quality, you know!) Not that I'm complaining... I still think it takes great pictures. Perhaps the real reason I don't use it is simply that I don't have much time for it and have gotten out of the habit of using it. ;)

Thanksgiving morning we went to my parents house for breakfast and worship, and to say good bye. As you know, they are going to Israel where my dad will continue working on a project with the Trinitarian Bible Society. You can visit my mom's blog to follow their new life there. (I'm hoping there will be tons of pictures!)
We then went to the manse where the Smith families + Jesh, Sharon, and Ben, met for lunch, games, and of course lots of visiting.

Olivia started sitting up about a week before five months and now sits very well. She also is scooting places with her elbows and toes, and occasionally even uses her knees to push herself around. It's interesting how her personality is changing... she used to be very mild, but she has gradually become more energetic and very intense. She loves interacting with people!

She has started eating solids and I've also been supplementing formula. She just is not getting enough food, and she's so small! She fits into her age group for most clothes, so I don't always realize how petite she is. I had her weighed the other day for the first time since she was 6 weeks old, and she's not even 13 pounds yet. I'm beginning to realize that all the difficulty with her fussiness probably had (and has) to do with hunger.

Mark and I have come down with a cold... I'm not looking forward to a sick baby, especially since she's never been sick and I don't know what to expect! She's not gotten it yet, but it seems inevitable she will catch the bug too.

I cropped as much mess as I could out of this photo. We did have company over the night before, and Saturday mornings aren't generally a tidy moment.

I love this picture of Mark acting unimpressed.

life of a mother

Are you familiar with the countless little odds and ends that add up for that "last trip" when you move? On Monday I went back to our old home to clean and gather the last couple items. At least, I thought it was just a couple items. While Matthew ran around like crazy in the empty house, thereby entertaining Olivia, I began cleaning and getting things together. (Turned out that cupboard above the refrigerator which I was certain was empty had a nearly full box of brand new silverware from our wedding gifts that we'd stored for later use...)

Pretty soon Olivia was ready for a nap, and also a diaper change. The prepared mother I am, I simply opened up my purse/diaper bag to get the changing necessities-- to discover I'd forgotten to put new diapers in my purse. (I know, right?!) Since there is a Kroger just across the street, we got into the car and headed over to buy some diapers. As I was lifting Matthew into a basket near the Kroger entrance, I realized that he had apparently at some point during the day put his pants on backwards... but I couldn't exactly fix them there. *sigh* Fortunately Olivia had fallen asleep on the way.

Back at the apartment I resumed cleaning after eating some lunch. By the time I was ready to go, Olivia was ready for another nap. With just a couple items to take out to the car, I'd simply put her in the carseat and head out with an armload, right? Wrong. About five trips later, and while carrying a tired baby with me each time, (please bear in mind this is an upstairs apartment and you have to walk a ways to the parking lot) I had the car stuffed full and we were ready to go at last.


Olivia has reached the age where she really wants me -- all the time. I really do not hold her all the time, so I don't think I have trained her to always want attention..! She can be totally happy when she first wakes up or if she's playing by herself, but if I walk into her view she gets very excited and then cries if I walk on past. Matthew is very helpful in keeping her happy. He's often talking to himself and playing with his Legos nearby her, which keeps her entertained for quite a while. She also likes having someone in the backseat with her in the car!


On to some pictures:

I tried to get some photos of them together, but Olivia either wanted to sit up by herself...

...or sit back...

and play with her feet!

By the way, the clothes you sent fit her well, Evelyn! Thank you!

moved

We moved in one day.

I think unpacking is going to take a lot longer than it did to pack. ;)