22 Oct
We had really lovely weather here last weekend–and as such, took the opportunity to be outside as much as possible. On Sunday, we visited a pumpkin patch outside of town.
Ava loved the playground…
And the hay maze…
And she even ran into her friend Brandon!
Olivia was happy just being outside.
When we got home, we planted some bulbs for spring…
And ditched the potted shrubs in favor of something a bit more seasonal.
17 Oct
We took one last boat ride before leaving the cabin last weekend. Ava was all smiles at the start.
Grampa’s pretty trusting these days–he didn’t even remind us not to “bend it” as we left!
Of course, he probably didn’t realize we’d let Ava drive.
We’ve been debating the merits of a boat purchase for a good three months now. Ava, in an effort to destroy any illusion that it might indeed be a good idea, starting to grouse about going home approximately 90 seconds after leaving the dock.
I still think it would be a good investment. We pulled Liv on board when we got back for a quick family photo. Look how happy we are!
Well, some of us, anyway.
I’m still optimistic. A love for the water is in my blood; it has to be in theirs, too, right?
13 Oct
One of the highlights of our trip to the cabin was Olivia’s first boat ride. We entrusted the girls to Gramma and Grampa for the rainy occasion.
Gramma said that if they’d stayed out a bit longer, Olivia would have fallen asleep.
5 Oct
When she was about four months old, Olivia lost most of the hair she had at birth. Three tufts remained–two over her ears, and one on top of head. Now that her “bangs” have been growing for more than 10 months, they’re starting to obstruct her vision.
I wasn’t crazy about cutting them across her forehead like I did for Ava, so I tried a trick Ava’s stylist recommended a couple of weeks ago. I just took all of her hair and twisted it on top of her head. Then, I took one little snip–and cut off more than an inch!
Bryan put the trimmings in an envelope with a quarter, despite the fact that we’ve since learned this was not a Smith family tradition, as he once thought.
The result is surprisingly wavy!
30 Sep
At 10 months…
I usually find Olivia playing in her crib around 7 am most mornings, though sometimes she likes to wake up as early as 5:30 or 6 am (especially on the weekends). She’s happy from the start, and sits up on the counter by me as I get ready. I hand her all of my accoutrements, one by one, and she dutifully returns them covered with slobber.
The absolute hardest part of my day is dressing Olivia, which is saying a lot considering my workload lately. She puts up a huge fight and is darn near impossible to immobilize. If snaps are involved, you might as well call in sick.
Olivia squeals when she sees Diane’s door in the morning, and she practically leaps out of my arms to get down on the floor and play with the other babies. She waves goodbye, actually says, “Buh-bye,” and on occasion, she’s sad enough to see me go that she’ll shed a tear or two. Fortunately, this is pretty rare at this point. Still, I am regularly late to work in order to stay just a minute or two (or 20) to play.
I have finally cut out the noon visits, but when I arrive to pick her up at 5 pm, Olivia bounces up and down…and says, “Buh-bye.” We need to work on hello, I guess.
She eats more than Ava does at dinner, and is ready for bed by 7:30 or 7:45 pm. She snuggles up and lets me rock her for a bit. Nothing makes her happier than a song, and as such, I believe she may be a tad tone deaf. As long as she has her little blanket and pacifier, she’ll roll over and go to sleep without much of a fuss at all. Speaking of that pacifier, the doctor mentioned something about that at her nine month well-baby check, but I just can’t recall what it was…
All in all (night wakings and everything), Olivia is a very sweet baby, who really isn’t going to be a baby much longer. So, here’s Olivia now, in a nutshell:
Likes: Stair climbing, eating cat food, biting Ava and other innocent passersby, bath time, “The Wheels on the Bus,” midnight feedings, being outside, lunchtime, napping, grandparents, yogurt.
Dislikes: The cage (which is usually a result of stair climbing), face washing, cutting one-year molars, bibs, sleeping through the night.
I’m a pretty lucky mom.
30 Sep
I’m a few days late, so I’m celebrating Olivia’s 10-month mark with a huge fix. Enjoy!
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