5 Months, Week 2

Hello! Olivia put on just a bit of weight this week and is still in the 13 pound range (13 pounds, 3.8 ounces). This week was jam packed with both good and not so good things. Let's get the bad out of the way first...I got rear-ended on my way home from work. Most importantly no one was hurt. Even more important Olivia was not in the car when the accident happened. Now, onto the good stuff!














First, we wished Grammy Banks a happy birthday! Sometimes it takes several tries before we get a "good" photo. But this one taken on the first try! I asked Olivia to say "Happy Birthday, Grammy!" and this was her reaction. Priceless!














Next, we hit the open road for a weekend trip to the Region. Apparently the rental car met Olivia's approval.
























Olivia was subjected to yet another round of spoiling. She received lots of Halloween goodies from Grandma and Grandpa Szafarczyk and Uncle Drew and Aunt Lisa.

We also got to visit with Uncle Artie













and Uncle Jimmy.













Of course Grandma and Grandpa got some snuggling in too!













It's very tiring to be so loved!

5 Months!

Another great month has flown by for Miss Olivia! She has finally hit 13 pounds (13 pounds, 1.4 ounces). I'm not sure we are going to make it to 16 pounds by next month (double her birth weight) but we will sure try!


















Olivia is also starting to be able sit up on her own (with a bit of help). She's now big enough for the jumper we received as a shower gift. She loves it! She has such a great time playing with all of the toys on it.


















Our girl certainly loves to smile! And look at those big blue eyes!

4 Months, Week 4

Ding-dong the ear infection is gone! It took nearly two weeks and two antibotics to kick it, but Miss Olivia has returned to her happy go lucky self.


















Now if we can just go back to sleeping through the night...


















Although, who wouldn't choose to just sleep through the weekly grocery shopping? Can't blame her there!


















All in all, things are going well! Thankfully, girlie didn't lose any weight while she battled her first ear infection. She's now weighing in at 12 pounds, 15.8 ounces.

4 Months, 3 Weeks

Olivia is now on week two of her ear infection. Unfortunately, the Amoxicillin was not strong enough to get rid of the infection and so a stronger antibotic, Augmentin, was needed. So, here's to hoping it gets rid of that nasty ear infection once and for all. We go back to the pediatrician next week for a weight re-check and also for them to check her ears.



















This week she weighed 12 pounds, 9.4 ounces. The lactation consultants at our Mommy and Me group commented she is very active for her age and because of this will probably always be on the petite side. Why do I feel like this is a preview of a conversation I will have when she goes to school..."Mrs. Banks, Olivia is very sweet but she has a hard time staying in her seat."















Grandma and Grandpa Szafarczyk stopped by for a quick "Olivia Fix" over the weekend. One of the unfortunate side effects of the ear infection is that Olivia wakes up every few hours during the night from the pain. (Poor baby!) This means Josh and I also get up every few hours. This gets a little tiring since we also have to get up and go to work the next day. So, I was more than a little happy when they volunteered to watch Olivia for a few hours so we could get some extra sleep!


















Josh continues to have a standing lunch date with Miss O. What a lucky guy! Of course, sometimes their play date gets postponed because Olivia is napping. Other times, she saves a nap for their drive home. Here she is unwinding with her travel peeps, Bonnie the Bunny and Enrique Elefante, after long day of play at day care.

4 Months: Week 2

Well, this week we had a very yucky first...Olivia's first ear infection. :-( It came on pretty quickly, so we are hoping it passes just as quickly. When we went to the doctor last week, they checked her ears and everything was fine. By that evening she had started to break out in a rash. Over the next two days the rash started to spread. She was also becoming increasingly fussy and was having trouble sleeping through the night (like her mama she loves her night time sleep!). So, we went back to the doctor and sure enough her right ear was infected. Fingers crossed that the Amoxicillin does the trick.

In the mean time, infant acetaminophen appears to be taking the edge off. We have also been trying to take it easy and rest at home. Olivia has taken a liking to Ferris Bueller and his day off...


















Even Tinker is trying to make poor Olivia feel better. He agreed to be her pony...


















In the midst of the ear infection, Olivia's appetite (thankfully) has not been affected. This week she weighed 12 pounds, 8.2 ounces.

4 Months Old

Our little princess is now four months old! She had a check-up at the pediatrician and is now 24 inches long and 12 pounds, 5.6 ounces. Although she is a little behind in her weight, she is otherwise doing well developmentally. Look how happy she is!













In other news, Olivia is adjusting quite well to day care. The first day was a little rough for me (I was pretty much in tears most of the day!), but Olivia did just fine. She has some very nice ladies, "The Debs", who love on her while we are away. Plus, Josh gets to visit her each day at lunch. So far, so good!

The only part that Olivia doesn't always enjoy is the commute. By accident, Josh discovered he has the world's smallest Bieber fan in the backseat. That's right, this calms her down faster than any other toy, song, or bribe we have tried:



Only this little girl could get her daddy to not only listen to pop music, but none the less the Biebs. But who could say no to this face?

17 Weeks and a New Family Member

This may have been our busiest week to date! We were so busy that Miss Olivia didn't have the time to put on any weight and stayed at 11 pounds, 14.3 ounces. Grandma Sue had to head home to Valpo to prepare for the big event, so Grampy Banks reported for duty on Thursday. Olivia is very lucky to have two sets of awesome grandparents!













The big event we had to prepare for was Drew and Lisa's wedding! Lisa has been a part of our family for many years and we were very excited to have her (finally!) be an official Szafarczyk. The entire day went off without a hitch. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony and reception. Olivia sat with Grammy and Grampy Banks during the ceremony and did really well! She loved seeing so many family and friends!




























After all of the fun and excitement of the wedding, we needed a little time to unwind. All summer long I have been wanting to take Olivia to the beach. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how chilly and windy it was going to be! We toughed it out any way. We will definitely have to head back next summer when it is a little warmer!