Lots of Livi and general update

Well, well. Here we are.
It's SPRING!! Thank goodness. Two back to back hard winters. I'm over it! Move me south!

We did very little this winter. Getting the hang of moving 3 kids from point A to B is enough to cause a sane women to lose her mind. Especially since she was already borderline losing her mind (because of the lovely plummet of pregnancy hormones); we didn't risk any "episodes" and stayed in. Played lots in the basement, did lots of crafts, read tons of books and drove each other a little crazy (if I'm being honest).

Then a lovely thing happened. My hair started to fall out.----WHAT? Why is this "lovely", you might ask? Well, trust me sister, it IS. That means all my "normal" Danielle-isms-feelings-hormones----ME came back! Anyone that knows anything about having a baby knows that when your hair starts to fall out the pregnancy hormones are exiting "the building" (your body) and you start to feel more normal.

For me...this is a joyous occasion. A moment for choirs of angels and roof top singing. Think "Hills are Alive" type of a situation. Shew! All is well. Except for the many, MANY hairs floating around my house. Gross.

I digress....all this "normalcy" started to take place around January. About 2 months after Livi made her arrival. I started to feel better and she became less "newborn" and more "baby". Shes such a joy. She fits right it and we'd have her no other way. Seriously.

So since I'm super awesome at updating my blog and haven't posted anything since she was 2 months and I wasn't "normal" until after that point I thought no better time than the present to flood the blog with Olivia Updates (3, 4 and 5 month Updates). Here goes...

The Stats/ Milestones: 

3 Months: Not sure on weight and height because we didn't go to the doctor this month. This month was full of smiles and laughs. Olivia started laughing at about 2 1/2 months. Our earliest belly laugher. She's just super pleasant and very happy. Especially for Mady and Collin. She loves to watch them and look at them. Collin takes special care to always lay next to Livi while she is on the floor doing her tummy time or playing. He loves this.

4 Months: 15 lbs 7oz 75% tile, 24.21 inches 35 % tile. This month we took Olivia on her first airplane trip. She came with Bryan and I to Louisiana for my best friend's wedding. I really was dreading the logistics of this trip. Nursing, pumping, bottles, new sleeping arrangements etc, etc...all the extra crap that goes with a traveling baby....BUT, to my surprise she did awesome!!! Every flight (we had 4 total) she slept in our arms. She never needed to take a bottle while we were there because all the feedings and time frames worked out perfectly....and she even slept through the night (10 hours straight) for the first time there. We also had super great accommodations, which made our stay even more enjoyable. Not to mention the fact that my best friend got married!! I was actually able to fully celebrate with her and enjoy every moment. So thankful for that (and my fabulous hubby that was Mr. Mom while I was gallivanting around).

5 Months:  17 lbs. (not sure %) also don't know height. We went to the doctor for a quick sick visit because she had a cold and an ear infection. This is the only reason I know the weight. Lately Olivia is wearing 6 and 6 to 9 month clothing, size 3 diapers and getting less and less enthused by here baby gear. She's ready for sitting up and working on it. Still a little too short for the jump-a-roo, but she's working on that too.

Here are some fun pictures of the last 3 months (random from my phone):

1 Month on the left, 2 Months on the right

4 Months

3 Months

The Big kids LOVE her to pieces!

Bumbo (one of the most overrated baby item)

4 Months

 

5 Months

 

Moving too much to get a clear picture!

LOVES HIM!

and HE LOVES HER!

Adores her.

I'm so thankful for this sweet baby girl! She's a precious, peaceful, smiley, little lover. She loves her siblings (really her whole family) as you can see, we do too. 5 month came so fast. Faster than either of her other two siblings. I thought about why this is recently and here is what I came up with.

Your first baby's first year goes slow because you are waiting for each milestone (and lets be honest, almost PUSHING them to happen before they do). You're on edge and very aware of every breath, movement, roll, cough and poop of your first. So, you have nothing better to do than count the months, days...they go slow.

The second child, most people says goes soooo much faster. It did, in my experience, go faster than Mady's first year....but it wasn't a blur for me. Collin came 3 years after Mady and after 3 miscarriages in just 9 months. So when he came...I CHERISHED every.single.moment. He was hope in bodily form. He was an answer to prayer after long suffering. Mady was definitely cherished too. Dotted over probably more than Collin, but his first year was less anxious for me than hers and deeply rooted in the notion that He was such a gift, after such a hard trial of loss. So his year was fast, but not a blur (like they say).

Now Olivia's...well lets just say its faster and A BLUR! Hah. Definitely going by so quickly and I'm grasping at each interaction and milestone like water sifting through my fingers. I cannot hold it long enough! She is just a great addition to our sweet family. We are so thankful.

More updates to come...in the next months to come.

Olivia {2 months}

Olivia is 2 months old! I cannot believe it. Or can I?
I do dread the little infant baby months. They are hard and loooooongg!
but...this little one is a JOY! She's been our easiest baby so far. I am so thankful.

Here is a little info about Liv from her 1st month to her 2nd...
Her 2 month stats are 12 lbs 8 oz 70th %tile and 21.75" 8th %tile in height! She's already doubled her birth weight. She's my chubby shorty. Like her big sister, but about 3 lbs heavier than her, at this point. Mady was in the 5th %tile in height. I have some shorty girls. I love it. Short and sweet.

At this month Livi,

you are in your own crib and room at night which has been great. You sleep much better this way. Only waking once to eat some nights and some still twice. But you sleep well. I am thankful.
You are a belly sleeper. Our first one. Made me nervous at first, but you really, really sleep better that way. So belly it is.

you have found your voice! You coo and talk to us, which is so sweet to hear your voice.
you are wearing 3 month and 3-6 month clothing and wear size 2 diapers
you love your siblings and they LOVE you.
you sleep about 4 naps a day and play for about an hour or more in between them.
you are happiest in the mornings
you love your bath
you smile at strangers.....which is weird to note, but both your big siblings didn't do this. They stared them down at this age...but you just smile. Its adorable.

Here are some sweet pictures from this month....you really changed from newborn to baby this month!

My beautiful girls

Your first Christmas morning

Sleeping through most of Christmas

She loves to talk to you.

and hold you.

My doll baby!

Livi you are loved.
we adore you.
we are thankful for your life.
I pray you know Jesus and that one day He owns your heart and affections.
we trust the Lords care for you and are thankful He entrusted you to our arms.

Happy 2 months Liv!
xoxo,
mom

Olivia's Birth Story

Olivia's due date was November 10th.
{All of my babies due dates were within days of one another.}
Mady's was November 8th and so was Collins. Mady was born October 26th and Collin was October 17th.

So, you can imagine our surprise when October came and WENT and we had NO baby!
We had EVERYONE on high alert, expecting and waiting, on pins and needles for the a phone call one October day...but that day never came! Olivia was to be our first November baby. The closest to her due date; born on November 7th at 12:18pm, 3 days before her due date.

Here is her story:

Now, the another thing worth noting is that with both Mady and Collin's birth my labor starts with my water breaking. I never had regular contractions with either of them and was put on Pitocin once admitted into the hospital with confirmation that my water was broken and my labor was not progressing naturally. Therefore, I expected the same start with Olivia's birth. I actually was a little concerned I wouldn't recognize labor contractions because the only contractions I have felt were pitocin induced.

Well, at 12am on November 6th I felt regular, real labor contractions. No pitocin needed. I waited to see if they progressed for several hours.

I woke Bryan at about 2 am. when my contractions were 8 minutes apart and pretty painful. I had to breathe through them and wasn't able to talk.

At 3:30 am. our babysitter came and we made our way to the hospital.

At 4 am. we were checked into triage in the hospital and I was checked and to my surprise my water was INTACT and I was a 4, almost 5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. They admitted me.

At 5 ish am. we made it to our Labor and Delivery room, our parents were called and made their way to see us. At about 6 am my nurse checked me. My contractions were not real regular; about every 7 to 10 minutes apart and they weren't always painful. When the nurse checked me I was surprised to already be at 7cm dilated. My mom RUSHED to us. My labor usually happens quickly, but again, being induced both previous times it wasn't a true representation of what my body would do "on its own". With this being our 3rd we weren't sure how quick it would happen, however, with that amount of dilation we were thinking she'd be born at 9 or 10 am.

I got my epidural at about 6, 6:30 am. 

My mom got to our room at 7am. I was checked again somewhere between 7 and 9 am and had no dilation progression and my contractions were irregular.

My doctor came in and broke my water around 9 am...thinking this would allow my contractions to become more regular and dilation to continue. Well, at about 10 am they still were the same. I was a 7.

They gave me pitocin, to help things along at about 10 am. Somewhere around 11:30 am.  I was still at a 7 and my contractions weren't regular so they turned up my pitocin a tad and I switched over to my left side and experienced the WORLDS WORST CONTRACTION EVER! It was bad and YES, I had an epidural.

The nurse came back in and I demanded asked nicely that she turn my epidural up. I pretty much told her I kindly explained that if she wanted me to be able to push this baby out, she needed to adjust my levels. She complied. Thank GOODNESS.

She also checked me. It was 12 pm. I was 10 cm! and ready!!! That contraction (ONE CONTRACTION) got Olivia fully engaged and ready to come. It was a doozy. Hah. The nurse called the doctor in and we were ready to push.

I pushed through 3 contractions and in about 10 minutes she was born. She came out pink and SCREAMING!

Now, we did not know Olivia was a girl. We were being surprised about her gender. Everyone (all my family and pretty much all my friends thought "boy").

Needless to say, we were ALL surprised when the screaming baby was a baby GIRL!

In the beginning of my pregnancy, I thought "girl". After about 20 weeks I was thinking "boy".
However, with my crazy emotions and mood swings near the end of my pregnancy...I should have known the baby was a girl.

It took me about 6 hours of Livi's life to truly come out of the shock of Olivia being a girl. We all just continued to say "I cannot believe we had a GIRL!" and what a sweet girl she is.

She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long.
Dark hair and big, beautiful eyes. A darling, beautiful little girl.

We are so thankful for Olivia Turner and a healthy pregnancy, delivery and baby.
Thank you for praying and rejoicing with us.

Olivia's Newborn Shoot

Photo cred to the talented Timothy Marsee Photography.

Olivia was 1 week old in these pictures.
Poor thing was not happy about being naked and cold and surprisingly was awake during most of the shoot. So funny.

Here are some of our favs of our sweet newest daughter.

My beautiful daughters

My life. The struggle is real.

but sweet!

really, really sweet.

MY FAV

Gotta love a good cry shot

We love our little Livi.