Amazing Olly

Over the last few months, Olly has grown so much. She is tall, strong and very mobile. She has 10 teeth and says "baba" "uh-oh" and once in a awhile, "mama." During the summer, we spent a lot of time at our local swimming pools. She loves to play in the water, splashing and kicking. As of August 29th, Olivia started taking 3-4 steps on her own. She can take nearly 10 steps when pushing her doll carraige. Olly is a ver social little girl and loves to people watch. Her 1st birthday is coming up in less than a month. The time has passed so quickly.

I have adapted to motherhood quite well and embrace this new role in my life. I appreciate all of the love and support that I have received from family and friends along the way.

Olivia Ann - 8 Months

At eight months, Olivia is fabulous! Her personlaity is emerging. She has very distinct facial expressions for diferent feelings. Recently, while at a trip to Uncle Gerald's, we noticed that she seems to pose for pictures. It's really funny.
She is getting her two front teeth which I'm sure she'll love to show off. Olivia started crawling today which was so amazing to see. She's sitting up by herself and pulling herself up on to furniture. Her growth is rapid and she continues to have an excellent appetite and sleep schedule.

I continue to feel that motherhood is a gift. This experience has been profound. I am very thankful for the support of family and good friends.

Olivia 7 Months

Olivia contnues to have a great apetite and sleep schedule. She has two bottom teeth.
She enjoys yelling and trying out new sounds. She's incredibly strong and hilarious.
She loves to grab just about anything,examine it and then put it in her mouth. I really have to keep an eye on her. Like I said, she's really strong and loves to roll. She sort of crawls backward and is working on her military crawl. I am loving this journey with my daughter so much!

Apple Sauce Recipe

This delicious recipe for applesauce cooks in your crockpot. You won't believe the delicious aromas that will fill your house while this recipe cooks.
Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Granny smith aples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
Preparation:

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Combine in a 3-4 quart crockpot with the brown sugar and lemon juice. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Mash with a potato masher into the consistency you want. Stir in cinnamon and serve warm or cold.

Olivia - 6 Months

Olivia is nearly 17 lbs. She continues to have an excellent appetite and sleep schedule. We started 'Water Babies' yesterday. She was very excited and loved looking at all of the other babies. I could tell she was having fun. I'm so glad we signed up. Easter weekend was spent with family and the Easter Bunny paid Olivia a visit:) Olivia is very ticklish, it's so fun watching her giggle.

I continue to walk regularly and have really cleaned up my diet. I was sort of half-hearted about it until last week. I've set out some goals and ways to reach them.
As of next week, I'm going to be adding a cardio session into my weekly routine. I think I'll look into HIIT training as it is supposed to be challenging and highly effective for fat loss. I'll keep you posted.

Enjoying Spring Together

Olivia is growing like crazy. I'll be taking her to get weighed next week. I'm guessing that she's nearly 17lbs. She has a very healthy appetite. She drinks about 32 oz of formula. She loved pureed bananas, applesauce, sweet potato and carrots.
She gets so much sleep. I'm in heaven! She's such a wonderful little person. She's so expressive. She LOVES to cuddle! Olivia brings me so much joy and I am very lucky.

As for me, I did start lifting free weights 3 times a week. I'm also doing crunches to strengthen my abs. I'm still walking an hour a day. I also realised that I really needed to clean up my diet. So I'm eating relativly clean throughout the week and then I choose a day on the weekend to eat whatever. Just one day though. I'm eating lots of Greek salad, beans and lentils, whole grain rice, fruits vegetables and nuts. I'm looking for a creative recipe for tofu. It's importand to have a good balance of proteins and carbs. I'd like to look at doing some work in the gym once a week.

Me and Olivia start "Water Babies" in a couple of weeks. We're going Bathing Suit and sunglasses shopping this week. I think we'll have so much fun. Can't wait!

Olivia - 5 Months

Olivia is getting so big!

She's around 15 lbs. She has a very healthy appetite, sleep schedule and is very alert when awake. I love being a mom. Seeing Olivia laugh or smile is such a joy.
I continue to appreciate help from my family. Recently, a couple I know has been super helpful as well. We are very blessed.

In her fifth month, Olivia is now rolling onto her stomach, grabbing for her bottle, pushing her spoon away, supporting her own head for longer periods and has started teething. Last night she screamed for about 3 hours because her little mouth was so sore. I tried giving her a cold cloth to suck on, massaging her gums, using her teething ring, giving her a bath and Baby Tylenol. Nothing seemed to work. She finally exhausted herself and slept for a long time. I will continue to try to find ways to comfort her while teething.

I wrote a short children's book recently. Now I'm going to find some drawing books so that I can illustrate it. It has been a fun little project.

Getting back into pre-baby shape has been a lot of work for me. I walk at least an hour every day. I think I'm going to start doing some free weights at home. For the most part, my diet is pretty good, I think. For the next few days, I'm going to keep a food journal and email it to the dietician that I see. Perhaps she can identify why the scale isn't moving. I have about 35 pounds to lose.