Biggest Fan!

Today was "Tiger Apparel Day" at Olivia's school so of course we had to participate. Go Tigers!

Flower Child

All dressed up...

... and no place to go!

Olivia actually owns SEVERAL dresses but never really has a chance to wear them. Dresses are not condusive to Michigan weather. And lets face it- tights do not work on babies. They just don't fit right. And her cute little shoes... yeah right. She kicks her socks off when I put them on her. What made me think she was going to keep shoes on? So... since she has so many dresses and not many occasions to wear them I am just going to play dress up and take some pictures. Most likely they will be posted for all to enjoy (don't laugh... I know you love them!)!

* Side note: This stinkin' cute ensemble was purchased for my sweet little niece, anna, by yours truly (aka Auntie Karen) almost 6 years ago and now has been handed down to Livy. Thanks for sharing your clothes, Anna!

New Paci

So we bought Livy a new paci called Natursutten. It's a 100% rubber pacifier that is all one piece. With all the plastic scares that are going on we decided to give this a try. At first Olivia refused it. Even went as far as gagging when we put it in her mouth- she's a bit of a drama queen. After a few attempts over the past 24 hours she seems to have taken to it. It is pretty funny looking though.

The Bumbo

We have been trying Olivia in her PINK Bumbo for several weeks now. She has good moments when she likes it and other moments when she looks at us like we are crazy for putting her in it!

The first time we put her in it. And yes, she does look like a mini sumo wrestler!

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!

Look Ma, I'm getting the hang of this!

Bathtime... we have progress.

Although we have not had a screaming fit since her very first bath, Livy has been very serious during bathtimes- not moving much and NEVER cracking a smile. Well that has changed. We managed to get quite a few smiles during bathtime tonight (mommy's camera was not fast enough to capture these moments). Olivia also discovered the art of splashing! She was going crazy. She was kicking her feet really fast causing water to go everywhere. Mommy could not stop laughing. She was also pushing her feet on the bottom of her bathtub making herself scoot down farther and farther into the water. Hopefully this is a turning point and from here on out bathtime will be much fun!

Jabber Jaws!

Olivia is turning into quite the talkative little girl! She loves to "talk" and always seems to have something to say. She gabs anyones ear off that is willing to listen. This morning, while she usually sleeps in the car on the way to school (or anytime we are in the car for that matter), she was wide awake and talked the whole way. She has a mirror that she looks into while we drive and I am pretty sure she was holding a lovely conversation with herself. This past weekend we awoke to Livy gabbing away in her crib. She usually wakes up a little sad since hunger is overtaking her but not this weekend. Daddy and I stood at the door for bit to listen to her and she was as content as can be talking to herself. She is experimenting with lots of different sounds and volume levels. We must admit her high pitched squeals make us laugh and sometimes catch her a bit off guard.

And then this happened...

Then mommy took a picture because I was so cute...

That's all I have to say for now!

Perfect!

The new sign that hangs on Olivia's door. We thought it was appropriate!

Somebunny...

...would like to wish you a "Hoppy Easter!"

From daddy!

On daddy's last trip to California he picked up this super cute onsie for Livy! That is her... our pink fairy princess. The shirt forgot to mention that her tiara is bit crooked at times and once in a while her little horns come poking through amongst the diamonds!

So much better!

Tummy time is so much more fun when you are naked!

Troll dolls!

That's right... I said troll dolls.. You know those troll dolls with the crazy hair? The ones that you flatten their hair down and then shake them and their hair sticks straight up? Same concept below (minus the shaking!)!

Great Grandpa

Sadly Olivia never got to meet her Great Grandpa Koli. I am sure she would have loved him and thought he was quite funny. One thing Grandpa was known for was the hats that he wore. We have one hanging in our living room to remember him by and of course I thought Olivia would look adorable in it! She thought it was very fun to play peekaboo with.

Where's Olivia?

There she is!

For no reason...

... other than we are cute!

Daddy Daughter Time!

Teaching her at a young age!

How in the world...

... did she get so cute?

Piggies!

I just want to eat them! I know it sounds weird but if you are a mom then you understand!

Getting so big!

So I spent a good chunk of the day building Olivia's exosaucer. I have built a number of these for work but Olivia's was crazy complicated! We wondered what she would think of her new toy and the second we put her in it a huge smile broke out on her little sweet face. I think she loved the new found freedom and it was only a matter of time before she was turning herself around in it and playing with the toys. Mommy got a bit emotional when we realized her feet already can touch the bottom.

It's about time!

We finally had a beautiful 53 degree day and we took full advantage of it. We decided to take Olivia for her first walk outside. The fresh air felt great and Olivia had the chance to check out her neighborhood. she even got her first shoulder ride from Daddy!

3 months already!

At 7:13 this morning Olivia turned 3 months old. I swear it was just yesterday that I felt her kicking inside of me. Our little Livy, is such a blessing and everyday we fall more and more in love with her. She has brought so much joy into our lives and we are pretty sure she is the most beautiful baby ever. I am sure you would agree!!! Olivia is growing so fast and working on lots of important milestones. Tummy time is getting to much less painful (for all of us) and she is holding her head up so well and looking everywhere. She is still a spittin' image of her daddy but has mommy's personality (complete with her stubborn streak)! She is "talking" so much and making lots of new sounds. She sometimes surprises herself with how loud she can get. We wonder what her first word will be.

Our favorites:
* How she curls her toes up whenever we touch her feet.
* The way she rubs her eyes when she is trying to wake up.
* The way she plays with her hair above her ears when she is trying to fall asleep.
* How her face lights up with a huge smile when mommy goes to pick her up from school.
* The way she snuggles into the crook of our neck when she wants to cuddle.
* Her little rolls on her thighs and her ankles!
* The way you wrinkle your nose when you smile!

Happy 3 months Miss Olivia! We love you!

A new discovery!

Olivia has discovered her tongue and she is not quite sure what to think of it. She has been sticking it out of her mouth a lot these past few days and making herself go cross eyed trying to look at this new found body part. She has been very busy moving it around the inside of her mouth and "tasting" it and making the funniest faces while doing so. She has even begun smiling with it sticking out which makes mommy laugh very hard.

Chins...

... just how many does Olivia have?

A New Love

Olivia is really starting to enjoy all of her toys that she has been given. While she smiles and coos at all of them she has a deep love for her rattles. She is amazed that she can hold them. She surprises herself when she bops herself in the head with them. And now has begun holding them and knawing on them at the same time- what talent!

A Tribute to Auntie Jen!

SUPER STINKY GIRL!!!

Dear whoever will listen...

Hi everybody. Olivia here. I was hoping that somebody could please have a talk with my mommy and ask her to stop buying me funny hats. she is out of control. She went to her first mom to mom sale today and found this one hat that for some reason she could not pass up and this is what happend when she came home.

Mommy says I look like a cutie pahtootie and daddy just keeps rolling his eyes. Any help you could offer would be great. Gotta go... here comes mommy with the camera again.

Yep... it's a fur coat!

So for one of my baby showers Grandma and Grandpa Koli purchased a pink fur coat for little Miss Olivia. When I was little I had one as well and when I found out I was having a girl insisted that my daughter needed a fur coat. Leave it to grandparents to find the perfect one. Not only is it pink (which is Livy's favorite color) but it is super fuzzy and reversible. Sadly it will not fit her next winter so we are getting as much wear out of it now as possible. So of course it called for a canon (opposed to kodak) moment. She actually loved it and kept rubbing the fur on her face and nose.

Amongst friends!

For only being 12 weeks old Olivia has collected a lot of stuffed, fuzzy friends already- mostly due to grandma! Here are just a few of her friends watching over Livy as she sleeps.

A new friend!

Last night Olivia and I joined some college friends in Royal Oak for Mexican food. Jen, Laura and I have known eachother for 12 years (goodness that makes me feel old). We met in college as we were all going through Early Childhood classes together at good old Tyndale. Our love for kids, Bean and Bagel (oh... I miss those days) and shopping made us instant friends. While the Mexican dinner get togethers are spaced out a little more than they used to be our time together is always treasured by me. Jen is a mom to three with her fourth on the way while Laura and I both embarked on mommyhood only 11 days apart. Little Bo is a handsome fellow and I have no doubt the Mexican dinner outings will only get more interesting as they get older. It was great seeing you ladies (and Bo too- finally). See you soon!

Bo is totally checking out Livy! Don't tell Daddy!

What were we thinking?

This past weekend my sister (commonly known as Auntie Jen) and I thought it would be a fun to take her two kids and Olivia to get their picture taken together. Upon arriving at the photo studio we were sure were crazy while trying to get three kids dressed in their Easter best and keep them clean until the pictures were done. Happy to say, the whole event was basically painless and went much better than we had anticipated. Next time, however, we have decided the kids are wearing overalls.

Cousins~ who we have no doubt will cause great trouble together one day!

Love the little piggies!

So stinkin' cute!

Such a little princess. She must take after her aunt!!!