Monkey News 8.20.09

8 Months Old.

This week Olivia started her new class. She is now in the Pre-toddler class. She is with older babies who are starting to walk. The class is a lot bigger and she really seems to like it. One of the teachers told me yesterday that the babies that just moved up aren't really that far behind the ones already in there. :)

Olivia's majorly mobile now - Crawling everywhere, getting into everything in sight.. Briefly standing on her own.. scooting stuff around the floor. I just love seeing her personality develop. She's very loving, nosey, and friendly. :)

Brandon got a new job working for a distributor of Red Bull (the energy drink). He loves his new job and we are so happy that he's happy!

The Lord has really been blessing us lately!

I never dreamed God would bless me THIS much!

Being a mom is the best thing in the world. Sometimes, I just look at our little girl, and I'm totally speechless. Did I really give birth to her? Was it only 6 months ago? So much has changed since then. It really has been a life adjustment. I can't imagine her not being here now, and it was so hard to imagine her here when she was still growing inside of me. Why is it weird that I can remember being pregnant so vividly, yet I can barely remember labor?

Olivia has changed so much in just the last month. She's been on baby food for a few weeks now. Her pediatrician recommended waiting until she was 6 months old.. (crazy), but Olivia was showing signs of needing more, so we started it early. It's fun to see her grow and learn and do different things every day. She's very mobile now, which makes some things a lot more difficult than before. And of course, it makes mommy and daddy stay that much more exhausted, LOL! She is sitting up on her own and gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth like she's about to take off. I don't think it will be long now before she does take off.... That's kinda sad to think about....... I know she has to, but I don't want my baby to grow up.

Our lives are just moving right along. We stay pretty busy. We try to pack our weekends with all the fun we can. Brandon has off every other weekend, so that makes it a little tough to plan family things. We have picked up 2 extra side jobs for the extra money. Brandon gives guitar lessons and I clean my work once a week. A much needed blessing!

For those of you who have not gotten the chance to even meet Olivia, we are sincerely trying to get up that way. It's so hard with planning right now with some things up in the air, but we really hope you can meet our bundle of joy soon. :)

Until next time. :) Happy Summer Months!

olivia's motorcycle...an old one but good one :)

Play time is F-U-N

Hit a Milestone

Olivia is now rolling all over the place. :) Check out the video!

Rolling!

Been a while

I apologize for just now posting again. Things in our lives have been pretty crazy. Olivia is now 4 months old. At her last appointment, she weighed 14 lb. 1 oz. =o) She rolls over, mostly from her stomach to her back. Brandon has been a witness to the roll over from her back to her stomach. She's a very happy baby and smiles and giggles at just about anyone. Last week was a bit rough. I caught the stomach bug, then gave it to Brandon, and then Olivia. It was horrible. We are all better now though. Easter was fun and very relaxed. We got up early and headed to Glencairn Gardens in Rock Hill to take some pictures of Olivia. They turned out great. :) We then went to church at North Rock Hill and the service was amazing. We had a small family gathering at Outback for lunch. Last weekend, we went to the city festival and enjoyed the beautiful weather we've been having. We all got a little pink. :) This weekend we are taking Olivia to her granddaddy and BB's house for a couple days while Brandon and I spend some much needed time together, just us. :) We are excited. I know Livy is looking forward to it. She told me so this morning. ;-)

Oh yeah... yesterday, I decided to cut off about 6 inches of my hair. When I get my hair cut, I really get it cut. :) I just needed a little change.

Brandon's band, Silent Calling, is revving up again with a new sound of Christian worship music, as well as incorporating the original Silent Calling songs. It's a great ministry they feel God in every part of. We are all very excited about it and can't wait for their first gig doing the new set. :)

Both of my friends had their babies a week apart. Busy busy busy! Elijah Juan Alcala was born 4/14/09 weighing 9 lb 1 oz 20 in long. Micah Neal Ashworth was born 4/21/09 weighing 10 lb 4 oz 21 in long. WHOA MAMA. Can we say, "Ouch"? They were both very beautiful. It's amazing how comfortable I am holding infants now compared to how I used to be. It's like second nature. I'm a 4 month PRO! :)

I'll try to keep everyone posted more regularly.
Until next time...
Love you guys! ~Brandon, Jen, & Olivia~