Here's the scoop!

Just want to share a little bit about my new baby girl and her cuteness. I thought today would be a perfect day to honor her since today is her official due date, even though she blessed a few weeks early. It's kind of crazy to think about me still being pregnant right now, when it feels so right to have her here and my womb to be empty (I know a little dramatic huh). I did get a little sad as I started packing up some of my maternity clothes this afternoon. I do look forward to wearing my "normal" clothes again, but I'm sad as I wonder when I'll wear my maternity clothes again. Only God knows the answer to that. Anyway, back to my sweet Olivia!

First off she is an awesome eater. This little girl, unlike her sweet sister, is gaining weight like a champ. She gained one pound, one ounce in just two weeks. I think I'm so amazed by this is because Lauren is the only one I have to compare her to and she didn't start gaining weight like that until well into her second month of life. We've had no nursing problems, another huge answer to prayer!! I haven't been able to drink milk yet, which I'm slowing getting over. I was drinking at least three tall glasses a day when I was pregnant, but now if I drink any she spits up curds for the next 24 hours. I just feel bad, so I've cut it from my diet for now. I had to do the same for Lauren, and think I was able to reintroduce it around 2-3 months.

She's a spitter upper. I go through burp clothes like they're going out of style. Last night, Matt and I had a date night, plus a sleeping Olivia, and we stopped off at BabiesRUs to purchase more burp clothes with our 20% off coupon. She's way better than when she first came home from the hospital, but poor things always got spit up coming out of her mouth.

She loves to sleep. She's pretty chill and very rarely cries. When she does cry it's usually because she's pretty hungry and mommy is not moving fast enough (aka, I'm being pulled in too many directions when it's feeding time). She's very easily calmed when she starts fussing and loves to be sung to.

She loves her bouncer seat. She would nap and sleep in that baby all day long if I let her. The vibrations and bounce lull her to sleep in minutes. So glad I was adamant about getting it when I was preparing for Lauren, even though Lauren didn't use it near as much as Olivia has. 

She's a snuggle bug, and her other sleeping place of choice is on my chest. I love the naps when this can happen. She's so warm and snugglely, I never want to put her down. I often find myself letting her go back to sleep on me after her early morning feeding because I just can't get enough of her. 

She's already on a pretty nice schedule. She eats every three hours during the day, is alert for a half hour or so and then off to sleepy land until I wake her for her next feeding. Then she feeds on demand at night. For over a week now she has been nursing at 8:30 pm each evening and then sleeping until between 12:30-1:30 am and then quickly back to sleep until 4:30-5:30 am and then she'll sleep again until 8:30-9. Her most active time is in the evening, just like when I was pregnant. So this is the only time she struggles to fall asleep. Her daddy usually takes over and snuggles with her until she's off to sleepy land, and then he lays her in her bassinet for the night. 

Poor girl already had her first cold, yucky boogers that her lovely older sister gave her just days after birth. She's also had her first sick visit to the doctors. This past Thursday, Valentines Day, I had to take her in for diaper area issues. We're now using wet paper towels and reusable wipes and a special cream to help her heal. I feel so awful that she's already had her fair share of yuck so early on, but she's quite the trooper and doesn't seem phased by it in the least. I so think she's going to have more of Matt's easy going, laid back personality. That would be a nice contrast to Lauren's crazy (I have to admit most of that she got from her mama ;-)

My favorite part of the day now is bedtime, and not just because it means I can rest my head for a minute, but because it's so much fun to get these girls ready for bed together. I usually wake Olivia around 7:45 and we get the girls in the bath or just get them dressed in pj's. Olivia chills while Lauren does her crazy "runnin" bit (this is where we get her in her pj's and she runs around the upstairs like a crazy girl and daddy and mommy laugh at her antics) and then once Lauren is ready for brushing her teeth, Olivia and I give goodnight hugs and kisses, Matt finishes Lauren's routine of teeth and books, while Olivia and I head downstairs to nurse and snuggle until daddy comes down. Then I hand off Olivia and get myself ready for bed. It might not seem glamorous or riveting  but it's by far my most cherished part of the day. 

I had a few people tell me that going form one kid to two was the hardest but I'm not finding that at all. I think adjusting to Lauren was harder. I say this because with her I had no routine. On maternity leave I didn't have any routine and without a routine, I just flounder. But I have a routine for being home now, I know what to expect on what day (with some flexibility of course) and Olivia just slipped right into the routine without a hiccup. She's a perfect addition, to what I feel like is the perfect little family. Can I hear a big AMEN!!!

"The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assemble of the holy ones. for who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? ... Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you." Psalm 89:5-8