I am happy to report that yesterday Jonathon and I had Olivia tested by an Early Intervention program for Speech Therapy, and she was denied. This is perfect! This means that she is a perfectly normal 21-month-old little girl; which as a first time mom, who frets about every little thing, I needed to hear this.
While at this meeting, they gave Olivia a puzzle to do--it had big knobs and it was colors and shapes--and she put it back together very easily. She did struggle with the orange rectangle, and she even did her straining voice, which they thought was very cute and funny, but with a little persistence from me, she was able to do it. So, now that I know she enjoyed putting the puzzle together, I need to go and get her some.
Also, at this meeting, the ladies were very impressed with how much sign language she uses and how fast she picks it up. They told me to continue to use the sign language, with the word, which I already do, and hopefully she will start saying it, too. All in all, with the sign language and regular vocabulary, she says about 25 words, which is normal for her age, or so they say.
As of recently, she has expressed and interest in dressing and undressing herself, mainly with her shoes. As I am typing right now, she is trying to put her flip flop on. When we are dressing her in the mornings, after we put her shirt over her head, she likes to pull it down over her belly. Also, when we are putting her pants on her, we ask for either her left or right leg and most of the time, she gets them right, which is impressive because I know she doesn't really know which one is which.
For a couple of months now, Olivia has been into pretend play. She has some of her baby blankets, which I let her play with because she now has lots of baby dolls, and she loves to spread out the blanket and wrap her babies up and carry them around the house. She also really loves her kitchen. I always set out a bowl of snacks--Cheerios, Cheez-Its, Grapes, Goldfish, whatever--and she likes to take her bowl of snacks and empty it out on to one of her plates and carry it around without spilling them. If she spills, she is immediately on the floor picking them up and saying, "Uh-Oh", and then of course I help her clean them up, too.
So all in all, Olivia is perfectly normal, and I am happy she is considered ineligible for the Early Intervention/Speech Therapy program.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Well, what can I say?
I think the pictures say it all. I tried several times to get a good shot, but it doesn't really come through until the last picture.
And this is how she really feels about a new baby :) No, I'm kidding. Olivia will be a terrific big sister.
Ok, if you can't read what the shirt says, it says: "December 2008, I will be a big sister!" I really wanted to wait for a couple of more weeks to spread the news, but I just couldn't hold it in any longer.
So, there you have it, our big news. Jonathon and I, plus a few others, have known for about three weeks. I haven't had an appointment with my doctor yet, that isn't scheduled until May 1st. At that appointment, I will have an Ultrasound and then talk with the doctor. So, I don't know my official due date, but the online calendars I have been using say the date is December 14/15, 2008. No official word yet, but I am thinking since I had a previous C-Section, I will have to have another, unless my doctor believes in VBAC's, which I am not sure I even want to attempt. Anyway, if I have to have another C-Section, I think the earliest he will schedule the surgery is two weeks from due date but no later than a week. So, that could put the baby arriving between December 1-8, and it can't be the 1st because that is Jonathon's brother, Jeremy, birthday.
We actually found out we were pregnant on April 1, April Fool's Day. The first test I took, I couldn't tell if the second line was actually on the test or not, but I figured since there was a faint second line it was positive. But at Jonathon's request, the next day I went to the store and picked up the kind that say, "pregnant or not pregnant" to clear up any confusion. Within a minute it came back as "pregnant".
Yes we are very very excited. Am I excited about the due date? Yes and no. I always said I didn't want any of my children's birthdays to compete with the holidays, but I guess God thought differently. It just means this year that I will not be able to travel to see my family, they will have to come to me, which isn't so bad :)
So far, I have not felt nauseas and have not had any morning sickness. I have already noticed an increase in my appetite, however. Just within the past couple of days, about 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I have noticed I am a little more tired and feel run down, but other than that, I feel really good.
Just a couple of things to ask all of you friends and family to pray for. Please pray for a healthy and complication-free pregnancy. This past November, we had a miscarriage and while pregnant with Olivia, I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa and had a couple of scary bleeding episodes. Due to the Previa, Olivia was born a month early. Even though my chance of having Previa again is about 5%, please pray that we will not have to go through it again. Especially pray for no miscarriage. This was the reason I didn't want to share the news since we had one at 7 weeks, but this pregnancy so far is much different than that one. Jonathon and I were bummed that we lost the baby, but we knew it was a blessing in disguise and knew that God was taking care and looking out for us. Also, please pray for a healthy baby. Even though Olivia was born a month early, we were VERY fortunate she was born healthy and did not have to spend any time in the NICU and we were able to all come home together after 4 days. And lastly, pray for Olivia to handle the transition from being an only child to a big sister smoothly. She gets very jealous if I hold another baby or if Jonathon and I hug in front of her.
So, with all of this new news, check back often as we will keep you all updated with posts and pictures.
And this is how she really feels about a new baby :) No, I'm kidding. Olivia will be a terrific big sister.
Ok, if you can't read what the shirt says, it says: "December 2008, I will be a big sister!" I really wanted to wait for a couple of more weeks to spread the news, but I just couldn't hold it in any longer.
So, there you have it, our big news. Jonathon and I, plus a few others, have known for about three weeks. I haven't had an appointment with my doctor yet, that isn't scheduled until May 1st. At that appointment, I will have an Ultrasound and then talk with the doctor. So, I don't know my official due date, but the online calendars I have been using say the date is December 14/15, 2008. No official word yet, but I am thinking since I had a previous C-Section, I will have to have another, unless my doctor believes in VBAC's, which I am not sure I even want to attempt. Anyway, if I have to have another C-Section, I think the earliest he will schedule the surgery is two weeks from due date but no later than a week. So, that could put the baby arriving between December 1-8, and it can't be the 1st because that is Jonathon's brother, Jeremy, birthday.
We actually found out we were pregnant on April 1, April Fool's Day. The first test I took, I couldn't tell if the second line was actually on the test or not, but I figured since there was a faint second line it was positive. But at Jonathon's request, the next day I went to the store and picked up the kind that say, "pregnant or not pregnant" to clear up any confusion. Within a minute it came back as "pregnant".
Yes we are very very excited. Am I excited about the due date? Yes and no. I always said I didn't want any of my children's birthdays to compete with the holidays, but I guess God thought differently. It just means this year that I will not be able to travel to see my family, they will have to come to me, which isn't so bad :)
So far, I have not felt nauseas and have not had any morning sickness. I have already noticed an increase in my appetite, however. Just within the past couple of days, about 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I have noticed I am a little more tired and feel run down, but other than that, I feel really good.
Just a couple of things to ask all of you friends and family to pray for. Please pray for a healthy and complication-free pregnancy. This past November, we had a miscarriage and while pregnant with Olivia, I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa and had a couple of scary bleeding episodes. Due to the Previa, Olivia was born a month early. Even though my chance of having Previa again is about 5%, please pray that we will not have to go through it again. Especially pray for no miscarriage. This was the reason I didn't want to share the news since we had one at 7 weeks, but this pregnancy so far is much different than that one. Jonathon and I were bummed that we lost the baby, but we knew it was a blessing in disguise and knew that God was taking care and looking out for us. Also, please pray for a healthy baby. Even though Olivia was born a month early, we were VERY fortunate she was born healthy and did not have to spend any time in the NICU and we were able to all come home together after 4 days. And lastly, pray for Olivia to handle the transition from being an only child to a big sister smoothly. She gets very jealous if I hold another baby or if Jonathon and I hug in front of her.
So, with all of this new news, check back often as we will keep you all updated with posts and pictures.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Aaaah, Vacation...
So, we are officially back from Florida. We are all unpacked and most of the laundry is done. We had a great time while we were there and can't wait to do it again next year.
While in Florida, Jonathon and I got sunburned, me more than him. We are both peeling and itching/scratching our bodies like crazy.
Olivia loved Florida. Her favorite part was the pool and she finally warmed up to the ocean, at least long enough to take a walk on the beach and chase the birds.
Here are some of the pictures we took. The ones towards the end are at the Florida Aquarium. We were supposed to leave Tampa on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. but our flight was canceled due to the MD-80 inspections and we ended up leaving Tampa at 7:30 p.m. Now, keep in mind, we had to check out of the condo at 10:00 a.m. so we had to think of things to do for 9 hours. Even though the tour didn't last as long as we would have liked, we still had a great time.
Olivia really enjoyed walking on the beach and having the water rush over her feet. Although her favorite thing to do was chase the birds on the beach.
Not only did my immediate family go to Florida together, my extended family from Michigan stayed in Lakeland. We were able to get together a couple of times and it was so great to see all of them.
After dinner, we were all in the lobby taking family pictures. If you notice, we are looking the opposite direction from our camera, that is because I think there were a total of 5 different cameras and we didn't know which ones to look at.
Our little family!
Olivia loved swimming in the pool. We had to keep an eye on her at all times because she would have run and jumped in the pool on her own if we had let her.
Jumping with Daddy.
Coming up after going under the water. We didn't think she would like going under, but she loved it; she was so cute and laughed the whole time.
This is too cute!
We took my sister, Leigh, and her friend, Kelsey, snorkeling.
While snorkeling, Kelsey found this shell under water and had Jonathon retrieve it for her. When he brought it up to the surface, we discovered it had a real, live crab inside.
The island where we snorkeled. It was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking.
Another shot of the island.
You cannot go to Florida and not get a family picture on the beach when the sun is setting, that is like sinning. No, I'm kidding. It took all I had to get Jonathon to dress up and take this picture, but it turned out amazing.
I love this photo because it looks like she is actually touching the lobster.
She liked touching the coral.
We were at the Starfish/Coral touch exhibit and you can touch the creatures, but you are supposed to do it very lightly. Well, Olivia was having a hard time touching the creatures because they were all at the bottom of the exhibit and the water was ice cold. However, this Starfish was on the side of the exhibit close to the top and she took advantage of the opportunity. Before we knew what she was doing, she had grabbed one of the Starfish's legs and hoisted him up into the air. Jonathon immediately helped her put it back in the water, all the while we were both cracking up, but I don't think the aquarium employee was too happy.
She liked the Shark exhibit. We were able to watch a couple of divers swim with the Sharks, and one of the divers was an aquarium employee and talked to us while she was under water. It was really interesting and informative.
While in Florida, Jonathon and I got sunburned, me more than him. We are both peeling and itching/scratching our bodies like crazy.
Olivia loved Florida. Her favorite part was the pool and she finally warmed up to the ocean, at least long enough to take a walk on the beach and chase the birds.
Here are some of the pictures we took. The ones towards the end are at the Florida Aquarium. We were supposed to leave Tampa on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. but our flight was canceled due to the MD-80 inspections and we ended up leaving Tampa at 7:30 p.m. Now, keep in mind, we had to check out of the condo at 10:00 a.m. so we had to think of things to do for 9 hours. Even though the tour didn't last as long as we would have liked, we still had a great time.
Olivia really enjoyed walking on the beach and having the water rush over her feet. Although her favorite thing to do was chase the birds on the beach.
Not only did my immediate family go to Florida together, my extended family from Michigan stayed in Lakeland. We were able to get together a couple of times and it was so great to see all of them.
After dinner, we were all in the lobby taking family pictures. If you notice, we are looking the opposite direction from our camera, that is because I think there were a total of 5 different cameras and we didn't know which ones to look at.
Our little family!
Olivia loved swimming in the pool. We had to keep an eye on her at all times because she would have run and jumped in the pool on her own if we had let her.
Jumping with Daddy.
Coming up after going under the water. We didn't think she would like going under, but she loved it; she was so cute and laughed the whole time.
This is too cute!
We took my sister, Leigh, and her friend, Kelsey, snorkeling.
While snorkeling, Kelsey found this shell under water and had Jonathon retrieve it for her. When he brought it up to the surface, we discovered it had a real, live crab inside.
The island where we snorkeled. It was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking.
Another shot of the island.
You cannot go to Florida and not get a family picture on the beach when the sun is setting, that is like sinning. No, I'm kidding. It took all I had to get Jonathon to dress up and take this picture, but it turned out amazing.
I love this photo because it looks like she is actually touching the lobster.
She liked touching the coral.
We were at the Starfish/Coral touch exhibit and you can touch the creatures, but you are supposed to do it very lightly. Well, Olivia was having a hard time touching the creatures because they were all at the bottom of the exhibit and the water was ice cold. However, this Starfish was on the side of the exhibit close to the top and she took advantage of the opportunity. Before we knew what she was doing, she had grabbed one of the Starfish's legs and hoisted him up into the air. Jonathon immediately helped her put it back in the water, all the while we were both cracking up, but I don't think the aquarium employee was too happy.
She liked the Shark exhibit. We were able to watch a couple of divers swim with the Sharks, and one of the divers was an aquarium employee and talked to us while she was under water. It was really interesting and informative.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Spring is officially here...
Sunday, Jonathon and I took Olivia to the park and she had a blast. We played hard core for about an hour and then left because we were all hot and hungry. While we were at the park, Olivia fell down on the sidewalk and got her first boo-boo. She handled it like a trooper and only cried for two minutes and then was off playing again.
Here are the pictures, enjoy!
Here are the pictures, enjoy!
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