Baby Talk

Olivia has gotten a lot better. It didn't happen overnight, and there is still room for improvement - especially at night, but certainly life is getting easier for all of us.
Today I even tackled the project of cleaning out Charlotte's closet. I found no less than 47 packs of diapers. Needless to say, every time there has been a great sale in the last couple years, I have stocked up. I never pay more than $5 for a pack and in most cases much less thanks to CVS extra bucks, Walgreens register rewards, and three computers from which to print the maximum amount of coupons from every source. I have wanted to inventory the sizes for a while, so it felt good to be able to accomplish that. During this, Olivia sat patiently in her chair while Charlotte tried various pairs of shoes on her feet.

She has even let me make a dinner or two! After our frozen meals ran out, I still couldn't spend the time to make a decent dinner without constant fussing and crying - and grocery store trips were a nightmare - so the last couple months we have eaten out a LOT, and thanks to my part time job/hobby as a secret shopper we haven't had to pay for most of it. But, even eating out gets old when you do it 5 times a week, so I've tried to work in some homemade meals I can do quickly while she looks on from her Bumbo perch (she loves it, I promise - I just couldn't resist that picture of her lower lip coming out). I've always liked to cook (and definitely bake), but doing so with a crying soundtrack really curbed its appeal, so I'm looking forward to actually having stuff in the fridge on a regular basis again.

H is doing oral surgery again following a few months of med school rotations, which means he gets paid (yay!) but probably only enough to pay for the health insurance (no!) Oh well. In the meantime Charlotte and I meandered across the street during our neighborhood garage sale and found this gem that she's had a great time with lately.

Arizona Fun II

We came to Phoenix so Helaman's parents could meet little Olivia.

Charlotte had a great time playing play-doh, cars, and jumping in the pool and spa. She is excited to go swimming this summer.
Olivia made friends with her cousin Emily. She also found her true love - the side-to-side swing. Emily loaned hers for the week and Olivia slept her days away in it. She was sleeping so much I didn't know what to do with myself. We got one immediately after getting home, and although she doesn't take the 3 hour naps anymore, it is still great for putting her right to sleep without my assistance.

Arizona Fun I

Last month we got to go to Arizona for a week of fun in the sun. While we were there we visited my old roommate and BYU dorms pal Lachelle. I can't believe we've been friends for 12 years now - I'm glad I get to see her every time we come back to Arizona. Both our daughters are just months apart, I really wish we lived closer!!
Charlotte and Ellie had a great time together at the science museum.

Olivia and Chloe also hit it off, as you can see.

Olivia's Big Day

The day after Charlotte's birthday, Olivia was blessed in church.

She was in a good mood so we took her picture in a couple outfits. This is one her Grandma brought her from the Philippines.

In her blessing dress

After the photo session she was ready for a nap!

Our 3 Month Girls

So, my original plan for this picture was to put Olivia in the same dress that Charlotte wore and compare the two kids at the same ages. But... Olivia is wearing this purple dress at 3 months and when I pulled up the picture of Charlotte in the same dress, it appears she was wearing it at 6 months. So that didn't work out. It would have been cute though, huh!

Olivia at 3 months

Charlotte at 3 months.

I still have this outfit, but the onesie has been packed up since Olivia has not a prayer of fitting into it anyway. Sorry Miss Chubbs! Better luck next month.

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

Charlotte celebrated her third birthday on March 27.

The festivities included a pinata, balloons for all and raging winds at the park.

My mom was a huge help setting up and keeping things running smoothly.Uncle Steve came out for the event.

We love you Charlotte! It seems like just yesterday we walked you home from the hospital and wondered what in the world we were doing. Now life wouldn't be the same without you!

Blue Skies

Charlotte: Can I go fly a kite with Daddy in his shorts and sweater?

Enjoying a beautiful day at the park

Me: Does your baby want to sit in the high chair?
Charlotte: No, she needs food from my belly.

2 Months

She looks like such a calm, collected baby! :)

Weight: 13 lbs 2 oz - 92%
Height: 23.5 inches - 85 %
Head: 16 inches - 88%Beautiful days are here again! My little artist has discovered a new canvas.

Smiles

Gearing up....

for a smile!

Olivia's smiles are VERY rewarding, because she has been much more of a challenge than I ever imagined. I think a part of me thought that babies just sat there and happily sucked their pacifiers and sat in a bouncy chair or rode around in their strollers in between naps and feedings, and dozed to sleep when they got tired no matter what the environment. This was my experience with Charlotte, who was an ideal infant.

But, everything having to do with Olivia has been different from the delivery on. We love her tons but ever since her one month mark she has been a tough one, demanding constant attention, in very specific ways - or we are graced with blood curdling screams. We have better days (like I mentioned in the last post) but most just leave me hoping to survive the next. I've tried diet changes, mylicon, gripe water, you name it... If anyone has had a babe like this and has advice, I welcome it!

My Potato Head

Yesterday Olivia let me take a shower, put on makeup, blow dry my hair and get dressed all without fussing or crying. This is huge, and I don't expect it to become a habit (dare to dream), but I was so happy with her that I busted out a new outfit for her to wear to our postpartum appointment that day. I am glad that I did, since her doctor was so happy to see her that she snatched her up and took her around the office to show off to everyone. Yes, I'm glad she wasn't in her usual nightgown attire...

Yes, she is a bigger girl and is affectionately known around here as Miss Potato Head, mostly because of my inability to get to the folds of her neck (what neck?!) to wash them out!

Here are some pics from our snowstorm a couple weeks ago.
Unfortunately we don't have a ton of gear necessary to spend serious time in the snow. Charlotte lasted about 5 minutes. This picture was taken at the beginning of the storm. By the end, that patio was also covered in a thick layer and the grill even had a foot of snow piled on top of it.

Last time it snowed like this, it turned to ice quickly and we got our taillight busted in a slip-and-slide accident on the road. It still hasn't been fixed, but luckily this time we didn't need to be on the roads until the sun came out and they were clear.

One Month Official

Officially one month old, wearing the first outfit I ever bought for Charlotte, thinking it would be good for her to wear home from the hospital:) Obviously, I had a lot to learn. And still do.

Weight: 10 lb. 11 oz. - 83%
Height: 22.25 inches - 83%
Head: 15 inches - 71%

Playing the fish game together

Olivia's First Month

Olivia's first month has whizzed by! Funny how time speeds up, especially when it is 6 am and you know you only have until 8:30 to get your last minutes of sleep in... she really is a sweetie, though her sleeping habits haven't stabilized as quickly as hoped. My mom is a champ, staying with us during her first week, and graciously taking Charlotte to Houston with her for the second week even though she was sick, and then coming back again to return her safe and sound. Our house sure was quiet that week! We missed Charlotte a lot, but I was glad to have a chance to catch up on some sleep and recovery time. Thank you!!!!

First bath

Proud big sis

Church debut (she wasn't sure about the bow, we'll need to give her head time to grow in that one)

Matching PJs

Introducing...

Olivia Whitney Erickson was born on January 8, 2010 at 8:42pm! She was 7 lb 14 oz, 19 1/2 inches long. I was induced at around 9am and things progressed smoothly until around 6:30pm when the epidural decided not to work anymore. Yikes! But, we made it through and are loving our new little sweetpea. She looks a lot like Charlotte did when she was born, except with an added bunch of dark hair on top and some extra cheek volume. Thusfar she has an insatiable appetite and does not share her mom's love for sleep. We are working on that.

First shot out of the womb. So cold! The coldest yet of the year.

Another Daddy's girl

Relaxing at Parkland Hospital. She'll be able to say she was born at the same hospital where JFK died.

Texas White Christmas

Charlotte wasn't a big fan of posing with Santa this year, but she did enjoy the friendly cows at Chick-Fil-A and we enjoyed all the free food they gave out during their 12 days of Christmas.
We got a surprise storm on Christmas Eve, bringing a few inches of snow and a lot of ice.

Showing off her new kitchen and boots...

and princess set which was a big hit.

Our backyard tundra.

Thank you so much to everyone who shared beautiful greeting cards, treats, meals and gifts with us to make our first at-home Christmas special. It looks like our final present will be a big one - the doctor said our new babe is weighing 7 lbs, 10 oz right now with three weeks to go!

Merry Christmas!

Little bookworm

Charlotte is a book enthusiast. When we went to Houston for Thanksgiving, she made sure no one was spared from their book reading responsibilities:

Deal Reminders

Charlotte, the ever-present tiara, and Uncle Mark
More Thanksgiving stuff to come, don't want to overdo it all at once
photo by Kalina

The lady in front of me in line at Kohl's the other day bought $250 worth of stuff and used no coupon. Unbelievable, since you really have to go out of your way to avoid Kohl's coupons - they really come at you from all directions. A genius marketing move, kind of like their "biggest sale of the year" ad each and every week.

Since I don't want anyone I know to overpay for anything this year, just remember a couple tips:

- When shopping online, use cash back sites! Since starting to do this I have gotten around $150 in checks mailed to me. A lot of this was buying airplane tickets and entertainment coupon books ($10 cash back each last year made them free around March). I've only used Ebates and Cashbaq so far, but there are a lot of them out there now and most have at least a sign-up bonus. Evreward.com is very helpful in finding out which one to use for what sites.

- This year I've gotten $45 worth of Amazon gift cards just for doing online searches on my Swagbucks toolbar. Also not a bad deal.

- Don't buy anything for yourself! Though it is tempting when doing a lot of shopping, if you need something wait until after Christmas - the deals are always better.