The larger the brim the lusher the life

Ahhh what leisure.

(The truth is, OlyQ still managed to get a sunburn even after my painstaking shielding. I've been so distraught we haven't left the house since)

Maybe we'll dress her as a cowgirl for Halloween...

that...or some kind of rotund insect or vegetable depending on how she rounds out at 8 months. Yes, I'm already thinking of Halloween costumes...

Like a Lioness to Her Cub

Dear Aunt Carol,

Please move to Boston and become my personal nanny. You know it was love at first sight. When you come back, I will reward you with baby milestones and smiles when you approach. We can go to the park and you can admire me in my fancy sunhats. Do you remember when we first met and I vomited on your shoulder? You screamed and ran upstairs to change. Now you barely bat an eye and think its cute when I fart in your hands. My, how time flies. Well, even though I'm sad we had to say goodbye today, I know you'll be back soon. I love you and know you love me too.
Your neice,
OlyQStrong
p.s. Remember! We are both year of the Ox.

(I know, mommy is crazy)

My baby has an odd way of self-soothing. Rather than twirl her hair and suck her fingers like Uncle Brad did, OlyQ prefers twirling her hair and gouging her eyes out. It's frightening. I have to be very diligent about clipping her fingernails. Although a couple of sessions have resulted in bloody thumbs, she doesn't complain much. After all, what baby doesn't love spa day.

I would have to say that the 0-3 month old baby bathing suit is one of the most impractical verging on asinine inventions ever. Its only real purpose is to ensnare the purse and heartstrings of expectant parents who don't know any better. When I was given one, I would hold the suit up to the light and imagine my future baby. Now, when I come across it I seriously just get pissed. The first couple of weeks were not a time of poolside leisure and whimsy! Baby and mommy had better things to learn that did not involve swimming.

I wasn't a big fan of the crib mobile either until her 6 weeks when it was the first thing to make OlyQ smile. Now its worth its weight in gold.

What 5lbs does to a baby's figure

Today marked the first sorting through and donating of outgrown clothes. Selective memory kicked in and I found myself slightly nostalgic for when she was small enough to sleep in the crook of my arm. But I was quickly over it. Personality and smiles outweigh tiny doll clothing any day!

Advanced!

Tummy time is one of my favorite things. It's up there with listening to the grunts she makes when she poops.

After all, she did come into the world with her eyes wide open

Today was Olympia's two months old exam. We strapped her into the Bjorn and hopped on the crowded bus just in time for morning rush hour. Olympia spent the ride staring down fellow passengers from the hood of her bear suit.

According to the doc, this stone cold stare and her early penchant for babble is pretty advanced for her age. What a social baby! She is also 12.5 pounds and 24 inches. We're told this is tall for her age. Considering our size, this will probably be the only time Mark and I will hear this so we'll enjoy it...Olympia is a giant!

Other highlights:
*Oly can now face outward in the Bjorn which means more sights to see for her and less rooting and attempted suckling for Mark
*Oly had her shots. booo....But her cry wasn't as frantic as it was a month ago and petered out at a much quicker rate! When Mark and I realized this meant Olympia now trusted us it had a funny way or making all the challenges of the past couple months fade.

Well, next appt is at four months! It's like training wheels...first the doctor sees you every week, and once new parents start to realize that they really can just figure it out it stretches to one month and now TWO months.

Crafty mother nature

I read somewhere that there are more pictures taken during the first two weeks of a babies life then any other time. According to our I Photo, we have 127 pictures of her first two weeks and only 42 of her at six weeks. Already, we can see the different stages Olympia is going through




This is her newborn "I look more like my mom so she'll feed me' stage





Then she entered her one month 'I look more like my dad so he won't eat me' stage






And at six weeks she somehow became a perfect amalgamation of her parents. Grandma Lan brought a big ol' cake to celebrate!

It didn't work though. Daddy still tried to eat baby.