Say What?

I'm attempting to right down all the funny things Olivia says. However she's at the age where just about everything is funny, so it's hard to keep track of it all. That being said, here are a few of the funny things she's said recently.
"I say my verse in the microwave."
"Hap-birthday! To Lupe!" (Luke)
"I grew underwear."
Today I was looking at a book with Ronan and Olivia wanted it. So when I was done I gave it to her. A couple of seconds later she handed it back. "It's ok. He can have it. I get 'nother one on my birthday."

When A Home Becomes A House And A House Becomes A Home

If you close your eyes, everything is the same as it was a week ago. All the furniture is back in the house. The echo in the rooms is gone. Everything just the way you liked it. Then you open your eyes and your eyes well up with tears. There are so many memories here. This is the home you brought your babies home to. You take a deep breath. You remember what is important. You still have your husband and kids. You will make new memories - some good and some bad. You have a new place to live in - brand new. How cool is that? You have so. many. blessings. So you smile through your tears and look forward to the future. Knowing that the Lord is going to help you make your new house a home. Now, time to go clean the old house. :)

Growing up

(This was written about a month ago and I left it as a draft thinking I would add more to it later, but I never did.)
Well the last 2 Fridays we've had Doctor visits. Olivia's on the 4th and Ronan's on the 11th. They're both healthy, growing well, and advanced for their age. Stuff I know, but it's always good to hear a professional opinion. :)
Olivia - 2 1/2 years:
Weight - 23lbs, 6oz (2%)
Height - 34.25 in (15%)
Yeah... she's never been a very chunky kid. But she is growing. Hmmm, might have a little of "like mother, like daughter" going on here. The Dr. jokingly showed me her BMI (I don't remember what it was), and said he doesn't think we'll have to worry about that.
She knows her colors most of the time, can count to 14, and loves to sing her ABC's. She doesn't recognize all her letters yet, but it's not something I really help her work on. She loves to build stuff with her mega blocks and has even made an airplane all by herself. I was impressed! 

Ronan - almost 4 months (16 weeks):
Weight - 12lbs, 10oz (20%)
Height - 25.5 in (75%)
Head Circumference - 41.5 cm (30%)
His weight dropped percentage - wise, but he eats til he's stuffed and he's very active. He does 360 circles, stomach crunches, and scoots around on his back til he comes off his blanket on the floor. Then he cries cause he wants back on his blanket. He rolled from his stomach to his back at 2 months, but it was on the bed and the bed was sloped toward me. At 3 months he rolled over again on the floor, twice in one day, but now that he knows he can do it, I guess he feels like he doesn't really need to anymore. He wants so bad to be able to sit up on his own (hence the stomach crunches), and can't stand it if he can't see and be a part of whatever is going on. Most of the time he is very happy and gives you dimpled smiles that just melt your heart. ;)

"I am not my kids' god. He is their God." This thought is very overwhelming. It's hard to imagine that anyone could love my kids more than I do. It's also humbling, because as much as I love them, He does love them more, and he loves me the same way he loves them. I've been trying to love with open hands. Loving and protecting my family with every ounce of my being and yet leaving them in God's hands. This is so hard for me to do. To give them to God and trust that he'll do what's best for them. And when it's not what I would want it to be, trust that He'll give me strength and courage to accept it. Most of the time I tell the Lord I'm leaving them in His hands, but I'm still clinging to them, not wanting to let go. No one wants anything bad to happen to their family. For me the fear can be paralyzing. I hate leaving Olivia at someone else's house. I pray the whole time I'm away from her that we'll all be together at the end of the day, happy and healthy. I pray every day that God will keep Ryan safe while he's at work. I still check on Olivia every night before I go to bed to make sure she's still breathing and now I check on Ronan, too. And I thank Him so much for keeping us safe and well. And although the tears stream down my cheeks as I say "I give them to you, Lord, with open hands", I remember that they were His before they were ever mine. They are precious gifts from Him. I love my family so much.

Olivia

My goodness, this child is too funny. Every day it seems she is doing something that makes me smile or laugh. This was today when she was listening to VegiTales. I missed the very beginning when she was really bee-bopping her head to the music.

Don't ask me where she got the idea that this is a bra, but she loves to wear one. ;)

 The other day I was helping her get dressed...
"What's this? Oooh, underwear!"
"Actually, Olivia, it's called a diaper cover."
"Oh! Haha! A diaper cover? Thanks, Mom, you're the best!"
This was accompanied by a huge hug. Melted my heart. made me laugh, too, when I was trying to figure out where she'd heard "you're the best". Probably Mickey Mouse. Can't you hear it - "Thanks, Minnie, you're the best!" But she's said it several times since then and every time my heart melts a little.

This might be a little TMI, but it's funny none the less. We got her a little toddler seat to go on the toilet and so she's starting to go potty like a "big girl" some. The other day she was sitting there and said, "Oh, it's coming, it's coming! Hmmm. (toot) I pooped!" So very proud of herself. ;)

She still thinks of my stomach whenever she sees a balloon. It usually sounds like this...
"A bayoon (balloon)! Mama's tummy pop!"
"Mama's tummy popped?"
"Get Wonan (Ronan) out. Doctor."
"Mama went to the Doctor and he helped her get Ronan out of her tummy?"
"Yeah! It pop! My doctor?"
"You want to go to the doctor?"
"Yeah."

She still loves coloring and writing. You have to watch her though, because sometimes she makes a bit of a mess.

Luckily this was a dry eraser marker and came right off the table.

She loves to sing. A few of her favorites right now:
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
ABC song
Pop Goes the Weasel
Ring Around the Rosie
(These two are usually sung together, "Pop goes the rosies, ashies, ashies, we all fall down.")
Building Up the Temple
Zacchaeus
Deep and Wide
Yesterday she even played the piano very nicely while she sang "My Peace I Give Unto You".

Things she loves...

Looking at herself in the mirror.

Cats

Being a big sister.

SomethingTo Think About

Today I came across this. It really struck a cord with me. I haven't read very much of her blog, but what I have read makes me think that some how she is reading my thoughts and writing them down for me. I found it when I read this. I love reading things that I can relate to. But then who doesn't? ;)

"You're Gonna Miss This"

I think I've mentioned before about how I come up with all these good things to say when I'm busy. Well, yesterday was a busy day. Laura came over and helped me clean my house. It hasn't been this clean since my parents cleaned it for me. ;) She even brought her steamer over so she could get all the gunk off my kitchen floor that doesn't come off with normal mopping. I normally get down on my hands and knees a couple of times a year and scrub it really good, but the steamer is so much nicer. So anyway, while I was cleaning, I was reflecting. Reflecting on how busy life is right now. About no matter how hard you try, you can't get everything done in a day that you would like to. About my growing pile of clean laundry on the guest bed waiting to be folded/hung up. About the pile of laundry that still needs to be washed. About how incredibly blessed I am to have those piles of laundry (and the guest bed to put them on). ;) About not having as much time as I would like to spend with my kids to just enjoy them. About not having as much time with Ryan as we used to have. And the whole time I was thinking of this song. This song brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it, because it's so true. One of these days I want to get some of my pictures together and make a slide show with this song. I just want to treasure every minute of my day, because the days go by so fast. I have an almost 2-1/2 year old and a 2 month old! And it seems like it wasn't that long ago that Ryan was asking me if I wanted to start writing him. And I wished those days away. Always waiting for the next time I would see him. (And I'm not saying it should have been different.) But I wish I had focused more on enjoying my time with my family, because now I look back and kind of wish I could relive those days. Singing at the top of my lungs with Drew in the car, driving to work with Dad to fill in as "secretary" at Caffes-Steele (and Drew and I helping push the car down 95 when we ran out of gas on the way home ;)), eating lunch out with Mom while we were shopping, and going down to Molly's and giving her a bad time about how I always had to do her dishes when I was there. There are so many good memories of my childhood, teen years, and early 20's. There are bad memories, too, but mostly good ones. And then so many good memories of life with Ryan and starting our little family. Moving to a new part of the country and making new friends - friends that I can't imagine not having. Friends with kids the same ages as mine. Friends that help me feel so normal. ;) And yet I need to treasure the hard times, too, because those are the times that make us stronger and bring us closer to the Lord. Those are the ones I would rather just shove under the rug and not think about, but they are there. And they don't have to be completely bad memories if we let God work his will in us and shine through us even in those times. Because looking back on some of the hard times, I can actually smile. Not because I don't remember the tears and frustration, but because I can see how He helped me through it. Sometimes with a whisper, sometimes with an overwhelming since of peacefulness, sometimes through encouragement from someone close to me, and sometimes with a beautiful day. And so I want to live remembering the past, looking to the future, but focusing on today. Because I don't want to miss out on anything because I'm too focused on how I wish things could be.

Ronan is 2 months old!

   I can't believe my little boy is getting so big! He's not sleeping as much as he used to and when he's awake, he's very smiley (most of the time). As with Olivia, my milk supply hasn't been keeping up with the demands of a growing baby, so I've been supplementing with formula. It isn't something that I would choose to do, but if I must I must. So for the last couple of weeks we have been trying to find a formula that doesn't make Ronan gassy and/or constipated. Unfortunately Nutramigen seems to be working the best, which means we'll be paying more than we thought we would for formula. I'm hoping that as he gets older he won't need the milk proteins broken down so much and we can switch to Gentlease (which is what we used for Olivia and is a lot cheaper).
   As sad as it is, we haven't had a "photo shoot" for Ronan. There are lots of pictures of him, but we don't have any of the cute newborn ones that you normally take. Melanie said she would take our pictures, but we have yet to find a day that works well for all of us. So today I decided I would take my camera and make a feeble attempt to get a few cute pictures.

 At 7 weeks and 2 days:
weight: 9 lbs, 13 oz. - 25%
height: 22.5 in. - 50%
head circumference: 38.5 cm - 25%

Tattle - tale

"Mama, Wonan grab it!"
I looked down at Olivia. She was holding a flat rubber basketball and her face had a very cute, perplexed expression on it.
"Ronan tried to grab your ball?"
"Yeah!"
Hmmm. She's already tattling on him.

I've written this post a million times in my head. Each time it's a little bit different. And each time it never actually gets written. For some reason when I'm the busiest, it easier for me to compose stuff in my head. Then when I have time to write, it's the last thing I want to do. ;)
We are settling into life pretty well as a family of 4. It's hectic at moments, but then there are moments, like right now, when everything is calm and peaceful and both kids are sleeping. I'm appreciating these quiet times a lot more now.

Today, right before I started writing this post.

I'm so glad Mom and Dad were able to be here for a little bit. Mom came out 2 days after Ronan was born. I was fully expecting my recovery this time to be like it was with Olivia (which wasn't horrible, but I could tell I'd just had a baby). It wasn't. It has been way better and I keep having to remind myself that, yes, I did deliver Ronan. I have the memory of it, but other than being tired, I feel great. So as a result of feeling so great, we were able to do a lot while Mom was here. Tons of fun! Among the things that we did: grocery shopping (a few times), Morro Bay, San Luis, coffee with Laura. And after Dad got here: Cayucos (to see the fireworks),

Yes, we were sitting right by the ocean. ;)

Morro Bay, Cambria. And of course through out that time we had several visitors drop in,

Apparently Wyatt was very happy to see Olivia.

Eating goldfish.

went out to eat a few times, and just chilled at home. Well, at least I chilled. :) Mom was kept busy with the laundry, dishes, cleaning the house, and Ryan was helping, too, when he wasn't at work. And Dad, once he got here, was put to work, too, mowing the lawn, cleaning the showers. And everyone entertained (or was entertained by) Olivia and enjoyed snuggling with Ronan. ;) He loves to cuddle - just like his big sis.

Having Mom and Dad here was truly an answer to many prayers. I'm so thankful for the time we got to spend with them.

Family

First picture of our family of 4.

Ronan Isaac Whaley

Born: 8:04 pm

June 19, 2013

8.0 lbs, 20.5 in

Olivia

There's nothing like talking to someone who's talking about what funny and cute things their child has been doing, and all the while thinking, "oh, she thinks that's cute - wait til I tell her what my child's been doing recently". And then you realize it isn't a contest to see whose child is cuter or more advanced, it's more about sharing in their joys as a parent. I find myself continually telling myself to just listen to the story without thinking of one I can tell about my child. This can be the same for the stories about the bad things they do too. And I almost feel like I tell more bad stories about Olivia than cute. Maybe that stems from the fact that everyone thinks I have the perfect child - she's "Princess", "Gorgeous", "Precious", and "Little Sunbeam" (which I have to admit is one of my favorites, because she truly does light up the world with her presence). Sometimes it seems like people don't really grasp the fact that all she has is an old nature and so, for all her smiles and hugs, she can throw a good tantrum. Luckily the people with kids around the same age as Olivia have seen her old nature enough to know that she is a normal child. So anyway, all that to say, this is a brag post. A post about all the funny and wonderful things my child does and how she is always doing stuff that makes me smile. So if you don't want to read it, that's ok. I understand. But it will be fun for me to look back on and to let her read when she's older. ;)
I am very blessed to have a very beautiful little girl. She has a very sunny disposition and loves to give out smiles and hugs. Sometimes the girls that are a little older than her take advantage of those hugs and keep asking for another one until Olivia's finally had enough. After all, aren't we together to play? :) She is very organized - even when she makes a mess. I walked in her room the other day to find this:

I had to laugh. Even the flip-flops have a pair of socks to go with them. I can't imagine where she gets this kind of organization from.
- She has a great imagination. She makes "pancakes" on her merry-go-round (and sometimes on the swings) and one time when there was water in the pool she made mud pie/pancakes using her tricycle as the oven.

- Elmo is very real to her. She talks to him and he talks back to her (when you press his foot) and she tries to feed him some of her toy food. She also likes to read him books.

- She loves to sing. Action songs are her favorite. She always wants to sing "Building up the Temple" before she goes to sleep. She helps her bear do "dwelling together". The other day, though, she was doing the "dwelling together" bit with me and she turned to her bear and said "I'm sorry, Bear. With Mama". I hope Bear's feelings weren't hurt too badly. ;)
- She really likes Clifford. One day we went to the store and as we were getting out of the car, she heard a dog barking. "Dog. Clifford." she said. "Clifford?", I asked, grinning. "He's too big to come to the store. Don't you think?" "Yeeaw (yeah)."
- She's very compassionate. I went into the health department a few weeks ago to get a booster pertussis shot and she sat next to me very quietly as I explained to her what was happening. Then when the nurse put a band aid on my arm, Olivia said, "All better?"
"Yes, Mama's all better. Was Mama so brave?"
"Yeah, Twinkle, twinkle little star..."
"Aw, are you singing to make Mama feel better?"
"Yes."
I have no idea if the nurse had any clue what was happening, because her back was turned, but I thought it was adorable. ;)
- Annie and Cali McWilliams came at the end of May and brought coffee, donuts, and stuff to give me a foot massage. It was a wonderful morning. ;) Olivia didn't quite know what to think of the foot massage. She kept watching trying to figure it out. I started out soaking my feet and then Annie massaged one while the other continued soaking. It wasn't til I pulled the second foot out of the water that Olivia came over and said "All better?"
"Oh my goodness, yes," I said. "You have no idea how much better!"
After Annie was done "washing my feet" she rubbed some lotion into Olivia's. Olivia loved it. ;)

 

Doing yoga with Dada.

Looking at books. Very reminiscent of Uncle Drew at the library.

Taking a picture with her dolphin flashlight.

She loves to take pictures "together, ok, together."

 Posing for a picture she begged to have taken.

Another lovely pose. She always begs to have her picture taken when she looks like this.

And when she looks like this she's begging NOT to have it taken.

"No, Mama, no!"

And one of my most recent favorites - laying out. Mind you, I have not laid out at all this year. I don't have a lounge chair and laying out on concrete is uncomfortable enough without being pregnant.

So many more stories. I'll have to keep up with them, so I can remember them in a few years.

A Rude Awakening

Not the worst thing to wake up to, but definitely not what I would choose to wake up to. I was sleeping peacefully. Ryan had gotten up and was exercising in the living room. Olivia was up, too, because she likes to think that she's exercising when in fact she's just running around eating cereal out of a sandwich bag most of the time. It's nice for me, because I get the bed to myself and an extra half hour of rest. This morning I was awaken by Olivia coming in to our room whimpering. "Ryan will get her", I thought as I opened my eyes groggily. "Oh, wait, no he won't. He's already in the shower. Wow, I must have really fallen back asleep!" I stumble out of bed, grab my glasses, and put on a robe. Then I look at Olivia. Her hands look wet. She must have been putting her hands in her cup of water and now she needs help because it spilled. "What happened, Olivia?", I ask as I make my way into the living room. I don't see any cup of water in the living room or kitchen. Then I smell it. Argan oil. What in the world? And then I see it. On top of the box fan that happens to be between the couch and the computer cabinet (which is open) and right next to the rug. "Olivia, what were you doing? You know you're not supposed to play with the oil!" She's still whimpering. The oil has spilled - down the side and inside of the fan and onto the floor. Luckily missing the rug. And the computer. It reminds me so much of when this happened:

This happens to be June of last year. Hope this won't be a yearly thing. She managed to not get anything on the rug that time either, which was good, because the rug that time was her lambskin. This time I didn't take any pictures for so many reasons. 1. She was walking around with oil on her hands. 2. It's hard to take a picture of clear oil and know exactly what it is you're taking picture of. 3. The camera didn't have batteries in it because they were being charged. Plus a few other reasons. I went and washed Olivia's hands and then put her in a chair telling her not to get up til I told her. Then I proceeded to clean the mess. Since this type of thing had happened before, I kind of knew what would clean it the best. Shampoo. I started out using dish soap, but that really doesn't work as well as shampoo. The fan needed to be cleaned anyway, and since the oil had dripped down inside, I ended up taking it completely apart, putting the front and back pieces in the tub for easier cleaning. During this time, Ryan had gotten out of the shower and found me cleaning the mess. Olivia only got out of the chair a few times. When I went to change the water once, I came back and she said, "No, no more, no more!" She also kept saying, "Oh, toodles! Mickey Mouse! Oh, toodles!" I think she's watched that a few too many times. So then Ryan and I explained to her that as nice as it would be to have Toodles' help, it wasn't real, and Mama was the one that had to do the work. I had to re-wash Olivia's hands with shampoo, because I had just used regular hand soap the first time and her hands were still oily. Then I set out cleaning the leather chair she had been sitting in. Then while I was at it, I cleaned the couch, too. I have to say they look a little bit better. ;) So I should probably explain what Argan oil is. It's for your hair and is a really good detangler. I mainly just use it for Olivia's hair, because it makes her hair lay nicer, too. I literally just looked at the bottle on Tuesday wondering if I was running out (it's only a 2 once bottle) and realized it was only a 1/4 of the way gone. I was very glad for this because I didn't want to have to buy anymore. Still don't. Probably won't. There is a little bit left in the bottle - maybe enough for two or three more uses. Guess I'll just have to use conditioner in her hair if it gets too tangled.

Projects

A before picture of our mess of a computer "desk".

 We've been slowly checking things off of what seemed to be an endless list of projects to get done before the baby is born. The computer cabinet now sits in the living room where the bookcase used to be.

The computer cabinet - doors removed and ready to be painted.

I will have to post "after" pictures of the living room later. I thought I had taken some, but I guess I didn't.

The living room before we rearranged.

The front bedroom is painted an off white/cream color and the only thing left of Olivia's to get moved in there is her bed.

Olivia's new room.

 She seems to take after me when it comes to change - takes her a while to get used to it. When we were rearranging the living room, I went into the laundry room to do something and Olivia freaked out. "Mama, Mama, wheah aw you?" It didn't matter that Ryan was standing in the living room right beside her. And when the front room was being painted, we told her, "Look! This is your new room!" She looked a little perplexed. She was probably trying to figure out how she was supposed to sleep in there with it being such a mess. So while all of her toys and clothes are in her new room, we decided to give her a week to get used to the idea of it being her room. So far she seems to like it. And I LOVE having a "play room". I don't feel like I'm constantly having to clean up her toys. And since her bed isn't in there yet, it doesn't even have to be cleaned up before she goes to bed! We still have to get the baby room ready. The baby will be in our room for a little bit, so we're going to put the guest bed in there for a while so Mom can use it while she's here (and whoever else comes to visit us this summer - hint, hint). I need to go through baby clothes and pick a few cute outfits - boy and girl - to take with us to the hospital. Luckily a lot of people thought Olivia was going to be a boy, so I got a few really cute boy clothes at my shower. Plus I have a lot of Brandon's hand-me-downs to tide me over til I can go shopping. I still go back and forth as to what I feel like I'm having. I feel, and people have told me, that I look like I'm carrying differently this time. And the truth of the matter is I am. Olivia was breach until about 38 weeks, and this baby is already head down. Besides the fact that all my muscles are stretched from Olivia, so I'm carrying lower. But, of course, that all means absolutely nothing. Well, this is quite the rambling post. And now Olivia is up from her nap. So long for now.

Annabella's Birthday Party

Yesterday Olivia and I went to the birthday party of this precious 1 year old.

Devouring her beautiful cake.

It was so fun to be there with all of our littles. I think it's the first time we've all been together since all the babies were born last year. The only people missing were Melanie and her kids (she volunteers at Brandon's
school on Thursdays).

The moms' lunch.

Drinks and the kids' lunch bags.

Bella's birthday cake.

Dessert.

 Lunch was scrumptious. For the kids, Ruthie had bags with pb&j sandwiches (with crusts off), raisins, and bubbles (for the older kids) and toys (for the younger kids). They also had little cups with little fruit, vegi, and meat kabobs. The moms feasted on chicken pasta salad, spinach orzo salad, grapes, cantaloupe, and strawberries. For drinks, there was water, strawberry milk, and lemonade. For dessert there were little chocolate cakes, mexican wedding cookies, and some type of sugar cookie, I think.

Fruits, vegis, and meat for the kids.

Some of the kids turning 1 this year.

 There was so much to keep all the kids busy. There were lots of toys to play with, a little sandbox (which was Olivia's favorite, I think), and sidewalk chalk. One or two of the boys had brought their toy guns. Even the girls thought those were pretty fun!

Some of the "older" kids.

Add caption

Opening presents.

 

It was so much fun and such a beautiful day to be outside. It makes me want to have a "just because" lunch sometime. Maybe we can all meet up at the park or something...