Swing Swing

It's 85 degrees out! Good thing Grandmas house has a nice porch in the backyard for some shade. She recently bought this little swing for Olivia, and here is todays picture. Joel stopped by to pick up our daughter, and decided to feed her a bottle.

Olivia lives the LIFE. Can you imagine if your only responsibility on a sun-drenched day was to swing in the backyard while someone fed you your food?

I think I need a nap

So this morning was a little tough, I'm not going to lie.

Olivia was cranky and so was I. She was up early, wide-eyed and soaked with drool. I was still rubbing my eyes, saying "Five more minutes, Olivia. Five more minutes for Mommy." I wish she had a snooze button.

She does this new sound in the mornings. It's like a Velosoraptor. A High-pitched squeak that turns into a roar. It's a happy sound, but it's loud. Over and over. Sometimes I call Joel at work, just so he gets to listen as well. He usually says "That's great Sarah. I've gotta go."

So. My little dinosaur is going to be five months old next week. Unreal. She's working so hard on sitting up. We got her one of those baby Bumbo seats to help with the sitting. She enjoys it but tires quickly. She's trying to roll over, but hasn't done it on her own yet. Just going at her own pace, I guess.

Her favorite thing is to look at herself in the mirror. I don't think she knows it's her reflection... or maybe she does. In any event, it's the surefire way to get a smile. That, and auntie Ellen.

Highlight of the week, though, was last Sunday at Church when Olivia was dedicated. Pastor Brad prayed for Joel and I - that God would give us wisdom as we raise her. He prayed for our marriage and our family - and he prayed that Olivia would come to know Jesus at an early age, once she could tell right from wrong. It was a beautiful prayer, and I keep going over the words in my mind. Once again, I'm reminded of how much I need God in my life. How thankful I am that I feel a connection with Him. Even more thankful that I work in a place where I can talk freely about Him with people who understand. And even more thankful that when I go home at night, I can look at a husband and daughter who I adore, and say prayers over them as I fall asleep.

I just re-read that last paragraph, and funny enough, I'm not having such a bad day after all.

Road Trip

This past weekend, we went to visit Grandpa in Lynden. Boy, was he excited to show off his first Grand-daughter! Lynden was having a festival called "Holland Days" and there was quite the turnout for the parade. Olivia was a little overwhelmed.

She did pretty well on the car ride - much to my surprise. Olivia has hated her carseat from day one, so I was prepared for a whole lot of crying... but she took a nap both ways and didn't fuss too much. Whew!

This picture is from my dad's backyard. It's like a nature preserve! Theres ducks and geese and little ducklings and goslings! Plus, blackbirds and frogs and crickets and other racket that keeps me up at night. :-) It's like trying to sleep next to the zoo.

Olivia had her 4-month checkup last week, too. She's 15lbs, 9 oz... that's 95th percentile! She doesn't miss many meals...as you can tell.

She laughs out loud when I put her in front of the mirror. She cracks herself up! And she's reaching for EVERYTHING now, including the kitty. She got a big handful of fur the other day, and poor kitty was like "Hello? Did anyone just see that?"

I'm looking forward to celebrating my first mothers day this next weekend. I don't know if Olivia knows that she's supposed to get me a present. Hmmm... does someone want to clue my husband in on that one? Tell him I'd like breakfast in bed, please. :-)

Love,

Sarah

Newspaper Article

Mothers Day is just around the corner. The Journal Newspapers did a wonderful article on Motherhood and you can read about it here. I was honored to share my story.