Zzzzzzz...

Olivia is very picky about where she sleeps. She doesn't like to sleep in a cradle or crib. (So frustrating!). She only likes her bouncy seat with the vibrate button on...all night....so we go through a package of "D" batteries every week. Thank goodness for Costco.

And she's almost too big for the seat, so I'm not sure what we're going to do... and I'm not sure why she doesn't like to sleep on her back in the crib... She flails her little arms (maybe she feels like she's falling?) and wakes herself up. I hope she gets over it soon, because I don't want to have to send her to college with a bouncy seat that's big enough for an adult. But, I digress...

Well, leave it to Grandma to find a new place that Olivia likes to nap. A warm pile of laundry. I remember being a little kid and loving to have the warm laundry poured on me while I sat on the couch. It's like that Seinfeld episode when Kramer puts his clothes in the oven 'cause he likes them all toasty warm. Again, I digress...

Here's Olivia just snoozin' away in the laundry basket. I think nearly every person I know has a picture of themselves as a baby in a laundry basket. Why is this? What is it with us mothers that thinks "Hmmm. I'm bored. I think I'll put the baby in the laundry and take a picture." :-) I have no idea. But we all seem to have one.

Anyways, if you have any tips on how I can get this child to sleep like a normal baby in her crib, I'm open to any and all suggestions. Otherwise, I'll start calling Fisher Price to see if they make bouncy seats for grown-ups.

Sarah

God Of Comfort

Yesterday, my grandma (we call her "Gran") went in for some surgery. The doctors couldn't complete it because they found a tumor. The biopsy results came back: cancer.

I called my mom and she was trying to hold it together on her way to the hospital. I told her that it's in moments like these that Jesus will comfort our family, and my mom very honestly said: "Well, then how come I don't feel Him?" I told her that sometimes we just don't, and that I would pray that she felt Him soon.

Well, today mom went back to the hospital to visit Gran now that the news has sunk in a little bit. Mom took pictures to decorate Gran's room, and my Aunt brought a brand-new duvet comforter for the hospital bed. My mom and Aunt didn't know they'd be arriving at the same time, but they found each other in the waiting room. My Aunt asked my mom to help her unpack the new duvet and new cover and fluff it together before they went into the room. As they were shaking it out, my Aunt mentioned: "I wish we had those clips that hold the duvet in place, bummer..." And then my mom started to smile.

My mom reached into her pocket and felt two duvet clips. Now remember: My mom had NO IDEA that my Aunt was coming to the hospital, let alone with a duvet. The only reason my mom even had these little clips in her pocket was because she was doing laundry a few days before and accidentally left them in her jeans when she got distracted by a phone call. I mean, who on earth carries around duvet clips in their pockets, anyway?

Only God knew that this teeny, tiny detail would be needed at the hospital. It was just God telling my mom and my Aunt: I'm here. I see you. I see you in the waiting room fluffing a blanket to comfort your mother, and I see that you need some little clips. Not safety pins, not paper clips, nothing except for these simple little duvet clips.

My mom called me later and said "I feel Him now."

Me and My Girl

I love to snuggle this child. I sniff her head when I drop her off at Grandmas before I go, because I love the way she smells. It's like lavender baby soap. I snuggle my nose into her neck and kiss her chubby cheeks and wiggle my nose against hers. Then I sniff her again because I just can't seem to get enough. :-)

Hand Popsicles

Olivia is a delightful baby. She's smiling and saying "gooo" and very alert. And she's discovered her hands now. They are almost always in her mouth, so my mom dubbed them "Hand Popsicles." It's funny to put her in her cradle and hear "suck suck suck" and look over and find little Olivia just going to town on her hand popsicles. Drool everywhere.

Shes so much fun right now. She's sleeping for longer stretches at night, which is a sweet taste of heaven. She loves bathtime and hates being dressed. Trying to put her little arms through anything is a challenge. She locks them up and won't bend at the elbows. It's like she has little sticks for arms that go straight out. I think it's a game for her now when I'm trying to dress her in the morning.

She's doing great with Grandma each day while I'm at work. And, she's taking a bottle! I get so excited to see her as soon as I'm off work. I just smother her with kisses when I walk through the door to my parents house. And then she gets smothered again when I bring her home to Joel. He always comes down to meet us at the garage and take her baby seat out of the car. It's great, because that thing is getting really heavy to haul around.

I'm so glad to be back at work. I have missed Spirit so much! The music, the laughter and the people - it's just a good place to be. And I'm so thankful to share it all with you.

Sarah

A kitty friend

Well, I'm back at work! And Olivia is happy at Grandmas. To keep me from having Olivia-withdrawals, my mom sends me pictures of what she's doing. Here's todays: Olivia and the kitty, Ellie. They are both fighting over who gets the bouncy seat. Cute!

Thank you for your advise about the bottles - I've received dozens of emails and great ideas. Thankfully, Olivia IS taking the bottle today at Grandmas. I'm so relieved! Hopefully she will continue to do it - I'll keep you posted.

It's great to be back at Spirit. I've missed Tom and I've missed YOU. Please call and say hello in the afternoons. Our studio line is 1-877-275-1053.

Love!

Sarah

Updating...

Time flies when you have a newborn. I've been meaning to update this journal! Seems like whenever I try to find the time, I have my hands full of onesies that need to be washed and a baby that needs a bath.

But I have some news... I'll be back on-air Monday! Yep! Olivia will be seven weeks old, and thankfully Grandma has time to watch her in the afternoons. Olivia loves Grandma-time anyways, because Grandma is always full of smiles and energy when I get burnt out. It's like a mini-vacation everyday for Olivia, I doubt she'll even know I'm away for a few hours. Plus, I'm looking forward to having some adult interaction. Don't get me wrong, talking baby-talk is great, but I'm excited to wear work clothes instead of sweatpants and have Starbucks before my shift again.

However, I do need some advise from you! A little help in the bottle department. Olivia does not like to take a bottle. She usually gets really mad and refuses. She cries and gets herself all worked up and finally falls asleep from exhaustion. We've tried different types of bottles and she doesn't seem to have a preference - all frustrate her. Any suggestions? How did you get your baby to take a bottle when you went back to work? You can leave a comment here, or if you want, you can email me: sarah@spirit1053.com. Thank you so much!

I look forward to being back on-air with you on Monday. Talk soon!

Sarah

One Month Old

February already? Time has flown. Olivia is officially one month old. So far her credentials include:

1. Professional eater

2. Expert diaper-filler

3. She has her masters degree in gas

4. An airhorn has nothing on her cry

5. Training for the Olympics in bathtub swimming

Plus, she's working on holding her head up all on her own. Basically, my child's a genius. :-)

We're looking forward to watching her grow even more this second month. And I'm super excited to have another valentine this year! Joel and I are having more and more fun with her as each day goes by. Especially when she gives us time to rest at night.

We stopped by Spirit the other day and had so much fun in the studio with Tom. Olivia made her on-air debut by making some grunting noises. We plan to stop by again next week as I get in the swing of heading back to work. Thankfully Grandma usually comes with us in case Olivia gets fussy. Don't know what we would do without her!

We'll keep you posted on her next accomplishments. I'm thinking we'll be seeing some new chubby thigh rolls soon and perhaps a smile before too long.

--Sarah and Olivia