Olivia's Blog

2009-08-16T14:19:00.004-06:00

*****August

Olivia is now three years old, and Evan is one! Time flies! Evan has five teeth and is working on more on a daily basis. He is walking with the aid of furniture, and while he is willing to take one or two daring steps without support, he quickly drops to his bottom and crawls at a breakneck pace to get where he needs to be.

Olivia is keeping us on our toes as well. She got her first haircut today, and after she was assured multiple times that it would not cause her any pain, she was a champ. I am pretty sure that being able to sit in a firetruck while watching a movie made the experience that much more bearable...

2009-06-28T20:45:00.001-06:00

*****Teeth

Evan now has four teeth, and Olivia is writing her master's thesis. Boy does time fly!

2009-04-10T20:29:00.002-06:00

*****Tooth

After weeks of anticipation, Evan finally had a tooth break through his gum! It is on the bottom, and as I watch him fiddle around with his mouth it is pretty clear that he doesn't really know what the think about the whole thing. Ah...just nineteen more to go, little fella!

2009-03-22T21:38:00.000-06:00

*****Soccer

We have now entered into the realm of organized sports with the enrollment of Olivia into the Knee Kickers soccer club!

Tents, tarps, chairs and rolling coolers will soon be the order of the day as myself, Marianna and Evan make ourselves at home on the sidelines while cheering on our little Mia Hamm! Go Olivia!

2009-02-01T08:48:00.002-07:00

*****Mime

Olivia likes to do the same things that her mommy does. Just this morning, Marianna took Evan upstairs while she went to use the breast pump. Following suit, Olivia grabbed her baby and announced that she too was "going upstairs to pump." Her ability to imitate us is both amazing and frightening at the same time!

2009-01-02T21:02:00.002-07:00

*****Poop II

For only the second time in her life, Olivia pooped on the potty. Big news since we seem to have been waiting quite a long time since her first endeavor into diaper-free pooping. We could tell she had one in the chute because she had asked for a diaper, a request that was denied even though we were risking a dump-n-run in the corner.

When the time came she pushed and groaned and protested that the poop was not quite ready to come out after all. Finally, after much cheering and hand-holding and a few tears, Olivia was anxious to flush the bad poop down the toilet. Let's hope we don't have to wait as long for her third effort!

2008-12-21T20:17:00.002-07:00

*****Solid

Along with copious amounts of breast milk, we can now add rice cereal to Evan's list of allowable foods. In an attempt to get the lad to sleep through the night, we decided it was time to let him in on the secret that there is more to life than liquids. He kind of mushed the cereal around his mouth and poked it out with his tongue, and when he did finally swallow some he shivered as if it was the worst thing he had ever tasted. Given his limited palette, it may very well have been!

2008-12-14T14:38:00.001-07:00

*****Reasoning

Olivia, during a diaper change: "Daddy, I'm going to pee on you!"
Me: "I'd rather you not."
Olivia: "If I'm going to pee on you, then you're going to be unhappy?"
Me: "Yes, I'm going to be unhappy."
Olivia: "I'm not going to pee on you."
Me: "Thank you."

2008-11-28T15:41:00.001-07:00

*****Roller

I am happy to report that Evan rolled over from his stomach to his back, not once, but *twice*, officially making it not a fluke. Congrats Evan! Pretty soon you'll be asking to borrow the car...

2008-11-08T21:23:00.002-07:00

*****Mislabeled

Last evening Olivia, Evan and I went to a local hamburger joint for dinner. After tearing her burger apart, Olivia grabbed a circular slice of pickle and held it proudly in the air claiming loudly that it was, in fact, a "NIPPLE!"

Me: "No, honey, that is a pickle."
Olivia: "NIPPLE!"
Me: "Pickle."
Olivia: "Pickle."
Me: "What is it again?"
Olivia, smiling: "A NIPPLE!"

2008-10-29T20:09:00.003-06:00

*****Poop!

After much convincing and bribing, I am happy to report that Olivia took the initiative and pooped into the potty on her own!

One small poop for Olivia, one giant step towards getting a child out of diapers...

2008-10-26T14:09:00.002-06:00

*****Speller

Me, to Marianna: "Should I look for a D-O-R-A film at the store?"

Olivia: "I want to watch Dora!"

Me: "Oh, S-H-I-T!"

2008-10-19T07:26:00.002-06:00

*****Observations

Olivia's vocabulary is increasing by leaps and bounds, as is her general understanding of the world around her. Most recently she has commented on items ranging from traffic jams ("Too many cars!") to her father ("Daddy is a good boy!"), and to her father once again ("Daddy is a good girl!"). It can only get better from here...

2008-10-08T21:46:00.003-06:00

*****Statistics

Evan recently had his two month appointment, and I am happy to report the following:

Height = 23 3/4" (90th percentile)
Weight = 11 lbs, 10 oz (50th percentile)
Head Circumference = 16" (75th percentile)

We got some measurements on Olivia just for the hell of it, and at 28+ months she weighs 36 3/4 lbs and stands at 39 1/2 inches. We were told that at the rate she is going she will be six feet tall.

She now sleeps with a basketball at one end of her crib and a volleyball at the other.

2008-10-05T05:21:00.003-06:00

*****Talker

Olivia demonstrated three new forms of verbal communication yesterday:

1) Sarcasm - When handing me my coffee cup, she reminded me not to spill the contents;

2) Debate - After explaining that I wanted to listen to the football game on the radio in the car, she pointed out that this made little sense as we were going to watch the same game on television when we got home;

3) Judgment - I compromised on listening to the football game on the radio in the car as a concession for Olivia's well made point (see #2 above). In the absence of "her" music, however, she advised me that "my" music made her sad.

Evan, on the other hand, doesn't say a word and appears to like me just fine...behind his mother and his sister, of course!

2008-08-23T20:11:00.002-06:00

*****Excuse

The response Olivia gives every time we ask her why she cannot do something, or why something strange happened, is the same: "Because the guys on the computer..."

We are not sure where this came from, but it is funny to listen to this excuse, time and time again, for things that are completely within her control.

Why can't you brush your teeth? Because the guys on the computer...

Why did you throw your cereal on the floor? Because the guys on the computer...

Why did you try to step on your brother? Because the guys on the computer...

2008-08-18T20:37:00.003-06:00

*****Lesson

"We don't touch our vagina while we are brushing our teeth." Marianna, to Olivia, during a recent potty-time / grooming session.

2008-08-11T21:23:00.002-06:00

*****Busted

Olivia: "Daddy, you toot?"
Me: "Yes."
Olivia, after a long pause: "Oh..."

2008-07-27T13:33:00.001-06:00

*****Fouling

A new lesson was learned today: don't check the swim diaper while your child is still in the pool!

2008-07-11T13:02:00.002-06:00

*****Diction

Olivia is speaking quite clearly, assuming, of course, that you are fluent in toddler. Below I have compiled some of our favorite words and phrases:

a) hangerber = Anything found within a hamburger bun, including beef, chicken, hot dogs or peanut butter and jelly;

b) i pine = I am fine. Please stop asking me if I need help. If I need assistance, I will ask for it;

c) dee? = Please pay attention to what I am about to do, as in "Daddy, dee?" before performing any number of death-defying stunts;

d) my do it = Please leave me alone and stop babying me, I can handle this one on my own;

e) medimen = Mostly includes pills we give to the cat, but can include both aspirin and gum;

f) my pinger? = A common response to a parental directive such as "Please don't put that in your mouth," as in "I understand, but can I still put my finger in my mouth?"

2008-07-08T20:58:00.002-06:00

*****Over-share

Olivia recently received a time out for not listening to me. Certainly I must have been making an unreasonable demand, I don't know, like "please don't draw on the carpet with your marker" or "stop kissing the electrical outlet."

During the time out our cat, Jake, went over to the corner to visit, and I noticed that he quickly scurried away after interacting with Olivia. Upon completing her time out I asked her if she knew why she was in trouble. Her answer? "Hitting Jake." Nobody likes a tattle tale, kid.

2008-05-29T14:53:00.003-06:00

*****Sarcasm

Yesterday, in a fit of excitement and uncontrollable toddler-esque emotion, Olivia scratched my face and knocked my eyeglasses from their perch on my nose. Since this is not the first time this has occurred, and as it was accompanied by an evil gleam in her eye, she went to time out.

Later on we were discussed the incident.

Olivia: "I time out, no hit glasses..."
Me: "Right. We don't hit glasses or faces."
Olivia: "I hit daddy's face. He cry! Boo hoo hoo..."
Me: "I didn't cry!"
Olivia: "Cry, cry! Boo hoo hoo!"

Yeah, there is nothing like taking crap from a little person who is almost two years old. Good times.

2008-04-03T19:17:00.003-06:00

*****Potty

Olivia likes to sit on her training toilet, but thus far she has left it as clean as when she started, except for the obligatory square of paper she has become accustomed to in order to "clean herself up."

All of that changed this evening. In an epic turn of events, Olivia sat on the toilet before her bath and actually peed! While it is a small step in the long road of toilet training, it would be nice to have her moving away from diapers before her brother arrives.

Then again, it would also be nice to have her doing some chores around here as well, but for the moment we will take what we can get. Never before have I been so excited to see urine outside of its typical ceramic receptacle! Woo hoo!

2008-03-22T22:47:00.002-06:00

*****Formality

Olivia, in the midst of pre-Easter festivities, picked up on the fact that most everyone was referring to her mother as something other than "mommy." Not wanting to be left behind, Olivia began belting out the words "Hey, Anna!" in an effort to get out the full four syllables.

For some odd reason it gave me great pleasure to hear our toddler calling my wife by her first name. Maybe it was the way that Marianna bristled each time Olivia tried to get her attention, or maybe it was a sign that our little girl was growing up. Either way, I am sure it will be somewhat less funny when I start hearing my own name echoing around the house.

2008-03-17T08:31:00.001-06:00

*****Accused

"Daddy don't be mean!" --Olivia, after falling from the couch and refusing my attempts to help her off the floor.

2008-03-09T21:26:00.002-06:00

*****Too

Olivia has recognized similarities in different things, like the fact that we all drink water, we all have feet and we all wear clothes (most of the time). She accentuates this new-found observation by pointing out something that she has and then pointing out the same thing on somebody else, and then drives the point home with an emphatic "too!"

For example, she will say "Yaya's water." (Ignoring for the moment that Marianna continues to call her by this name and therefore is most likely reinforcing Olivia's inability to ever speak her name correctly...) Then she will say "Da-da's water TOO!"

The funny part is that everything is over the top, like "OMIGOSH, you have water TOO! Stop the presses!" While it is cute and novel, it does demonstrate her power of observation when she shelves something for several days and then pulls it out during one of her comparisons. She truly is paying more attention than we realize.

I guess I'd better stop swearing for real this time.

2008-03-01T07:56:00.002-07:00

*****Sentences

Suddenly Olivia has started speaking in sentences, stringing three and four words together in order to get her point across. Just this morning, after pushing her toy truck across the floor, I was advised "Da-da no car please." Olivia then promptly picked up her truck, scowled at me and put it back inside of her toy box. And just the other day she pointed directly at my head and pronounced, rather proudly, "Da-da no hair." Who knew it could start so early?

2008-02-18T08:31:00.002-07:00

*****Will

Olivia has never been one to keep her emotions buried, but now that she can talk she is pretty effective at letting me know how she feels. Lately when I do something that she does not feel interested in she will say the following: "Dada? No!" As you can imagine, this is practically an invitation for me to do any number of different things to see if it will elicit the same admonishment, and so far she seems to be fairly consistent. Pretty much anything which interferes with her freedom of movement, or tickling, will get the "Dada? No!" treatment. I have a feeling this is just the start of a long road of being told what my daughter thinks of me.

2008-02-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

*****Caucus

It's never too early to start involving your children in politics. This is the reason that I brought Olivia into an overcrowded, hot, confused middle school gymnasium on Tuesday night to stand in support of her favorite candidate.

Granted, she is too little to vote, but since I really couldn't make up my mind I just went with her pick. I figure it is her future we are dealing with, so why not? While Olivia is fairly discreet about her political persuasion, I can say that her candidate did take Colorado.

2008-02-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

*****Older

"How old are you, Olivia?"
"Two!"
"No," I say, holding up one finger, "you are only one."
Olivia feigns understanding.
"How old are you, Olivia?"
"Two!"
"Can you say 'almost two'?"
"Rah rah two!"
Close enough...

2008-01-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

*****Ya-Ya

Olivia can say a great number of things, but she is having trouble with her name. Individually she can say three out of the four syllables which make up her name, but when it comes to putting it all together she condenses it down to "Ya-ya."

People have tried to give her a nickname such as "Liv" or "Libby," but none of them seem to stick, especially since we keep calling her Olivia. Perhaps she has invented her own nickname, one that will certainly haunt her into her teens if I have anything to say about it.

2008-01-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

*****Removal

Imagine my surprise when I went to retrieve Olivia from a nap the other day and she had removed both her pants and her diaper. The joke, however, was on her because when you don't know how to properly urinate you tend to get your socks all wet. Granted, I was the one doing the cleaning, but at least my feet were dry!

2008-01-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

*****Nuh-nulls

I am determined, as a father, to teach my daughter certain tricks. While we are still working up to soda retrieval from the refrigerator, I have been quite successful at things such as "give me five" and the forever relevant bumping of fists. We have been referring to the latter act as "giving knuckles."

While Olivia can "give five" seemingly without any thought whatsoever, when it comes time to give knuckles it appears that she is not satisfied until *everyone* in the vicinity has gotten a fist bump. She will extend her arm and run around pleading "nuh-nulls" to anyone who is willing to engage her. Only when every person in the room has consummated this act will she move on to other things, like ripping my eyeglasses off of my face and returning them to me with an insincere "thank you."

2007-12-23T07:36:00.001-07:00

*****Forgiven

We were not sure how Olivia would react to us leaving on vacation without so much as an explanation, but really, how do you tell an eighteen-month-old that you are going off to Hawaii without her?

Olivia was watched over by my in-laws, and while she was well-cared for and smothered with love, she has added a few colorful words to her vocabulary. Just kidding! While she has increased her speaking abilities, at this point it is mostly still incoherent babbling (not unlike her father).

If Olivia was holding any grudges she appears to have gotten over them. Subconsciously she may be punishing us by waking up and playing her mobile at 3:45 am, but then again who doesn't appreciate a little music during the early morning hours?

2007-12-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

*****Mirror

It appears that Olivia needs only to be shown how to do something one time before that becomes the default. For example, we have a step ladder so our old, rotund cat can move himself from the floor to our bed. As you can imagine, this is the most attractive of nuisances in our bedroom for Olivia.

While she likes to climb up and down, she had not yet figured out how to get from the ladder to the bed as there is a bar that runs above the top step and blocks her access. This morning I had her perform the more dangerous "leg over the top of the bar" maneuver, much to Marianna's chagrin, and sure enough the next time Olivia came up she swung her leg up in an effort to hurdle the top of the ladder.

Instead I had to teach her the "duck and roll" numerous times to undo the damage that I had already done. Finally she got the concept and can now safely dismount the ladder. We both learned a valuable lesson, and now I guess I will really have to pay attention to what I am doing in front of her. Not only can I not swear, but I guess colorful hand gestures are also out the window as well!

2007-12-02T20:11:00.001-07:00

*****Frick

Not only has my colorful language been severely curtailed by the fact that we are living with an eighteen month old parrot, but now it has become painfully obvious that I now have to watch what I do in front of Olivia as well.

Last week I saw her laying flat on the ground staring into the heating vent. Thinking that she must have lost something down the duct, I pulled off the vent and looked inside. While I found nothing there, I did succeed in unintentionally teaching Olivia a new trick, and now we can't seem to keep that particular vent in the floor.

In fact, one time she actually tried to escape through said vent, placing both of her feet into the duct and trying to wiggle her way down. At the risk of showing her any more bad habits I now just sit quietly on a chair when she is around. Trust me, it is better for everyone.

2007-11-04T10:27:00.001-07:00

*****Rash

Marianna and I were on the same page regarding letting Olivia have some "bare-naked bottom" time in order to combat a raging case of diaper rash.

Unfortunately we both failed to read the part that you aren't supposed to eliminate the diaper when your toddler has the squirts.

2007-10-21T21:59:00.000-06:00

*****Dip

Olivia is learning plenty of new tricks. She has started to become a little daredevil around the house, so that keeps things fairly exciting and has brought baby-proofing to a whole new level. Olivia has also learned the joy of drinking from a regular cup. Joy is one thing, but the concept of liquids and gravity is a whole other issue.

My favorite trick that she has learned is to dip food into ketchup. We introduced her to this phenomenon at our local Chili's while she was dining on a meal of hamburger bits and french fries. (Did I mention that we were up for "Parents Of The Year"?) A blob of ketchup was squirted onto her plate, and after a short instruction period Olivia was deliberately dipping all of her food before putting it into her mouth, being very careful to saturate each piece with the proper amount of condiment.

2007-10-17T19:04:00.001-06:00

*****Mine

Olivia knows a few words, and she makes up a few so that Marianna and I know what she is talking about, and then there is the one word that overshadows all others. This is a word which, if I had my choice, would have been kept out of her vocabulary for at least another five years or so. Alas, since I cannot control what goes on outside of my presence, Olivia now has a firm grasp on the word "mine."

If you believe Olivia, nearly everything in the world is hers. She owns a lot of stuff: the leaves, the trees, our cars, my glasses, anything I get from Starbucks -- you know the drill. Unfortunately Olivia simply says the word "mine" when she really means "I want that! Give me some or you will meet an unfortunate fate!" When we fail to snap to attention, the "mine" becomes louder and more frantic.

A calm head is required in these instances. There have been times I have been tempted to hand back my grande, non-fat, triple shot, no foam latte just to see if it was, in fact, everything she thought it was going to be. Rest assured that I will be handing back no coffee drinks before she can at least ask for them by name, and until Starbucks comes up with a drink called "MINE! MINE! MINE!" I think I will be safe.

2007-10-07T13:13:00.001-06:00

*****Kibble

We thought we had broken Olivia of the obsession with the cats' food and water, but alas after spending nearly a week away from our home it seems that we have to engage in a bit of re-training.

During our first full day at home I gave Olivia some space while I checked email. I heard some commotion by the cat food, but when I poked my head above the counter I failed to see any evidence of toddler mischief. I went back to the email, and within moments I heard the commotion once again. I popped up and saw that the coast was still clear.

The third time was a charm. I came wheeling around the corner into our kitchen to find Olivia with her mouth stuffed full of kibble. When I tried to sweep it out with my finger she giggled and clamped her little teeth together, making my efforts futile. I was only able to retrieve six pieces of cat food. Judging by her cheeks she had at least double that amount still in her mouth, and she fully intended to eat it all.

The end result? Firm, nugget-like poops and a noticeable increase in the volume and length of Olivia's hair. I say: bring on the kibble!

2007-09-30T08:33:00.000-06:00

*****Reflection

Yesterday Olivia had the experience of spending some time around a full-length floor mirror. While she has grown up seeing her reflection, this is the first time she has really gotten to look at herself up close and personal without myself or Marianna asking "who's that?" as we pointed and laughed and bounced her up and down to the point of becoming nauseous.

When left to her own devices, Olivia came up with a whole routine. She kind of gave herself a once over, calculating in her little mind that if she was dressing herself there is no way she would have put those shoes with that outfit. Next she proceeded to sneak around the corner of the mirror and then jump back in front of it to see if she still looked the same as before. Finally, and quite inexplicably, she began to give herself "come hither" glances over her shoulder while munching on a blue corn tortilla chip. Go figure.

2007-09-24T09:19:00.000-06:00

*****Slide

At no other point has the transition from baby to little kiddo become clearer than on the playground. Where Olivia was once careful and tentative she is now reckless and daring. She crawls up the stair without a second thought and runs right to the edge of the slide. All of our careful parenting has not been lost, however, as she is still willing to sit down and scootch to the edge.

Several days ago I was amazed as she went to the biggest slide in the park, ran to the edge and went flying down. She giggled and laughed, waiting at the bottom for me to follow suit. Once down, she ran to the stairs to climb up and test her skills again. Suddenly the time seemed to have passed by very quickly as I ran to catch up with her.

2007-09-10T16:15:00.001-06:00

*****EIEIO

Our little parrot is now getting quite good at repeating phrases and words, even though sometimes they don't quite match reality. Phone is "doan" and she sometimes messes up the words to the Old MacDonald song, but I guess I can cut her some slack based upon the fact we still count her age in months.

Now, more than ever, I have to make a commitment to stop swearing. Marianna tries to correct me every time I drop a bomb, but to tell you the truth this simply makes me want to swear more. Profanity is my one outlet -- my last vice -- and without that I am nothing. For the good of Olivia, however, I will do my *&!# best.

2007-08-26T13:04:00.000-06:00

*****Growing

Olivia is doing many new things, and it is hard to document all of them because they seem to come at us three or four at a time. Suddenly she has an urge to hand us every book she can so we can read it to her. This happens, of course, on her schedule. She wants it read NOW! Young Olivia doesn't quite understand concepts such as "I am shaving" or "I am eating a sandwich" or "I am going to the bathroom." All she knows is that she has a burning desire to have someone read to her, pronto.

She is also beginning to repeat words: the parrot phase. She can say "yeh-ho" for yellow, "guh-gur" for good girl and "NO! NO! NO! NO!" for "Honey, please don't pull the cat's tail." I guess this means that I am going to have to start watching what I say around the house. Gone are the days when I could freely swear -- swear for fun, swear for effect, swear just because I can. Now I will have to incorporate words such as "frick" and "shoot" and "poop" into my vernacular. This is going to be a long road to hoe.

2007-08-21T11:20:00.000-06:00

*****Molars

Based upon Olivia's mood and other physical manifestations I am led to believe that she is coming down the final stretch on her last four teeth. While Olivia was able to push the first sixteen through without much fanfare, these final molars appear to be taking her to the brink.

Her normal sunny disposition has taken a vacation and in its place we are left with a cranky toddler who has taken to screaming and crying for no identifiable reason. After checking her over to ensure that she hasn't gotten any fingers or toes stuck in a bear trap, I attempt to appease her with a chilly teething ring and a reassuring hug. Olivia likes the ring -- she is undecided on the hug.

Here's to hoping that these molars appear soon...

2007-08-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

*****Damaged

It was only a matter of time when you add a new pair of sandals to a toddler who is just learning how to run. Throw in a driveway and you wind up with an interesting case of road rash. When you think of road rash you tend to think about arms and legs scraped up from falling on the street. Normally one does not think about the nose or the forehead.

Unfortunately these areas are where young Olivia suffered a particularly nasty case of road rash while on my watch. I have started to let her run about before putting her in the car seat for two reasons -- 1) she likes to run about and 2) it gives me a chance to get things situated in the car. Today, just as I ready to grab Olivia I turned to observe her dramatic tumble.

It appears that she tripped over a lip of concrete approximately one centimeter high. She stuck the landing on all fours, but as the driveway slightly tilted away from her she was thrust forward by gravity. I watched in disbelief as her noggin barely kissed the pavement. It was, however, enough to warrant a full five minutes of howling, and now she is left with a bright red nose and a large spot on her forehead.

Nothing says "great father" like multiple scrapes on your child's face. I can only hope that she heals quickly.

2007-07-27T06:32:00.000-06:00

*****Learning

Me: "What does a cow say?"
Olivia: "Moooooo..."
Me: "Good job! What does a tiger say?"
Olivia: "Moooooo..."
Me: "A tiger says 'roar'. What does a tiger say?"
Olivia: "Roooaaarrr..."
Me: "And what does a cow say?"
Olivia: "Roooaaarrr..."

2007-07-25T13:26:00.000-06:00

*****Trailer

Olivia is not entirely sold on her Burley bike trailer, but we continue to faithfully strap her in hoping that one day she will actually be excited about being pulled around while staring at her father's rear-end.

We let her win the battle of the helmet. This may seem like a poor parenting choice but considering that it was too big to begin with, coupled with the fact that when it inevitably shipped over her eyes she would crumple down into a defeated mass, sticking her thumb in her mouth and wishing she could just disappear, we had to do away with it.

No helmet means she has to ride behind me, the slow one, while her mother does laps around us and asks us if we are still doing all right.

Today Olivia logged a whopping eighteen miles in her trailer while we pulled her from Avon to Vail and back again. She seemed to enjoy the trip and divided her time between talking and napping, just like her father. Fortunately we did not crash.

2007-07-23T21:00:00.000-06:00

*****Diplomat

After observing my daughter for the past thirteen-plus months I have come to the conclusion that she is the unofficial Ambassador of Happy.

Olivia routinely smiles and waves at nearly everyone she meets, and she rarely has a cross word for anyone (although truth be told she doesn't have many words at all). While Olivia did go through a brief shy streak, I can state with relative authority that since that time she has never met a stranger.

I hope that her friendly nature continues. I believe it truly makes people feel good.

2007-07-11T09:53:00.000-06:00

*****Tantrum

As Olivia gets older she is becoming quite adept at conveying her needs and wants. When these do not match up with those of her parents, Olivia has learned the fine art of throwing a fit.

At times she simply expresses her dismay with a furrowed brow and a subtle grunt, but she saves the fireworks for those special moments when she truly feels that she has been wronged and wants the whole world to know the depth of her pain.

I was the source of her problem last evening when, right before bed, I lifted her Pooh Activity Choo-Choo Train off of the floor to find a way to turn it off. As an aside -- the manufacturers have played a cruel joke on us by not supplying this particular toy (and its twelve very loud songs) with an off switch. Lovely.

When Olivia noticed that her Pooh Activity Choo-Choo Train had left its appointed position on the floor she lost her mind. Her body convulsed as she thrust herself back into the couch, letting out a wail and a scream. I placed the toy back onto the ground and the tantrum ceased. My scientific side made me pick the toy up again just to see if it got the same reaction. Remarkably it did!

Unlike Marianna, I was quite impressed with my ability to recreate the mood by simply lifting a piece of multicolored plastic one foot into the air. And a valuable lesson was learned: the Pooh Activity Choo-Choo Train is to remain on the floor at all times. Duly noted.

2007-07-01T16:28:00.000-06:00

*****Trooper

In the last week Olivia has endured all of the following: diarrhea, vomiting, fever and the cutting of several new teeth. This might explain why her mood has been less than stellar. Fortunately she rebounded just in time to allow us to take a car trip to New Mexico for the weekend.

Olivia travelled so well mainly because I kept my promise to only play music that she and her mom picked, which meant that I have yet to listen to any Pearl Jam on this trip. She managed to stay buckled in her car seat for hours on end without losing her mind, and genuinely seemed to enjoy the drive, alternately napping and being a fairly jolly backseat passenger.

While the hotel rooms have been a bit of a challenge, she has still been managing two naps a day, proving that while it is difficult to put a thirteen month old to bed while remaining in the same room with her, it is not impossible (although it is as close to impossible as you can get and still remain successful at achieving your goal...).

2007-06-25T09:55:00.000-06:00

*****Changes

Olivia is doing so many different things at any given moment it is hard to keep track. She is walking everywhere and late last week she learned how to stand up without the aid of furniture. I call it the "triangular butt stance" wherein she somehow winds up with her hands on the floor, her bottom in the air and her feet wide apart. She then moves her hands back until she is in something that resembles a standing position, then she begins to walk before falling over.

Olivia babbles incessantly but doesn't have many words other than momma, dadda and uh-oh. Really, though, when you have everything that you need what else is there to say?

It is amazing to sit back and watch her figure things out and then use her new found knowledge to tackle a situation when it comes up again. Now if we could just stop her from eating cat food we would be all set...

2007-06-12T21:33:00.000-06:00

*****Language

Although Olivia cannot yet speak it is clear that she can understand what I am telling her by my tone of voice. The other day she attempted to remove her socks because, quite frankly, socks are not only restrictive but they are just another way parents try to control the lives of their children. As I was driving I used my new parental "eyes in the back of my head" and turned to address her about the choice she was about to make.

"Olivia," I said, "are you sure want to take off your socks?" She stopped pulling and looked up at me, flashing the guilty grin of someone caught in the act. We then had a stare down. In retrospect this might not have been the best parenting choice based upon the fact that we were still cruising down the road. Bad driving aside, I am happy to report that, incredibly, she seemed to comprehend what I was saying and actually stopped pulling on her socks.

I figured I would memorialize this moment as one of only a handful of times that my daughter will actually listen to my advice.

2007-06-09T19:33:00.000-06:00

*****Willpower

Olivia: "Uh Oh!"
Me: "Olivia, it isn't an 'uh oh' if you intentionally toss your hat over the side of the stroller."
Olivia, after a short pause: "Uh Oh!"

2007-06-03T07:22:00.000-06:00

*****One

While I failed to make the obligatory "Olivia is one today" post on Thursday, May 31st at 5:27 pm it was not for lack of desire. As I laid in bed, muscles sore and tired from weeks of yard work in anticipation of her blowout birthday bash, I really *wanted* to get online and mark the moment. But then I fell asleep.

Olivia's first birthday went off without a hitch. She had a great day, and her party was grand. Olivia enjoyed smashing handfuls of cake into her mouth as her over-protective grandmother fluttered about, worried that her granddaughter was going to immediately contract diabetes and pass out right there in her high-chair. I am happy to report that none of those things happened.

In fact, Olivia decided that a nap was in order soon after eating copious amounts of cake and frosting. This proves that she is the greatest child ever.

2007-05-28T22:47:00.000-06:00

*****Toddling

Olivia is practically a full-blown walker, having made great strides (pun intended) over the last forty-eight hours. She can walk quite far on her own and she holds her hands above her head for good measure -- you never know when you are going to need that added protection during an unanticipated tumble.

The only part Olivia has yet to master is the "stand from a sitting position and walk." For now she still needs the support of furniture, walls, parents or cats to get up onto two feet. Once there, however, the sky seems to be the limit. She is still a bit timid and tends to revert to crawling when the going gets tough, but before long I am sure she will be telling us that crawling is for babies.

2007-05-19T05:51:00.000-06:00

*****Walker

I am not sure when one officially changes over from crawling to walking, and while there might not be a bright line test I do believe that Olivia is making great strides towards becoming a toddler by her first birthday.

Olivia has little fear (a trait shared by her mother) and as such she has been experimenting with letting go of furniture and taking steps. The farthest she has traveled so far is about five feet, and rumor has it that she got to her destination, turned around and came back without falling down!

Unfortunately Olivia is suffering from a case of El Diablo Pañal ("the Devil's diaper") and the rash on her bottom is red and angry. I can only imagine that this provides incentive for her not to fall backwards while she is learning to walk. Again she is handling this like a trooper. If it were me I would lay on my stomach and refuse to move until the pain subsided.

2007-05-13T18:40:00.000-06:00

*****Firsts

Happy Mother's Day! Olivia got her mommy lots of nice presents which she helped to open. We then spent the remainder of the day up in the mountains hiking. This was Olivia's first hike in her backpack, and she appeared to love it. She learned how to duck to avoid trees, and towards the end of the hike she fell asleep. This left a red mark on her forehead where it was resting on the backpack. The red mark will remind us of the good time we had.

Olivia also had her first taste of real ice cream from Cold Stone. They were giving away free ice cream for Mother's Day, so Olivia went back and forth between cheesecake mixed with Butterfinger (Marianna's failed choice) and coffee mixed with Oreo (Marianna's second, more successful choice).

Waving has become one of Olivia's favorite past-times, as well as walking with assistance. She has taken a few unassisted steps, but nothing consistent.

Olivia also spoke her first word -- "baby" -- last Thursday. While I was quite certain her first word would have fallen under the category of George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words," we are all happy that she proved me wrong.

2007-05-04T10:10:00.000-06:00

*****Step

Olivia took her first step moments ago when she performed a one-handed release from the ottoman in order to move towards her push cart walker thing.

Subsequent attempts to have Olivia duplicate the step have failed. I can, however, attest to the fact that the original step was unassisted and completely under her own power.

2007-05-02T17:59:00.000-06:00

*****Eruption

Apparently things can change in the blink of an eye on the tooth front. We went from working on Lucky #7 to pushing through either number eleven or number twelve in a matter of days!

Olivia has been acting relatively normal throughout, but when she spiked a fever today I decided to poke around in her mouth. The fact that she vehemently resisted my efforts was my first and best clue, but nothing prepared me for the new growth I would find.

She has at least one new tooth growing in each quadrant of her mouth, and she is sporting something that looks suspiciously like a molar. We have Motrin at the ready, and we have once again relocated all of her teething rings. Let the games begin!

2007-04-29T21:04:00.000-06:00

*****Tricks

Like any good parent I have started teaching Olivia how to do certain tricks. She is still much too little to fetch me drinks from the refrigerator, but she can "gimme five" like a champ. More often than not she will deliver ten, twenty, or even thirty before I reinforce the behavior by clapping and cheering her on.

Olivia also can climb the stairs. This particular trick falls into both the "untrained" and "less fun" categories, but it is a trick nonetheless. Under close supervision she can climb from the bottom to the top, albeit winded, but with a grin that matches those who have conquered Everest. I have a feeling we are in for a long haul.

2007-04-23T10:14:00.000-06:00

*****Seven

While she had been holding strong at six teeth for quite a while, Olivia decided to move forward and yesterday produced another to keep her bottom two teeth company.

Lucky #7 is now residing on the lower left portion of her mouth. I would encourage her to stop now because having only having seven teeth would be kind of a novelty, but then again it might mess up her future as America's Next Top Model. For now we'll let her keep growing them in.

There was not much fussiness associated with this new tooth -- a runny nose and, if memory serves, a finger or two pointed toward the afflicted area over the past several days. I might be imagining that last part, but it's my memory and I am sticking to it.

2007-04-21T18:01:00.000-06:00

*****Firsts

It was a big day for Olivia, starting out with a demonstration of how she can crawl up the stairs on her own.

We moved on to two food firsts -- a portion of a meatball with marinara sauce, followed by several large bites of a soft-serve ice cream cone from McDonald's.

Yes, folks, we are teaching our daughter how to be risk averse.

2007-04-16T08:23:00.000-06:00

*****Protest

Olivia is being exposed to many different foods, and we are starting to see a pattern in her likes and dislikes. She favors turkey, cheese, bread, yogurt, cereal pieces and fruit. She has no use for vegetables, and I have to respect her for taking such a bold position at such a young age -- she is not unlike her father in her distaste for such vile things.

The issue I have is the manner in which she chooses to show her discontent. Mere seconds after placing green beans or squash on her high chair tray we hear the satisfying splat of food being dropped from short heights. She looks fairly innocent when removing the food from her presence, so I guess we should be thankful that she isn't hurling it across the room...yet.

2007-04-13T22:51:00.000-06:00

*****Path

"All children, as they look to define who they are, ask their parents to reveal themselves -- reveal what they stand for, what they stand against, what they live for, what they would die for. In every moment of every day, Casey and Owen beg me to show them who I am, so I concentrate on the path. The path reveals you in a way the destination never could. I used to fight the process. Now I see where it takes me. Most times, with their hands in the middle of everything, there's hardly a choice. After a whole morning of splitting wood, firewood is the smallest piece of what I end up with. The process has become the end in itself. The process has become the destination." -- from Believing It All: What My Children Taught Me About Trout Fishing, Jelly Toast, And Life by Marc Parent

2007-04-08T10:49:00.000-06:00

*****Drainage

We were greeted this morning by a greenish yellow substance leaking from Olivia's left ear. She had been suffering from a fever since early Saturday morning, and while she seemed cranky and generally not herself, she was missing the symptoms she exhibited during cold number one. I feared that she had eaten some foreign substance and that her body was now mounting a battle against it.

Alas it was simply an ear infection which, when left untreated, caused her left eardrum to rupture. While this sounds painful and threatening to Olivia's future as a musician, we have been assured that her pain was, in fact, relieved when the ear drum burst. As for the drum itself it should heal within a week or so with a ninety-nine percent guarantee of no future problems.

You have to love day care. I mean, what is a little acute otitis media with TM perforation between friends? And what better way to spend Olivia's first Easter morning than in urgent care?

2007-04-01T09:44:00.000-06:00

*****Food

Olivia is being introduced to an entirely new world of culinary delights, all of which she is being encouraged to eat with her hands.

Some of her new experiences include bread, pasta, turkey, cheese and yams. Not all at once, mind you, but in varying degrees based upon what she can grab and what actually makes it into her mouth.

Olivia is also starting to drink water from a regular cup because sippy cups are so 2006. They are simply meant to be thrown on the floor to test their indestructibility.

2007-03-25T20:55:00.000-06:00

*****Healed

It took about one full week, but Olivia has finally exorcised the evil which was making her miserable. It is nice to have our happy baby back even though she still has a runny nose and will attack with random snot wipings across a clean shirt with little warning.

I have started to instill the concept of sharing. Yes, Olivia is only 9.75 months old, but when she has a toy in each hand and I gently take one from her she starts to cry as if I have severed her arm with a dull rusty knife. I thank her for sharing and then give her the toy back and then everyone is happy.

I'll report back in about two years and let you know the results of my experiment.

2007-03-18T13:40:00.000-06:00

*****Ill

Olivia has proven her mettle once again as a first-class traveler. We flew to Indiana to visit relatives and while she was more active than the first time she was on a plane, she did not make a fuss and spent enough time flirting with people around us to win them over. Good job, Olivia!

On the down-side Olivia has come down with her first real illness. She has been sick for the past three days with a fever, a runny nose and a cough. While she has not been her jovial self she hasn't really been too bad of a patient, which makes caring for her that much easier. Today she appears to be on the downhill side of her sickness, so let's hope things continue to get better!

2007-03-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

*****Happy

Olivia is a genuinely happy baby. She has always had a pretty good temperament, but lately she does a really good job of demonstrating her extreme happiness at most everything that comes her way by showing all of her teeth and scrunching up her nose.

Personally I like to think of it as a reaction to witty things I say, or jokes I tell, or basically her general satisfaction with me as her father. In all actuality, since she gives the same reaction to the cat, or to her shoe, I can't take too much of the credit.

2007-02-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

*****Stand

Olivia has an overwhelming desire to stand -- all...of...the...time. No longer is it acceptable to be on the floor sitting or crawling or lying down. Those are things she did when she was a *baby*, and they simply will not do any longer.

She now has six teeth. Marianna and I are not sure where the other two came from since the first four were such a major event. One night she went to bed with four and POOF she woke up with two more -- four on the top and two on the bottom. Next stop: BBQ ribs.

2007-02-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

*****Changes

I have been errant in updating the blog, and while I do apologize I am happy to report that Olivia was just accepted into Yale Law.

Just joking. Olivia has, however, started to crawl G.I. Joe style. Whereas before she would get from point A to point B by a series of calculated rolls, she can now make a straight line. I never realized the full extent of the phrase "baby proofing."

Yesterday Olivia learned how to stand up in her crib. Nothing makes a new parent jump quite as high as when they walk in and see their nearly nine-month daughter standing up with her arms over the crib rail! I would only have been more surprised if she had addressed me by name and asked me for the car keys.

2007-01-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

*****List

Likes -- eating solid foods, including rice cereal, sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, applesauce and green beans; sleeping for a solid twelve hours at night (yippee!); being read to; playing peek-a-boo; looking out at mom and dad shoveling snow...

Dislikes -- napping during the day; wearing winter hats; being persuaded to crawl; watching dad's reaction to the new and exciting things he finds in the diaper...

2006-12-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

*****Roar

When she is not roaring her approval (or disapproval) at different things in her environment Olivia is speaking either some form of Chinese or native Hawaiian, or, at times, making all three noises at once.

While not yet crawling, Olivia is more than happy to get into the prone position -- on her hands and her knees -- before moving one of her arms and hitting the floor. Mobility, however, will mean baby-proofing, and since our house is barely safe for Marianna and myself I can only imagine what is around the bend.

Olivia is looking forward to the New Year and will hopefully be celebrating the midnight hour by...sleeping!

Best wishes for 2007!

2006-12-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

*****Advancing

Olivia has made great strides in the past week, and now I can fully comprehend the meaning of "it goes by so quickly."

Four teeth now adorn Olivia's mouth: two on the top and two on the bottom. She can remain in a seated position unassisted until she attempts to watch the cat go behind her and then she falls down.

And just this morning she learned that she can emulate a motorboat by sticking out her tongue and blowing. Ah, the lost art of giving raspberries!

She also likes to ham it up for the camera, giving us some of her best smiles without any coercion whatsoever. You can check some of her modeling prowess by clicking on the link to the right.

2006-12-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

*****Stroller

Today we placed Olivia in her stroller facing forward like a real person. While this may not seem like a ground-breaking event, it confirms the fact that she is growing up and will soon be demanding the keys to the car.

She now has three teeth with one on deck. We used to give her an occasional finger to pacify her, but now that she has taken to gnawing them off she is on her own. Who knew that baby teeth could be so sharp?

2006-12-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

*****Teeth

We made the dramatic leap from one tooth to three teeth in the past several days! Olivia is one step closer to an even more award-winning smile, but seems to be digressing in the solid food department. Each spoonful is met with a look of disdain and sadness. We hope this has more to do with the sensitivity of her new teeth and less to do with her plan to be breastfed until the age of five.

2006-11-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

*****Firsts

Olivia has been embarking on several firsts this past week:

First tooth = Monday, November 20th. The sharp little bugger that now inhabits Olivia's lower jaw arrived without much advanced warning. Although there was some additional drooling and one night worth of crankiness I'll take it since Olivia is now one step closer to enjoying all you can eat ribs.

First solid food = Friday, November 24th. It is kind of a misnomer to classify one tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with five tablespoons of breastmilk as a "solid" food, but it did mark a step toward using a spoon and sitting at a table, both of which place Olivia far past her father in the area of civilized eating.

2006-11-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

*****Crawler

Nope, not yet! Olivia really *wants* to crawl, and while we have been giving her incentive to do so by putting her toys out of her reach, alas all we have been able to achieve is something akin to a high-centered turtle.

Nothing yet on the tooth front, either. While things were looking promising several weeks ago with large amounts of drool coupled with incessant gnawing, the phase appears to have passed for the time being. I keep selfishly telling her that there is no rush -- teeth are just the first step on the long road to adulthood (with stops along the way at Terrible-Two Town and Teenager-ville...).

2006-10-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

*****Rolling

Olivia can officially roll from her stomach to her back with no assistance, a feat which, until today, had been unwitnessed by Marianna or myself. We had reports from my parents that she was going full-hog on the rolling earlier this week but apparently by the time we got home from work she was all rolled out.

Today it seemed as if she was Houdini -- we would place her on her back, turn around and the *poof* she was on her stomach, casual as can be, as if to say "don't you remember putting me on my tummy?" Finally we placed her on her back and we watched. Lo and behold we were able to see it first hand. Our little baby is all grown up!

2006-10-10T05:37:00.000-06:00

*****Timing

Yesterday was Columbus Day and, since I did not have to work, I shouldered Olivia's day care duties. We had a great time sitting around the house, reading books, listening to jazz and talking about the future. When it came time to run errands she promptly fell asleep which, as you can imagine, made things much easier.

By end of the day I realized two things: 1) Olivia had not eaten very much and 2) Olivia had not taken many substantial naps. While she did not provide any indication that she was overly hungry or overly tired during the day, the lack of food and or sleep might explain why it took us two and a half hours to get her to bed last evening. Apparently when you drain the tank the end result is lots and lots of screaming.

At least she won't be able to accuse me of keeping her tied down to a schedule.

2006-10-08T21:29:00.000-06:00

*****Watch

Olivia survived her first week with Marianna back at work and with my parents fulfilling the role of "day care providers." Olivia doesn't seem any worse for wear, really, and until she starts to display the neuroses that I routinely blame on my parents I guess the situation will remain in tact.

Rolling over seems to be Olivia's new trick and if it wasn't for that pesky arm that always seems to get pinned under her she would be a rolling champion. At times I think it would be nice to have her mobile, but then I look around the house and realize that "cat-proof" does not equal "baby-proof" and suddenly I am not in such a rush -- we can stay in the potted plant stage for a little while longer, I guess.

2006-10-01T17:49:00.000-06:00

*****Mature

Olivia has been operating on about eight to ten hours of sleep per day which, according to all of the books, is several hours shy of where she should be. She detests daytime sleeping (not unlike her father) so by five or six at night she is a real peach to be around -- grumpy from being tired but unwilling to sleep. Marianna and I, of course, will most certainly be nominated for parents of the year for fostering sleep depravity.

While Olivia would like to think she is all grown up and too old for naps she has been showing her age by demonstrating an unnatural interest in her toes. I think this comes from the fact that she is limber enough to put them in her mouth. If I was this limber I would most certainly put my toes in my mouth, among other things, so I guess this means that we all have that baby-like curiosity no matter how much we deny it.

2006-09-23T09:39:00.000-06:00

*****Bigger

Olivia had her four month check-up yesterday and pulled through her shots like a champ. The official statistics are:

Weight = 14 lbs, 4 oz (80th percentile)

Height = 25 1/4 inches (95th percentile)

Head = 16 inches (50th percentile)

The nurse gave Olivia five inoculations in three shots. She remained stoic during the first but broke down after the second, bringing her parents down with her. When all was said and done the Bugs Bunny bandages really did make us all feel better.

2006-09-14T19:47:00.000-06:00

*****Mountains

We spent a couple of days in Estes Park and exposed Olivia to part of what her future holds: hiking. Marianna and I have been known to get up to the mountains quite a bit, and now that Olivia is more portable she will be joining us on our adventures.

Admittedly Marianna is a bit more gung-ho than I am, but for now Olivia and I are able to set the pace. I fear that once Olivia becomes more mobile I will be spending most of my time trying to figure out how far behind I am!

Olivia seems to enjoy the outdoors. She spends a lot of time looking at the trees and the mountains. We are not sure at what distance she can focus on, but it would appear that she can see most everything based upon her intense interest.

Her first official hike was 3.4 miles round-trip. She spent the entire time in her Baby Bjorn and for a short while took a little siesta while I did the hiking. She never cried or squirmed or gave any indication that she wasn't enjoying herself, which is a great relief to both of us. Outdoors here we come!

2006-09-09T22:25:00.000-06:00

*****Firsts

Olivia's trip to Washington was marked by a number of firsts, including first airport screening, first airline flight, first ferry ride and first trip to a foreign land (Canada, which some may not count as foreign, per se, but she did have to clear customs, so I am voting yes).

On the negative side we have the first bug pulled from her nose via bulb aspirator (which, as noted on my previous post is still under dispute), first cancelled United Airlines flight, first taste of airline bureaucracy gone awry and first unintended extended stay in an airport.

Even though we spent more time in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport than we had originally planned this did not seem to phase Olivia who pretty much had everything she needed. While she was a tad more fussy on the flight back (and by a tad I really do mean about five combined minutes of time where she was something other than completely quiet) she redeemed herself by entertaining the folks on the plane with her winning smile as we were waiting to disembark.

You'll have to trust me on the winning smile -- I just can't seem to catch it on camera.

2006-09-03T22:07:00.000-06:00

*****Airline

Olivia took her first trip on an airplane when we flew to Washington (State, not D.C.) to visit Marianna’s parents on Saturday. Olivia awoke pre-flight with a stuffy nose and we were a little anxious as to how she would deal with the in-flight pressure changes. Luckily she couldn’t be bothered with such trivial matters and decided to sleep during most of the flight. When the passengers in front of us commented on how they had forgotten there was a baby sitting behind them we figured the flight had been a success.

Unfortunately Olivia’s stuffy nose has not been as easy to deal with. We decided to administer a saline solution several times a day and by “administer” I mean holding her down, dripping it in her nose and sucking it out. The third part of this trio is accomplished using a bulb aspirator – squeeze out the air, insert into nose and vacuum out the goods.

My in-laws live in a rural area and have been known to have creepy-crawlies in their house. Olivia was especially stuffy during her first morning in Washington so we went through the routine and got a little more than we bargained for. As I was blowing out the aspirator to discharge what we *thought* would be mucous a bug (an earwig, I am told) came shooting out.

Opinions are split as to whether the creature was hiding inside of the aspirator or inside of my daughter’s nose. For the purposes of domestic tranquility the official position is that the earwig was simply exploring the bulb aspirator when he was rudely blown out. And that is all I have to say about that.

2006-08-27T20:17:00.000-06:00

*****Entertainer

Olivia is now just over twelve weeks and she is suddenly full of smiles, noises and the occasional belly laugh. Uncle Scott was the first to uncover the elusive belly laugh and it appears to be reserved for those things that are so outrageously funny that a smile alone simply will not do.

We have a split of authority in our house. I have always equated one month as four weeks, so for me twelve weeks and three months are one in the same. For Marianna, however, these two are different in that Olivia turned twelve weeks on August 23rd, yet August 31st would be three months from her birthdate of May 31st. I guess the resolution of this issue may come down to a bout of rock paper scissors, although deep down I will always know that I am right.

2006-08-22T06:29:00.000-06:00

*****Adventure

Last weekend was our first overnight trip away from home with Olivia. We traveled towards the western slope of Colorado to the Palisade peach festival. While it was raining in Denver, the temperature in Palisade was in the mid-90s. Olivia enjoyed all of her outside time as well as our efforts to keep her cooled off.

We spent the night in Glenwood Springs. Olivia passed her first true test of sleeping in a foreign environment, much to the relief of her parents. The following day we went to the pool -- since it is fed by a hot spring the pool is usually at a warm 90 degrees. Olivia found this to be her liking and cried when it was time to get out. I'd have to label our first travel experience as a success!

2006-08-15T20:14:00.000-06:00

*****Choosy

A few days ago Marianna and I unintentionally performed a "parental preference" experiment. Olivia was in the middle of her evening fussy period when Marianna, returning home from some well-deserved time at the gym, came into the room.

Olivia caught a glimpse of Marianna and went silent. I turned away with Olivia and her fit started all over again. Needless to say I handed her over and died a little bit inside.

I've accepted the role of lowest man on the totem pole where the cats are concerned, but this one is going to take some getting used to. Maybe she'll come around when she's sixteen.

2006-08-13T22:02:00.000-06:00

*****Smile

Olivia is full of smiles. This bodes well for me when I am feeling unfunny because, quite frankly, the girl will smile at just about anything (except, of course, the camera). We have been giving it our best to capture a smile -- sometimes it feels like we might have better luck getting a picture of Suri Cruise.

We had our first hike (of many, hopefully) in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was short due to the weather but Olivia enjoyed the view from her Baby Bjorn. She seems to really enjoy being outside and didn't seem to mind the impending storm as much as I did -- clearly she inherited her mother's disposition, which is a good thing.

2006-08-05T08:25:00.000-06:00

*****Sleep

For the past five nights Olivia has slept clear through. As she was only getting up once during the night since she came home from the hospital this may not seem like a big accomplishment, but if you ask Marianna there is nothing like uninterrupted sleep.

Olivia is still trying to figure out her thumb, and each time she puts it in her mouth we laugh at how cute she is. Then we wonder whether we will regret not nipping her new habit early on, but these worries are quickly replaced with more discussion on her level of cuteness. We are good parents!

Last night she experienced our county fair and rubbed elbows with some interesting folks. If you can say "tractor pull" and "deep-fried Oreo" in the same sentence then you have all you need to know about our county fair. Unfortunately for Olivia she slept through most of the festivities and missed her father eating a foot-long corn dog followed by ribs-on-a-stick. On second thought, maybe it's better she didn't see...

2006-07-30T21:27:00.000-06:00

*****Thumb

Olivia has discovered how to suck her thumb. To those who have not lived with a child who is attempting to turn "pacification resistance" into the next Olympic event I have one thing to say -- thank goodness for the thumb!

From birth Olivia has repeatedly chosen fingers (not her own) as her preferred method of pacification. She'll take a pacifier, but at times it appears that she derives more pleasure in spitting said pacifier out than actually using it for its intended purpose.

New avenues open with her thumb. It travels with her, won't get lost and isn't a choking hazard. The downside, of course, is that she may *never* stop sucking her thumb and therefore will live out her adult days in our basement.

We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now it's "carpe thumb!"

2006-07-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

*****Pool, Take Two

Since the good outweighed the bad with Pool Experience Number One we decided that we should give it another go. Olivia was so excited that she ripped through one swim diaper even before we could get her swimsuit on!

Much to our delight Olivia took to the water much quicker this time, most likely due to the fact that she had the calming influence of her mother with her in the water. Before we knew it she was doing laps and asking if we had any pennies we could throw to the bottom for her to dive down and find. Crazy kids.

As always, there are more photos available for your viewing pleasure (just click the link on the right side of the blog...and click a few ads while you are at it! The kid is going to need a new swimsuit soon!).

2006-07-23T18:37:00.000-06:00

*****Pool

Marianna and I have lived in our subdivision for nine summers and have yet to visit our community pool although we pay hefty dues each year for the privilege. Now that we have Olivia we have decided that we will finally enjoy this perk. Today was Day One.

Olivia has never been a big fan of the bath, and since the pool was a bit cooler than the 95 degree water she has learned to hate, things got off to a rocky start. Once everyone calmed down (yes, I will admit that I am excitable at times) we gave it another go. After Olivia decided that she was safe things were quite mellow and she enjoyed it quite a bit -- you can see the proof by clicking the link on the right.

As for this blog: I have been hacking my internet access so things are a bit touch and go at the moment. Once we are legally back on line I will pick up the pace once again...

2006-07-19T20:18:00.000-06:00

*****Phases

I have been informed by a close friend who is also a mother in the know that young Olivia does not suffer from colic. "I know from colic," she said, calling me a pansy, "your baby just cries, like all babies do." Hmmm. Chalk that one up on the list of how babies are different than cats.

Olivia continues to do quite well. What I previously referred to as possibly being the c-word was actually something that the books describe as the six to eight week fussies. Perched right atop Week Seven (and hopefully on the downhill side) it appears that Olivia gets her crank on only when she is hungry or tired.

Mornings are best, so I try to monopolize every unsolicited smile that comes my way because by the time I roll in from work Olivia is a bundle of screams. Lucky for her I am hungry and tired as well, so I can match her sob for sob.

2006-07-16T23:03:00.000-06:00

*****Traveler

Olivia made her first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park today in an effort to escape the oppressively hot temperatures that have been plaguing Colorado. Eighty-five degrees may not seem cool, but it is a veritable cold snap compared to the chart-topping weather down on the plains.

Olivia decided that a nap would be in order for the first part of our journey which consisted of a stroll around Lake Estes. Unable to contain her excitement, however, she managed to stay awake for a later walk around Sprague Lake. We took some photos of her sitting on an elk but unfortunately an overzealous park ranger made us delete them. Some "authorized" photos will be forthcoming...

2006-07-12T17:48:00.000-06:00

*****Numbers

Today Olivia had her eight week check-up two weeks early because she is advanced like that. Since you can't judge a kid this young on their manner of speech or demeanor there seems to be a great emphasis on their statistics, and Olivia's are as follows:

Length = 23 1/4 inches (100th percentile)
Weight = 10.7 pounds (75th percentile)
Noggin = 15 inches (55th percentile)

She received five vaccinations in three shots and took them all like a champ. While there was definite wailing it only lasted for a few short seconds until she could gain enough focus to continue sucking on Marianna's finger.

It is a shame they couldn't measure Olivia's IQ as I am almost certain it has increased ten-fold given her new interest in the Baby Einstein Discover and Play Activity Gym. I think it is safe to classify her reaction to this piece of equipment as nothing short of "bitchcakes." Hands down it is her absolute favorite thing to do. And when it comes right down to it who *doesn't* like to lay on their backs and listen to a classical music light show?

2006-07-09T07:06:00.000-06:00

*****Move

Last night marked a huge turning point at the 5 weeks plus mark as we made the executive decision to move Olivia into her crib.

Since she arrived home she had been sleeping in a bassinet at the end of our bed. She is not a quiet sleeper (lots of squeaks and grunts and such) and thus she kept Marianna at the edge of sleep most of the time. Me? Apparently I can sleep through anything.

Moving her into her crib not only gives her the freedom to make as much noise as she wants (kids like freedom, no?) it also gives us freedom from having to tip-toe and whisper in our own bedroom. I am thinking this is a win-win!

As for Olivia I think she is too young to really know the difference: she put in a solid six hours of sleep and hasn't issued any formal complaints as of yet.

2006-07-08T05:59:00.000-06:00

*****Eight

The good news is that Olivia put in a solid eight hours of sleep last night. The bad news is that it lasted from shortly before 8 pm to shortly before 4 am. Since her parents stayed up a little later than 8 pm the window was not as remarkable as it could have been.

We are still working on the day portion of the equation. While the dark room theory is holding some water it has yet to be the final solution. The greatest stressor seems to be the fact that you can find a different book and thus a different piece of advice on every question.

Query: "Is it OK to let a five week old cry in her crib when trying to get her to sleep?"

Answer 1: "This behavior is perfectly acceptable. By rushing to your infant every time she cries you are creating a pattern of behavior that will wreck your life in about two or three years."

Answer 2: "How dare you think of letting such a young child cry! For shame! Please report yourself to your local department of social services at once and tell them that you are unfit to be a parent."

Answer 3: "Do what feels right."

Expert advice is the bane of modern parenting.