Holy Crap, I'm 29 Years Old...

Today is my 29th birthday... I think anyway.  I have been telling people I am 29 for a while now.  For some reason after I turned 25 it got extremely hard to remember how old I was!

28 was a great year but I am SO looking forward to 29 (is that weird?)

* I am going to RUN my first 5K in May.  I recently started running again - and it feels amazing. I can't wait to start busting my pr's.
* We have a big Alaskan camping trip planned this summer. I can't even explain how excited I am for this!
* This is the year I am going to figure out what my passions are and start living my life accordingly.
* I get to watch my baby turn into a little girl - what is more amazing then that?
* This year I am going to focus on me, doing some of the things that I want instead of always going with the flow.

Big things planned for 29... best of all I is that anything can happen.

Goodbye 28 --- Hello 29! 

 

2014: Be Present

2013 was a great year....there were so many milestones with Olivia, we had an abundance of lake time and time at the cabin, we enjoyed so much time with friends and family... That's going to be pretty hard to top this year!

We do have some big things happening in 2014 and I am so excited! We have a date night planned to go to a Minnesota Timberwolves game (my first!), a week long camping/canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters, Olivia will be two!, we are going to continue with swimming lessons and enroll her in a tumbling tots gymnastic class, and so many of my friends are going to be having babies!

With all that said I do have a few things I want to concentrate on for 2014:

The main goal is to always be present.

 

I want to be present in actions, conversations, my marriage and especially with my daughter.

Sometimes I find myself not paying attention to her or being caught up with something to sit down and color with her.  THIS CHANGES NOW! I want to be there for her, creating memories, helping her grow and develop and to take in all of her innocent excitement for everything.  

My second goal is to be fit and strong for our canoe trip - kind of the usual but I need to be accountable... it is important that I be able to hold my own on this trip, I don't want to be the weak link!

What about you? Have you chosen one word to focus on for 2014? Do you have a resolution or goal? I’d love to hear about it! Share you thoughts!

It's a Hard Knock Life...

Watching my husband and daughter together makes my heart so happy!

She might be a Daddy's Girl!

Olivia adores her dad.  She loves playing with him, eating breakfast with him, when he reads to her... he can always make her laugh and smile. 

She goes back and forth between the two of us pretty evenly.  Some days all she wants is her mama and other days it's all about her daddy.  I truly love that she splits it up between us.  I feel awful when Dan wants to hold her and read to her but all she wants is me, so I am so happy it goes both ways. 

It's amazing watching her develop and grow and turn into this little girl with such a charismatic personality.   I cannot wait to see where our life together takes us.  I see big changes in the future, not entirely sure what they are though.

Good News on this Monday!

It's Monday.

We had a great weekend at home catching up on cleaning, laundry, playing outside, watching new tv shows, just enjoying the weekend!

On Sunday we went up to one of our good friends house to watch the Vikings game.  Coincidentally, Sunday was also their due date.  She was having some back pain but didn't think anything of it.

I get a phone call this morning from my husband and they went to the hospital this morning at 3am! No baby yet, but they are darn close!

I cannot wait to meet their little bundle - they are going to be such GREAT parents!  I am so so happy for them!

It makes me think back to when we were in the hospital with Olivia...she was so tiny.  Sometimes it is hard to remember that she was just a tiny baby, instead of a little girl with a big personality who runs and climbs on everything!

Sometimes I wonder...

Have you ever wished you could read minds?

I never really did until now... Sometimes I can tell what Olivia wants or is thinking.  But there are other times when I so badly want to know what is going through that perfect little head of hers. 

I often wonder if she were to somehow start talking in full sentences right this moment, what would she say?

Taking it all in...

Tonight while putting the baby to bed I had one of those moments I just want to bottle up and save forever.

While rocking her to sleep she all of a sudden sat up gave me a huge smile and put her forehead on mine.  I proceeded to give her Eskimo kisses (touching noses).  She would giggle and lean in for more.

Usually I would try to get her to go back to sleep so she wouldn't get wound up again, but tonight I enjoyed her giggles and our moment.

A few minutes later she snuggled back in fell asleep.  I held her extra long tonight after she fell asleep.

She may be getting bigger, but she will always be my little baby.

 

This moment...

is one I want to remember forever...

Nothing spectacular happened, just my baby and I running around and exploring our yard. 

Me chasing her, her chasing me... playing with the long grass from the lot next door....grabbing and dancing under the leaves from our tree our front....trying to keep her from eating the rocks from around our house, then walking in the rocks all the way around the house. 

Just us two.  Enjoying the moment.  Love.

Dare you not to smile...

We were having a good time at dinner the other night!

There is nothing better than a laughing baby - so fricking cute! Enjoy!

As soon as I saw you....

Precious little girl,
It is hard to remember what my life was like without you, and I don't want to. 
You make my life whole.
You are my heart.
You are my smile.
You are my everything.
Don't change a thing! Keep being that funny, curious, active little girl that you are. 
Love you always,
Your mama

On Irrational Fears

I don't know why, but sometimes I just have these crazy fears and thoughts about Olivia. 

It happened more often when she was a little younger but it still happens every now and then. 

I will be taking her out of her car seat in the garage and my mind instantly flashes to what could go wrong.  I.e. she would wiggle out of my arms and fall on the cement floor cracking her head open.

Or I will be worried about if she will somehow get out of her crib, out her door and will fall down the stairs because I didn't close the gate before I went to bed. 

Or how I will never get a video monitor because I am too afraid that I will see someone in the room with my baby (this one may be fueled by Criminal Minds and SVU).

I have seen a decrease in those types of fears, thank goodness.  Not sure if it is just a first time mom thing or if it is totally normal.  I know the root may be the fear of losing her in general.  She is my whole world and even imagining losing her breaks my heart. 

It's weird I know and I keep telling myself it is totally normal!

Now, here are a few photos her dad snapped while they were at a softball game yesterday!

Olivia saying Dada!

Now to get her saying Mama on video!

Wordless Wednesday!

As always, my Wordless Wednesday revolves around my gorgeous, silly, fun-loving baby girl!

Father's Day Weekend!

For Father's Day Weekend we headed up to our families cabin - by ourselves.  Just Dan, Olivia and myself! 

We had an awesome weekend! Olivia went on her very first boat ride and loved it! She didn't fuss at the sound, the wind, anything.  I think she is going to be a summer lake baby!

We did some boating, four-wheeling, and some major playing. Such a great time. 

On top of it all - Olivia started saying Dada earlier in the week.  Just in time for Father's Day! AND over the weekend she started saying Mama! Hearing your baby say mama for the first time - talk about making my heart soar!  She also took a few unassisted steps between her dad and I! Whew - definitely a busy weekend!

Seems like this girl is growing up in turbo-time.  Please slow down!

 

 

My loves - Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy in the world! 

We are so lucky to have you in our lives!

The best age is.......

Can you believe that it is already the end of April? The past 9 months have gone SO quickly!

Every different age I can't help but think.... This has got to be the best age ever!

When she was an newborn - I loved every single minute.  How tiny she was, how she was mine, the bond with breastfeeding, how she grasped my finger and slept on my chest.

When she was a couple months old - watching her take everything in, her first smiles and giggles, learning to move!

When she was six months old - watching her explore new foods, crawling, really playing and having favorite toys, learning her ticklish spots and getting those giant laughs from her!

And now, almost 9 months old - watching her zoom up the stairs like she has been doing it all her life, big hugs and wet kisses, listening to her 'talk', how she yells at me when I don't get her her water fast enough, how she points at everything now, her giant smile every time she sees me, how she loves every single picture of herself.

I could go on and on.   This little girl has my whole heart and I really never knew what that felt like until she came along. She is so inquisitive, loving, happy and playful.  I love the crap out of this baby.

When we talk of future kids my husband has said that he just doesn't know if we should have anymore.  We had always planned on it but his new reasoning is that he doesn't think that he could love another child as much as he loves Olivia.  I know we are both first time parents and every parent must feel this, but I kind of feel the same way right now! I know that we will be able to love another child just as much and I keep telling him that.  We don't need to worry about it right now, we have time.

I am just so happy that we got this happy little girl.  She is my world.

Love this...

During the week I have to wake Olivia up for daycare and she ALWAYS takes forever to wake up (which is one of my favorite things about the morning!)

This past weekend, we had some quality Mommy and Olivia time and I didn't wake her up at all.  She woke up all on her own!

Every time she woke up - be it in the morning or at nap time - I could tell she was awake for a few minutes.  Then I would inevitably hear her blowing bubbles with her mouth.

Then I would find this....

I seriously LOVE letting her wake up on her own - she is SO much happier then when I have to wake her up.  Even if it is only 15 minutes later.

I love having all of us together, but I truly cherish our alone time together!

Blueberry Girl

My mother sent me this book for my birthday with the inscription, "For my daughter to read to her daughter" I love everything about it.
 

Ladies of Light, and Ladies of Darkness
and Ladies of Never-You-Mind,
This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl
First: May you Ladies be kind.

Keep her from spindles and sleeps at sixteen;
Let her stay waking and wise.
Nightmares at three, or bad husbands at thirty;
These will not trouble her eyes.

Dull days at forty, false friends at fifteen;
Let her have brave days and truth.
Let her go places that we’ve never been;
Trust and delight in her youth.

Ladies of Grace, and Ladies of Favour,
and Ladies of Merciful Night,
This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl,
Grant her your clearness of sight.

Words can be worrisome, people complex;
Motives and manners unclear.
Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right,
Free from unkindness and fear.

Let her tell stories, and dance in the rain,
Somersault, tumble, and run;
Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep;
Let her grow like the weed in the sun.

Ladies of Paradox, Ladies of Measure,
Ladies of Shadows-That-Fall,
This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl,
Words written clear on a wall.

Help her to help herself, help her to stand;
Help her to lose and to find.
Teach her we’re only as big as our dreams;
Show her that fortune is blind.

Truth is a thing she must find for herself,
Precious and rare as a pearl;
Give her all these, and a little bit more,
Gifts for a Blueberry Girl.

“Blueberry Girl” by Neil Gaiman

On my heart...

I saw this quote at the end of last week and it has stuck with me (in a good way!)

Sometimes....

you just need a reminder.

Make it a great weekend!

Warming up....

We had a fantastic weekend getting things done around the house! It is finally warming up here in Minnesota and you know what that means....

Getting out of the house for a walk with the babies! We went to one of our friends houses for a play date.  They have a little boy who is 10 days older than Olivia. 

They played then we took advantage of the awesome weather and went for a walk - which quickly turned into nap time for both babies!

I love that we have friends with babies the same age.  It makes getting together a little easier and it is so much fun watching them grow up together.

Linking up Here.