8 WEEKS!

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Advent - The celebration of LOVE. We were asked by the church to be the candle-lighters this week. I had to read a little ditty about how God's Love is the true meaning and the most important gift of Christmas and then we lit the 4th candle on the Advent wreath. It went very well - Josh and Libby stood next to me while I read and then we all lit the candle together. It was nice to be  involved in a service rather than showing up and leaving as we normally do.
Olivia wore a dress (her only dress) from Aunt Katie and was so dang cute in it! The congregation was all smiles as we took the stage. She behaved herself as usual. The girl loves music - she is very happy whenever there is singing going on. And when the music stops, she keeps going....She has become quite a chatty little thing! She was cooing and squeeling a little too loudly today, so we had to get the pacifier out (she never get it unless we are in public and she gets crazy)! She is becoming so much fun to hang out with since she started smiling and talking. It's about the cutest thing ever! We need to get a video camera so we can start recording some of these things!

Christmas is next week - Libby is getting a couple of really great things from Santa and I'm sure she'll be spoiled by our families! We are looking forward to seeing everyone!



Goofy Girl



Do you think she can be a baby model?

Guess it was too bright for her!

Family Time

Love my Baby!

Merry Christmas to all!

Proud Parents

I am sure you are all dying to know how O-Baby's first week at the Imagination and Education Station went, right?!!
She did SO GOOD! She has proven to be just what we thought she was - a happy, adaptable baby:) They all adore her as they should.
Wednesday was her first day. I cried all the way to daycare, the whole time we were there dropping her off (I think it took about 20 minutes) and then half way to work. And then a few times at work. I only called to check on her twice in the 5 hours she was there, so I didn't think that was too bad. The first time I called was at 8:30am and they told me she just finished eating was sitting in the bouncy happy and content as can be. I was really glad she was doing well but at the same time, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that she wasn't crying for me. But mostly I was happy. When I picked her up at noon, she was really glad to see me! I got all kinds of pretty smiles from her! It was awesome.
She hasn't napped well over there. I assume it's due to the new surroundings and all the noise - there's so much to hear and see and Olivia is definately not one to let herself miss anything just for a little sleep. So when I bring her home each day she takes a really long nap to catch up. Then we play for an hour or so after she wakes and eats. I have been getting out the rattles and books and mirrors . She loves the mirror; she can stare at her beautiful self for like 3 minutes and that's like an hour for a baby! She couldn't be anything like her mommy, could she?

Olivia is getting so big so fast. We are noticing that she is just a couple of inches from taking up the entire changing table! That's length, not width:) Although she is filling out quite nicely in the round way, too. She is also getting too tall for the sleep sacks she often wears to bed and her little nighties, too. She was in the 34th percentile for height shen she was born, which means 66% of babies were taller than her at birth, but I think she has probably flip-flopped that and is more around the 66th percentile. (That's totally talking out of my booty. I honestly have no idea but it seems it has to be true).

I appreciate everyone's kind words and encouragement during our transition this week - thank you! We made it through the first week, and I know it's just going to keep getting better and easier. Until she's two, right? Is that when they get that separation anxiety?? Oh the things we have to look forward to. I love all of it and being a mom is for real the most amazing thing in the world. I love my daughter more every day.

Our Little Boxer

Rolly-Polly with  little smile

How Pretty

Hello? I can't hear you - I don't know how to put it to my ear!

Mommy and Daughter

Big Blue Eyes

Trying to catch her smile. We kinda got it

All Bundled up for Winter

Thursday and Friday were better for me; I only cried little on Thursday and Friday I was just sad and missing her.

STUFF

My husband celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday! Thanks to my friend, Jessica, I got to take him out for dinner at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse. We slow-played dinner, enjoying some fried zucchini fries (YUM!) for the first course, a salad and tasty bread and then we had some delicious steaks - Josh had a Char-Broiled Ribeye and I had a Chubby Sirloin. And let's not forget the dirty stuff! Oh yeah - Dirty Beefeater Gin Martinis....Hello Old Friend:)
Of course, I didn't break the rules - I never do - I only had one.
It was a really nice long dinner and we had a really good time together. Spending time with Josh is my very favorite pastime and thankfully that is the one pastime that will never change because we had a baby. And when I say we had a baby I mean that we had the most beautiful and precious little girl on earth.

We tried to go to church on Saturday night. When we got there, there were no cars in the parking lot and no lights on in the building. Apparently in the past 2 weeks they did away with Saturday night church. That totally stinks! We love Saturday night church! We went this morning instead and things went pretty well. During the music Olivia was alert and quiet - she loves listening to music. But when the music stopped and it was time for the sermon she started getting pretty loud so I had to take her out and feed her in the nursery. After that she was happy and quiet again - but still very awake and alert. Everyone oohed and ahhed over her like always. People can't get enough of babies. I am glad she is able to put a smile on so many people's faces. Hopefully she will continue to do that throughout her life. I can't wait to watch her personality develop and see how she touches the lives of others. I know she has touched mine in ways unimaginable to me until she came into the world. The love I have for her is so different than any other love I've ever experienced.

And that is why Josh woke me up in the middle of the night and my face was completely soaked with tears. I am dreading this coming Wednesday as I have to go back to work and put her precious life into strangers' hands. When I say I am dreading it I mean that every single time I talk about it or think about it and now dream about it, I cry. It's a quiet cry; one where hot tears pour out of my eyes and my heart aches like my best friend is moving across the country or something. It just hurts. Except last night it wasn't a quiet cry - I was pretty much sobbing in my sleep. I dreamt that she cried for me so long and so loud that they hated her. They called our sweet baby a devil child.
It's a weird thing how I understand that she will  survive without me near her every hour of the day, but at the same time I imagine that she will be so sad without me near her every hour of the day. And sometimes I even think that she is going to be angry with me; that she will feel I have abandoned her. I never want her to feel abandoned or unloved and I know that even if her caretakers love her they will never love her the way her daddy and I do. It's just not possible. I pray that she adapts as well as the back of my mind knows she will. I pray that they treat her well and cuddle her often and help her grow into a confident happy little girl. And I pray she never, ever forgets who her mommy is. Ever.

Over the next two days I may not ever put her down!

Back on Track

It's been a while since I've posted...seems I have been keeping myself pretty busy with our precious little O.

At Olivia's last doctor appointment - her 2 week check-up - she weighed 8lbs 8oz and 21-1/4" Long! That meant she had gained a pound since we left the hospital and only 10oz since she was born. But she got 2 inches longer!! That is an inch a week :) The doctor wasn't too concerened, but she wanted us to bring her in again 2 weeks later to check her weight because she had gone from the 51st percentile down to the 38th.

So today we went and saw Dr. Jean again. And guess how much our chunker-butt weighs?? 9lbs, 11oz!! That is crazy, right?! She weighs almost 10lbs and she's only 4-1/2 weeks old! It is amazing how much she changes in such a short amount of time.

We had a great week with my mom last week- we spent a lot of time sitting around loving on Olivia and chatting about this and that. We went furniture shopping and she took me clothing shopping to find some jeans to fit my newly unpregnant body (thanks, Mama!)
Side note: (I'm going to brag a little bit here and thank my daughter for being such a good eater). I gained 22lbs during my pregnancy and I am down 29! Did you know breasfeeding burns and extra  500 calories a day? Well it does - pretty sweet, right? I think that means I can just skip the gym until I quit breastfeeding. Except that losing pounds doesn't tighten my jiggly belly! Who knew growing 10 inches around the waist would leave my stomach muscles a blubbery mess!!
So back to the week - I had a ton of fun with my mom. I haven't gotten to spend that much time with her in a really long time, and it's so cool now because I am grown and learning how to become a mommy and who better to learn from than the best mommy in the world?! And we have become great friends over the years, so girlie time is great!

Livie is starting to smile - it's the cutest thing EVER! It doesn't happen a lot yet, but when it does it melts my heart. Daddy came home from work last night and gave her kisses and she lit up so bright and gave him a big fat smile. She loves her daddy so much - it's pretty awesome to see them bond. I love my little family.

Here's a couple of pictures to enjoy!

I think this is her signature look!

s

Grammy and Livie

Being way too big for her britches:)

Daddy feeding her mommy's milk for the first time:) How cute are they?

HAHA - Playing around...She's so stinkin' funny!



Asleep during tummy time

Oh How She Grows

If we ever thought life went by too fast, we didn't know anything about it. This coming Thursday Olivia will be a month old! In some ways is seems like she has been a part of our family forever, but it's also hard to believe she has been with us for 3-1/2 weeks.

Josh and I are very lucky and thank God that she is such a good baby. Everyone has always told me how tired and worn out and busy I was going to be with a new baby, but that's just not the case...Getting up every 3 hours at night has not been a big deal. I think there are a couple of reasons for that:
1. I have never been one who required a lot of sleep
2. I think when you become a parent, the needs of your child take precedence over your own

I love my husband. Just a random thought there :)

Olivia is apparently going through a really long growth spurt. I read that they are only supposed to last a day or two, but we are on day three and she just can't stop eating! And it is starting to show - she is now over 9lbs!! What a little chunker! Sometimes I am sure she thinks she is 6 months old. She picks her head up and looks around with way too much control and she likes to stay awake and hang out during the daytime hours. Seems she doesn't want to miss anything going on around her.
We started using the cloth diapers this week and is has been going really well. The first time we put one on her she got really quiet - who wouldn't though if your butt was swaddled in fleece?!! They are still a little too big for her and give her a little ghetto booty but they are cute. 
Also new this week - She has discovered her tongue...She is constantly sticking it out - it's pretty funny to see. 
My mom is coming down to spend the week with us while my dad is in Isreal. It's going to be pretty fun and it will be nice for Lil' O to get some QT with her. And speaking of my dad's trip - please keep in him your prayers for safe travel and a fulfilling experience. 

 

Pics & Videos

She loves the Moby wrap...She made the little noices the whole time she was in there  - Just like she did right after she was born :)

Our first family photo

First bath - She never cried - just looked like she was going to...She actually LOVES having a bath!

Daddy/Daughter nap...How cute!

Uncle Nic loving her <3

Uncle Brod doing the same

G-Pa admiring her beauty

Nana loves her, too!

Aunt Katie snuggling close

She loves her boppy

Skin-to skin with Mommy on day 1...Precious

First time in the Moby - Loving it:)

And We're Back...Plus One!

So I realize it's been 2 weeks since we updated this thing. But what do you expect?? We have a brand new beautiful baby girl named Olivia Grace Banta!!! Olivia was born October 21, 2001 at 7:54pm. Weighing in at 7lbs, 14oz and measuring 19-1/4 inches long.

Backing up a bit...Josh blogged last Wednesday when we got checked into the hospital - he mentioned the balloon - it was awesome - by 9:30 Thursday morning when they took it out, I was 5 centimeters dilated! We were really excited - half way there already:)
They began increasing the Pitocin every half hour until finally around 11 I was feeling strong contractions every 3-4 minutes. Still, though I was staying around 5 cm.
The day kept moving along - I tried the IV pain medication (Fentinol) and that made me feel drunk for about 15-20 minutes, and then wore off. The contractions were very painful - I was not expecting them to be so bad! So I finally ordered an Epidural, and it only worked on the right side of my body and eventually wore off, too, so they gave me another...It worked on both halfs, so I was pretty content for the next few hours.
Dr. Mintzer (who by the way was awesome and is going to be my doctor from now on) came in around 6:30pm and I was still at 5cm. He told me he wasn't going to rush me into a C-Section so I could keep waiting a couple more hours and see if there was any change, but that if I didn't progress, I would likely be taken in for C-Section. Josh and I said a prayer that things would progress - we wanted to avoid the C-Section as long as me and the baby were healthy. Just under a half an hour later I started feeling a lot of pressure and I asked the nurse to check me for progress. Nancy (the nurse) said she would do that, but that she doubted there will be any change in such a short amount of time. Josh went to use the restroom and when he came out, Nancy announced that I was fully dilated and we were ready to push the baby out!!! It was awesome news to hear!
Unfortunately it was right at 7:00 shift change, so Nancy was leaving and Trish was coming on..They were trying to get the NICU team gathered up (Olivia had pooped inside of me, so they had to be sure she didn't aspirate any of the meconium), do their shift change reporting, get Dr. Mintzer to the room, and get all of the equipment ready for delivery. It was a zoo in there and I was in the middle of having a baby! I wasn't getting any direction at that point - Josh and I were just doing it on our own, but I had enough and finally yelled out that I didn't know what I was doing and needed some help! Trish then came to the bedside and she helped coach us through the contractions. Dr. Mintzer showed up, they broke the bed down, and Olivia was on her way. It was a rough hour, and there were some funny things said and done that helped to keep my spirits up and my motivation going.
Josh was amazing - he was completely supportive and never got frustrated or mad or anything. He counted me through the contractions, held my hand, pushed the hair out of my eyes and reminded me of everything I needed to do. As soon as Olivia came out, he was with the NICU team holding her hand and loving her...it was beautiful to see him so happy and proud of his little girl. I knew from the very beginning he would be a great dad and he is.
I could never know how much you can love someone you've only just met until you have a child. It is something hard to explain in words - it's pure unconditional love from the start.

So that is the basic story of Olivia's arrival into the world. It was the most awesome experience in our lives, and worth every bit of pain and waiting we went through!

Here are some picture of our beautiful daughter...She has changed so much already in her first 2 weeks of life. We know that time is going to go by way too quickly and before we know it she will be crawling and walking and talking. We are trying to enjoy everything about her while it lasts - and there is plenty to enjoy!

All Checked in...

We arrived at the hospital around 7:30 and got checked in.  We felt like we were packed for an extended hotel stay so that was kind of strange.  Our nurse is LeAnn and she is great.  The doctor was awesome tonight.  She is the best one that we have seen so far.  They put Tasha on a balloon which should help with prepping her for the labor tomorrow. She is about to take an Ambien and get some rest.  We included some pics for your enjoyment.  Not sure we will get another chance to blog so most likely the next time we do, we will have a baby!!!

Looking back

Here are some of my growing belly pictures. It is weird to see because I didn't ever notice the day to day growth. It was like one day I didn't have a bump and the next thing I knew I had a basketball under my shirt! The belly is soon to disappear. I am kinda sad about it. It has been something undescribable to have our baby as a part of me for the last 9 months. But it will soon be in my arms, so hopefully I won't miss it too much...



4 months







5 months



6 months







8.5 months








9 months