The Piechota Family: Just to Get You Up to Speed (Part 2)

For this post, since Olivia is now 8 months old, I will summarize each of the months leading up to now.

1 Month

Even though Olivia was pretty much a vegetable i.e. she'd eat, sleep, and poop, I would say this was the most difficult month for me. By Choice, I decided that breastfeeding was the best decision for me; however, I did not think it would be THAT difficult. Not only does the baby have to learn to suck and breath and swallow all at the same time, but the mother has to figure out how to accomplish such an "easy" task. A few days after bringing her home, we were told she had jaundice, which most newborns typically do. They make it a lot easier on the parents these days, because the nurse will actually come out to your home and bring all the equipment and explain how to use it.

Do you know how hard it is to keep a baby asleep with eyeguards for any length of time? Not an easy task at all. For this, I called in the expert, my mother. She graciously accepted the task of monitoring her temperature throughout the night every two hours, and alerted me when she was hungry, so that I could get some rest.

Naturally, there were a lot of firsts in month 1....meeting her two furry siblings, sleeping in her crib (since 2nd night home), first bath, getting used to her carseat, etc.

A friend of my parents offered to do a 1 week old photo shoot for us...

Liv smiles for the first time...it was actually 6/30/2010...but this is the first time I caught it on camera.

We took a trip when she was 3 weeks old to visit her Grand Papa Vinny (Ryan's dad), Pop (Vinny's dad), and Nannie (Jean's mother).

Although it was a great trip, she and I stayed tired...

I ended up getting Pink Eye, which makes for an interesting experience away from home with an infant. We made the best of it, and everyone got home in one piece.

Month 2

Olivia goes to Daycare :(....In the beginning, I would get her back to sleep, and "carefully" put her in her carseat, because she hated riding in it. Now, I just stick her in and we go...so much better!

Olivia finally got to meet her Auntie Becca on July 24, 2010....almost a full 2 months after she was born :(

We forgive her though, because she now has a Master's degree from the University of Georgia.

Month 3

Olivia was baptized on August 22, 2010. Somehow we only came away with maybe 2-3 pictures from that blessed occasion.

Month 4

This was a fun month as we got to introduce solids into her diet! First thing on the menu...Sweet Peas and Apples :)

Some days were good....

Others were bad....

Also around this time, her sleep preferences changed. She went from sleeping on her back, in her positioner (which she quickly told me she was on to bigger and better things), to sleeping on her tummy with her butt stuck straight up in the air...

Month 5

Ryan and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary, and Liv experienced her 1st Halloween :)

She didn't really know what to make about any of it, but we had fun with our mini photo shoot.

The ONLY smile out of all the pictures we took....

She even got to wear her costume to daycare. Our little "monster."

Month 6

Pretty much from months 3-6 Momma did not get much sleep....why?

These two bottom teeth actually broke the skin November 25, 2010, so this picture is when she's a little older, but the teeth show up better here.

What makes these teeth stand out most in my mind is the fact that they decided to show up while we were away from home visiting Ryan's dad.....She always pulls a fast one on me when we travel to see him....I hope this doesn't become the trend lol!

Here are pics from our Thanksgiving visit to see Grand Papa Vinny:

I discovered I have cousins!....

They showed me the ropes on my toys :)

I got kisses from Granny Trish :)

I learned how to "entertain" myself...

I visited with cousins Dana (left) and Judy (right).

They just couldn't get enough of my sugar...

Month 7

This was also a fun month for the Piechota Family....amidst the fun though, the whole family kept getting sick, especially Olivia. From November to the end of December, Olivia had 3 ear infections, which unfortunately landed Momma and Liv at the doctor's office three days in a row, including Christmas Day :(

Grand-Papa Vinny came to down to Savannah to visit with us for Liv's First Christmas. Since Liv and I had to go to the doctor the morning of Christmas Day, we did Christmas with Vinny on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day we all went to my parents' house for breakfast and presents.

Olivia sat for Momma to read her "The Night Before Christmas" among 8 other books...