Tummy Time

Olivia and I went to the pediatrician recently for her two-month check up. Dr. Moore encouraged me to expand the amount of "Tummy Time" that Olivia is getting to continue to build her neck muscles. She emphasized that until she gets used to it, Olivia will really dislike these exercises. She had been laying flat on a blanket on the kitchen table and really enjoyed that time, so I found it hard to believe she would despise the Boppy. Let me just say that this particular exercise is an acquired taste that Olivia has not yet embraced.

Dr. Moore said that giving her something interesting to look at and reach for would help, so we started with this cow because of its coloring (newborns can most easily see the contrast of black, white, and red).

Olivia was not impressed.

Rub A Dub

Here's Dad and Olivia, scrubbing around her neck. A lot of milk gets in there during the course of the day and collects all manner of lint if you're not careful.

Olivia really likes bath time. The only time she gets upset is when it is over. (Look at that belly!)

After the bath comes drying off and getting dressed for bed.

So fresh and so clean!

Say What?

Olivia has really found her voice in the last week. We take some time to play and talk several times each day so that she can practice building muscles and using her voice. She is already very good at vocalizing -- often it is filled with laughter and cooing, which is a lot sweeter than the talking in this video, but that wasn't the kind of mood Olivia was in this afternoon. You can see at the end of this video what Olivia was trying to tell me (time to eat, Mommy!)

No More Newborn

Olivia is a big girl!

Olivia has been growing like a weed! She's 9 weeks old this week, and she's graduated to her 3 Month clothes -- no more newborn outfits for her! Isn't this jumper adorable?

Pink Means GIRL, People!

Just because my hair is thin on top does not mean I am a boy! Boys do not wear pink or purple or socks that look like ballerina slippers! Boys do not wear butterflies or headbands! Stop calling me a handsome little guy -- pink means I am a girl!!

Look Ma, My Hands!

Since the day she was born, Olivia has always had her hands up in her face (see Exhibit A, above). Until recently she lacked the coordination to really control where exactly her hands landed. She would keep her tiny hands balled up in fists and try desperately to get her thumb in her mouth, not realizing that she was working against herself -- the harder she tried to find her thumb, the tighter she would ball up her fists (with her thumb securely tucked away under all those other fingers).

Then one magical day, all of Olivia's hard work paid off -- her thumb accidentally landed in her mouth, and all that sucking managed to keep it there (Exhibit B).

She doesn't care that the other four fingers are poking her in the eye most of the time. Even if I give her a pacifier, she'll spit it out after a few minutes and in pops the thumb.


At this age, she's too young to try to teach about the perils of thumb sucking. So for now, we just enjoy how adorable she is, and Mommy enjoys how quiet the mornings are since Olivia sucks her thumb when she wakes up instead of crying to nurse.