13 month update

A quick little update on Olivia...

Our baby girl isn't really a baby anymore.  Olivia is now 13 months and she is definitely a little person and not a baby!  She is starting to walk with the assistance of her walking toy or anyone willing to help. She is eating 'real people' food, with her favorites being banana, turkey and cheerios. But, she will eat almost whatever daddy and mommy eat. Her favorite activities are bath time, playing in her play house, walking, climbing stairs, pulling mommy and daddy's clothes out of their drawers and throwing them around their room and just playing with her toys. She does not enjoy getting her diaper changed, and definitely does not like sleeping through the night, or taking long naps. Currently, she is popping a tooth (her third one), so she's been getting up every 2-3 hours at night. But she had previously been doing a 5 or 6 hour stretch and then a 3ish hour stretch. For naps, she will sleep about 30-60 minutes in the morning and then 45-75 minutes in the afternoon.
Olivia unofficially weighs 19.4 pounds (done on our bathroom scale this morning) and fits comfortably in 12 month clothing. She babbles and has done a few 'mama' and 'dada,' but I don't think she realizes what she is saying. Her giggle and smile are still the highlights of our day. She loves to people watch and so many people will comment on her smile and how welcoming she is. In the past few weeks, she has learned to wave bye-bye, but at times, she will wave to no one (but it is still adorable). On Tuesday, she will complete her first round of swim lessons. I was the instructor for the class, so Phil and Olivia got to bond while I was the mean teacher making them (and 4 other baby-daddy pairs) get into the cold pool :)
We are taking her 1 year-old pictures tomorrow and I know they will be adorable! Check back in a few weeks to see some of our favorites! 

Cheering on the Sioux at the Frozen Four!

Looking up to my younger brother

Everyone needs a younger brother. Well, honestly, everyone needs an older sister who is as awesome as I am, but that’s already obvious J



The early years

I say that everyone needs a younger brother because as you all know, I have one. And he’s pretty amazing. In addition to his fantastic orange hair, he has a humorous personality, a kind heart, an athletic body and the motivation to follow, and now achieve, his dream. It hasn’t always been easy, but he stuck with it, and it has paid off. 

Tom has always been the athletic child of the family. Whatever sport he tried, he excelled. I don’t think there was one sport that he didn’t try and succeed (yes, he even tried figure skating and yes, he was pretty good). However, hockey has always been his #1 passion. My dad would take Tom and I to ‘skate with the Falcons’ at the Air Force Academy and Tom would skate around collecting signatures with a huge smile on his face (while I, at the adorable age of 10 and 11- years old, tried to act mature enough to catch an eye of those handsome 18 year-old college hockey players). Growing up, we had season tickets to Colorado College hockey and Air Force hockey. Tom was friends with the Colorado College coach’s son and got to help out during some practices and games. So, hockey has been a part of our lives since our family moved to Colorado in the early 90’s. 

My best man

When Tom started his job as a hockey referee, I thought it was just a high school job. He continued with this job in college, while playing club hockey for Colorado State University. When he was told of his potential with the refereeing world, he said he would do whatever it would take to keep moving up the ranks. After college, he began that journey. I never knew the sacrifice and dedication that it takes to live the life of a hockey referee. While Tom may have lived in an apartment for his first few years employed with USA Hockey, he could never really call one place ‘home.’ He would live with 2 or 3 other guys in a small apartment and would consistently be on the road during the weekends and sometimes during the week. In order to get to the city that he was working in, he would have to drive. Some weekends, he was lucky and only had to drive 3 or 4 hours each way. Other weekends, he would have to referee a game until 9pm, drive 3 hours, spend the night somewhere and then drive another 5 or 6 hours to get to his next game. Some weekends, he got the luxury to fly, but that was only because he had a game in Alaska. And while he was working on the weekends, he would spend the night in a hotel, or another employee’s apartment. So, on the weekends that he was away, his room could potentially be occupied by another USA Hockey referee that was doing the same job as Tom and living the life of a traveler. Since the season is only a few months long, he would ‘live’ in one place for the hockey season, and then have a few days to pack up his entire room and head back to Colorado for the summer. A few months later, he would pack up everything again and head out to his new home. Exhausting doesn’t even describe what I think he went through.

Fast forward to July 2013 when Tom got the magical phone call. After a few seasons of hectic travel, long days, minimal pay and cruddy living conditions, the NHL offered him a contract. He could now live where he wanted to (with some restrictions), take a plane to the majority of his games, stay in decent hotels during his travels and finally take that step that leads to the ‘big dance.’

The past few months have been wonderful to see him be an adult. Not that he wasn’t one before, but it seems that overnight, I went from having a 21 year-old brother that lived a crazy, carefree life to a mature 26 year-old brother that is talking about business suits and travel and a responsible future. This week, my little brother got the joyous news that he will be a referee in his first NHL game. And you better believe his whole family will be there cheering him and supporting ‘Team Ref.’

Many people may think that they have the best younger brother. Sorry, you're wrong.  My brother is the one with the best 'one-liners.' My brother is the one who played 'communion' with me in the kitchen with bread pieces and Kool-Aid. He is the one who dressed up in my old Homecoming dresses for skits during AirBand. He was the one to start T.C. Tailgate at the high school and attempted to bring back the fanny pack during his senior year. Tom is the one that camped out with me in the backyard in elementary and middle school, built forts with me in the living room and had movie nights on Christmas Eve. During the long summer state swim meets in Grand Junction, he was the one to memorize the turns on the slide and tell me about it after I was done swimming. He has made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry, and just listened when I needed to talk. So while everyone should have a big sister, I can honestly say that life with a younger brother may be one of the best things in this world.  


*Everyone should tune in to the NY Islanders vs. Ottawa Senators hockey game on Tuesday, April 8*

Olivia is 1. Olivia is 1? Olivia is 1!

I love frosting!

As you can tell from my lack of updates, having a 1 year old leaves me little time for blogging, let alone leaves me with little time to barely form a cohesive sentence some days...
But, sure enough, we have a 1 year old in our house. Our little precious gift from God turned one a few weeks ago. While some days it feels like I've been at this mommy thing for awhile now, other days, it feels like just yesterday that we brought her home. She has been such a joy in our lives, in our family's lives and even stranger's lives (this morning while grocery shopping, a person standing in line told me that he needed that adorable smile from Olivia this morning).  She is cute. And adorable. And smart. And so many other things.  One thing is for sure though, we are so proud and happy to have her as our daughter.
For her 12 month check up, Olivia weighed in at 18 pounds and 9 oz and measuring 26.5 inches long. She is still rocking the 10th percentile in most areas, but her doctor continues to be happy with her progress thus far. She is sleeping about 4 hours at a time during the night and getting up 2-3 times at night. Her favorite foods are bananas, avocado, black olives, turkey, cheerios and almost any baby puree. She still has just the two teeth, but with the amount of drooling, fussiness and wanting to put everything in her mouth, I am thinking that those upper teeth may be coming in. She loves playing with her toys and for now, she really hasn't identified a favorite, but she loves her Discovery cups, connecting links and anything that plays awesome music (read: annoying tunes that are cheesy and get stuck in your head and you find yourself humming it during the day)! 

Olivia's first birthday party was a small family gathering with Phil's family and then my parents. My mom flew in for a week and my dad flew in for the weekend. We had her party at a hotel and it was exactly what Olivia dreamed it would be! There were streamers and balloons and family and pictures being taken and of course, the cake! Like mother, like daughter I guess :) Seriously, the child loves cake. It was a happy afternoon and Olivia is so lucky to have such a great and loving extended family.

The happy grandparents

While my mom was here, we talked about the events leading up to Olivia's birth. I remember a few things, such as getting the call from the hospital, checking in to Labor and Delivery and a few moments of the labor. I remember feeling an extreme sense of relief (physically and mentally) when I finally pushed her out. And just praying during those last pushes 'please let her cry, please let her cry,' since the doctors had told us that she may not cry due to the premature delivery. I remember hearing that first cry and just putting my head back, knowing that she was here, but not comprehending that she was here. Just 24 hours before she was born, we were having lunch with the swim team for a fundraiser and going through Olivia's room making a check list of what items we still needed and deciding what we should bring to the hospital.  In those 12ish hours from the time I was admitted until the time she was born, I had no idea the support, prayers, phone calls, text messages and everything else that was going on. Talking with my mom, she told me that she had called around 2 or 3am and was talking to me and I said something along the lines of 'well, aren't you just chipper this morning' (and of course I said it in the not-so-nicest way possible). She had also taken on the task of letting my best friend Kari know what was going on. My mom was the one to call my in-laws and let them know how serious the situation was. I don't remember anything the doctor's said about my condition, but I do remember a few nurses coming in and commenting about how good I looked, considering my labs. Phil has told me how many doctors and nurses came into my room once I started pushing, because they were unsure about the level of care that Olivia and I would need. It is amazing what your brain and body remember and forget. I remember being in pain, but don't remember how much. I remember crying because the only thing on my birth plan was an epidural, and crying because the pain from my enlarged liver, but don't remember crying because of the contractions (goodness knows I did though!). One thing that I will always remember is the first time seeing Olivia. Just this helpless, adorable, wonderful little person with the machines hooked up to her. I remember touching her and holding her hand. Even as I write this, I have tears in my eyes because I will always remember how proud and scared I was in that exact moment. That moment is one that makes me the person I am today. That moment is the one that encourages me to be the best mommy for her. And to protect her. And to love her. And to cherish the smallest things.

Life with Olivia is full of small and wonderful things. Even the most monotonous things have a new life to them. Eating dinner now has mini food wars and 'make up' sessions, compliments of the little one with avocado and banana on her fingers. Waking up now has a babbling song, compliments of the singer in the crib. Going to bed now has tiny fingers and tiny hands wrapped in mine. Doing chores now has a little girl laughing and crawling and following me. And now this week, we have a little girl that loves her new walker toy and has discovered the joys of walking. All too soon, we will have a little girl that takes that first big step away from her walker or her dada or her mama and ventures into her next adventure. And guess what Olivia Grace, your mama and dada will be there with you for every minute, cheering you on and celebrating the little things that mean so much to us.