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.