Happy Halloween!

A few pics from last year when Livy was 3 weeks old, and one from this year...my how we've grown!

Killer Balloons?

I never thought about the dangers of balloons before, and just happened across this article. Here is the article from www.drgreene.com.

The Dangers of Balloons

That's right. Balloons!

This shocking fact was established by a study conducted by Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in conjunction with DuPont Institute, and Inchcape Testing Services Risk Analysis and Management. They looked at the shape, consistency, and size of objects that caused choking deaths in 449 children. Findings from this study include: objects that pass the Small Parts Test Fixture (the cylinder with a diameter of 3.17 cm that is used to gauge the safety of small toys) can cause choking. The biggest culprits in this category are spherical objects such as balls and marbles or objects that have spherical parts such as dolls with spherical heads. Far more dangerous, however, are objects that have the ability to conform to the shape of a child's airway, such as balloons and disposable diaper stuffing. Of additional concern is the fact that the number of deaths caused by children inhaling a portion of a balloon are still very high in the 3 - 6 year-old range, which we consider out of danger from choking.

Here are the take home lessons --

• Don't assume a toy is safe for a child to play with just because it passes the SPTF test.
• Don't assume a child is in the safe range just because he or she is over three years old.
• If a whole object or a round portion of an object will fit into your child's mouth, watch him very closely whenever he plays with it.
• Never let a child play with a balloon when you are out of the room.
• Mylar and paper balloons are far safer than latex balloons.
• Stay current on Infant and Child First Aid and CPR -- the life you save may be very dear to you!!!

The teething continues

With my dear husband out of town this week, Olivia's teeth have picked this week to continue being especially stubborn. They haven't quite poked through yet, and she has continued to be "alittle off." Now she has started having diahrea and a diaper rash, and I know thats way more than you wanted to know, but I've changed her 5 times in 3 hours, clothing and all. She is also very irritable, and asking for "Daddeeeee" over and over again. I think shes really confused about Dave's whereabouts, and she goes over to every phone in the house and says "Hi Daddy." He also calls to talk to her and she gets so excited and starts going very crazy for "Dadddeeeeeeee." Tonite she was also asking for "Hannah" over and over again. If she wasn't getting on the phone to talk to Dave then she was getting on to talk to Hannah. She is continuing to chomp on anything and everything she can find to try and get some relief, and of course I have a million teething tricks to try and help. Now that this Diahrea and diaper rash have, started, I just feel just plain awful for her. If she isn't screaming in teething pain then shes fussing about her rash. I finally let her crawl around naked for over 30 minutes just to air herself out. They say air helps, and www.askdrsears.com is always the most helpful. Oh well....I guess I'm settling in to watch "Dancing with the stars" as long as she stays asleep. Oh and did I mention that she isn't sleeping? She goes down until about 10:30, then wakes up screaming in pain. I'm hoping tonite is a good nite. I miss Dave and it looks like lulu does to!

One cool thing is that Olivia says "Uncle" now. She loves her uncle Anthony, and now she screams "Uncle" in excitement as soon as he arrives. She also calls my sister "A Naa Naa" short for Aunt Niki. Shes talking up a storm lately...she even mimicks "I love you" after I say it. Of course she doesnt' know what it means, but its fun to watch her say these things. She has also taken a few steps...she has been taking two at a time. She now wants to walk around the house all the time, which was something she never wanted to do before. I've been hanging on to her babyhood since she hasn't walked yet, but I can feel toddlerhood knocking on our door more each day. She changes overnite, its so amazing. Today she climbed the stairs over and over again....its time to put a stair gate up for our little mountain climber.

Teething Hurts

My poor little peanut is teething worse than ever this week. Nothing seems to be helping these two teeth that are coming in. I finally gave the poor girl a huge raw carrot, and she gnawed on it forever. Poor livy-lou! I only wish that I knew what this pain feels like...I can't imagine it. I've tried everything from homeopathy to conventional, but shes still seems to be in alot of pain. These are the hardest two for her...I can't even imagine how bad the molars are going to be.
Other than the teething pain Olivia is doing very well. We had her 12 month check up this week, and she now weighs 24lbs and is 29 inches tall. Dr. Khaneja reminded Dave and I how far we've all come as a family this passed year. She pointed to some earlier chart notes about colic, her nap strike which lasted 3 months, gas, fussiness, breastfeeding issues, and did I mention her nap strike which lasted 3 months. haha Its amazing that just 6 months ago I had called Dr K in tears becuase Olivia wasn't napping and I thought my breast milk was doing her more harm than good. She had the worse gas on planet earth, and needed to be jostled and jiggled from 5pm until about 10pm. Dave and I were exhausted. She was never calm, and always seemed to have some discomfort. All of the sudden at 7 months I had this completely wonderful baby who took naps and seemed very content. Of course Olivia was happy in her earlier months, but she had colic until 6-7 months. And of course to add insult to injury, the only people that I seemed to know had children who never had colic, and also took long naps, so I thought that I was really screwing up. But guess what...that must be what being a 1st time mom is all about. For my second child I'll probably feel alittle more at ease, and feel a peace in knowing that these things usually work themselves out, and then as the wind blows so comes another new and exciting parenting challenge. :) But as I'm seeing with my dear friend Jenn...new moms need support, so even if you're child was perfect, please don't brag to the new exhausted mother. Just nod your head and offer her symphathy for her sleep deprived state. I used to see it all the time at the baby group. Some poor new mom will be there exhausted and seeking support, and some veteran mom will say, "Well I was so lucky because Stella slept through the nite from the minute she was born, and started walking at 4 months, and never had a food allergy, and yada yada yada." I see every opportunity with a tired new mom as a chance to bond as women since our lives as parents aren't exactly easy. We all can relate to parenting issues on some level.

Having said that, I'm so happy that Dave, me, and Olivia surivived and thrived during her 1st year of life. And as the Navy Seals say, "The only easy day was yesterday!" lol Whats to come over this next year?

The Bathroom....finished.

Here are some pics of the finished bathroom. We still have some painting left, and decorating, but we're getting there. The angles aren't great on these photo's, but I was tired when I took them. :)

Happy 1st Birthday Olivia

Here are some pics from the party. Please send me any that you may have, as I couldn't get 1/2 the shots that I wanted to.

We have beautiful, kind, loving, and caring people all around us who came out to celebrate this monumental event. Milestones are the funnest days to celebrate!!God has blessed our family, and we were happy to have everyone under one roof to wish Olivia Happy 1st, right on her actual birthday! That was special. It takes a village to raise a child, and we're blessed with our village! :) That may sound cheesy but I trully thank God everyday for the people in our lives, and Olivia's life is better because all of you are a part of it. I think Olivia had fun at her party, and felt the love in the room.

Where it all began.....

Some early pics of Olivia...captured here in all of her glory. What a year it has been! We've grown, we've changed, we've matured, we've lost sleep, we've loved, and loved, and loved all in the name of Olivia Nicole. And as any parent knows, that isn't even the start of the story of the first year of parenthood. It rocks your world like no other, and no matter how easy someone makes it look, its the hardest, most rewarding job in the world.

The bathroom....end of day 1

Well there was hope that we would have a shower tonite, but all that was diminished due to some issue. The workmen were here until 630..they gave it their best, and finally told us that they had to call it quits but would have us up and running by noon tomorrow with a shower. I'm thankful that its tomorrow and not Friday. Even though they were hopeful for today, I knew better. I've been through many many house projects now, and I've seen how it all goes. Add 5o0 dollars to any price quote someone gives you, and plan on the project going at least one week longer than anticapated, if you're lucky. ;) Here are some pics at the end of day 1. You'll notice the black and white floor that was found underneath our gross linoleum. Yes someone covered this with linoleum for no good reason. Its a beautiful floor that we didn't even know was under there. Without knowing that the house originally had a black and white floor, I chose a b&w ceramic tile for the new floor. I wanted to bring the house back to period..little did I know about the gem that lay underneath, but we can't restore the floor becuase we are missing quite a few tiles. It was a fun find though. Also found a cast iron tub underneath the fiber glass one, it was one of the 1st cast iron tubs made post World War 2. During the war they stopped making them...then they started up again in December 1947.....and thats exactly when our tub was made. Sadly its now at the curb...there was nothing we could do with it unless it had claw feet...then we would have kept that tub!
As a sidenote, the workcrew has been wonderful. They are very clean, and neat...everything is organized and they have been cleaning up as they go. You would never know that they demo'd a bathroom and hallway today....they vacuumed and wiped down as they go. I'm very thankful to them so far.

The new word

Olivia has a new word.....its Wow. She points to things that shes really excited about and she exclaims "Wooooowwww!" She also says , "woah" alot, and especially when we do things that she thinks are funny. Today we were at the party store gearing up for Saturday, and she spotted balloons on the ceiling, and then shouted "Wooooowwww" throughtout the entire store. She was so excited and just kept pointing and repeating "wow" and sometimes threw in a "woah!" Very cute. :)

Day at the park

Another nite at Loews

Another evening spent at loews...3 hours to be exact. What a rip. This remodeling project is taking on a life of its own. First let me mention that Olivia was a complete gem during the whole expierience, and what an expierience it was. We have to have a truckload of 20 sheets of drywall, and an entire bathroom delivered by Monday, so the clock was ticking. The contractor gave us a list, and we've been trying our best to buy everything on there becuase we want our bathroom back up and running asap. Some of the things that I had picked out last evening needed to be re-picked out due to stock issues. After going through this expierience I can't even imagine building a home and having to pick out fixtures for every room. I would be overwhelmed. There was noone to help us at Loews since they were busy and short staffed, so when we got to the register I told them that we won't be paying the 65 dollar delivery fee since there was noone available to accommidate us on our 3 hour tour. Of course I was very nice about it, but it paid off since our truckload of items will be delivered for Free!! We got home at 930pm, very tired...all except for Olivia who was like the energizer bunny.

The coolest part of the evening happened as we were driving home. Olivia saw the moon for the first time, and pointed to it, then looked at me as if to ask what it was. After telling her that it was indeed a Moon, she proceeded to say the word Moon all the way home. Its so amazing to show a child things for the very first time.

Happy Anniversary to us!!

Today was Dave and my 4th anniversary. How special it was to celebrate with my hubby today. We went to dinner at our favorite restaurant "Veneto." As usual the food was perfect, and we reminisced alittle about our wedding, and talked ALOT about Olivia. After dinner we headed to loews to buy a tub kit, ceramic tile, and lots of other odds and ends for our bathroom remodeling. While I was walking aimlessly through the tile aisle, another mom and I got to talking. She complimented me on my shoes (go Rachel!!) and then I told her the reason I was sort of dressed up was becuase we were out to dinner celebrating our anniversary, and since it was just the two of us we figured we better get to loews and take all the time we need to finish picking our bathroom stuff out. We shared a few laughs about how much life changes after you have kids, and how we wouldn't trade it for the world. I told the mom how we spent our first anniversary in a very lavish 5 star B&B, spending way too much money to stay there two nites. We toured the wineries, went to the grape fest, and enjoyed our view of the lake from our balcony. I instinctly knew that we had to celebrate in style for our first one, and I have always treasured the memories of that weekend. We had the time of our lives...it was like a second honeymoon. I feel like milestones should be special. So next year will be our 5th anniversary, and I don't plan on ending the nite with a celebration at Loews! haha We'll have to do something very nice....I better start saving up!

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is NationalBreast Cancer Awareness Month. My Aunt Nancy and grandma Z are breast cancer survivors. My grandma Z also fought a courageous battle with Ovarian Cancer. To kick off supporting the cause I attended the Highland Hospital Breast Cancer Education Luncheon today, and the keynote speaker was Meredith Baxter. She spoke about many important innovations in breast cancer research, and had a wonderful story to share with the audience, as she herself is a survivor.

This weekend Dave, Olivia, and I will continue to support the cause by doing the Breast Cancer Walk. We've raised some funds in support of this disease, which kills one woman every 13 minutes. 1 in 4 women will be diagnosed throughout their lifetime. Last year on October 1st, we lost Daves Aunt Francis to Breast Cancer. She fought a 3 year battle. During her fight she surrounded herself with the cause, and wouldn't leave the house without wearing pink. I find it fitting that she died on October 1st, which is the offical Breast Cancer awareness day. Even more fitting is that this year the Breast Cancer Walk is on October 1st, the 1 year anniversary of her death. We'll celebrate her life by walking for the cause. The cause to find a cure, and wait for the day when women can have hope, instead of fear when they hear the words "Breast Cancer."

If you want more information on early detection, check out Thermography Breast screening.
http://www.meditherm.com/breast/default.htm

Your insurance won't cover it, but for a mere $300 you can find out if you have any cancer in your breasts, and start treatment before its too late. I have seen patients at my job who have paid for this screen, and are now being saved because they were 20 years ahead of what a mammogram could have detected. I also have a personal friend who just had the screening done, and thankfully she is cancer free. Its currently done out of Syracuse NY, but they're having a clinic in Rochester this december. I'm saving my pennies. Stay tuned for the time, date, and place of the Rochester screening.

I'm an Auntie!

So I finally have a picture to prove that I'm an auntie! Am I not the proudest Auntie that you have ever seen? I adore Miss Avery Grace, she is the sweetest, most prescious little peanut, and I could have held her forever! I just cherished the time that I got to hold her, which, as you can tell from the picture, Miss Olivia didn't let me hold her for too long. She was tearing apart Auntie E's house, getting in her cupboards, attempting to tip the dog bowls, crawling and getting into most anything and everything. I obviously wished that I could be of more help to my dear tired friend, but with an 11 month old, what more can you expect? We barely got to sit down for 5 seconds, and hardly could finsish one conversation that we started...but it was all in the name of Avery and Olivia so we were ok with it. :) Avery was so beautiful and I can't wait to see her again. She is her daddy's girl, with her moms spunk...what an adorable combo. Welcome to the world Miss Avery.
love Auntie Lisa

Olivia's new chair

Olivia received her first birthday present from her Uncle Anthony...a new chair! She seems to like standing next to it, and sometimes using it to climb to higher elevations....and when we sit her in it that lasts for all of 10 seconds. But she'll grow into it, and the chair is adorable. He even got her the matching ottoman. I want one to! :( lol

Twins.....

Happy Wedding Allison!!

My dear friend little K got married this weekend, and I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid. I was even luckier to witness this most joyous event. My friend Sharon performed the ceremony, outside, with nature and with God, on the most beautiful day that we've had in awhile. The best man summed everything up simply by stating, "Love is here" and he pointed to Tim and Allison. Love was definetly there, and I left with a renewed sense of love, life, and happiness. The wedding was so authentically "Tim and Allison" that it was a lesson to me that when we know thyself, we are most happy, and we are being true to ourselves. Tim and Allison fought hard to have the simple elegant wedding that they yearned for, and it couldn't have been more amazing.
Oh and the food was hands down the best wedding food that I have ever had. They had brunch and dinner....omelet stations, pasta station, eggplant parm, and plenty for the meatlovers. The food was outstanding.

Happy Marriage guys, you make the most adorable duo!