Party Girl

This past weekend I took Olivia to a work Christmas party. Now, I know it probably seems strange that I would go to a work event when I'm not working, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with my co-worker friends, and more importantly, show off Olivia. Sometimes I worry that Olivia and I spend too much time together and she doesn't get enough exposure to other people. When we first arrived she was a bit apprehensive about being held by unfamiliar faces, but it didn't take long before she seemed delighted to be sitting on several new laps. It was fun for me to be across the room, where I could see her, but she couldn't see me, and watch her grinning away and entertaining all of her new friends. I guess the doctor was right when she told us that Olivia will be social.

That Girl, She's Got Some Lungs

Olivia and I just returned from her 4-month check up. She is crashed out in her car seat, if that is any indication of how it went for her. As you may recall, after her last doctor's visit I reacted to being told that Olivia was in the fiftieth percentile for weight and height. Well, this time her head size and height (23 7/8 inches) are both still in the fiftieth percentile, but her weight is down to the twenty-fifth percentile (12 lbs 3.5 oz). Nothing like making a breast-feeding mom feel inadequate. The doc reassured me that this was nothing to be concerned about, that she is growing at a healthy rate. I still would feel much better if she was in the chunky range. After all neither of her parents is tiny (although her dad will claim that his broad-shouldered, six-foot self is petite), so it is kind of weird to have a daughter with such diminutive features. One advantage is that is that if she was really hefty I might be afraid that I had passed on my own weight issues to her. At least I don?t have to worry about that, yet. The exciting news we heard today was that Olivia is ready to start eating solid foods. I?m going to the store tonight to buy some rice cereal. Each week we can give her a new food, starting with yellow veggies and fruits such as peaches, pears, and bananas. Both Yale and I are excited to see her try out some new foods. I am hoping that this might help her sleep through the night more often. She has slept through the night about 5 or 6 times, but lately has been waking up to eat around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. Since I don?t have to go to work, those mid-night feeding don?t bother me much, but those nights that she slept all the way through sure were a treat. The most difficult part of the appointment, and probably the reason that little O is still fast asleep was those dreaded vaccination shots. She got two in each thigh. I can honestly say I have never seen her cry that hard. It was that kind of cry that is so intense that she was silent for awhile and it seemed like she wasn't breathing. After it was all over and I had finally calmed her down, she would start to doze off and then wake up to do a few post-crying sobs. She has never done that before. I wasn't even the one who got the shots and I felt like bawling.

Thanksgiving, Christmas Lights, & a Mariachi Band

Olivia had a couple of big days last week. Thanksgiving was spent with my family, so she spent the day being passed around to whomever was quick enough to grab her next. She was definitely a hot commodity. She was also popular when we took her to my friend Kristin's mom's house. Watching kids is one of her favorite pastimes, so she had a great time interacting with Kristin's 3 children. The next night we met my friend Barb and her niece downtown to watch the Christmas lights on the City and County Building get turned on. We've found Olivia to be unbelievably cooperative even in less than ideal conditions. Even though it was seriously cold, she maintained her easy-going attitude. Yale ended up taking her to the car because we were worried she was just trying to be polite and wasn?t letting us know just how cold she really was. After the lighting ceremony was over, we headed to El Noa Noa for some Mexican food. Olivia got a big kick out of watching the mariachi band play. Barb was holding her when the band played near our table. Barb found Olivia was most content when she could still see her parents but also watch the guitar players. It was pretty funny to see her head whip around every so often to make sure Yale and I hadn?t gone anywhere. The band even played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star for her. We were bummed that we forgot to bring the camera to capture this moment.

Update

Olivia continues to prove herself to be a super baby. This morning I put her in her crib on her back just so that I could go get something from the kitchen, and when I came back she had rolled over on to her stomach. So now she has rolled over in both directions. Believe it or not, just as I was typing, I looked over at her on the floor and she had rolled over on to her stomach again! She is a genius baby! Another advancement I forgot to mention yesterday is all of the cooing she has been doing. Now, to Olivia this is not just baby talk; she takes it very seriously. She wrinkles her forehead and carefully forms her mouth to just the right position before saying anything. You can tell by the look on her face that she expects you to listen to every sound she makes. I am okay with that because I have found her to be a pretty good listener as well. She always gives me eye contact and rarely interrupts. That's a good quality; I hope it persists.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Olivia has reached several milestones in the past couple of weeks. The most exciting one took place this weekend when she rolled over. Both Yale and I were there for the big event. We clapped and cheered, and Olivia just stared at us like we were a couple of geeks getting excited about nothing. I will have you know that our genius baby didn't just get lucky when she rolled over, she seems to have it figured out as she has done it about a total of 20 times. She has also recently become more interested in toys. Our friends Laurie and Chad have generously given us tons of stuff that their kids are done playing with, and last week Laurie brought over another load. Olivia is especially fond of a bright colored kangaroo with all sorts of fancy stuff hanging from it. There's also a shiny fish that she seems to favor. Another favorite is a squishy doll that rattles given to her the day after she was born by my parents. If you hold the doll in front of her and shake it she gets all excited and smiles. I have to say, it is pretty darn cute. I will try to add some pictures in the near future of her with her new favorite toys.

Our Favorite Things About Olivia

The other day Yale and I decided to create a list of our favorite things about Olivia. This is a list we plan to keep on the website and add to as time goes on. I know this is probably typical behavior of first-time parents, and it is pretty self-indulgent, but we had fun doing it. Here's the list: -The oh-so-soft skin on the back of her hands -The rolls of fat the surround her knees -When I burp her at night and she wraps one arm around my neck and rests her little head on my shoulder -When she first wakes up, throws her arms over head, scrunches up her face and stretches. This is especially amusing when she lets loose a truck driver-like fart at the peak of her stretch. We are continuously amazed at how such a little thing can pass gas with such vehemence. -The way Olivia?s hair sticks up like a patch of peach fuzz after her bath -The way she smiles when she sees our faces when she first wakes up -How smiling for her is a full body experience; she waves her arms, kicks her legs, and wiggles her torso and head.

It's Official; I'm a Stay-At-Home Mom

After a lot of deliberation Yale and I have decided that I will take the rest of the school year off from work to stay home with Olivia. We first started seriously considering this option when we found out that the nanny we had set up (who is the live-in nanny of a friend) had accepted another baby. With Olivia, she would be watching 3 babies plus a 3-year-old. When we initially decided to go with this nanny it was because we thought Olivia would get more individual attention than she would at a daycare center, so we were willing to pay extra. But after she took on another baby we thought it would be less likely that Olivia would get that extra attention, especially since she's a pretty easy-going baby. Even though the circumstances had changed, I found it kind of hard to tell the nanny we had changed our minds. She got pretty quiet when I first told her we weren't happy with the situation, and quiet for her is rare. After she had a little time to think about it, she seemed okay with it. This definitely came as a relief to me. I am all for being assertive and working to get what you want, but it is a whole lot easier if the other person doesn't get really pissed off. The next step was to tell my boss. I wasn't sure how she would take it, but I know life is a lot easier f you stay on her good side. I had this little speech all planned, trying to appeal to her being a mother and a grandmother. Pointing out how different her job would be as a principal if all parents were involved in their children's lives. Well, it was all unnecessary. She took it far better than I expected. In fact, she said she completely expected me to take the year off. I was relieved to have that taken care of. So the next challenge will be the financial piece. Yale and I have taken several steps to try to cut back on our monthly bills. Yale has agreed to take his lunch to work rather than going out as long as I pack it for him. So one of my new duties as a stay-home-mom is to pack what Yale calls his hubby chow. We cut back on our cable service. Any vacations will be put on the back burner for now, which is okay with me since traveling with a baby isn't exactly relaxing. The thing I will miss the most is my monthly massages. I know that probably sounds indulgent, and I suppose it is. I try to talk Yale into giving me back rubs, but that rarely works.

Two-Month Check-Up

Olivia had her two-month check-up with the doctor earlier this week. The doctor reported that she is a healthy, strong baby, which is always good to hear. She also said that she thought Olivia will be quite social. I guess she came to this conclusion based on how much eye-contact Olivia gave her. Olivia had to get four vaccination shots. Overall, she was a trooper about it, but I am glad that I don't have to watch her suffer through that every day. I was surprised about the reaction that I had when the doctor told me that she is in the fiftieth percentile for both weight and height (10 pounds 11 ounces and 22 1/2 inches). The doctor said that means she is average. I have to admit I didn't like hearing the doctor call her average. After the appointment I tried to sort out why. I am the first to admit that I love chunky babies, and Olivia hasn't really hit that chunky stage yet, but it seemed like more than that. I think I reacted the way that I did because in no way do I think Olivia is average, and I want everyone to realize this. Now, I would guess this is the most parents feel about their kids. And is weighing more than average really an expression of her uniqueness? Probably not. It made me realize that I am going to have to be careful to not be one of those parents that thinks I have the most gifted, perfect child in the world. It also made me realize that I need to prepare myself for those times when Olivia has moments when she is "average" or even what is defined as below average. For example, I am sure I will have to bite my lip when she gets her first C- on a test, or gets cut from the soccer team. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago. Olivia and I went to visit the nanny we were planning to have watch Olivia. After we had been there for awhile, the nanny asked one of the other kids what they thought of Olivia. The little girl just silently stared at Olivia and then at me. I could feel my face get hot and red. I wanted to say, "You love Olivia and you know it! Just admit it, you little booger." Now keep in mind this girl is only 14 months old and doesn't talk much, so I may have been expecting a bit too much. And it may have been a bit weird that the nanny posed the question in the first place. I just know that I felt very protective of Olivia, and that I expect and want everyone to love her as much as I do. Geez, what am I going to be like the first time I hear another kid making fun of her, or when she comes home from school because the class bully called her a name? I am sure I have a long road ahead of me of many more challenges of this nature.

A visit from the grandparents

On Saturday my parents came to see Olivia. It's kind of funny how now most people (my parents for example) are obviously so excited to see Olvia and then sort of half-heartedly throw in that they are glad to see me, too. I completely understand. To tell you the truth I find Olivia more interesting and cute than myself, and well, I guess most other people, too. One of my favorite things that Olivia does is squawk when she's not quite happy. It isn't a full-on cry; it just sounds like a little shout to get our attention. We are really lucky because Olivia rarely cries. I could count on one hand the times that she seemed thoroughly upset. She is one of the calmest babies I have ever been around. In some ways it makes me nervous because I think she'll make up for being easy now when she is a teenager.

First In Flight

Olivia had her first trip on an airplane last week, flying to Spokane, Washington so we could go to a wedding in Montana. We were both pretty nervous about the whole ordeal, since it was all pretty unknown. Would Olivia's ears pop and would that make her scream the entire flight? Would Glenda be able to feed her on the plane? What the hell do we do with the stroller? We thought we were being prudent by leaving for the airport two hours early. Glenda fed Olivia in the car in the parking garage as I got all our stuff together. But by the time we got through check-in and security, we were cutting it really close. We got to the gate about two minutes before departure time and were told that we couldn't board the plane, and with an infant, you're supposed to be at the gate 30 minutes before departure. The next flight to Spokane was 12 hours later, which was pretty awful, since my dad was picking us up in Spokane and would have to wait for us for 12 hours. We were both stunned, but couldn't really get angry since it was our own fault for not getting there early enough. Dejected, we headed back to the terminal, but just then, the gate clerk came running up to us and said that the plane was coming back to the gate for mechanical problems, and that we could board! Unbelievable luck! So we got to get on our flight after all. The other passengers glared at us, probably thinking, "Who are these people that made up this 'mechanical failure' story?" Our next challenge was keeping Olivia happy during the flight, which luckily was only about two hours. This was extra important for me, because I'm a white knuckle flyer; I pretty much have to sit there in fear, extremely tense and agitated the entire flight, especially if there's turbulence. So I wouldn't have been much help if Olivia got fussy. Luckily she slept the entire time, and didn't get upset even once. The same was true of the flight back to Denver; another passenger on that flight even remarked at what a little angel she was. Too bad old Dad couldn't be so calm: I was hunched over in fear as we descended into Denver (almost always bumpy), sweating buckets and shaking. Olivia was a big hit in Montana, and apparently made a big impression on her grandparents. They couldn't get enough of her, offering to watch her while Glenda and I did other stuff, and buying her lots of cute outfits too. Grandma and Grandpa both remarked at how calm and alert Olivia is, and we can't disagree. If she's hungry, she lets us know, but otherwise, she's happy to lay there and look around and seems to like to have people cuddle her. Olivia also got to meet her great uncle and aunt Steve and Bev, great uncle Ken, and great grandpa Ron, plus lots of other people at the wedding. So what we learned on this trip: get to the airport as early as possible. You can never get there too early, especially with an infant. Sitting around the airport being bored beats being rushed and stressed out any day. Of course, this is all fairly obvious to most people, but for some reason, logic eluded us that day.

Visiting the Buddingtons

Olivia and I spent the afternoon visiting our friends Laura and her newborn son, Nathan. You may remember Yale mentioning that Nathan was born 2 days before Olivia. I used to think that all newborns look basically the same, but seeing these two next to each other proved that theory wrong. The first striking difference is their size. Nathan has already acquired that chunky-baby look that I love ?fat rolls around the thighs and an adorable double chin. I can't wait until Olivia starts chunking up. Nathan also looks very male with defined eyebrows and expressive eyes, whereas Olivia has more petite, feminine features. Check out the photos and see for yourself. Getting out of the house and spending time with another new mother, who is also a good friend, was a real treat for me. I am realizing that getting out of the house and doing things distracts me from the effects of little sleep. We were also able to compare notes on all of those things new parents face.

Olivia is doing great and keeping us both very busy. We find it pretty hilarious that an essentially immobile, nine-pound thing can create enough work to amount to about three full-time jobs for both of us. Not that we're complaining, though. It's been thoroughly fulfilling. She's thankfully a pretty calm baby, usually crying only when she's hungry or when her hat falls over her eyes. We don't have to deal with too much mystery screaming, and when it does happen, we've learned some great techniques* to calm her down. Our biggest challenge lately is just trying to get her to fall into a sleep routine that lets us parents get some REM ourselves. Glenda has been heroically getting up every couple of hours to feed Olivia, letting me sleep so I can function at work. Then when I come home from work, Glenda can take a nap and go for a walk and get a break for a while. Developmentally, there hasn't been much to report other than her umbillical cord falling off. She's very active, especially after nursing, and we like to lay her on the floor and watch her flail and fidget. She makes some pretty bizarre hand gestures that closely resemble gang signs, although we're hoping this doesn't presage a possible career path for little Olivia. *We highly recommend "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp to all new parents. He has some excellent techniques for getting babies to calm down. Check it out at your local library.

The Story Of Olivia's Birth

If you're squeamish, you may want to skip this anecdote. As Glenda's due date came and went, and we got more and more anxious to get the birth underway, we consulted with our trusted obstetrician, Dr. Forschner. He acknowledged our anxiety and told us that if Glenda didn't go into labor by the end of the week of August 6th, he'd induce labor. There are many risks that are associated with babies being in the womb longer than 40 weeks, but the most pressing in our case was the fact that there was meconium present, which means that the baby is no longer expelling waste via the mom, but rather inside the womb. So the baby is essentially swimming in its own waste. Queasy yet? Glenda's belly right before we headed to the hospital
So we scheduled an appointment to induce labor, which is a pretty strange experience in itself. The surprise is somewhat removed, but the upside is that there is a lot more time to prepare and make sure you have your stuff together. So at 8pm on August 4th, we reported to Presbyterian/St. Luke's Hospital. I remembered from the birthing classes we took at P/SL that room 309 is the roomiest, and has the best view of the city, so he was crossing his fingers. As it turned out, the hospital was teeming with women in labor that night (unlike every other time we'd been there), so we didn't really get to pick our room, but the one we got was plenty roomy. The nurses were extremely busy that night, but they got Glenda induced and all we could do was wait it out. It takes 18 to 24 hours to "take," so that meant a lot of downtime. Neither of us had ever spent the night in a hospital before, so that was pretty exciting. The woman in the next room gave birth around 10pm that night, and the screams coming from that room had me pretty freaked out. To make matters worse, I had to sleep on a crappy old chair that folded out, but managed to sleep a little bit. Glenda was up all night with contractions, which were not too close together yet, but were painful nonetheless. Around 11am on the 5th, Glenda's sister Beckie showed up, much to everyone's delight. Glenda is pretty close to Beckie, so she was very glad to have the moral support. I really appreciated the fact that Beckie took over helping Glenda get through the contractions so that I could go walk around outside and decompress. Around 4pm, the contractions reached a critical point, and Dr. Forschner came into the room to start the pushing process. We weren't having much luck with that, so he got out the vacuum, which is nothing more than a suction cup that attaches to the baby's head to help the doctor pull the baby out. Still no luck. After a bit more of this, Dr. Forschner decided that the baby's head was off-center, which made the pushing much more difficult, and kind of dangerous. So he broke the news to Glenda that a Cesarean section operation would be the safest way to go for both her and the baby. The nurses gave me some surgical scrubs and without delay, we proceeded to the operating room, another first for both of us. I had never seen any sort of surgery before, and thought I might get light-headed, so I gave myself the option of looking away or leaving if need be. But rather than getting squeamish, I actually found it pretty fascinating. It's definitely not a gentle operation; after making the incision, two nurses used what looked like a tire iron to pry apart the opening. But by far the most bizarre part was seeing Glenda smiling at me oblivious to the fact that her organs were being yanked and pulled apart (she had a curtain in front of her face and was obviously anesthetized). Before I could even sort out what was going on, Dr. Forschner had pulled the baby out. It never occurred to me that it was up to me to announce the baby's sex, so I hesitated a second, and then meekly blurted out, "Girl!" I also wasn't prepared for the fact that the baby was bluish-gray, no matter how many people warned me about it. Needless to say, this was a lot of stimulus in such a short time. Pretty overwhelming. But as they snipped the umbilical cord and carried the baby over, it really set in. I looked over and was overcome with just about every emotion you can imagine. After all these months of pregnancy, seeing that face was just surreal. But I managed to get it together and help the nurses get her cleaned up and cut the rest of the umbilical cord. Glenda had to spend a while in the recovery room, so I got to take the baby (we hadn't decided on her name yet) to the nursery, and to meet her aunt Beckie, who was waiting it out in the room. Beckie said she definitely looked like an Olivia, and I agreed. Within ten minutes, we had Glenda's vote for a consensus: Olivia Golter Kaul. (Glenda kept her last name when we got married, so we thought this would be a good way to honor both families, while avoiding the whole unfavorable hyphenation thing.) Beckie and Olivia in the nursery
Beckie and I stared at this little baby for quite some time in the nursery. As any new parent knows, this is one of the more powerful moments you'll experience in your lifetime. Just seeing something that tiny and exquisite is potent enough, but then you're quickly overcome by a tremendous sense of duty and responsibility. Not in the bad sense; more a feeling that you want to provide and protect this youngster at any cost, and to give her a nurturing place to live and flourish. Another thing that kept my mind reeling was thinking about how this tiny ten-minute-old person will someday be an adult, and that she'll probably develop in ways I can't possibly fathom at the present. The whole experience is very humbling and really makes you want to cast aside the petty crap you spend your time worrying about. With the delivery overwith, Glenda and I looked forward to some rest, but alas, none was to be had. There was a constant stream of people in the room assessing Olivia and Glenda. Both of us were very exhausted, but they really keep you on your toes in the hospital, which is good and bad. Good because the care and attention is top-notch; bad because you never really get to sit down and relax. That night we moved to a tiny room on the 11th floor with only a crappy recliner for me to sleep in. I chose the floor over the recliner, and got maybe two hours of good sleep. Glenda had a steady stream of people in the room, as usual, as well as having to nurse Olivia every 2-3 hours on average, so sleep was pretty elusive for her, too. And getting the hang of breastfeeding was probably the most challenging step of this whole thing; luckily all of the nurses are very experienced (one had worked there 36 years!), and they even had a lactation specialist! Again, no shortage of top-notch help in this hospital. We realized how renowned this hospital is when we were watching the Discovery Channel one night in the hospital. They had a whole show on high-risk pregnancies that was filmed at our hospital, in the same room we were in! It was pretty weird seeing our nurses on the Discovery Channel. By Sunday, both Olivia and Glenda were given the go-ahead to go home. Now the real work begins...

Welkommen

Welcome to the website of our brand-new daughter Olivia. As you can see, it's pretty bare-bones at the present; we don't have much to offer other than some photos and some spiel from us parents. But we figure this will be a good way for friends and relatives to see the latest photos, as well as a way to keep us to keep a journal of sorts of Olivia's progress. Some of it might be more nauseating detail than you can handle, and for that we apologize in advance.