June 27 - June 30, 2012

Wednesday, June 27^th

Today Olivia had her six month appointment. She is in 50^th percentile for height & weight. We saw a new doctor – April Hurston – who was very nice. Since Olivia dropped from the 75^th percentile, the doctor told to me feed her more solids – three times per day. She recommended more meats & proteins.

Olivia must’ve heard the doctor asking if she could sit up, and heard me answer ‘no’ because once home she sat up like a big girl!

Thursday, June 28^th

Olivia & I stayed home today because she was dealing with her inoculations from yesterday. Although the first inoculations were the worst, they still seem to make her fussy & uncomfortable.

I worked on baby- & dog-proofing the house. Now that we have more furry babies & Olivia is sitting up, I know it won’t be long until she is on the move. So many things had to get shifted around. We got a new padded leather chest for the family room. It replaces the wooden coffee table – with all its corners perfect for banging into! – and can hold Olivia’s toys. Everything on the bookshelves in the living room is now Olivia-friendly. There are no precious items that can’t be chewed on or ripped. We’ve moved anything that can tip or might fall over once she starts standing. In Olivia’s room we got her a multi-bin toy organizer and I’ve moved the wobbly bookshelves out. So much rearranging! It seems like we will never have a chance to get bored with our furniture arrangements!

Olivia played with her peek-a-boo bear from Fran this afternoon. It was fun to watch her jump a little every time he dropped the blanket. Later we went to Petco to try and recreate the magical aquarium experiences we had on our vacation. Olivia was captivated, so we brought home a black Molly for her room.

While thinking about new padded furniture I reminisced about a bear named Bozzie that was a gift to my sister & I from our childhood babysitter, Kiki. He was enormous and was the best place to cuddle & read a book. My parents sent a picture of him. Right now he’s hibernating in their attic, but maybe someday soon he can come and play with Olivia.

Friday, June 29^th

 Olivia had another rough morning today. I think the travel finally caught up with her. Hopefully now that we’re home she can get back into a schedule soon.

Today we finally heard the news about our next duty station. We will be moving to Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana. It will certainly be an adjustment – especially where weather is concerned – but I know that anywhere we go will also be an adventure! I will miss Alaska, a lot, but it will be nice to be near(er) to family.

This afternoon I painted some crates and turned them into shelves for Olivia’s diapers. I’m slowly changing her room décor from the soft, calming baby pastels to bright, stimulating colors. Once Adam got home we took Olivia to the toy store for a prize – her very own rabbit puppet. She was so taken with the puppet my father had and, sure enough, she fell in love with this silly fellow right away too. Our friends have suggested names for the rabbit - Hoppy Bunny, Hare-y, Foo Foo, Hazel, Stan, Rutherford, Harvey, Caerbannog … but the winner was Giggles, courtesy of Rich P. We also got a Babar book about art, to put away for later.  

Saturday, June 30^th

This morning at the Farmers Market Olivia wore a new hat from cousin Jane. She loved it! Especially the tie, which was perfect for chewing on. We bought some vegetables to try out recipes in anticipation of our own crops. Adam said, “Maybe we’ll be adventurous tonight. I don’t mean fight crime with Swiss Chard, but maybe try a new recipe.” Sounded good to me! I hope that Olivia will be just as adventurous with food in the future!

I took a solo trip to Michael’s and got more organizers – baskets & such – for Olivia’s room. I met my friend Franziska there and heard some good news from her – that she is expecting a baby! I have heard about post-deployment baby booms, but we are really experiencing one here at Fort Wainwright!

Today I also hung up a letter “O” on Olivia’s door. It’s from Boppy – an homage to Olivia & one of her favorite songs (“Would You Like To Buy An O?”).