August 21-28

Olivia and Daddy have matching slippers:

August 14-21

Two weeks old:

Cheering for all the right baseball teams:

Sleeping like a muscle man:

Visiting with Daddy when he's home for lunch:

 Bryan likes giving her a bottle:

 In her ducky robe:

Napping on Mommy.  Justine says I don't have the pose quite right:

Carseat pictures:

August 7-14

Saturday was Olivia's first doctor's appointment.  She's down to 7 lbs, 12 oz from her birth weight of 8 lbs, 5 oz.  She has not gotten shorter.  :-P  The doctor seemed worried about her low weight, so we were instructed to feed her as much as possible.  She also had to be tested for jaundice; I guess she was looking a bit orange.  Her weight is in the 75th percentile, and height is in the 90th.

Sunday we went back for another check up with a different doctor.  Olivia had gained 4 oz overnight and was 8 pounds even.  This doctor seemed much less concerned with her growth and said she was doing fine. He also mentioned that billirubin levels (which cause jaundice) peak at 3-5 days and that her levels were nothing to be concerned about right now.  They should go down steadily from this point on.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Bryan's parents' house for his grandmother's funeral.  The viewing was Sunday and the service was Monday.  Both went well from our point of view, as Olivia obligingly slept through everything.  All Bryan's relatives were excited to meet Olivia.

Monday afternoon we went back home to get ready for Olivia's baptism on Tuesday morning.  My family came in that evening, as did Danielle and Antoine.  Mom and the kids stayed at a hotel, but Danielle and Antoine stayed with us and volunteered to hold Olivia during her crabby four hour "I'm still confused about when nighttime is" stretch from about 11-3 that night.  They figured they could always stay home and sleep (which they did), but that WE had to be at the baptism.  A valid thought, and we were grateful for the chance to get some sleep before driving to Columbus for the baptism.

Bryan had this week off work, so we spent time together as a family.  He and I spend a lot of time "Olivia-watching", as my mom calls it.  She spends a lot of time sleeping, except at night.  :)

Baptized Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sponsors: Justine Fenton and Brad Barhorst
Patron Saint: St. Olivia of Palermo (June 10)
http://www.antiochian.org/node/18799

First bath.

Daddy's Girl.  10 days old.

More Pictures:

July 31-August 7

Olivia Helen

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

12:58 pm

8 lbs 5.8 oz

21.25 in

Tuesday morning, I had my last OB appointment.  The doctor recommended that we schedule an induction for Thursday, which we did.  My appointment was the very first one of the day (so that Bryan could come), so afterwards I had plenty of time to do... whatever I wanted.  I packed a small backpack with my books, a couple of water bottles, and a washcloth and walked to the library (2.5 miles away).  Except for the heat, it was a pleasant walk.  There was a breeze and I was able to keep hydrated and dried off (the reason for the washcloth).  On the way, I called to let my parents know that an eviction notice had been served to Baby Barhorst.

When Bryan came home from work, we went to the mall to walk around some more.  We figured it couldn't hurt to walk, and besides, we might not get the chance to just decide to go out at night much more after the baby is born.  Once home again, we put in a movie before going to bed.

We arrived at the hospital around 4 in the morning on Wednesday after my contractions started at bedtime Tuesday night.  Not ideal timing, since I didn't get any sleep, but we didn't care.  Bryan had managed about 4 hours of sleep before I woke him up.  I was 4 centimeters dilated when we got to the hospital, and the nurse decided I didn't have to wait an hour (to make sure I was progressing) before moving to the labor/delivery room since I'd been not at all dilated at my OB appointment Tuesday morning.  I got an epidural at about 6:30, at which point my water broke and I was able to rest a bit.  Unfortunately, it was about time to wake up, so I didn't sleep much.  I read a book for a while and talked to Bryan while he sent various text messages updating people with "today is the day!" news.

Olivia finally made her entrance into the world at 12:58 pm on Wednesday afternoon.  Bryan got to cut the cord.  She's healthy and beautiful and everything we could ask for.  After I was holding her, we made a couple of phone calls to parents while the nurses cleaned up.  Bryan sent more text messages, and we moved down the hall to a recovery room where we all napped for a bit.

The air conditioning in the hospital was on the fritz, so Bryan made a quick trip home for a shower, a fan, and some snacks.  We spent the next couple of days resting, holding Olivia, and playing cards.  Bryan's parents came to visit Thursday morning.  Bryan saw his dad hold Olivia like a football, and realized that baby-holding didn't have to be as complicated as girls apparently make it look (I guess we look like we spread the weight evenly over both arms, even though one is support and the other is decoration?).  He's been great at it ever since.  :)

Friday we were discharged from the hospital and put Olivia in her carseat for the trip home.  Five minutes later, we walked proudly through the door: our very own little family in our very own little house.  :)  A couple of friends from church brought us dinner that night, which was kind.  We also made a cake, because Bryan wanted to celebrate Olivia's birthday.

We did have some sad news on Friday: Bryan's grandma died.  She's been hanging on for years now, and the end has been predicted more than once before she managed to rally again, so this was a blessing.  Murry said that after visiting us on Thursday, she told her mom about Olivia being born and grandma seemed to be lucid enough to recognize the names involved and smile.  She passed away early Friday morning.  The timing will be helpful for Murry, as she has the joy of a new granddaughter to help her through the pain of losing her mother.  The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

More Pictures: