Happy Birthday Olivia

I have to admit something I’m not proud of. This day does not hold the greatest memories for me. If you know or have read Olivia’s story on our blog, you will understand. I will say that the day was a good one in general, I got to meet my daughter and hug her, but then she was promptly taken from me and I was left with no baby on the day I gave birth to her. SO September 28 is a pretty good day, but I have made it my mission to make this day a happy one this year and for years to come. 

I’m so happy that I get to celebrate this special girl. She has come so far from where she was one year ago and I thought I would share some highlights of the past 12 months. 

Month 1: She conquered the NICU and amazed doctors at her complete turn around. They said she’s fighter and I agree. 

Month 2: We finally had our baby home and adjusted to life with a month old. Even though we were beyond tired, we couldn’t help but feel happy that our baby girl was home.

Month 3: She already started “talking” and we were getting a big kick out of her noises and smiles. 

Month 4: This was the month I had to leave my baby for 4 days. It was difficult, but we all managed to get through it. She started sitting up a whole lot more and since she was growing like a weed, we had to transfer her to her crib, which didn’t phase her one bit. 

Month 5: This month we really started to see a little bit of her personality. She was going to day care every day so we soaked up the time we had with her. This was when I really started to long to be home with her. 

Month 6: Sitting up all on her own and we started feeding her real food. I remember thinking where the time went when we started feeding her mashed up rice (not her favorite). 

Month 7: On this exact day, she said “dada” and shuffled forward all on her own. To say she has Myke wrapped around her finger is an understatement. 

Month 8: This was the month where Myke’s and my life (including OJ and our new addition we had just found out about) was shifted in a very dramatic way. We moved from LA to Sacramento, leaving the life we had built for 6 years. She felt some of our stress and emotions so we had some restless nights and the teeth coming in didn’t help. But we all survived.

Month 9: This month was teeth month. She had a few cut in at the same time and she also was starting to think she didn’t need naps, which she still think she doesn’t. 

Month 10: This month she started to stand on her own and we also realized she LOVES walks and being outside. 

Month 11: This month unfortunately she got a black eye from practicing a swan dive off the couch, so we didn’t have an official picture to share. However this month she took her first steps on her own. 

Month 12: We don’t know what this month and this year will hold, but we are so happy God blessed us with such a wonderful girl. 

She has 5.5 teeth. She loves waving, clapping, being with Daddy, dancing, and going for walks. She says Mama, Dada, and Baba for literally everything. Her favorite items include her teddy bear named Phoenix (my old Build-a-Bear that Myke and I made in college), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book, and Daddy’s old phone with a slideshow of herself.

Happy Birthday Olivia! You are so incredibly loved.