Happy New Year!

Well it's hard to believe that 2007 is just about here. 2006 was such an exciting year for us, and it turns out that 2007 is going to bring some excitement of it's own.

George came downstairs this morning and was a bit confused when he read Olivia's shirt. I had to prompt him, "well what would it mean if Olivia was a big sister?" And then he caught on to the secret that Olivia and I had been keeping from him since yesterday...

We're Expecting!

No, it wasn't planned, but it is a blessing, and we are very happy to be adding another little one to our family. As best as I can estimate, I am about 11 weeks along. We'll keep you posted!

Happy New Year!

Olivia with her new Bounce & Spin Zebra!

Christmas Eve

Olivia is wearing her special Christmas jammies and hat which say

"Dear Santa, It's my 1st Christmas and I've been soo good."

This picture will make you wonder if Livy got onto the "Naughty" List instead. Look at that face!

I guess Santa decided to drop by anyway!

Bath Time

Olivia has just recently started taking a bath in the "big girl tub." She loves to crawl around and splash.

Little Hands

Sometimes you get discouraged

because I am so small

I leave my little handprints

on furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing,

I'll be big some day

and all my tiny fingerprints

will surely fade away.

So here's a lasting keepsake

so you can still recall

how sweet my little hands were

when I was very small.

Back in October, Olivia and I attended a Pattycake Prints party, hosted by one of the ladies in my Listening Mothers group. We had lots of fun having her hand and foot print casted in clay, but we had no idea how precious this little keepsake would turn out to be. The poem above was included in the box, and brought both Daddy and Mommy to tears.

We love those little hands with all of our hearts!

Olivia's Photo Shoot

We spent much of yesterday afternoon setting up a photo shoot for our first family Christmas card. Olivia was the star, of course! Could she be any cuter?

We've decided to reveal the cutest pictures on the Christmas card instead of posting them here. Don't want to ruin the surprise!

Happy Holidays!

BabyLegs!

As you can see, Olivia is having fun with Daddy and Ginger while I'm off at my 12 step program...

Hi, my name is Karen, and I'm a BabyLegsaholic. Ok, I admit...I'm an addict! I can't live without this new product I've stumbled upon...baby leg warmers! Olivia is sporting her new pair, which George says reminds him of Mork and Mindy, and then he proceeds to make the "nanu nanu" sign with his fingers. But I digress...these BabyLegs are the coolest thing ever! www.babylegs.net So convenient for diaper changes, under dresses instead of tights, & to protect little knees from hardwood floors. I could go on and on! On Friday, my friend Carmen and I (whose little Emilia is one day younger than Olivia) went to the BabyLegs open house (they are based here in Seattle). I could hardly contain myself amongst the vast selection. Keep checking back for more picks of Olivia modeling her BabyLegs!

Fun Times with Dad

Daddy built Olivia a tent in the living room using two chairs and a quilt. They had lots of fun playing in there. Ginger did too...she has to be right in the middle of everything! Speaking of Ginger, she's a permanent fixture next to the highchair when Olivia's eating. Somehow, Olivia has gotten the idea that it's ok to feed the dogs her puffs and wagon wheels! I guess I should be glad we have dogs around to "vacuum" after mealtime.

Quack! Quack! Quack!

Olivia just recently became fascinated with ducks. Her Great Grandma Shirley gave her a duck that quacks and waddles. When we turn the duck on, Olivia flaps her arms and laughs, and then grabs the duck by it's beak. For a video clip of her playing with the duckie, click here http://home.comcast.net/~gralkire/MVI_0009.avi

On Wednesday, we finally had a break in the torrential rain brought to Western Washington by something called the Pineapple Express. We decided to take advantage of the good weather and go for a walk at our favorite place in Seattle: Green Lake. We stopped along the walking path to see some ducks, and they started coming towards us. Olivia was so happy...just giggling away! A little farther around the lake, she got to see some duckies swimming.

Happy Halloween!

George and I carved 3 pumpkins Monday night after Olivia went to bed.
He did such a good job on the Gator one!

Halloween was a busy day!
We went and met Daddy for lunch, then went down to the hospital to visit my coworkers who were all in costume. After George got home from work, we loaded Olivia up in the stroller and headed to downtown Ballard for trick or treating. All the merchants were outside with goodies for the kids. We saw some really cute costumes, and can't wait for next year!

Um, Hail!?

So yesterday we decided to take advantage of a break in the rain. I loaded Olivia up in the stroller and headed to the library to pick up some books. We were so enjoying the sun that we decided to walk down to the Ballard Farmer's Market, just a few blocks away.

And then the rain started spitting down upon us, and the wind began to blow. We were trucking home, and with about 3 blocks to go, it started to hail on us! Hail, in October! Fortunately the stroller has a good cover on it and Olivia was bundled up snug as a bug in a rug. She was no worse for the wear, but I was in a state of disbelief.

Just goes to show that what the locals say is true..."Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes and it will change."

Our Lil Pumpkin

We had a great time today at a local pumpkin patch!
Carpinito Brothers Farm

We had beautiful, sunny weather and found a couple small pumpkins to sit alongside the gargantuan pumpkin George won in a raffle at work. We'll be busy carving our pumpkin trio tomorrow.

The Great Escape

Who knew that the process of babyproofing your house is way more complex than just installing a few drawer and cabinet locks and covering the outlets! Not to mention the reconfiguration that is constantly happening around here. We have been "blessed" with a very adventurous child. We've already installed two baby gates and have been blocking in the play area of the living room with a suitcase too heavy for Olivia to move. Yesterday morning, it was pretty cold in here so we had to turn on the fireplace for the first time. George blocked off the fireplace using a portable baby gate, wedged between our entertainment center and end table, and reinforced it off with the suitcase we were using between the couch and chair. He blocked off the computer area by placing her exersaucer where the suitcase used to be. Well it didn't take Olivia long to figure out a very convenient way to escape the confines of the living room.

As you can see, she's discovered a shortcut via the exersaucer! Here she is making her Great Escape! Aaaggghh. This little one is keeping us on our toes!

Presents from Grandma

Olivia had a ball opening the package that Grandma T sent her! Paper wrapping and boxes are very exciting, and taste good too! The dogs were also quite interested in helping. As you can see, Olivia is inspecting each outfit, especially the tags, which go straight into her mouth. All the outfits are soo cute...2 pretty dresses, a fleece and flannel outfit with a scotty dog on the top, and comfy leggings and matching shirt. She also got a new book! Thanks Grandma!

The Rain Has Come

Well it had to happen sooner or later. Summer is over in Seattle and the rain has taken the place of the sun we so enjoyed. Olivia saw her first umbrella yesterday as we walked to the store in the mist. She kept craning her head back and looking up at the umbrella. Everyday is a new experience!

Today they started pouring the foundation for the condos they are building across the street. She sat in front of the sliding glass doors peering out at all the activity. The construction noise is annoying, but at least it gives us something to watch when it's too yukky to venture outside.

On a personal note, today I joined the Seattle Moms MeetUp Group. I'm hoping to connect with some other moms, enjoy the occasional playdate and a monthly Mom's Night Out event. It's been hard for me to make friends here, and now more than ever, I need some adult interaction!

Thanks for checking out my first post. I'm new to this blogging thing, but I hope to use it as a way to stay in touch with family and friends, and keep George involved in what Olivia and I are doing while he is at work. By the way, Goooo Gators! Beat them Dawgs!