What a Week!

TGIF!!!! So my first official week with both Olivia and Peter is over. When Mike came home from work today he said that he hadn't seen me look so joyful to see him in a while. I was joyful, I was relieved, I was ecstatic! I was prepared for being busy but it's not the endless list of things to do that is exhausting, it's the pressure of caring for two human beings that is exhausting. The little things.....the diapers, fixing meals, cleaning up, are becoming routine but knowing that I am the only adult around, the only one in charge of these two little beings that are depending on me completely is emotionally draining!



This has been a week of highs and lows but am so blessed to have this time to spend with Olivia and Peter. Here are just a few highlights (and some lowlights) from the week

• Olivia decided to help me make her dinner and she added dried cranberries to her bowl of spaghetti noodles. She LOVED it (see picture below)
• While I was feeding Peter the other day Olivia managed to climb into the washing machine and proceeded to get stuck. She then freaked out when she realized that she was stuck which made things worse. The only way I was able to calm her down enough so that I could help her out of the washing machine was by promising to let her hold Peter.
• The house is a mess. Around Wednesday I completely gave up, there are toys everywhere, crumbs all over the place and the kitchen is a disaster.
• Olivia decided to help me sweep the floor, as I was positively reinforcing her good behavior she then decided to stab me in the behind with a fork. I would have disciplined her for this inappropriate behavior but then I caught myself telling her that she was going to the corner because forks are for eating not stabbing people. As I realized what I was saying I started giggling and couldn't keep a straight face.
• Peter now officially weighs more than he did at birth. He lost almost a pound from his birthweight but he's now gained that back and then some!
  

So in love

Peter will be 4 weeks old on Tuesday and I can't believe how much has changed in just a few weeks. Every member of the Leiva family is completely in love! I have started to treasure the time that I spend alone with Peter in the middle of the night when I feed him. The first thing Olivia says every morning when she gets up is "baby" and then off she goes running to find him. She gets so excited when we let her hold, hug, and kiss him that she can barley stand it. Mike can't wait to snuggle with Peter when he gets home from work and I've never seen two people more relaxed with each other than when Peter and Mike fall asleep together on the couch.

Happy Thanksgiving

Olivia has perfect timing and she decided to add "thank you" to her vocabulary on Thanksgiving Day. She'd technically said thank you before but on Thanksgiving she started to say it spontaneously all on her own. She definately has saying thank you down after receiving something but she still gets a little confused about what to say when someone gives her something. It's so nice to hear her say thank you when I give her dinner or change her diaper! It's so unexpected, it's such a nice surprise!

We had some friends and their 3 year old son and newborn daughter over for Thanksgiving Dinner. We co-cooked this year which made the turkey day prep much easier. I cooked the turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberries, and a corn casserole while our friends brought over all the sides and dessert. We had a low key thanksgiving but it was nice and we're most thankful that we were all together (even though this is a horrible picture).

You can check out more pictures on Shutterfly: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AcNWTRm5ZsWH9

Fun with the Family

My parents were able to come up for the weekend after Peter was born. We had a great weekend and it was their first time to Washington state. Mike arranged for my dad to ride in one of his Stryker vehicles on Friday then we all went to the Olympia Farmer's Market on Saturday. Sunday everyone went to Cabella's (ultimate sporting goods store) while I got to stay home and rest with Peter. We had a great time and here are a few pictures of Dad and the Stryker.

At the Farmer's Market Olivia didn't want to ride in her stroller but she loved pushing it around. I think it'll be a while before we let her push Peter in the stroller but she had a blast!