8 Months

Olivia,
Words cannot express how much I love you and how thankful I am for this precious gift that God has blessed me with in you. Especially this month. One of my dearest and oldest friends in this world had to give her precious gift back to her Heavenly Father this past week. The day that Cooper left this world, I loaded you and the twins up in the van and headed up to Aunt Betsy’s to go be with my friends during their trying hour. That night, you tossed and you turned and just would not settle down. I was utterly exhausted and just wanted you to go to sleep so that I could do the same. But you would not settle down unless I was holding you, so I laid you on my chest and softly cried thinking that I should not be aggravated that you wouldn’t sleep but be grateful that I still had you to keep me up at night. We fell asleep together that night and it is a precious memory I will always hold in my heart. We far to often forget that WE are not in control. We can do the right things and try our best to keep you safe and pray daily for you but in the end we are all in God’s hands and His ways are not our ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts. That knowledge is comforting and at the same time scary.

Now on to some lighter things that have happened in this month. You cut your first tooth on February 13th and I jumped for joy and then started crying because it’s just one more milestone you have met which means my baby is growing at lightning speed. You also spent your first night away from me on February 14th when I had to go up to Atlanta. It was a little sad for me but Sis. Jenny said you did just fine! You have mastered the art of crawling and can stand for long periods of time with out toppling over. And you have started to let go with one hand.

I’ve started giving you a little table food and you tear it up. I gave you a few mushed up red beans and rice the other night and you couldn’t get enough of them! You got cornbread last night and scarfed it down. You love to eat white bread too which probably means you are gonna be a little carb lover like your big sister!!

Another thing you have mastered is the Drama Queen stage. You fuss just like a little Pris pot never really fussing, just kind of squealing. It can escalate though to full on fit pitching if you are not catered to in a short amount of time but you can turn the tears off just as quickly as you can turn them on. You can have the biggest crocodile tears about the smallest things but you are quick to be settled as long as you are not hungry. If you are truly hungry for your bottle, oh boy. Ole Livi don’t play no reindeer games about her bottle!

You have the best laugh and the biggest, bestest smile in whole world. You love to cuddle and to be loved on. You have a small top half and huge bottom half which makes us laugh and call you thunder thighs. James and Audrey still think you are the greatest thing since frozen gogurts except when you get them or their stuff wet with your slobber. Which you are prone to do. I count it a joy and an honor to be your mama my darling.
I love you to the moon and back,

Mama