Miss Helpful

I let Olivia "help" wash a baking dish that I used to make Eliza's sweet potatoes. I ran upstairs to quickly change Eliza's diaper and I hear, "Mommy, the bubble are getting really high". A minute later, it sounded a little more serious. Eliza and I ran downstairs and found this :)

Teacher Gift

I decided to make all of the Christmas gifts for Olivia's SIX teachers this year. I think they turned out pretty cute. I just filled up large mason jars with tiny candy canes and had Olivia color the card that I taped to the back. Easy, cheap and cute! Hope they like peppermint!

Feed Me!

With turning 6 months old comes food!!! Olivia could have cared less about rice cereal and only tolerated baby food. She refused to eat any homemade baby food I made, preferring the kitchen of Gerber!

Eliza is the exact opposite! She loved the rice cereal from her first bite and has, so far, liked my homemade baby food! It was really fun picking out, pureeing, and freezing veggies for her. Apparently the guidelines for introducing solids is different from 3 years ago. You only have to wait 3 days in between new foods and nothing is off limits now except honey and cow's milk. She flaps her arms with excitement at the sight of a bowl and spoon when I am getting it ready. She laughs and smiles at bites. It is really cute to see! Hopefully she likes her veggies later, unlike her big sis.

Turkey Day in Banff

The entire Ray clan flew to Canada for Thanksgiving this year. We stayed in Edmonton a couple days and then went to stay at our favorite cabins in the mountains, Castle Mountain Chalets. Olivia got to play and play in the snow, making her first snowman with Uncle Joel. Mike got in a day of snowboarding while John and Carrie went cross country skiing. Eliza is now refusing to take a bottle, so Mama didn't get to ski or do too much for too long outdoors, but staying cozy by the wood burning fireplace was lots of fun!

The girls in their matching cozy PJ's checking out the huge snowfall from the previous night.

This place NEVER gets old!

Eliza staying warm with Uncle Joel!

Eliza and I stayed back while the rest went to Johnston Canyon and hiked to the frozen waterfall

The coolest snowfall happened one night. HUGE snowflakes were falling and Olivia loved getting out in it.

Our favorite tiny turkey showing off her chunky thighs

In this one, you can see her two teeth!

Snuggling by the fire with her beloved Nonna

Our cabins

6 Months Old!!!

We are currently staying in our favorite cabins in Banff with all of the Ray clan and loving this beautiful winter wonderland. Eliza turned 6 months old today, the day before Thanksgiving.

She just gets cuter and cuter! The last month has brought her first two teeth and lots and lots of babbling (music to my SLP ears)!



6 Month Stats:

Weight: 15.3 lbs (30 %)
Height: 25.2 in. (17 %)
Head: 16.7 in. (54 %)

She Sleeps!

Last week we had a two hour "middle of the night rocking, feeding, holding session". The following night, after an hour of the same thing, including multiple attempts to put her down after a feeding and her waking up every time, I looked at her and said,"I'm outta here!!". I broke down and let her "cry it out". After she cried for 5, 10, then 3 minutes, she slept until 6AM!!

Amazingly, it only took two nights each of only 20 minutes total crying. I am still in complete shock that it worked! I was not trying to night wean her (she is getting up around 2 and 6 to eat each night). I was just trying to get her to sleep in her crib and not my arms. It was one thing for her to nap in my arms all day. It is another for her to want to sleep in my arms all night.

The night time crying it out miraculously transferred to naps. She is now taking all three naps in her crib after only holding/rocking her for a minute or so! This is a life altering change. What a huge relief! No more getting up all night and I have arms again during the day!! Woo Hoo! Way to go Eliza! Hooray Dr. Ferber!!

Her name!

Olivia has had quite an interesting couple of weeks health wise. She has had a cold for about 2 months now. Added to that underlying sickness: pink eye (later given to baby sister!), then an ear infection, then one day of 105 fever (that strangely was gone the next day). So, we have been to the doctor a bunch. At one of those visits I gave Olivia a pen to write on the paper in the exam room. Olivia showed off her newest skill, writing her name!

Apple Jam

After tasting an apple from our apple tree following the first freeze (ick!), Mike decided to pick a bunch of the remaining apples and make apple jam. He chose a recipe that tastes exactly like apple pie. It is delicious!!! Olivia loved helping him peel all of the apples with the fancy apple peeler that Mike got for Christmas last year. Olivia finally likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches now that they have Daddy's yummy jam on them.

Fancy apple peeler

Halloween!!!

The day started with a Halloween party at school where Olivia and Mimi got to wear their costumes.

Our sweet strawberry

Okay, all set to go trick or treating. They were SO excited! Yes, Olivia is wearing an outfit under her costume, along with her winter coat! Mimi had an entirely different cold weather cupcake costume. We decided to go trick or treating in Mimi's neighborhood. Their neighborhood is full of young families. It was really so much fun!

WOW!

One of the first houses they hit. They were pretty consistent with going up and saying "trick or treat". Mimi explained at nearly every house, "I am a cupcake and Olivia is a butterfly" :) They would have gone all night if we would have let them. Loved ringing doorbells and getting treats!

"Wow, look what we found! "

We see you in there, come give us treats

Eliza did not enjoy her first Halloween. She was cold, tired and hungry!


Waiting their turn


They happily ran up to every house, except this one! I don't think Olivia realized she didn't have to go here. She froze and said, "carry me I am scared!!!!" These people were really into Halloween. They were dressed up and it was scary even for the adults!




Carrying the kiddos heading home

Mama Carolyn helping O check out all of her loot. Thankfully, Olivia never really asked about her candy again. I gave most of it to Mike to take to work or else Mama would have eaten it all!

Score! Interestingly, some people give out chips here


I looked down at Eliza after having a sampling of the candy bars we don't have in the US and found a little piece I dropped on her face!

I Could Eat Her Up