Olivia - 7 Weeks and 8 Weeks (updated)

Olivia, you are 8 weeks old! (Mama's been slacking on the posting...oops!) You are still pretty uncomfortable a lot of the time and it breaks your Daddy's and my hearts. We wish we could make you feel better. I'm sure you'll just love to read this in your teens, but you have a really hard time pooing! It is so frustrating and must be painful for you. You struggle and struggle and cry and sometimes even scream, and then still you can't go. The doctor says not to worry about it, but I'm going to ask her again next week at your 2 month appointment because I really want to be able to help you with this. The evenings are very difficult for you. You cry a lot and you seem so sad and in pain, it is not easy for your Daddy and I to not be able to comfort you. You are so cute, though, and when you're happy you are such a sweetie. We weren't sure if you were smiling for real or by accident, but we've seen some really great smiles now and know they are real. You had the BEST day when we went to visit Grandma and Granddad Smalberger. You hardly cried, if at all, all morning and afternoon and I cried when we saw you smile repeatedly! It was so fun :) You did a pretty great job sleeping in the car, too. We got you a Rock n Play sleeper for bedtime since you outgrew being able to sleep in your bouncy seat. You seem to sleep well in it, sometimes for 4 hours on your first stretch. Then you go about 2 hours at a time. You and I usually move to the guest room at about 3:00 am because that's when you start grunting and struggling trying to poo and I want Daddy to be able to get better sleep. I hope someday soon you'll be able to poo easily and quietly ;) Some of your 0-3 month clothes are too big, some are too small and some are just right. You look so adorable in anything, of course! I went off dairy completely a few days ago. I'm hoping it will help you feel better. Aunt Jenn and Grandma Schurz heard that yogurt may be good for babies with colic, so today is the first day I've had some. I'll tell you it's hard to find recipes without milk, butter and cheese, especially dessert! I think I'll start eating a bit more meat for a while, to make up for the lack of those things. We'll see how it goes. Just know that I'm trying anything and everything to make my little princess feel better. Daddy and I have to start meeting potential babysitters this weekend. If I even think a tiny bit about going back to work I start crying, so I try not to think about it in order to not let it ruin the special times we do have left. I do hope we'll find someone perfect to hold you, love you, feed you and play with you while we are at work. Everyone who is reading this, please cross your fingers, send positive thoughts and say some prayers!!!

7 Weeks: (8 week pics coming tomorrow, if I can get my act together!)

8 Weeks: (a lot of these look the same, and she isn't very animated, but I just couldn't delete any!)

Olivia, Livi, Liv, we love you so much. I hope you can feel it!