Santa, Sirens,Screaming, a Whale and Some Wailing

Heading to see Jolly Ol' Saint Nick on our turf.

Posing for Daddy's camera.

Practicing her new scrunch-face smile.

Livi in the calm before the storm.

Here he comes!

Livi checking him out.

Here he is!

And there she goes!

We heard the loud Christmas music booming from the streets last night. At first, David thought our neighbors were blasting the Charlie Brown Christmas song. Then it clicked what the festive tunes meant. "Santa's coming!" David yelled. And then I ran around crazy with Olivia because I had just changed her and she was in a shirt and diaper only. "Santa is coming," I repeated. We ran downstairs and I grabbed a blanket to wrap her in since the wind was whipping and it was about 20 degrees cooler than it had been during the day. We could hear the music but couldn't yet see Santa so back inside we went to get Olivia some pants.

Moments after we ran back outside, we spotted the flashing red and white lights leading the fire truck. The truck was covered in multi-colored Christmas lights and Santa sat high upon it. "It's Santa! It's Santa," I said enough times to annoy even a 9-month old. Olivia stared at the illuminated sight. Then the siren screamed. So did Olivia. Santa's helpers gave Livi a cute stuffed whale and gave us each a candy cane and a sweet memory. It was no Bedford Santa but it was still very cool despite our crying little one. Thank you Tarpon Springs firefighters.

Olivia Meet Santa, He's the Dude in Red

Livi looking cute and patiently waiting in line.

Ohhh her new shoes.

Sitting while Santa takes his dinner break.

Finally. Olivia, meet Santa. You're gonna like him!

For Olivia's 9-month birthday we dressed up our baby girl in her adorable plaid Christmas dress, matching beret, tights and new patent-leather shoes and ventured out to International Plaza in Tampa to introduce her to a very special, magical man: Santa Claus. On this wet Saturday evening, with my parents in tow, we headed to the line we already knew would be long. Unfortunately, we were right and even had to sit through Santa's 30-minute break. But it was worth every minute.

As we slithered through the line, Baby O checked out her knew shoes and kicked them off. And then kicked them off again. Fortunately, though, when it was time for the big introductions, she was in full Christmas attire.

Daddy plopped Livi on jolly ol' Saint Nick's lap and she immediately turned and stared at the bearded dude in red. She didn't look scared. She simply studied. And he just studied her, too. Then, she turned around, clearly remembering Mommy and Daddy but couldn't seem to see us right away. Then came the tears but quickly we called her name and she looked around and spotted us. The result is a half-smile, half-cry picture. We love it.

Counting Our Blessings On Olivia's First Thanksgiving

Even with a runny nose, Olivia still smiled on her first Thanksgiving.

Sharing a moment with Uncle Richie.

Getting a little post-Thanksgiving dinner push from Uncle Rich.

Flying high with a couple of clowns.

Loving the slide.

All bundled up during a walk around Spring Bayou.

Dear Olivia,

On this Thanksgiving and for all those that follow we were and are thankful for the day you were born and each day that you bring us more joy than we could have imagined. We waited so long for you, Baby Girl, that it still seems like such a miracle you are here. We are truly blessed and give thanks for you each day. You have been such a wonderful baby and you are growing up so fast it takes our breath away. But the way you are flourishing also leaves us breathless. You are so smart and vibrant and seem to love life so much. You wake up each day with a smile on that sweet little face of yours and it is rare that there is any other expression on it, except perhaps for grand curiousity. Your giggles are contagious and are better than music blasting in our house. There is no better sound. You are a very funny baby girl. There is no doubt that you love to laugh and make others laugh, too. Even at this young age - nearly nine months - you understand what it is to laugh and to share it with others. We have no doubt you know exactly what you're doing to get a reaction. You have a strong personality that is all your own and it is beautiful. You are a true gift to all who know you but most of all you are the best gift ever given to us. And yes, you are the gift that keeps on giving. We love you more each day. Even when we think we couldn't possibly love you anymore, you grab us by our hearts and lift our spirits even more.

Loving you more than words could ever express,

Mommy and Daddy

Mommy and Daddy Feast with Olivia at Day Care

Daddy giving Livi "a lift" in her Little Lambs classroom.

Olivia is now a pro using her sippy cup but you wouldn't know it from this picture. She's holding it upside down.

Her cranberry sourpuss face.

I swear she really loves turkey. Sorry we're still working on the not-showing-your-food thing.

Just chilling with my folks.

The week before Thanksgiving, Olivia's day care, Excel Learning Center in Palm Harbor, had a turkey feast for the families. David and I were able to meet there and join Olivia and her classmates for the fun.

At first, she seemed very confused when Mommy arrived in the middle of the day and then when Daddy got there she really couldn't figure it out. A moment later, though, it didn't matter why we were there, just that we were there. Her big toothy grin prevailed. After David and I made a trip to the main building to get our food we rejoined Olivia. We sat in tiny child-sized chairs while she sat in a car-shaped walker. She sampled turkey, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauces and even a little taste of chocolate cake. The only funny face she made was when the cranberries hit her tongue and instantly she had a sourpuss expression.

It was a fun lunch hour until we had to give Olivia an emergency bath. We'll spare you those details.

Our Little Pumpkin Blossoms in the Fall

Olivia eating the plush pumpkin Auntie Beth sent from Massachusetts.

A chilly fall night in St. Pete with Pops in the Park with friends, Michele and Katie.

Olivia being all chill.

The whole family waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

Never mind Waldo, where's Olivia?

Oh, here's she is.

The cutest little pumpkin of all.

Little Miss Muffet and the spider who sat down beside her.


The girls and the bull-riding cowboy who stole our hearts.

Olivia crawled more quickly into her eighth month. I know I say this every month but seriously it's been eight months since we became parents already? She's been cruising a bit and that comes along with bruising. Lots of it. Our daughter has facial polka dots on a regular basis. Please nobody call DCF, I swear we watch her closely and still she gets at least a bump or two a week. But who doesn't love a colorful child?

Her new tricks this past month include drinking from a sippy cup, feeding herself puffs and Cheerios, waving and saying DaDa (Hmph! Why couldn't it be MaMa?). And just a couple of days ago her fifth tooth popped through her bottom gum. She's also mastered clapping and on many mornings that's how she starts her day. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all awoke clapping? Anyway, Olivia is really moving along in so many ways.

Being that it's fall (even though it still feels like summer most days in Florida), we made the obligatory trip to the pumpkin patch. Our little pumpkin seemed to enjoy being surrounded by all those colorful gourds. She was all smiles for her big photo shoot but drew the line at us taking her picture at a sign that said "Pumpkin Crossing." Oh well, we got plenty of great shots and bought her a baby pumpkin.

After our little outing we continued on to St. Pete to meet some friends for an evening of Pops in the Park, where Olivia not only survived her second fireworks display, she actually seemed in awe of it. This was a far cry (pun intended) from the terror she experienced on the 4th of July when we learned just how loud she could scream. Like I said, she's come a long way.

For Halloween, we chose an adorable spider costume and Mommy wanted to be in theme with her sweet daughter, so she went as Little Miss Muffet. Daddy wasn't part of the theme as a bull-riding cowboy. Olivia first dressed in her costume for our annual Halloween party. The hat didn't seem to bother her. She didn't even make a peep when we put her in the warm costume. For a couple of hours she went along with the whole thing with no tears or whines. We made sure we aired her out now and then. It wasn't until we took off the costume that we realized her true feelings of it: She clapped. She went from being a quiet baby, to her outright cheering/cheerful, vocal self for the rest of the evening.

She transformed into spider a second time for school where they paraded around all the costumed babies. We hear she got lots of oohs and ahhs and that she was the favorite. Again, we're going to pretend they don't say that to all the parents. During the day on Halloween, Olivia dug showing off her fang pacifier, cracking up strangers throughout Tarpon Springs. Finally, Halloween night came around and Olivia must've known she was going to wear the costume one more time. Instead, just as our first trick-or-treaters were walking up onto the porch, she crashed on Mommy's shoulder more than an hour before bedtime - something she never does.

Oh well, there's always next year - and she'll have more teeth for all those treats so Mommy and Daddy don't have to eat them!

Flying, Boating and Crawling. Olivia is a Baby On the Move

Olivia's First Flight to Boston
Olivia meets the Massachusetts Family (Cousins Jarred, Courtney, Aunt Wanda, Uncle Paul, Cousins Cheryle and Justin)Did I mention they're crazy?

With Cousin Rich and Aunt Carole.
Before the bath went terribly wrong.And after in her hospital gown.First real swing in Salem.At the Guarinos getting some love from Dave Guarino with his son Owen close by.With Heidi Guarino and her youngest son, Jake.The Pikes and the Davises posing. The girls, Lauren, Robin, Lisa, Anne Boffa, Olivia and special male guest Alex. With Cousin Gracie at the Robbins home also in Salem. You know you wanted to see the whales. Ready for her first boat ride and whale watching trip. Baby O and her O Face. Goldenrod, York Beach, Maine with Mommy, Auntie Beth and Gracie.At Fun-O-Rama with Daddy and Gracie. Family photo on Nubble Light grounds, Cape Neddick, York Beach, Maine.Almost worthy of a Postcard with Daddy, Gracie, Mommy and Auntie Beth.The family on Yawkey Way outside Fenway.
The littlest Red Sox at Fan at Fenway for the first time.




Another month has slipped by and there are so many stories to tell. Olivia's sixth month was a busy one.

Here are the highlights: She went on her first airplane ride on Aug. 29 to Boston with Mommy and Daddy. She did so well on the plane that when we all stood to get off the couple behind us said, "We had no idea there was a baby on the plane!" Words that make a parent proud.

While in Boston, Olivia met so many people. She met second and third cousins, great aunts and uncles and lots of Mommy and Daddy's friends. She was a little social butterfly, happily engaging all who approached her and believe me that was a ton of people.

Olivia mostly enjoys being around other children no matter how old. She loved meeting Mommy's cousins' kids, Justin, Courtney and Jarred and really dug spending so much time with Aunt Wanda and Uncle Paul. And they got a kick out of playing with her, too. She also spent time with Grampy's brother great Uncle Ned, Aunt Carole and cousin Richard Michael Atkinson (the second of the Richards) and his wife Joanne. She also met Nana's sister Aunt Tessie for a brief visit (unfortunately, Aunt Tessie wasn't feeling well) in Woburn at her home and met cousin Sarah there, too. And for the second time she saw cousin Susan (Sarah's Mom) who visited Florida when Olivia was only a few weeks old.

When visiting the Guarinos family in Salem, Olivia went on her first real swing at lovely park called Forest River Park in Salem. Baby O enjoyed being outside as usual and hanging out with Dave, Heidi and their boys Owen and Jake and friend Bigs. We also spent an afternoon with Mommy's high school and college friends Robin and Greg Pike and their fantastic kids Lauren and Alex who were giddy to meet Olivia. Olivia was all smiles for them, too.

You get the picture that this was a busy trip.

Unfortunately, while in Massachusetts she experienced her first trip to the emergency room, too. While taking her first sink bath she somehow managed to kick or hit the hot water on and it was boiling. Literally. I won't relive it here. Suffice to say it was awful. She had a small area with second-degree burns. I'm happy to report, the marks are continuing to fade and we're hopeful she won't be left with a scar on her chest. She was only briefly in pain and went on with her vacation like nothing happened. It took Mommy a little longer to recover but alas she has the best she could.

Now back to the fun stuff. We went on a whale watch which was a first for each of the Davises. We went with Auntie Beth, cousin Gracie and Mommy's friend' Anne Boffa. Olivia slept through most of the three-hour or so trip but she looked darn cute in the sailor dress Florida friend Michele gave her. The rest of us were amazed by the amount of humpback whales we saw about 20 miles off the coast of Boston. There were more than a dozen and they were socializing amongst themselves which is something the naturalist on board said is quite unusual. Meanwhile, dolphins swam around them. It was amazing to see.

One lovely cool day, we drove up to York Beach, Maine with Beth and Gracie and took it by storm. It was the first time in nearly two decades Beth and I had been there together. Our families vacationed there several times together when we were growing up so it was such a treat to take our daughters there together. We hit all our favorite spots: the Goldenrod (ate delicious waffles and watched saltwater taffy being made), we played skee ball and Ms. Pac Man at Fun-O-Rama, sat by the beach watching the surf while feeding Olivia and then headed to the gorgeous Nubble Light, the picturesque lighthouse that encapsulates New England for Beth and I.

And last but not least for our trip, longtime friend Anne Boffa took us to Fenway. It was my first trip back in over 15 years and Olivia and David's first trip. It was somewhere I always wanted to take David so it was even sweeter taking him along with our daughter. Instead of dipping into the 50s or 40s like it was supposed to that night, it remained in the low 70s. Absolutely beautiful weather for a ballgame. The Red Sox shut out the Baltimore Orioles 10-0. It was a perfect night.

In other six-month news, Olivia has become a near expert crawler. She is also quite proficient at standing, pulling herself up on everything she can get her hands on. It's made parenting quite challenging for David and I. She already had her first bump from falling. Ahhh the perils of childhood. Her third tooth has also emerged and thankfully without causing much - if any -discomfort. She now has two on the bottom and one up top. And Olivia has mastered clapping. We're proudly clapping right along with her.