21 weeks

July 23rd I slept 9 hours straight! Mom couldn't believe it... and woke up a little frightened! :) I always wake up happy and ready to play. I still love to nurse...even though my bottle is what fills my tummy... there's nothing like warm snuggles with mommy in the morning, before naps and at night. I'm takin' in about 4-5 bottles of 150mL a day. I've officially moved OUT OF my 0-3 clothes... my tummy is nice and round and won't fit! :) PICTURES COMING

20 weeks

I love to play Patty Cake Patty Cake. I laugh as soon as mom starts clapping my hands. I laugh and enjoy my big sister a ton and especially the tickles she gives me. I kick my legs down and wiggle when mommy changes me. I've started vocalizing and letting my opinions known a lot more too! This week we went to BA so I can be officially a USA citizen! It was a rough go... but Mammy and Papi figured it out! passport pictures to come!

19 weeks

I'm 19 weeks old! WOW has time flown by! Olivia is developing by leaps and bounds. July 5th we started with formula suplementing to see if it would help her growth.... and OH IT HAS! She's started turning/twisting to the side, pulling on her froggy toy to make it play it's music and just overall happier and more content to play or watch Jillian play! 5.150 kilos baby!

17 weeks and almost 4 months!

I weigh 4.3 kilos 40cm head circumfrance height: I can.... look toward you when you call me by name! put my hands together stand firm at lap time coo sweetly laugh and smile big when you talk to me I like to... play on my froggy mat be held!!! sit up and see things face front watch Jillian jump and dance hold your fingers suck on my fingers/thumb I Started supplement feedings this past Thursday She takes about 150mL a day plus all the regular feedings She's gotta gain at least two kilos to be where she needs to be y

16 weeks

We had our 4 month check up... that I'll update you

on Olivia's 4 month birthday with a 4 month photo shoot. But here is our beautiful little girlie, Olivia Eden. We are in love with you Olivia.

You're really enjoying your "froggy mat" kicking at the toys and grabing them with your hands. You NOW put your two hands together... it's adorable! We also think you're doing some early teething. In the afternoons you knaw on your hand and bite down on it pretty hard and druel A TON. Your papi's teeth came in when he was 5 months... so maybe you're following the Molina's lead in that area.

15 weeks

Olivia, you always slip off your right shoe or slipper. You do this feet rubbing thing and you always kick it off. Thankfully we haven't lost a shoe yet! You're drueling more and sucking your thumb ... are your teeth coming in? Your top gum line seems to getting harder... so maybe you are starting to cut some teeth true to the Molina teething timeline (5 months). We gave you your first bottle last night (June 27th) and you slurped it down like no bodies business once you figured out what it had in it. MIIIIILK!!! 50mL in 30 seconds. You've started to kinda laugh out loud and squeel in joy. Which is adorable. your sleeping habits are regular now. Which is awesome. 7-7.5 hours straight at night. Your down for the night by 10 sometimes 11. You take two good naps during the day. One in the morning from 8-10/11 and another starting at 1:30/2-5ish or so. I do think you take after your Papi with sleep.... you don't need as much as most 3 month olds do (14 hours). You have the sweetest smile and beautiful blue eyes. You're still in 0-3 months clothes that fit you just right...although some of your sleepers with feet in the ends of them are getting too short... but you're mostly using 3-6 months clothes now even though they are a big long on you. You'll grow into them in due time I'm sure! I love you my beautiful Olivia Eden!

14 weeks

Well, your sleeping habits are rather strange! I fear you are of the same species as your Papi.... you don't need much sleep. Most babies your age are sleeping 15 hours... you however sleep 13. OH how I wish you'd sleep those extra 2 hours. :) We're working on that a bit. You keep your head super steady and held up high. When I pull you up from your arms to a sitting position you hold your head. You stand up for a good while when we hold you up. Maybe it's time to pull out the Exer-saucer?! You're starting to get a double chin! Your Ped. put mommy on a pill that makes me produce more milk ... and I think it's helping your intake...resulting in a chubbier and even cuter Olivia Eden!! Love you so much little girl and I LOOOVE your smile! Sweet Olivia Moment: we were laying in bed and I was dozing off in that typical morning time.... you were wide awake. You wapped your hand across my face and grabbed my check... like saying, "hey mommy...wake up!" Jillian and Olivia moment: Jillian climbed (practically on top of you)... and just gave you a good squeeze and said "I Luuuuv you!" Your sister really does love you and adores you as much as any 2 year old sister can! wapp don't you just LOVE her smile? it's so charming, innocent, beautifully shy! It melts me!

12 weeks

I'm reaching for things and grabbing them...especially my shaker toys dangeling fom my play mat and my car seat.

11 weeks

Olivia nick names: Ollie Livie Livia Liv Hermosa Mariposa

the newest: Miss Smiley

Week 7

Well, we haven't quite figured Olivia out yet. We're still discovering what she likes and doesn't like. She's kicking and has more playful times with us. her best hours are in the morning at around 10 or so... she treats us with lots of smiles... which as everyone knows is like parent candy!... or maybe drugs... it gives an amazing high that lasts through the evening cranky times... let me just say this... it's better than my morning coffee. She seems like she's getting longer and longer... and looking more like her sister when she was a baby. Her skin has gotten fairer...more like mine and Jillian's and her eyes bluer. She loves evening bath time. She still hates getting her diaper and clothes changed in general. Her gas problems are better thanks to Dill seed tea... go figure! (gripe water) She's started seeing hanging toys...especially the one that's hanging from her car seat. She follows you across the room...it's so fun to see her watching the world around her. Things we're working on: sleeping in her bed by herself (self-soothing) She's an amazing little girl and We're in love (once again)!! Sometimes we forget how little and young she is still...but we're trying to soak it all up.

Week 4

You're FIRST Easter!
We couldn't get any pictures because our photo shoot fell apart in a matter of seconds. Jillian peed her pants and you started crying... so we abandoned the idea... and settled for the photo shoot on another day and went to take a nap. :)

You love to be held (too much!)
I've finally figured out how to get you to sleep in your crib! Every time I put you in your crib you'd wake up UNTIL... I figured out to cradle you in your boppy and cover you with blankets only when I lay in the bed... and not while I'm holding you.
You look like you've gained weight, but we haven't weighed you yet... we'll see what the Doctor says!
- You got your ultrasound on your kidneys done this past week. You cried the whole time, poor baby... but you endured it!
- You quiet down very quickly in the car.
- you've started to stare at your toys that hang from your car seat.
- you maintain great eye contact with us when we talk to you.
I think your Papi is the only other person that can quiet you down besides mommy... and that's only because I have your food! :)
- you finally fill out the New Born clothes... maybe you'll soon graduate to the 0-3m clothes. :)

We're getting to know you little by little, baby girl... and we can't wait to find out more!

Week 3

51 cm long
3.330 kilos (still 100g under birth weight)
You've had a lot of problems with a bubbles in your tummy so you don't fill up and therefore, you're not gaining the weight you should be.
You're sleeping two long stretches at night...which is GREAT for mommy and Papi.
You're staying awake for 2-4 hour stretches during the day.
You gave your Papi your first voluntary smile today!
Keep growin' baby girl!

Week 2

Baby Olivia,
your sister is crazy about you! She loves holding you and "playing" with you. You're night and day schedule is still a bit eratic... but I think we're starting to get somewhere. You still haven't gained back your birth weight. You're at 3.240 kilos.
You're a little yellow skined so we're putting you in the sunshine.
- Your first day at church was this week! You slept the whole time and afterwards everyone came and just stared at you.
- Your first outing was with Nona and your family. We went to Il Gato to have some lunch on Sunday. (week 1)

We love you and we're so happy that you're a part of our family!

Olivia's Birth Story

Dr. Marini at my last appointment

Clau and I in our hospital room

Awaiting Olivia

The date had been set,Monday March 12th, at 12:00pm a C-section.
Our doctor together with us had decided that this was the best decision due to my scar tissue being weak and stretched and unable to withstand the pressure and strain of a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean). We were all at peace with this decision and felt it was the best for me and the baby.
My mom arrived from the states on March 5th. Abuelo Molina had his gallbladder surgery March 7th and despite the 100 degree weather, my hugely swollen feet and contractions... Olivia waited until March 12th.
Her birthday was so full of God's presence and his merciful hand it's amazing. He was absolutely in ALL the small things as well as the big! Why should I have doubted...right?

Clau, Mom and I headed to the Hospital in Cordoba at 7:30am. I was checked in by 9:30 and settling into my private room (which was a huge blessing and and unexpected provision of the Lord for us.)(by the way for those of you from the states a private room means: someone can stay with you at night, AC, and general better care). By 10am the nurses came to our room and started all medical history interviewing, IV's, antibiotics etc... The nurses were great! They even called me by my name instead of "gorda" or "mama".
They took Olivia's clothes and blanket to the "receiving room" (where they clean her, weigh her etc... and dress her after she's born). They had a fetal monitoring...from which Olivia squirmed from and hid.

at 12:00pm they came into my room and said "Vamos!Ya llego el doctor!" (Let's go! Your doctor's here!) So off I went. I climbed into a wheel chair and went up the elevator with Nurse Juana and Laura to the OR. My husband gave me a kiss and we exchanged our "I love you's!" and they rolled me into the OR. I was greeted warmly by my Dr. "Llego el dia!"(the day has come!) by 12:10 my epidural was going in and all I could think about was... I'm going to meet my daughter in about 20 minutes! I stepped up to the OR table exchanged some jokes with the anesthesiologist and nurses... a total happy and joyful moment was about to come!
Once my epidural was in my BP began to drop almost immediatly. Thankfully my anasthesiologist was on top of it and noticed right away. He brought it back up and within a minute I was feeling so much better and back to getting excited about Olivia's arrival.
The Lord gave an incredible peace and calmness to me during Olivia's birth.. .that I could really ENJOY what was happening. At 12:34 I heard the LOUDEST and best cry a little baby could give!!! Olivia Eden was here!!! She wasn't happy about it...:) but I sure was!!!!

They showed her beautifullness to me and took her to clean her up!! Maybe 10 minutes later a Doctor came in and said "3.430 kilos y sanita!" (7lbs 8oz and healthy!)... words every mother wants to here about her newborn! I was SO happy. They brought her back to me in the OR held her close to my face. "Hermosa!" She had little bubble spit in her mouth and was just as quieted, warm and swaddled as she could be! They then took her to Papi and the rest of the family could see her... and then took her to the Nursery for observation.

Thankfully the rest of the surgery went beautifully and I was out by 1-ish. Clau came and greeted me ... so happy and proud of his beautiful baby girl! We immediately commented on how different she is than Jillian... and how beautiful she was! They rolled me to my room where we waited so eagerly with all the family for them to bring her to us. The fam went to go get a bite to eat and in that time they brought Olivia to our room (2 hours later...around 2:30-ish...this was so much better than the 6 hour wait we had with Jillian). Clau was like a little boy... he wanted to pick her up and hold her but so awed at her smallness and fragility as a tiny baby. Finally, he picked her up and we both just starred and starred at her.
Finally, the rest of the family came and Jillian met her baby sister! PRICELESS moments. Jillian held her, sang to her, talked to her, kissed her, and held her hand. It made all the pain of post c-section so much more bearable for me!
I had a couple of hours of real hard pain but was feeling so much better by the evening. My husband held me hand through it all, brought me beautiful flowers with a note that I will never forget!


By 7 I was sitting up and nursing my beautiful baby girl! She latched on like a pro and the rest of our stay was quite pleasant.
Wednesday, March 14th they let me go home with my whole family of four!

Praise God from whom all blessing flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Olivia Eden March 12th, 2012 12:34pm

Claudio and I had always liked the name Olivia. I think it was even a name we both mentioned liking back when we were dating. We decided not to name Jillian, Olivia because of a dear family pet named Olivia. But when we found out I was pregnant with a little girl... we felt that enough time had passed since the passing of the family pet... that we could use the name Olivia. Besides that I love it's meaning. Poetically it means "peace" and literally "Olive tree". Even the "olive tree" meaning I liked because it reminded me of Psalm 1
"Blessed is (s)he who walks not in the counsel of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.
HE IS LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY STREAMS OF WATER
THAT YEILDS ITS FRUIT IN SEASON,
AND ITS LEAF DOES NOT WITHER.
IN ALL THAT HE DOES HE PROSPERS..."

Eden means "delight"... I've always loved this name and thought it was so orignal and that NOBODY would think of it. Until I looked on the name charts for 2011 and saw that Eden was in the top 10! oh well... I love the name anyways! We had made a list of middle names and let our friends vote for the name they liked. Thankfully, Eden was in the top three next to Scarlett and Mylah.
So by the time Olivia was 21 weeks we had settled on Olivia Eden ...
"peace and delight"
However I was waiting for those two words to describe the moments in which she was born. A time of peace and delight. Over the past 8 months we had experienced a lot of worry, doubt, and insecurity as a family. So I was asking myself... how does her name fit into this plan of "caos"? It doesn't make sense to me...
Until March 11th, the night before Olivia was born I read a devotional that pieced it together for me. It made Olivia Eden make sense. It made the past 8 months make sense. It made me realize, God had chosen Olivia Eden's name... and HE really did already know this little girl before we did.

"God is a perpetual refuge and security to his people. His providence is not confined to one generation. His bounty and compassion extend across the ages. His eye has never slept. He has never allowed the little ship of his people to be swallowed up when they have been tossed upon the waves. He has always been a haven to preserve us, and a house to protect us....
In all generations he has been a dwelling place to keep his people safe here, and transport them above. He is never weary in his providence, and never faints in his care. He has never lacked the will to relieve us, nor the power to support us....
When we come to God for fresh benefits of grace, it is always good to remember his former benefits. Our current needs should stir us up to pay the interest of thanksgiving on past blessings. We are unworthy of new mercies when we do not acknowledge the mercies we have already received. The greater the danger, the more we should call to mind God's former kindnesses.... God is our dwelling place. He bestowed upon us the strength of his power, and the riches of his love. There is NO reason to doubt that he will continue to do so. The vast mountains were created by his hand, and much less power is needed to sustain us in our need."

There it was. I was looking for Olivia Eden to mean one thing.... that our circumstances would be "peace and delight"... and then I realized... It's GOD who must be our "peace and delight". It's in Him that we must dwell and rest.
So my prayer for Olivia Eden is that GOD would always be HER "peace and delight" and her life and birth is forever a reminder to us that God is our peace and delight no matter our circumstances. And the amazing thing to me... is that God already knew her name, the day she would be born, the meaning of her name... and the circumstances in which she would come to us. Praise God for his former kindnesses and the riches of his love that are new to us!
Praise God for Olivia Eden!