8 weeks

She really loves her new swing (thanks Molly!) As I write this she's sitting next to me with her head completely twisted so she can see the horse above the swing.

Mom and baby after bath time

I don't know how to describe it, but she seems to really love this poster we have in our living room. If you're sitting on the couch or walking around with her, her eyes always seem to be following the poster. It's probably the colors, but someday it'll be a good teaching tool to explain the importance of loving others.



Our morning ritual: mom wakes up with my first alarm at 6:55 and hops in the shower and checks her email and does anything she wants. Olivia starts getting fussy but will fall asleep if she's given some attention. Our compromise is I sit up in bed and she sleeps on me until mom is out of the shower, by which point Olivia's probably ready to eat anyway.

7 weeks old

As promised, here are a bunch of pictures of Olivia. I already think they're outdated though they're incredibly cute, right?

Race for the Cure

Last Saturday I ran the "Race for the Cure" 5k to raise $ for breast cancer research. It was a very emotional morning for dad and I to be in Raleigh with thousands of other people, many of whom clearly had their own personal experience with breast cancer. They had signs you could put on your back which either said "In Loving Memory of..." or "In Celebration Of..." I was very grateful to be able to use the latter to write Grandma Jones' name and run the race in her honor. For those keeping score, it wasn't my very fastest 5k ever, but it wasn't bad. I ran the 3.1 miles in 26:08, avering 8:23 minutes per mile. My only complaint was that the course around Meredith College was too narrow for the size of the crowd. Even still, it was beautiful, and wonderful to receive the support of all the people lining the route cheering us on. There's nothing quite crossing that physical and symbolic finish line with everyone cheering you on. I keep my race bibs on the fridge for a month or so to help me keep that feeling as long as I can.

My favorite picture

This is my very favorite picture of Olivia so far. It shows how much she loves bath time, and that she's pretty close to really smiling now. What you can't see but can probably imagine is how much I love bath time too.

More pictures

Family portrait right before heading to church for Olivia's blessing


Here are some of the friends who came to be a part of Olivia's blessing. I'll write more on it later. For pictures of her during bath time, check out today's post on my blog.


We've been pretty tired lately. After running in 100 degree heat and helping someone move, I crashed and slept like this on the couch for hours. Here are some candid photos of Sarah and Olivia as I find them when I come home from work.



Thank you Kerrie for all your help! You seemed to have the magic touch.