My Breastpump "Bomb"!!!

Ok, so this story is really funny.. mostly it will be funny to anyone who has ever used, owned, and/or travelled with a breastpump.

I had to fly to Dallas, TX on Friday night for a conference and since Olivia is of course still breastfeeding I took my breastpump to keep up my supply. Well, I took it as a carry on and of course had to put it through the x-ray machine. I had travelled with it before ( in December to St. Louis) and didn't think that it would be a problem. Next thing I know the TSA guy is pulling me aside saying they had to "check" what was in the black bag. Keep in mind the guy was probably about 22 years old and had no idea what was in the bag. So I said "no problem" and we went in to the "special " area where they pull stuff out and inspect it. He openend it up and looked so perplexed... I asked him " Do you know what that is? " and he said " no, what is it". When I told him he totally blushed and said " Oh, well can YOU take this apart for me because I have to check it for gun powder residue. " He then proceded to wipe down my breastpump with a little cloth and put it into a machine. So funny. Then he said... "Well, it's fine, I guess you can go". Then another guy walks up ( about the same age) and says, " Hey man, what is that thing? " He says " A breastpump?" , then they both blushed again, and the guy says " Whoa man". !!! ha!!

The funniest part about the whole thing was that I had manicure set and a bottle of water in my purse and they never even noticed that stuff. It went right through the x-ray machine...no questions asked.

So much for the "great" screening at LAX.

Olivia Month 5!!!

Wow, time flies.... Olivia has been in our lives for only 5 months and we cannot remember what it was like without her. Pretty boring I would guess... She is getting so big and has an even bigger personality. She greets us with smiles and giggles and is always so kind ( loud screeching) to let us know when she is tired. :-) Life just doesn't get much better than this....

"The Office" Rules!!!

Ok.. so we don't have time to watch a lot of T.V. but Chad and I are ADDICTED to "The Office". It has renewed my faith in the classic American sitcom. Are any of you "Office" fans? I have season one and two on DVD and whenever I am having a bad day... I watch an episode. So great...

..just had to share.

The Amazing Rice Cooker!

Who knew how fun a rice cooker could be? Ok....this may sound like a boring Saturday night to you but to us it's heaven! We used our rice cooker for the first time and the rice came out PERFECT!!! So fun.. :-) When Olivia asks us what we used to do at night when she was sleeping... this is what we have to tell her..."We used to really have fun with our rice cooker!".. *sigh*

Snow in Malibu?

Ok, so for all of you Midwesterners who think that we live in the lap of luxury out here in SoCal.. I'll have you know that yesterday it snowed in Malibu. First time in 24 years.. pretty crazy. Chad was home with the baby yesterday and said that it hailed at our house in the afternoon too...the dog spent the afternoon hiding under the bed... poor thing.

Today it is 70 degrees ... hee..hee..

Olivia Month 4!!

Olivia keeps growing and we keep enjoying it! She now weighs 16 lbs. 12 ounces and is 25 inches long... :-) She loves to flip back and forth from tummy -to- back and vice versa and everything she gets a hold of goes straight to her mouth!! She is sleeping 8 hours a night pretty consistently now and always wakes up with a smile on her face.. :-) We are so delighted at each new day with her.. she is an awesome baby!

Olivia can flip over!

On December 16th, Olivia delighted us with her first "roll-over" from her back to her tummy. Her favorite way to sleep now is on her tummy despite all of out attempts to flip her back onto her back while she is sleeping....*sigh*. On the plus side , now that she is sleeping on her tummy all the time , she is sleeping longer and much more soundly at night. She now sleeps in her regular crib in her own room and is starting to take her naps in there too...(she would prefer to nap with mommy or in her bouncy seat). She continues to delight us daily with her antics and has decided that her new favorite talent is "blowing raspberries" at us during breakfast or whenever she is feeling saucy. Also she has discovered "Cassie" and the two of them are now inseparable during playtime... xoxoxo

Trip to the Midwest!

We have just returned from a 12 day trip to the Midwest to visit relatives and Olivia's great-grandparents. We left Dec. 1 and flew into St. Louis, Missouri then drove 2 hours northeast to Pittsfield, Illinois where Chad's paternal grandmother and relatives live. It was a great trip and turned out to extra special for Chad because Pittsfield had about 1 foot of new snow and he had never seen the city in the winter... very cool! We then headed up north to Chicago to visit Chad's aunt and uncle and a couple of his cousins. We toured around the city and checked out the Macy's (used to be Marshall Fields) windows and even made it out to dinner a couple of nights. We spent our 7th wedding anniversary with Chad's second cousin and his family and were treated to a delicious home cooked meal at their home with about 13 family members... Thanks Wilsey Family!!! Our last leg of the trip took us up north to Oconomowoc , Wisconsin where all of Melissa's family and paternal grandparents are. Melissa's father and stepmother drove down from Minnesota and threw Olivia a "coming out" party for all relatives there... it was great fun!!! On Dec-12th we flew back home and are very happy to be back in warm, sunny California!! It was a fabulous trip, thanks to all who let us stay with them, it really made our trip so special!!! xoxoxo

Olivia Month Three!!

Well, Olivia just keeps amazing us with her humorous and inquisitive nature. She is learing so many things.. she can hold and grab her toys now ( and put them in her mouth!), hold her head up at a 90 degree angle while laying on her tummy, and hold a gaze while you are walking in and out of a room. (These may seem like trivial things but WOW are we excited!!!) She definitely has a "will" of her own and let's us know what she wants and doesn't want on a regular basis...very opinonated! We are looking forward to what lies ahead ... could be very interesting!ha!! xoxoxo

Ironing Laundry?

Ok,... so today I am so totally bored and tired I decided to iron my bed sheets....I know what ya'll are thinking , "Is she crazy?" but since Chad installed my clothesline I have been line drying everything and ironing sheets makes them soooooo super soft. Anyway, that's the plan for the day , plus maybe making some pumpkin bread...:-) Good times at the Barber house.. ha!!!

Dr.'s Visit!

Olivia had her 2 month check-up on Monday... she now weighs 13 lbs. 10 oz. and is 22 1/2 inches long. She no longer fits into her 0-3 month clothing so we had to put it all away last weekend.....:-( Her new trick is sticking her whole fist into her mouth and also tracking things with her eyes... She had four immunization shots on Monday as well... it was harder on us then it was on her..:-) She slept from 8 pm-4am last night... 8 hours in a row... what a good baby!!

Month Number Two!!

Olivia just keeps growing and growing.... she is smiling, laughing, and even starting to reach for things! This month she enjoyed a visit from her Grandma and Grandpa from Minnesota, she took her first Metro Train ride, and even went trick-or-treating in Palm Springs with cousins Hadley and K.C. We are constantly in awe of her and how much she changes day by day.....Thanks to everybody for all the wonderful wishes and gifts that continue to arrive for her...we are truly blessed. xoxxo

Almost one month old....

Well, we have entered our 4th week of parenthood and it has truly proven itself to be challenging, rewarding, wonderful, and of course tiring! Olivia is a joy . She is a wonderful baby who loves to eat and sleep a lot!! She had her 3 week Dr.'s appt. on Monday and already weighs 10 pounds 8 ounces and has grown 1/2 an inch...:-) We are truly blessed to have her in our lives....xoxoxoo

The Birth of baby Olivia!!

On September 3, 2006 at 10:19 pm, our daughter, Olivia Paige Barber was born. She weighed 8 lbs 15 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long... It was a long and grueling labor but what is important is that she is healthy, happy, and at peace with her surroundings. She came home with us on Tuesday , September 5, and since then has continued to amaze us with her beautiful tempermant and demeanor. She has strawberry-blonde hair and grey blue eyes...we are very proud parents and are convinced that she is already a genius at the age of 4 days. :-)

9 months and still going...

Here's my nine month picture....hopefully there won't be a 10 month picture!

Los Angeles Baby Shower

On Sunday August 6, Sarah threw me a shower in Arcadia... it was beautiful. The weather was perfect and the surroundings ideal ( Thanks to Cindy Doerges!) . Thanks sis!

Registry

Due to people asking where we are registered, I figured I would just post it on the blog....here we go.

www.target.com and www.felicite.com

Hope that helps!

Palm Springs Baby Shower!

On Saturday July 29th, my mom ( Pam) and Chad's mom ( Ginny) threw us our first Baby Shower! It was held at Ginny's house and was a huge success... :-) We had a luncheon and lots of sweets after that. The crazy thing about receiving all those baby gifts is that I will be using them in about 4-5 weeks! Aghhh!!!

35 week appointment

Not much to report....my nurse says the baby is measuring "big". This makes me nervous... but at least that must mean "healthy" , right?

33 week Dr. apppointment

Today Melissa had her 33 week ( 8 months for the math challenged people) Dr.'s appt... things are great! The estimated weight of the baby is 4 lbs , length is approx. 17 in. , and the due date is still the same... Sept. 3rd.