Olivia is now six months old – time flies when you’re having fun!  She’s grown up quite a bit in the last three months.  She rolls both ways and with more purpose each time; she can transfer toys from one hand to another; she almost sits up unassisted; she just started drinking water from a sippy cup and eating solid food (rice cereal and sweet potatoes so far).  She’s going through a phase having trouble sleeping all night, but we were really quite spoiled, so we can’t complain too much.  At her 6 month checkup, she was in the 50th percentile for height (25.75 inches) and 25% for weight (14 lbs. 15 oz.) and the Doctor said she’d probably be fairly petite (not that that was a surprise).  She’s such a sweet baby and pretty as ever.  Her hair is getting longer, but her curls don’t really show themselves unless her hair is wet.  Her eyes are still a deep blue and she still has her signature cheeks!  Especially after being with her grandparents who weren’t shy about giving her whatever she wanted, she’s grabbing for anything and everything!  She has developed quite a cackle and is often amused by her mother and father, but Red is apparently the true comic in the house.  When she sees Red, she just giggles and if Red is playing with a toy, Olivia laughs and laughs at the show.  Red can even make her stop crying if she comes over and lets Olivia pet her.  They’re going to be good playmates (that is if Olivia has anything to say about it).  We added two new activities this week.  We started a story hour at the library called “Baby Bookworms” and we made our first trip to the outdoor kiddie pool at the YMCA.  The story hour was fun and a nice opportunity to meet other moms and babies.  There were probably 15 pairs and all the babies were between 4-12 months.  We sang nursery rhymes and then the librarian read a story, followed by playtime.  Olivia was VERY interested in all the other babies and had a lot of fun playing with new toys.  This evening, Olivia took a dip in the pool for the first time.  We got her a baby life vest and after some initial concern, she ended up back floating with the best of them.  I took the vest off for awhile and held her in the water and she thought that was very funny.  She looked super cute in her little bathing suit (thanks Aunt Jo) and hat and really enjoyed watching the other kids.  We’ll have to remember the camera next time we go so you can see her tiny swim wear.  We do have lots of cute pictures in the Photo Gallery, though, so be sure to check that out.           

we gave each other a ring as a sign of our love and fidelity.  We promised to be true to each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.  Life has brought lots of good times and a few bad times, along with a little sickness, but mostly good health.  And of all the blessings that we’ve received, the "supreme gift" of our marriage (as a child is called in Catholic Tradition) is Olivia Grace.  She makes this anniversary all the more special.  Last summer, we went to JR’s Grandma and Grandpa Stara’s 60th wedding anniversary.  They are such a beautiful example of married love and their four children, 16 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren (with a 34th on the way . . . ) are living signs of that love.  We pray that we might be that blessed in the next 55 years!