This girl

Miss Olive Mae Chaney. Most days I just can't get enough of her. Some nights, like last night, I'd have preferred her to allow me more sleep.

Olive will be eight months old this Sunday. Cue the cliche, "I can't believe how big she is/how fast the time is going." For almost as long as she has been a part of our family our life as four has been...not normal. In transition, to be more exact. It would have been easy for her growth and milestones to have gotten lost in the mix. Granted, while I haven't been diligent in updating her baby book, I am often reminded that I need to cherish this quickly passing season of baby hood.

  
Olive is a good baby. No really, I mean it, she is good. She is so patient and so good natured. She smiles constantly and plays the shy game if you talk to her and she doesn't know you well - but she'll still smile. She's a bit of a mommy's girl, but it's obvious she loves her daddy. Of course she has her moments to cry and she's staring to let it be known that she's not too keen on having a toy or other object taken from her, but overall she's pretty laid back.

What gives me pause about her good natured-ness is my remembering that Addie was a laid back baby, too...then she got mobile!
 

I love, love when Olive laughs. She's especially ticklish around her neck. Her dimples add such character to her sweet little face and her blue, blue eyes...well, let's just say we could have some struggles saying no to them.

  
Her hair is kind of crazy and I can't tell yet if she'll have mine and Addie's curls or if somehow she'll escape that sentence. Either way, it's bound to be sticking up, sometimes pretty spectacularly, and has a bit of a mind of its own right now.

She also adores her big sister. When she is around, Olive's eyes are on her. She wants Addie's toys and she loves her attention. Thankfully, Addie is pretty willing to freely give of hugs and kisses and tickles (sometimes not so gentle) and has been asking more lately to hold Olive. However, she's not super keen on Olive playing with her toys, and if asked to let Olive play with one, she's usually handed one of the not-so-favorite toys. Oh Addie, as close as your little sister is to crawling, your life is about to get a little more challenging!

When riding in the car, Olive is often sitting up and leaning forward, eyes turned in Addie's direction so she can watch what she's doing. It's so sweet to see her craning to keep her eyes on Addie. She just wants to know what she's doing.

Every now and then you might hear me say, "I could have three or four more, just like this," or, "I wish she'd stay just like this." In reality, I don't have room for three or four more babies in my biological clock, nor do I want to be changing (or purchasing) diapers for the rest of my life, or nursing for years to come or making sure someone isn't constantly toppling over because they can't sit up entirely on their own yet. It's just that this time really is so special and so fun. I look forward to being able to communicate more clearly with Olive, to watching her learn and grow and form her personality, just as it has been a treat to do the same with Addie. But, I will certainly enjoy the baby snuggles for now.

Olive's name literally means "olive," or "olive tree." The olive tree is a symbol of peace and victory. When I initially found out what Olive meant, I joked that we needed some peace in the midst of Addie's terrible three's. Without getting overly philosophical, I do believe Olive brings a sense of peace to our household. During a time of uncertainty for our family, she is a source of joy and sweetness. And, if I really wanted to delve deep, I'd say that we will find victory during this time. But, I won't go there...

For now, I will enjoy my happy girl and be so, so thankful that she is part of our family. I will love to hear her shrieks and babbling and laughing, I will enjoy her sweet touches to my face and I will excitedly watch and she learns and examines all that crosses her path.

I am so thankful to be this girl's mommy.