Happy Easter!

I wanted to post this yesterday but I just didn't have the energy, Easter was a lot of fun! When Olivia woke up in the morning, she got her basket from the Easter bunny. She took everything out and wanted to open it all immediately. She ate an entire (almost) chocolate bunny but she wouldn't try the Peeps, I'm sure she would love them but she was being stubborn. I wanted her to take a nap before we went to my aunt's house but she refused (too much chocolate). She played in her crib for over an hour and I finally gave up and got her out (otherwise we would have been late). I was slightly irritated because I knew that if she didn't nap, she would be cranky and it was going to be a long day. She fell asleep in the car (about ten minutes before we got there) and she was annoyed when we woke her up. As soon as she saw her cousins though, her mood changed back to happy! She gave them hugs and kept following them around, it's really cute how much she loves them. She also loved getting all of her baskets from everyone but she liked my nephews toy cars the best. She ate more food than I thought she would and I ate more food than I should have. It was raining out so we had to do the egg hunt in the basement, kind of a bummer because the pictures would have been much nicer outside. Olivia wasn't into it this year, she found one egg and then she just wanted to sit down and open it. She liked playing with the jelly beans inside and she was content with just one egg. All of the kids were running around and one of them accidently knocked Liv over and she fell backwards and hit her head on the floor. She was crying so loud and hugging me for a while but afterwards she seemed fine. She went right back to playing but after a while, she started to get fussy again. I knew it would happen but it took a little longer than I thought so by that time we were getting ready to leave anyway. I'm glad she didn't fall asleep on the way home, it's a long drive so I expected her to but she stayed awake. Once we got home, I gave her a quick snack and put her to bed. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, that rarely happens. She went to bed earlier than normal so this morning she woke up bright and early. I think I am going to stick to this new bedtime though because she didn't even fight her nap today. She fell asleep within minutes and it was awesome. I took so many pictures but if I put them all up, this post would be way too long so I'll just share a few of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter everyone!

Playgroup bully

The last two days have been gloomy, it rained all day today. I took Olivia to playgroup this morning and she was pretty excited about it. When I asked her if she wanted to go, she said "yeah yeah!". She just started saying "yeah" and it's really cute because she usually says it twice. I remember when she first learned how to say cat, she would always say it three times in a row. I was getting a little frustrated at playgroup because she hit three different kids for no reason at all. She never really hit any kids before and especially not without reason. I told her no, I said "Olivia, no hitting!" and I told her to "do nice". We always say that when she hits the cats, she usually listens and then starts petting them. She didn't want to "do nice" to any of her little friends but she did stop hitting when I scolded her (at least for a while). I'm hoping this is just a phase because I don't want her to hurt anyone and it's a little embarrassing for me as well. I don't want her to be a little bully, I want to make sure that she learns that it's unacceptable to hit while she is young. She is still getting over her cold so maybe she isn't completely back to her sweet self yet (ha). Besides the few incidents, she had fun and played nicely. I might switch her to the older class for the next session. The class we are in now is for 12-24 month olds and Liv is 25 months old. I haven't switched her yet because she really loves this class, the other class is for two year olds but all they do is sing songs. She would probably miss the bubbles and marching around with instruments. I guess we can do one more session and then switch, I'll see how it goes during the next few classes. After the class, we had lunch and then we both took a nap. I haven't taken one lately but the rain always gets me. Sleeping while it's raining out is one of my favorite things to do. I just hope that I will be able to fall asleep tonight, napping really screws up my schedule.

Cranky little diva.

She's obsessed with wearing sunglasses lately.

Better speech therapy visit

Olivia has been sick since last week so she's been extra irritable. It's been a long week, I'm pretty much exhausted. On a good note, I think she is starting to feel better and get over her cold. Speech therapy went a lot better today, Olivia was actually in a good mood. She was playing with the therapist and listening to her directions, I was proud of her. After speech therapy, I had a dentist appointment and it was supposed to just be a cleaning but I had a cavity (ugh) so they ended up doing a filling for me. I hate getting dental work done, my mouth was numb for the rest of the night and I do not like that feeling. Anyway, I actually got a lot accomplished today but now I want to crash, it's early for me but I am more than ready for bed!

Ditching the binky

I was pretty stressed out when I wrote my last post, I have a lot on my plate right now and that bad speech therapy visit just sent me over the edge. I'm feeling a little better now and I have a few job prospects so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm trying to wean Olivia off her binky and it's been tough. The speech therapist said that she should only be using it during naps and at bed time, she mentioned that if Liv tries to talk with it in her mouth, she will think that's the way the word is said. Olivia has been pretty cranky without it but I obviously don't want it to affect her speech, it may take a few weeks for her to get used to not having it but I know it will help her in the long run. Nap time still isn't going well, today it took her almost two hours to fall asleep. I was about to give up and get her but she finally fell asleep. I have no idea what happened to my sweet little girl but she has been a real terror this week, another reason why I've been so stressed. I am praying that it's just a phase or maybe she is rebelling because I took her binky away. I had to put her in time out twice the other day and I think it's harder for me than it is for her. She seems to understand the whole concept because when I warned her today that she would go in time out, she stopped whatever she was doing (I totally forgot what it was). Anyway, I can barely keep my eyes open right now so I'm off to bed.

First day of speech therapy

Olivia had her first day of speech therapy today and it did not go well. Sigh. She just didn't want to cooperate, she was being extra cranky. We were trying to get her to play with different toys and she didn't want any part of it. She also didn't want to repeat anything that she knows how to say, she made a few animal sounds but that was it. She basically just cried and whined the entire time, it was frustrating but there was nothing I could do to help. She may have been tired, she was just generally annoyed until the therapist left. I am not feeling my best either, I guess it's just one of those days. I wanted to give a quick update and now I am off to sulk.

Major disaster

It's been a busy few days, I feel like I always say that but I guess that's just life with a toddler. On Friday, Paul & I were able to have a date night. We went out to dinner and it was so yummy, I ate way too much but it was nice to get out alone together, we rarely get to do that anymore. On Saturday we all went out to dinner with my family, it was a really fun night. I ate way too much again but I didn't even care, it was totally worth it. Olivia was excited to spend some time with her cousins, she kept hugging them over and over. I loved seeing how happy they all were to be playing together, it made my heart melt. Olivia definitely needs a sibling soon! It was funny though because at one point I looked around the table and all three of the kids were on our phones. It's nice to have something to keep them entertained at restaurants, Olivia gets antsy after a while and it's a huge help. Today we had an appointment in the morning to get Olivia's two year old pictures taken. It was a major disaster, she cried and screamed the entire time. I don't really know why she was so upset, she doesn't even cry that much at the doctors office. It might be because I had to wake her up this morning, maybe she was overtired. The photographer was very patient and I was thankful for that because it was a little embarrassing. Her eight month old pictures went much smoother, she didn't cry once. Somehow, we got a few good pictures and I ordered them so I am really excited but they wont be ready until next week. I'm glad we wont be taking professional pictures again until she's three and then once she's in school, I wont have to deal with it (good luck to them). Yeah, so that was exhausting. I finally got her to nap so I'm going to take advantage of this time and eat something (before she wakes up and starts destroying the house).

Kids these days.

First day back at playgroup

Olivia was doing much better this morning, she was playing with her toys and she even ate breakfast really well. It was the first day of playgroup and I wasn't sure if I should bring her but she seemed fine. She was having fun but she had a meltdown every time we stopped doing an activity. When the teacher stopped blowing bubbles, Olivia freaked out and started crying. Then she was happy again while we were playing with the parachute but after that was done, she started screaming again. It was kind of embarrassing because she wasn't just crying, she was kicking me and throwing a fit. I know she's still a baby but none of the other kids were doing that and I couldn't get her to stop. One little boy actually came over to ask if she was okay, it was sweet but Olivia wanted nothing to do with him. She was much better once we got home and she took a pretty long nap. She didn't want to eat her dinner but she wanted mine, I was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden she was taking a bite out of the burrito on my plate. It was funny and I'm glad she ended up eating. It was a much better day (minus the meltdowns), hopefully she wont get sick again for a while!

Cranky toddler

Olivia is still sick. Actually, she threw up (a lot) on Sunday and then again yesterday. I brought her back to the doctor because she was just being super lethargic and she had me worried. She didn't have a fever, her lungs sounded fine but she did have some fluid in her right ear. The doctor said it wasn't red so there was no infection but I am going to keep a close eye on her. Today started off great, she was in a good mood and ate a ton for breakfast. I put her down for a nap at her usual nap time and she just did not want to sleep. After over an hour, I got her out and tried to give her something to eat but she just didn't want anything. She drank a ton of water and then she layed on my lap and started to fall asleep. I put her back in her crib and she finally fell asleep. After her nap, she woke up more cranky than ever and she stayed that way for most of the night. I gave her some Tylenol and it helped a little but she just didn't want to be bothered. She refused to eat and didn't drink much either, she didn't want any milk but at least I got her to drink some water. It was a long stressful day and I'm really hoping tomorrow she will feel a little better. We have both been sick for far too long and I'm just over it.

Loving her doughnut.

Separation anxiety

Olivia has been having tantrums lately. Every time I try to leave for work, she clings to me and screams when I put her down. It's breaks my heart because she doesn't want me to leave and I don't want to leave her. After a few minutes she is fine but it still makes me so sad, it just breaks my heart. I want to be with her 24/7 but I know that's not possible right now. I'm happy my schedule changed and I'll be getting a little more time with her. Yesterday was the first day of play group for the fall session, I love seeing Liv playing with other kids and having fun but yesterday she was pretty clingy. She wanted to sit on my lap half the time, which is not like her. When she went off to play, she kept checking to make sure I was still there. At one point she couldn't find me and she started to panic so I called her name and when she saw me, she came running over to hug me, it was pretty darn cute. Last night me and Paul went out to dinner to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary (one day late). It was fun but when we got home, I started to feel sick and it kept getting worse so now I have a full blown cold which sucks. I really don't want to get Liv sick but I'm sure she'll catch it since I'll be home with her all day. I have to work tonight so that isn't going to be fun. I couldn't even sleep last night and then Olivia was up from 3am to 6am but it didn't matter because I was up anyway. I'm hoping she takes a nap today or else I'm going to feel terrible at work tonight, not looking forward to it.

Sleep regression

I know I post about sleep way too much but the past few weeks have been so rough! Olivia wakes up at night and doesn't want to go back to sleep and she is still refusing naps. The other day she just sat in her crib for almost two hours and never took a nap. I even started searching for reasons online because I've been going crazy, she needs to sleep (and so do I). I found out that at eighteen months sleep regression is common. Pretty much everything I read about was exactly her. I read that it can last for 2-6 weeks, we are going on one week so hopefully by next week we will be back to normal but that may just be wishful thinking. It can be due to a milestone approaching, she is a bit behind with talking so I'm hoping it's because she's getting ready to pick up a few new words. It could also be because of teething but she has all of her teeth already (except for her 2 year molars). Although, since she got all of her other teeth early (according to the charts), maybe her 2 year molars will be early too, just a thought. There are a few other reasons why it could be happening, separation anxiety and starting to gain independence. Whatever the case, I just hope it passes soon!

I took Liv to the indoor playground again today and she had fun running around (per usual). Then we came home and had a lazy day. To me, just spending time playing with her and hanging out at home are the best days. She has been getting more interested in her ride on toys lately, we got her a rocking horse for her first birthday and she never wanted to go on it (she was scared) until now. It only took her a day or two and she figured out how to ride it, of course sometimes she gets on backwards but it's still adorable. My sister got her a pink ride on train last Christmas and she likes it but it's a little hard for her to ride because the handle is far away from the seat, so I went out and got her another little pink ride on (super cheap at a consignment store) and she loves it. She likes pressing the buttons to hear the music play and hiding things in the seat (it lifts up). She has been really making me laugh lately with the silly things she does, she is so quirky sometimes. Today she was trying to pet one of the cats and he ran away from her (smart move), she got mad so she was trying to bite the table (what the heck?!). Then later on, I let her have a bite of my chocolate chip cookie and she kept saying "mmm mmm mmm" and the faces she was making were just hilarious, after the next bite she started doing a little dance (yummy dance). Even though I'm so sleep deprived, she can always get me to laugh or smile.

The bad luck continues

Olivia has been sick since Tuesday, she caught a stomach bug and it's been rough. I feel really bad for her but it's also been exhausting for me and Paul because she's been so cranky and sad. Today she seemed better, she wasn't as cranky as she was yesterday. Oh and of course, on Friday I dropped my phone and the screen cracked shattered, pieces of glass keep falling off little by little. I knew there was no way I could afford a new one (even with insurance it's too expensive for me right now) and I was bummed about that. This is pretty sad but I actually have scotch tape all over it right now to stop the glass from falling off. I know it's just a phone but I don't have a house phone so my cell is really the only way I can contact people. My parents are being super awesome and getting me a new one, this time I'm going to invest in a sturdy case. I wish I wasn't so clumsy, I drop my phone almost every single day but I guess I've been lucky because my screen has never cracked until now. Things have been really stressful at work, I'm not going into detail about that but it has been a really draining weekend. My entire body is just sore, I never thought my feet could hurt so much and my legs feel like jello. I'm so happy to be home now, it's time to watch my guiltiest pleasure (Keeping up with the Kardashians) and eat some cookies! I'm so excited to be off the next two days and spend quality time with my little girl, I missed her like crazy this weekend!

For the first time ever, she let me put her hair in a ponytail (kind of).

Even when she is extra cranky, she always finds a way to make me laugh or smile.

Left: Pretending to talk on daddy's phone. "Hold on, I'm going to have to call you back!"

Right: I didn't notice there was a rip in her pajamas until I saw her little piggy poking out.

Impromptu trip to the ER

In the midst of our busy week, Olivia decided to shake things up a bit. We were all hanging out in the living room, Paul and I were both sitting right there on the couch with Liv, she was getting down herself so I thought she was fine (she does it all the time). Somehow she lost her footing and she fell off and hit her head right on the edge of the coffee table (so hard). She was screaming and crying, I was trying to calm her down and then Paul started freaking out and saying "look at her head!" She had a huge bump, bruise and cut. After she relaxed a little bit, Paul wanted to see if she was disoriented so we watched her, she was walking a little wobbly and sideways. I called the doctor and waited for a call back, meanwhile Liv was being super cranky and clingy so when the doctor called me back she said it was a good idea to take her in. I took her to the emergency room, she was acting fine while we were there, she was having fun in the waiting room. She was playing a computer game they had (where was this when I was a kid?!), coloring, throwing the crayons everywhere and running around. They said they didn't see anything concerning and they didn't think a cat scan was necessary so we just stayed for a few hours so they could observe her. She never lost consciousness or threw up which is good because those are signs of a concussion. Just to be safe, I have to wake up every few hours to check on her and make sure she's breathing and that she doesn't throw up. Other than that, she is fine.. just a battle wound. It's been a long night.

Oh and the coffee table has been removed from our living room, those rubber corners were supposed to make it safe but of course she hit her head on the front edge.

My not so helpful helper

Unfortunately I was right and Olivia is sick. The last few days have been really rough. I took her to the doctor yesterday and everything looked okay but she definitely has a cough/cold. It was a brutally long day, I had a headache pretty much all day and then at night she woke up every 10-15 minutes and it was pretty much impossible getting her back to sleep. She just kept waking herself up with coughing fits and her nose was running, I felt really bad for her. She finally fell asleep and stayed asleep around 4am and didn't wake up till 10. I am really out of it right now thanks to lack of sleep. When she woke up this morning she was in a terrible mood, she was just crying and whining for a good hour. I finally put on an episode of Dora and then she was okay after that. Lately it seems like she wants to do everything I do, she copies me when I'm wiping off the table or putting away her toys. Too bad after she puts them away, she takes them out again. She also has been very interested in loading and unloading the dishwasher for me. It's cute but not much of a help because when it's time to close it, she freaks out and wants me to open it again. She would play with silverware for hours if I let her. I swear she is such a little weirdo.

Spoons are fun, who needs toys?!

Pool weather

There hasn't been much going on the last few days, today it was extra hot outside. I decided to take Olivia for a walk in her Little Tikes car, I tried keeping us in the shade most of the time. I wanted to walk to the pool but I forgot to pick up some swim diapers for her. I'm hoping I have time to get them tomorrow because I think she would love the pool. She really loved "driving" her car but when we went back inside she got really cranky. She was a nightmare to put to bed tonight, I think she may be getting sick again but hopefully not. The days have been flying by lately or at least it seems that way to me. I wish things would slow down a bit, I am really trying to enjoy all of my time with Liv before I find a job. I'm still on the search and hoping something comes along soon! Anyways just wanted to update quick but things have been pretty uneventful here.

 She is so obsessed with Dora, she stands directly in front of the TV.

Rough night

Last night was just awful. Olivia woke up crying every 10-15 minutes. I don't know why, around 3am I gave her some Tylenol thinking maybe it was due to teething but it didn't help at all. She wasn't sick, she didn't have a fever, she wasn't hungry so I have no idea why she woke up so much. I didn't get any sleep, looking over at Paul snoring made me want to strangle him (I didn't) but I did nudge him and make him go deal with her one time. One time out of fifty! It was so completely exhausting and I've been in a bad mood all day thanks to lack of sleep. I wasn't expecting her to still have sleep issues at 15 months old but I guess it will be like this for a while. I was hoping she would take two naps today but she still only took one. She was pretty cranky along with me so it wasn't a very fun day. Ugh. Luckily I got her to bed a little early tonight and now I'm ready to go pass out too. On a lighter note, it was a pretty good weekend but I'll post about that tomorrow.

Livy's 15 month checkup

Olivia had her 15 month checkup today! She is still little miss tiny, she weighs 18lbs 3oz and is 28.5" tall (which is pretty dang short). So the pediatrician said she's 10% for weight and 5% for height but she's gone up on her curve so that's good. I told him about her picky eating habits and he said it's normal for her age, he suggested a vitamin and I think it's a good idea. I'm always worried about her not getting enough vegetables or meat so that should help a little. I had to wake her up from her nap to bring her to the appointment so she was extra cranky. He was mentioning how around this age kids start getting scared of strangers. She seemed fine but when he started checking her ears and eyes, she freaked out and started crying. I kept thinking "just wait for the needles". She screamed at the top of her lungs during and after her shots. I felt bad for her but jeez she has a high pitched scream, I can still hear a ringing in my ears. Luckily she took another nap when we got home. After that we played outside for a while, it was so nice out! I didn't get any sleep last night so I felt kinda blah all day, glad it's over and I'm hoping I can get some sleep tonight.

 

Teething never ends

Okay, I'm exaggerating but it seems that way. It's been going on for almost a year now and I'm over it (I'm sure Olivia is too). It seems like a new tooth is popping up every week and it's so frustrating because she starts eating great but once a tooth pokes through, she loses all interest. It's been a few days and she hasn't been eating much, she's been extra drooly and grouchy. She also wakes up a lot at night when she's teething and then neither of us get any sleep. I cannot wait until all her teeth are in and she has some relief. Poor kid. On a good note, she learned a new word.. cat. She's been walking around the house saying "cat cat cat", it's funny that she always says it three times because we have three cats. She loves the cats but she's a little rough with them so they aren't too fond of her. Hopefully they will warm up to her once she learns to play "nice" which I've been trying to teach her. 

Left: Little miss mischievous changed my camera settings to some kind of filter and I didn't realize until after I took the picture, smh. Right: This picture pretty much sums up her relationship with Rooney: she chases him, he runs away and she gets a fluffy tail to the face.

Zombie mommy

I feel like I say this a lot but I am so beat! Olivia woke up five or six times last night and she cried for a good ten minutes almost every time. I think she has another tooth coming in because she's been extra drooly and not too excited about eating. I tried giving her eggs with cheese and she screamed at me like I was trying to poison her. It took me longer than usual to get her to bed tonight and I just fell onto the couch afterwards. I'm about to watch Frozen, everyone keeps talking about it so I finally rented it. I don't know if it can live up to The Little Mermaid though, that's my favorite Disney movie of all time. I'm keeping this short because I need to get to bed at a decent hour tonight, I will update tomorrow on how I liked the movie.

I can only blame myself for this

Getting Olivia to sleep in her own room has been a big struggle. I know it's my fault for keeping her in our room for over a year but it was just easier at first with the tube and now she doesn't want to leave us. I don't want her to leave either but I know she needs to sleep in her own room. Plus, the play yard is probably uncomfortable and she's getting too big for it. Last night was terrible! Pure torture. I tried everything to calm her down.. feeding her, rocking her, playing music, giving her stuffed animals, giving her Tylenol for her teething and I even climbed in the crib with her! I really thought I was going break the stupid thing but luckily I didn't. I wondered if she would EVER fall asleep, it took hours! I finally tried letting her cry it out around 12:30am (heartbreaking and traumatic). She fell asleep at 1am and woke up at 5am, she was ready to get out but I put her back down. She cried on and off for a while but finally fell asleep again at 6am. She woke up at 7am, ugh! I just gave up at that point. None of us got any sleep, especially me. I was a zombie all day. I'm normally clumsy but today it was ridiculous, I was walking into walls/doors, falling asleep standing up, couldn't keep my eyes open or my head up so I took two short naps with her. I'm terrified to try again tonight but I have to or else last night was a waste, there's no going back now. Wish me luck!

 

Left: Around 12am, she just wanted to cuddle with me, sweet but it was so late!

Right: Today around 5:30pm she was ready for bed but I had to keep her up or else tonight would be worse! She just laid on the floor for a while.

The truth about being a stay at home mommy

I didn't exactly plan on staying home for a whole year (and counting) but since everything happened the way it did, it was best for me to be home with Liv. I remember while I was pregnant I would always say "It will be so great staying home for a few months! The house will be clean, dinner will be ready and that will be my job!" lol.. yeah. freaking. right! Don't get me wrong, it is great (most of the time) but it's much harder taking care of a baby than I ever could have anticipated, I also wasn't counting on health problems. Let me say this.. I had a job at the same place for eight years and I've only been a stay at home mom for one year, every single job I've ever had has been much easier than mommyhood. People think I sit home and watch TV all day.. not so much. If and when the TV is on, it's on Bubble Guppies or Dora the Explorer while I'm quickly trying to wash the dishes or start a load of laundry. Between feeding Liv (still a struggle), giving her a bath, changing diapers, playing with her, taking her to doctor appointments, playgroup, running errands and dealing with the cats.. I barely get a minute to breathe. It also seems like we always need to go to the store for something.. diapers, wipes, food, medicine, clothes. I try to stock up on stuff but it still runs out really quick. Having a baby is not cheap, especially with tons of medical bills piling up. It's safe to say that I am ALWAYS tired (actually an understatement). Olivia comes first so everything I do for myself is done while she naps. Lucky for me she still naps twice a day, I try to use every minute I can in the best way. For instance, I've been writing these posts while she sleeps and I'm on the treadmill (a little risky, hopefully I don't break an arm or leg). But it actually works out because the times goes by much faster. Some days really fly by and some days seem to drag on forever and I end up counting down the hours minutes to her bedtime like it's New Years Eve! I guess it's part of mommyhood to have those rough days. We all have them so I try not to feel guilty when I think to myself that Olivia is driving me crazy! The funny thing is, after she's sleeping for a few hours I start to miss her and I just wanna wake her up and play with her. That would be a terrible decision so I haven't actually done it yet. I had previously said she has three teeth coming through, well I was wrong, it's four.. all at once. That explains her very cranky night last night. Poor kid and poor me! Lol kidding but she did wake up around 3am and just would not go back to sleep. I tried feeding her and rocking her but it didn't work. I had to give her medicine (not my favorite thing to do) cause I could tell she was in pain. After that, twenty minutes later she finally went back to sleep. I couldn't though. I am always so jealous of those people (Paul & Olivia) that can lay down and fall asleep within minutes. It takes me at minimum half an hour to fall asleep and that's on a good day. Before I had Liv, nothing could wake me up. I even worried about it when I was pregnant "what if she's crying for hours and I don't wake up?!" but now if she even just rolls over in her crib, I spring out of bed like the house is on fire! So weird. It's still strange to me that I have a baby, I say this all the time but I still don't feel like an adult. That sounds silly since I'm married with a baby. But seriously.. I'm eating a poptart for dinner. I guess another reason would be the fact that in many situations.. I decide that I need to consult with my parents in order to make the right decision. When you're a kid, adults always say (and I remember this vividly) "enjoy being a kid, you don't have any responsibility!" and I would just be like "yeah yeah whatever old man" well they were right (surprise!) I totally miss having zero bills, getting mail used to be fun. Okay.. I've definitely gone off topic and I'm starting to ramble.. happy Tuesday!!