Good news.. kinda

I'm happy to report that Olivia hasn't thrown up since Friday. The bad news is that she still cries all day at daycare and barely eats or drinks anything. I'm wondering how long she is going to be stubborn for because it's been really stressful, on both of us. Luckily today was my day off so I took her to the park and then we went for a walk. She really loves being outside (except when she's at school) and she would stay out at all day if she could. There were a lot of kids at the park today (including some annoying teenagers). When I was pushing Liv on the swing, another little girl was laughing so Olivia started fake laughing. It was really funny, she just wanted to copy the girl. She's silly, she makes me so happy no matter how bad my day is going. I know I've been neglecting this blog a bit but I've been super busy. My job is absolutely exhausting and when I'm home, I like to spend as much time as possible with Liv. I have a lot I want to post though so hopefully I will have some time this weekend.

Library adventure

I took Olivia to the library today and it was quite interesting. There were a few kids there and they all were really sweet. This one little boy kept talking to Liv, he was probably around four years old. He even came up to me and told me that Olivia was so cute. They were playing together for a while and then Liv sat down and was playing with a toy carrot but I guess he wanted it. He told me he really wanted to play with it so I told him to go ask her if she would share. I watched him go over to her and she just ignored him and then put the carrot in her lap. He came running up to me again and said "she doesn't want to share, I asked nicely but she just put it on her penis". I burst out laughing, his mom looked at me from across the room like "oh no, what did he say now". It was so funny, I guess his mom hasn't told him that girls have different parts (trying to keep this G rated). Anyway, Olivia had fun and it's always nice to get out of the house. It's been pretty cold out and it's supposed to snow tomorrow, that seriously bums me out. Tomorrow is the first day of spring, snow is unacceptable!

Left: Sitting at the table like a big girl.

Right: Hiding from me because she didn't want to eat lunch.

Last minute stress

Before Olivia came along, I was super organized. I had everything planned out, I always got things done extra early. I would buy my Halloween costume months in advance and I never really worried about it. Now, I feel like everything I do is last minute and rushed, I guess having a kid will do that to you. The last few days I have been scrambling to get things done. It's frustrating because now that I have a job, on my days off I have to do everything I couldn't get done on the days I worked (laundry, dishes, shopping, errands). I finally figured out Olivia's costume so I went to buy it and it was sold out, I had to go to another store and get her a different version of what I wanted. She was excited though, when she saw it she started yelling out what it was (you'll see soon). I tried it on her when we got home and it's so darn cute! Next year, I will be prepared and get it earlier, although Halloween is still a few weeks away but I guess people don't want to end up like me. I also had to get myself a costume since we are having a Halloween party at work but I didn't put much effort into it, it's just something I threw together quick. I definitely didn't buy an actual costume because they were all so expensive and way too short for me (to put it politely), I would probably get fired for that. Next weekend we are going to a pumpkin patch, I think Olivia will enjoy it much more this year (last year she was unimpressed). I really love getting pumpkins and carving them, I'm like a little kid during the holidays (the complete opposite of Paul, he's a grouch). I think I'm going to have Olivia paint a little pumpkin because obviously she can't carve one yet. I just realized that she can eat candy this year so I won't get to steal all of it, bummer. That's probably a good thing though, right?

The other day Rooney (our cat) was playing with Liv's rubber ducky, he was pushing it around with his paw and running after it. Olivia thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world, she was cracking up so hard that she almost fell over. She didn't stop laughing for a good five minutes, it was the cutest thing ever. No matter how many times I've made her laugh, she has never laughed that hard before. She really loves the cats, all she wants to do lately is chase them around and play with them. She's also been hugging them a lot lately but they aren't into it.

Shopping for cats.

The Big E!

On Saturday we took Liv to the Big E, there was some crazy traffic on the way there but luckily Paul knew some back roads (he used to live in that area) so we avoided most of it. Olivia had a blast! Her favorite part was seeing the animals (obviously). She went wild when she saw them, she was screaming "cat cat cat". I've been trying to teach her some new animal names but she likes calling everything a cat still. She even touched the horses head but then quickly pulled her hand away, she got scared but then she was trying to touch him again. She went on her first rides too, the merry go round and a little bumble bee ride. I was pretty impressed that she wasn't scared, she absolutely loved the merry go round (the first time), she was screaming in excitement and had a huge smile on her face. She was really impatient before the ride started though, once it started then she was happy. The second time on the merry go round it was the end of the night and she was exhausted. She didn't want to stay on the horse, she just wanted me to hold her. We also had a caricature drawn of her and it's absolutely hilarious! The first time me and Paul ever went to the Big E, we had one drawn of us so I had to get one of Liv, I think they are so funny. She did not enjoy staying still to be drawn but he was able to get it done pretty quick. We ate some delicious unhealthy food, walked around (forever, my feet are killing me) and had a lot of fun. We stayed until it was dark and Liv fell asleep on the way home (and so did I), it was a really long day. It was super crowded so we already decided that next year we will go during the week. Either way, it was a good time! When we got home, my mom watched Olivia so Paul and I could go out for a drink. It's rare that we get to spend any time alone so that was nice. Yesterday we just hung out around the house in the morning and then I worked the rest of the day. I'm working again tonight but I have tomorrow off, unfortunately I have a lot of errands to do so I'll be dragging Liv along with me, fun!

 

  

 

 Our cartoon family, how funny are these?! So accurate too!

(The one of me and Paul is from 2009)

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.

Livy's 18 month checkup

Olivia turned 18 months old on Saturday and her checkup was today (well.. technically yesterday), I can't believe she's one and a half already! While we were in the waiting room, she was playing with all the toys and running around (per usual). They have a fun house mirror on the wall and it made her head look really long and big so she kept touching her head while she was looking at herself, she seemed so confused. It was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing and everyone probably thought I was crazy. She was such a good girl at the appointment, she cried for her shot but once I showed her the Sesame Street app on my phone, she was fine. She was mad at the doctor though, she wouldn't say bye to her. The doctor said she looks great, she went up a bit in height (15%) and stayed on her curve for weight (10%). I know those are low percentages but I always keep in mind that she was below the charts at one point so for her that is pretty awesome! The doctor suggested weaning Olivia off the bottle but she will not drink milk cold or from a sippy cup (she will only drink water from her sippy cup) so this will be a challenge. Any tips or suggestions on that, feel free to comment! Her next check up wont be until she is two, which seems so far away but I'm sure it will come a lot quicker than I want. I had to work tonight but Paul and Livy came to visit me and have some dinner, it was fun seeing them for a little bit but I wish I could have left with them. Work was pretty busy and now I'm exhausted. Once I got home, I sat on the couch and watched my shows while eating a nice big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, it was pretty amazing. Now it's time for bed, (way past what a normal bedtime should be) hopefully I can get some sleep tonight!

 The waiting room is her favorite part!

This is what she was doing when we got home, my goodness.

Easily entertained

This weekend went by kind of slow, I worked all weekend (as always) but it just seemed to drag for some reason. On Saturday afternoon, my friend came over with her daughter (a few months younger than Liv) and we went to the pool for a while. It was such a nice day out but the water was really cold, it took a few minutes to get used to it. After we got out, there was a nice breeze and Olivia was shivering, I had to bring her in the sun. She always gets cold/hot really easily, I was pretty cold too though. While we were there, Liv found a pool noodle and was playing with it, she would not put it down. She didn't even want to get back in the pool, all she cared about was the stupid noodle. It really amazes me what keeps her entertained sometimes. Somehow the door at the pool got stuck and we were locked in for a little while, the pool attendant had to hop the fence to open it from the other side. Luckily we weren't stuck there for long because I had get ready for work. Tonight when I got home from work, there were some lovely presents for me. Three huge hairballs on the rug, seriously guys?! The cats drive me crazy! The last thing I want to do after coming home from a long shift at work is clean up cat vomit. I'm over it. Oh well, this week should be fun, my sister in law is coming to visit from South Carolina. I'm excited to see her, we don't get to see her much so I love when she comes here! It's also nice to have someone (another adult) around during the day. Anyway, I'm off to get some much needed sleep now!

 

Yes, pool noodles are so much fun!

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.