An awesome breakthrough

I'm overly excited to say that daycare went much better today than it has the past few weeks! Olivia cried when I dropped her off but I was anticipating that. She kept crying for almost an hour and then she finally stopped. When I asked the teacher how she did, I wasn't expecting a good report. Every day she tells me that Liv had an emotional day but today she said that Liv actually had a good day! Even though she cried here and there, she was mostly running around and playing with the kids. She was smiling and laughing, hearing that just melted my heart. I am so glad that she is finally coming around to the idea of being without me and having fun with the other kids. The best part is that she ate her lunch and snacks, I didn't have to worry about her being ridiculously hungry when we got home. I am really shocked that she had such a good day but I'm extremely happy about it. I feel like a weight has been lifted. I can stop stressing so much now, I hope it only gets better from here on out.

At least she's not crying!

Distracting a toddler

We've been going to the playground a lot lately and loving it. We saw the same little boy there that we saw at the library (library adventure), he didn't remember Olivia but he kept saying how cute she was. He's a funny kid, Liv saw a dog and started running towards it and he said "don't go over there, dogs eat babies!". Then he was chasing Liv around and she was having a blast. Yesterday we just hung out at home in the morning and after Olivia's nap, I decided it was time to get out of the house. I needed to pick up a few things so we went to Target (my favorite place). I could walk around that store for hours, I got what we needed and a few things we didn't need. I let Liv hold a little cat plush and she hugged it the whole time. I was going to buy it for her but when I scanned it, it was $10! I can't believe it was that much and it was just a small stuffed animal, I figured it would be closer to $5. She got a little upset when I took it away but I gave her a box of goldfish to hold onto and distract her (works every time). When we got home we played outside for a while, I brought out Liv's car and ride on toy and she had fun. Today was a very gloomy and rainy day so we didn't leave the house. Luckily I got to nap when Olivia did, it wasn't for long but it was much needed. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week so that's kind of a bummer. It's hard to keep Olivia entertained when we are stuck inside, she gets bored and I hate when she watches too much TV. Anyway, off to relax and catch up on a few shows.

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.

Hurry up spring!

Am I the only mom that forgets she's doing laundry? The other day it took me almost six hours to do one load. I forgot to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer for almost two hours so I had to run it through the wash again. After that, I forgot again! I guess I need to start setting a timer on my phone or something. Okay, that was just a quick little rant about my forgetfulness. Anyway, it was such a sunny and warm (well.. warmer) day on Wednesday so I decided we should go to the playground. I was really excited but when we got there, the entrance was blocked off by a huge snow pile. I was pretty bummed, especially since it's the only playground close by. I ended up taking Olivia for a walk, it was great being outside. We are both ready for the spring, warm weather just makes me happy. I am not a big fan of the winter and I'm pretty sure Liv isn't fond of being cooped up in the house either. Yesterday was pretty nice out too, just a little bit colder than Wednesday. Olivia is really missing playgroup (it starts again in two weeks) so I took her to the library and she had fun there. We didn't go until after her nap, it was around 4 o'clock so there were a lot of bigger kids running around. Liv kept yelling in excitement and one of the boys kept covering his ears, she thought it was funny. She loves being around other kids, it's really cute to watch. She has such a silly and fun personality, I love it.

Not a fan of the mall

Okay, so the last time I went to the mall was in April (to get a picture of Livy with the Easter bunny). I try to avoid that place at all costs but I really wanted a picture of her with Santa. We decided to take her last Saturday, it was pouring out but it was the only day that I had time to take her. The line was so long, I had to pull out all stops to keep Liv entertained while we were waiting. She did okay but she was a little hesitant about sitting on his lap and she didn't want to smile this year (like she did last year). I'm just glad she wasn't screaming and she still looks adorable in the picture. Santa must have been having a bad day though because when Olivia started to fuss and tried getting off his lap, he rolled his eyes. I just laughed it off. I also got to do some more Christmas shopping, I'm still not done though and it seems like it's never ending. I love Christmas but it's a lot of work, running around to tons of different stores gets exhausting. Before we left, we stopped at the little play area and Livy had a blast! She got a huge burst of energy, she was running around and screaming in excitement. Someone had a little dog with them, she kept playing with it and calling it a cat of course. She doesn't say "dog" yet but when I ask her what a dog says, she barks (the best she can). All in all, it was a successful mall trip but I will not be going back until April.

 



Excuse me baby

I took Olivia to the library again today, I think the highlight of her day was on the way in when we saw a squirrel. She started squealing, she was so excited. She watched it run up a tree with a huge smile on her face, the things that make her happy are so random. We were the only ones there at first but after a few minutes some other kids showed up. Then a big class of kids (I think they were four year olds) came running in and almost knocked all the little kids over (not on purpose). I think Liv got scared at first but then she was playing with them, one little boy kept playing peek a boo with her. He was making her laugh and it was really cute. Then she was playing at the train table and a little boy was trying to push the train around the track but Liv was standing in the way so he kept saying "excuse me baby" over and over. It was quite comical, I couldn't help but laugh and Liv was looking at him like he was a crazy person. We actually saw Liv's first play group teacher there, she said she thought she recognized her. She was really nice and I was sad when she retired, she asked how old Olivia was now and mentioned how big she has gotten. I don't notice much because I see her everyday but when I look back at pictures I'm always amazed, she doesn't even look the same to me.

Big girl.

Rainy day

When I woke up this morning it was raining like crazy. I debated taking Olivia to playgroup but she loves it so we ventured out in the rain. By the time we got inside the library, we were soaked. It was worth it though, Olivia had a blast. She was really good today, for the most part. We were both so tired when we got home, we ended up taking a four hour nap. I didn't feel great when I woke up, I think it was because I was so hungry. We met up with my friend for dinner, Olivia was really good at the restaurant up until the end when she started to get a little antsy. She ate really well today so I was happy about that. So far taking a little less acid reflux medication hasn't changed her appetite or mood. Olivia has been stealing Paul's PlayStation remote and it looks like she's playing but she really isn't, she just likes pressing the buttons. I think it's so cute when she plays pretend.

Liv loves putting blankets over her head and running around, she is so silly.

I should have gotten her a ghost costume for Halloween.

 

 She didn't want to sit in the high chair anymore, note the cranky face.

Sharing germs

I'm finally starting to feel better (whew!) but poor little Olivia caught my cold. I knew it was inevitable, we are together all day and I may or may not have coughed in her face by accident (okay I did). Don't worry, she got me back today by rubbing her runny nose all over my shirt and hair, more than once. Despite being sick, she was pretty good today (minus a few meltdowns but being sick sucks). We went to my sisters for dinner and the kids played outside, it was such a beautiful day! Not too hot or cold and there was a nice breeze. My nephews were taking turns pushing Olivia around in a fire truck they have. It was really sweet and I was glad because I was feeling a bit lazy per usual. Liv's been walking a lot, she barely crawls anymore. She is still a bit wobbly but she always catches herself when she falls and then she gets right back up, she's determined. I'm proud of her, every new milestone is so exciting, it makes me want to cry at the same time though. I always think about how far she has come, she's doing so great. I just realized it was Thursday as I was typing this. I still get excited for the weekend even though I don't have a job right now but it's just because that means Paul will be home! Yay weekend!

 Left: Connor pushing Liv around in the fire truck & he is wearing his dinosaur costume of course! Right: Jacob & Olivia playing inside.