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.

Sunny with a side of snow

It was finally nice out yesterday! We played outside for a while and then I took Olivia to the park. It was pretty sunny out so I brought her sunglasses, she always puts them on upside down but I think it's adorable so I never fix them. There is still snow on the ground and of course she just wanted to play in that. After I coaxed her away from the snow, she ran around for a while and then I pushed her on the swings (she loved it). She went down the slide for the first time on her own, she was a little nervous and went down in a strange but hilarious way. She had one leg up and she went down backwards, I was laughing because it reminded me of the scene from Elf when he was trying to go up the escalator. The second time she did it the correct way, I was proud of her. After about an hour, it started to get cold because of the wind and I was ready to leave but Liv wasn't. I had to pick her up and she was yelling so loud but once we got in the car, she was fine. I'm excited for more warm weather! After the park, I had to pick up some groceries so we stopped at the store. Taking Olivia to the grocery store is always an adventure. She wanted to hold everything, first I let her hold the bag of apples but that ended up on the floor. Then I let her hold the bag of cucumbers, she opened the bag and put a cucumber up to her mouth and said "nom nom nom". I couldn't even be mad at her because it was so cute. The warm weather was a tease, today was cold again. We went to playgroup and she was good for the most part. She pushed a little girl away when she tried to take her toy but other than that, she didn't try hitting anyone. She also got a little upset when the teacher stopped blowing bubbles but she got over it pretty quick. This week flew by and now I'm excited for the weekend!

 

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.

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.

Messy toddler

Olivia was quite the handful today. I can no longer put anything on the end tables because now she is tall enough to reach, I found that out the hard way tonight. I was finishing up her dinner and she was playing quietly in the living room (never a good sign). When I walked in to check on her, she was sitting on the couch playing with my (now empty) cup of iced tea. She was soaked, the couch was soaked and the floor was soaked, then she got pretty mad at me for taking away the cup. Ugh. By the way, my horrible sleep routine is back and I'm stuck in the rut of needing a nap every day again. It's not my fault though, the other night Liv just didn't want to sleep, she woke up around 4am and didn't go back to bed until 6. She wasn't crying, she was just talking to herself and keeping me and Paul awake. It was a long night and I was so exhausted the next day but she was wide awake and fine. I was worried she would do the same thing again last night but she didn't (thankfully). Unfortunately, since I took a nap the next day, I couldn't fall asleep last night and so now I have to start all over and try to break the bad habit again, wish me luck.

Liv doesn't suck her thumb but shes been sucking on her big toe lately. Gross, right?

Stalker cricket update: I killed one and I thought that would be the end of it. I didn't hear it for a whole day but now I hear it again, they better not be multiplying! I set up some sticky traps, I'm really hoping that takes care of the problem because I seriously feel like I'm camping outside, the noise is going to drive me insane!

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.