Olivia Ann - 6 and a HALF!

The other day, okay, okay, at the beginning of the month, January 9th to be exact, I had one of my "not so stellar mom" moments.  The day started and progressed as normal.  For some reason, unlike normal where I pick them up, I was home when the girls got home...Olivia walked in and said - "Hey Mom, today's my half birthday!"  She was pumped!  I guess she got to wear the birthday vest at school, she got a special note and sign from her teacher and from the school office, her class sang Happy "Half" Birthday to her...and, why hadn't I sent cupcakes to school?  Whoops.  Oh well, she had a great day which is what matters most!

So - to celebrate this half-birthday, here are 6 and a 1/2 facts about Miss Liv.

Olivia...

1) Weighs approximately 43 pounds...she's really stretching out and is 44-45 inches tall.  She wears six 6 regular pants, 6-7/8 tops (though the 7/8 are definitely too big), and size 11 shoes.

2) Has taken full ownership of her clothes.  Olivia's definitely still quite picky about how things feel, but mostly this applies only to pants.  She hates wearing a uniform and says it makes her "hate" school, but as she's mostly pretty positive about school and always anxious to show me what's in her folder, I'm pretty confident she's not serious about this.  In fact, this morning she asked me if "hate" was a "strong" word.  I thought this was a pretty interesting questions, and we had a nice discussion about it.  Back to the clothes - Olivia likes red and white shirts for her uniforms but won't wear the blue ones often because "that's a boy color."  She mostly likes "comfy" clothes, but she's experimenting with jeans and some "fancy" outfits too.  Olivia's pretty good at matching, favors her fleece sweatshirts, and wears socks to bed every night...very ironic because she used to scream in agony at the very thought of even wearing socks.  She LOVES her new, sylish boots from Grandma Huinker, and can't wait for her blue flats with the puff on them to fit!

3) Is trying pretty hard to stop sucking her thumb.  Olivia never sucks her thumb outside of the house, but I see her doing it too often still at home, especially if she's watching TV or is tired.  The challenging thing about this is that the thumb sucking is connected to a blanket, and Olivia is a cuddler which pretty much means she always want to cozy up with a blanket.  She thinks she should have a paci now as a way to stop sucking her thumb...Brian supports this idea because he thinks it won't last for long, but I do not agree.  I think I won out on this little discussion...and, Olivia's new tactic is to wrap her hand up in her blanket and just have her hand by her face.  I'm impressed with her drive...I think she's been motivated by Brian's "buck teeth" comments and the thought of braces.

4) Has a competitive side.  This side doesn't surface a lot, but it's definitely there - and Brian is thankful for the fact when it comes to sports.  :)  Olivia can get a touch cocky when she wins and can be a bit of a poor sport when she loses. She's starting to understand the point of practicing...this is especially great as she has started piano lessons!  She's been very proud of how her practicing has allowed her to get stickers and harder songs!  Hooray for piano!

5) Is an amazing big sister.  While there are times Olivia doesn't want to hang out with Grace and/or Grady, more often than not (basically all the time), she's very willing to do this and seems to genuinely enjoy it.  Grady will follow Olivia around and raise up his arms to be carried by her - little stinker.  Olivia is great at distracting Grady if I need to get something done and enjoys being a little mommy.  Olivia doesn't play with her dolls too much - she likes changing their clothes but not actually playing with them - and I think think this is because Grady is her real doll!  The girls have started sleeping together again in Olivia's bed, and I love this - it's so sweet to see them all cuddled up together.

6) Is still one of the sweetest girls I know.  Olivia has such a soft heart - and while this sometimes causes her to get her feelings hurt a little more than is maybe necessary, I'd rather it be this way than any other.  Olivia's still a cuddler who will cozy up in bed or on the couch with us in the morning so we can get a little extra sleep.  She loves to make people happy, is a good friend, and...  (hey, I said six and a half, didn't I?)  :)

Happy 14 Months!

 

Dear Grady,
 
Ahhhh...where to start on a blog post that is two months late...by celebrating a 14th month birthday, I guess!  Sorry Grady-bugs...life is busy these days, but, as you're part of the reason for that, I hope you won't be too hard on your mom.  After all, I'm pretty sure I'm your favorite person these days!

There is just so much to tell about you!  I'll start with the fact that at your one year check you weighed 21 pound 4 ounces (26%), were 30 inches long (55%), and had a head circumference of 18 1/4 inches (57%).  You transitioned into 12-18 month clothes around 13 months and wear size 4 shoes.  You've kept your blond hair (I love it), and it probably could be trimmed up in the back, but I can't bring myself to do it.  Lots of people comment on your blue eyes, and I just love watching your long eyelashes flutter closed at night.  While I just might be bias, I'm pretty sure you're gong to be a handsome young man one day!

You started walking literally on your birthday.  You'd been standing very steadily and taking a few lifts with your feet since about 11 months.  Beth got to see you take 7 steps while we were on FaceTime which was pretty special and great timing.  About two weeks after your birthday, I'd say you officially became a walker, and now, you're pretty close to being a runner.  I love watching you lead the way with your big belly.

These last few months have illustrated to me the many differences between raising boys and girls.  You are into everything - and I truly mean that.  I've caught you playing in the toilet water, crawling into the shower, and climbing on the dishwasher.  Shannon says you're always after the dog's dish and the dog and cats at daycare.  (I'm just happy you love dogs!)  You love stopping the dryer and washer by pressing the buttons, jumping on the trampoline, playing in the "kid stuff" drawer/cabinets in the kitchen, climbing up (and just this week) down stairs, throwing anything and everything (seriously, I have an amazing "block" reflex because of you), playing chase with Olivia and Grace, and dancing.  You're quite the entertainer when it comes to the dancing bit - you twist and wiggle your arms, and lately you've started stamping your feet too.  Honestly, you've got beat, kid!  :)  Favorite toys you're allowed to play with include cars, balls, trucks, balls, music toys, balls (did I say that already), and blocks.  Favorite toys I try to keep you away from are Legos, Trouble, and piles of nicely folded laundry.  You also love the iPad, iPhone, and any remote.  You're getting better at not putting everything in your mouth, but as you still frequently do this, we always have to be watching you.  Overall, you're into pretty "big kid" things for your age.  I'm assuming this is because you're always watching Olivia and Grace.  You like to sit on the counter when they're brushing their hair and teeth in the morning and try to brush your teeth too.  You insist on the water being turned on so you can get your brush wet just like they do.  You like to play in their "kitchen," pretend eat the food, and try to feed your dad and I too.

What else do you like to do - you like to pull hair, bite on ocassion (although thankfully this is getting better now that your 4, yes, 4 molars have come in - in total you have 12 teeth), and hit.  Good thing you also like to cuddle and give kisses!  Tonight you threw your first full-blown tantrum.  It was pretty impressive and included you rolling on the ground, kicking, hitting yourself with your hands, and crying.  Thankfully, as your the third, this didn't scare me...but please, please don't ever do that when we're in public!

As for words - you say puppy, ball, hot, mama, mommy, dada, daddy, ahh-me (which means you want something); what's neat to see is how much you understand.  You know what it means when I ask if you want to take a bath, want a bottle (yes, you still get a bottle at night time), or want to go "ni-ni."  You follow basic directions, like go get your ball or bring this to sissy.  Speaking of "sissy" - you don't call Olivia or Grace anything yet, but you do know who is who!  :)  I'm curious as to what you'll call them when the time comes.  I don't think you  necessarily favor one sister over the other either - sometimes you like Olivia more, and sometimes Grace.  It mostly depends on who's playing something you like and who's not invading your personal space.   Shannon says that the few days Olivia has been at daycare with you, you've been pretty attached to her, but I also think that's because having her there is a novelty whereas you're used to Grace being there a couple times a week.

You are a pretty good eater overall.  If you don't like something, you'll let us know by throwing it on the ground - feel free to stop this anytime.  You try more than your sisters did, that's for sure.  You'll eat basically everything we do at meals.  You mastered the sippy cup a long while ago and love your milk.  You've been showing a lot of interest in silverware but haven't had any great success in actually using it.  As long as you're not sick or getting teeth, you're a great sleeper, and sleep from 7-7 approximately.  I put you to bed the most because I'm selfish and want the cuddle-time to myself.  You'll let Dad put you to bed, but if you get up at night, you mostly want me.  While this makes me sigh, it also makes me smile.  We haven't really done much reading at night with you yet because reading does not make you relax. Quite the opposite, in fact.  You get all hyped up and want to turn pages, throw the books, etc.  We'll get there some time, I imagine.

 

One last fact that can't go without recording...you have an obsession with men.  While you love your mom, sisters, aunts, and grandmas, it's pretty crazy how much you love the guys.  Must be because you know they won't get all up in your face like Olivia and Grace.  Over Christmas, you were all about Uncle Chris and (Great-Uncle) Geoff even though you hadn't spent much time with either of them before.  You, of course, love your grandpas.  And, you like the dads of all our friends - especially Joe Gavle.  Seriously, you'll go to and cuddle up with nearly any guy - and if they have a beard, you like them even more.  Aren't most kids afraid of beards?  You love Brandon (our daycare provider's husband) at daycare, Clint (or daycare provider's brother), and even one of my past students who sat behind us at a basketball game whom you'd never before even seen.  Whatever...  :)

Grady-bugs, you have been the source of much laughter this last year (plus a couple months).  It's amazing how quickly I've forgetten what life was like without you in the mix!  We are thankful for you every day, Little Man.  Don't grow up too fast, okay.

Love,
Mommy