Miss Independence

Oh, my little independent 14-month-old girl.

As I've mentioned once or twice, I've always been proud of Miss Olive's determination, focus and enthusiasm for learning anything and everything. She's very loving and caring but also very independent.

And, the older she gets, the more she has decided to assert that independence.

The last couple weekends have been rough, with a hot-headed Ladybug wanting nothing other than to do things herself, her way.

This independence is both positive and negative. It's great in that she's all about feeding herself, listens closely to every word anyone says to try to communicate, and has little fear to try anything once. It's difficult mostly because some of the things she wants to try are things she shouldn't do - because they'll hurt her - or won't end well - because her was isn't necessarily the right way.

For example, she recently wanted to eat a banana peal. Please picture my child demanding nothing other than to eat the banana peal. When I calmly explained a few times that the inside for the banana was for eating and the outside peal was yucky, she quickly and fiercely took a piece of banana from her try and flung it at this lady. I was not so pleased. That was the end of the bananas for breakfast that day. (Don't worry, she had already eaten most of it and only had a few bites left when we left the table.)

After that, there was a 10 to 15 minute crying/sobbing episode during which she babbled on to me, seeming to declare her list of reasons why I should have just given her the peal and asking how I could be so cruel.

The next day, the Ladybug wanted to drink from the straw in her juice box while tipping the box upside down. Why? Because that's how she decided she wanted to drink it that day. Every other day, she drinks the right way. That day, not so much.

Then, there was the corn-on-the-cob incident. Miss Olive wanted to eat her corn by herself, like a big girl, like her nearly 3-year-old cousin.

We split the cob in half, and when she had mostly finished the first half, I offered to trade her for the second half. She wasn't having it. She opted for this ...

"Why are you taking MY picture?"

"I told you I could do it."

Honestly, the corn was so funny, I've cracked up a great many times the past couple days just thinking about it. She only let go of the ears of corn when she heard there was the prospect of coloring with crayons in her future.

I guess - even with the frustration it causes me from time to time - I'm definitely thankful for the assertiveness and dedication that my little one has. They are qualities of her personality that I hope she doesn't lose as she grows up. I hope they will help turn her into a leader, someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind, someone who isn't afraid to take a few risks here and there in an effort to achieve whatever she's put her mind to. 

Couldn't It Still Be the Weekend?

This past weekend was so relaxing and fun.

Friday night, the the Ladybug and I met the Hubby at a local restaurant (OK, basically a bar that serves pretty yummy food) for a pre-party for a fun day of sports the Hubby and his brother host every year. It was fun to hang out with friends that I don't see often, even if just for bit.

Aside from that, Miss Olive just looked adorable. She learned what "say cheese" means, and she's pretty much mastered it.

On Saturday, I work up at 5:45 a.m., followed shortly by the Hubby. By 6:20 a.m., we'd woken up the Ladybug, and within 10 minutes we were on the road.

Let me point out that I'm not a fan of mornings in general, and I am definitely NOT a fan of early mornings on weekends. But, we mid-way through last week, we saw promotions for an annual hot air balloon festival not too far from us.

We've gone to the event before, but not for a few years. It's something fun to do, but also means a little more to our family than it probably does to most.

The Hubby's parents flew a hot air balloon from the time he was little until he was a teenager. They made it a family affair and have more than a few fun stories of their adventures at balloon rallies. To me, this is one of the many fun pieces of family history from both sides of our family that I can't wait for Miss Olive to be old enough to understand and be kind of in awe by.

By 7 a.m., we were driving through rural countryside, scanning the skies for the floating globes. By 7:20 a.m., even the Yo Gabba, Gabba video blaring in the back of our minivan wasn't enough to keep the Little One distracted from the fact that we were still in the car, and she had yet to see a "super huge balloon" like this Mama had promised.

Thankfully, within about 15 more minutes, we saw the first three balloons coming over some trees from the east. We sped over to where the were, pulled to the side of the road and hopped out with the Ladybug, who was thrilled.

First sight of the "super huge balloons." Response, "Oooooooooh."

Total excitement!

We had so much fun. A very nice bit of family time, even if it was way early on a Saturday. Very much worth it to wake up early for the memories. 

The rest of the weekend was filled with swimming with the Hubby's and my families and catching naps at our house when we got the chance. 

It was a busy weekend, but it was the perfect combo of summer activities. 

What are some of your favorite things to do with your family in the summer?

A Month of Catch Up

So, it's been almost a month. Let's play catch up through photos ...

These first four are from Miss Olive's first birthday photo shoot. We took a couple Mommy & Me pictures, too. Just a couple of my favorites.

This was her birthday dress.

A little bit of summer

The classic tongue smile. Love it.

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Olivia insisted on trying on the Hubby's dress shirt  while I was folding laundry.  She's so silly.

Miss Olive enjoying her first ride in the swing she got for Christmas.

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Sporting her first "unicorn" ponytail. This Mama was happy to get the Little One's hair out of her eyes.

A baby-girl-and-Daddy Father's Day photo. They're best buddies.

Miss Olive laughing SO hard while taking a horsey ride. 

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Miss Olive took her first carousel ride during her first trip to the zoo. She jumped off the horse into the Hubby's arms on the first go-round, but loved it after a few spins.

The Little One zonked about half-an-hour into the zoo trip. Once she woke up, we took another spin through the manatee area, which she loved.

My favorite photo from the zoo, as Miss Olive and the Hubby check out the big fish.

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Miss Olive enjoying a breakfast of O's and chocolate milk on a long-weekend trip for a  conference for the Hubby.

In a random weather situation at the end of JUNE, it was too cold to get in the water, but Miss Olive enjoyed her first feeling of sand between her toes.

"Bye, bye water. Bye, bye squishy sand."

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The Hubby and I went to a fancy dinner for his work. The next day , the Ladybug decided she wanted to wear Mama's shoes. And so she did.

Miss Olive showing off her big guns while wearing the Hubby's sunglasses in her Supergirl jammies. Did I mention she's so incredibly silly all the time?

We Took the Plunge

I've already been teased. I've already heard the, "Aww, nooo. You didn't really, did you?"

That's right, we did it. We got a minivan.

And, I LOVE IT!

Ha! There, I said it. I know, I know. It's supposed to be a purchase that parents dread. We're not supposed to be excited. We're supposed to feel like our youth has been stolen and our days of fun will tuck under the floorboards, along with the hiding seats.

But, I don't feel that way at all. I feel grown up, but in a good way. The purchase marks our hopes and plans to continue to grow our family. We're hoping to keep the van - a Chrysler Town & Country - for 10 years, and hopefully within that time we'll need something bigger than what we had to fit the multiple baby and booster seats that are required.

We're not looking to compete with the Duggars, but a couple more little ones for Miss Olive to boss around would be great.

And, as the Hubby and I have learned in our first year of parenthood - kids take up so, so, so much space. Especially on trips, especially when they're wee little things. I think we'll be happy to have the extra room.

On top of the feelings of responsibility and achieved (at least pretend) adulthood, our van if just flipping sweet.

There are two TVs, each of which can play a different DVD. It starts with a plastic "thing" rather than an actual key, which might be normal now but is super cool to me. It has many, many compartments to put all my personal and baby care stuff that I sometimes felt had me surrounded. It has buttons that do everything except drive the van for me.

Did I mention I love my new minivan? Photos of the new ride to come.

Anyone else in love with their "family" vehicle? Please share ...

Bits and Pieces

It's been awhile, so here are some bits and pieces to catch up ...

Olivia is owning her 1-year-old-ness. She believes she is older and wiser. She "says" and does things with even more authority than before - which I dare to say I didn't believe was possible.

The Ladybug has always known what she wants, but she's now becoming frustrated on two levels 1) Sometimes it takes awhile for me or the Hubby to figure out exactly what she wants while she's trying her hardest to "say" what it is and 2) she's not walking regularly yet, which restricts her from getting everywhere she wants to go.

The "speaking" problems, especially, have caused her to get frustrated easily, but we're working through it, and she's learning new versions of words every day.

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Sick. Coughing, sneezing, fever, stuffy head, runny hose, achy - all topped off with an ear infections - sick. That is a pretty detailed description of Miss Olive and me for a little over a week now.

After a doctor's visit, a humidifier, little sleep, multiple antibiotics, infants and adult Tylenol and who the heck knows what else, the Little One and I are finally on the mend.

It sucks to be sick. It sucks even more to see your baby sick. But, I'm thankful that this is the first time in more than a year of Miss Olive's life that she's had to take antibiotics.

On an up note - Yay for babies that are mostly healthy.

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Nursing has finally ended in our house. I celebrate having more freedom, but I'm proud that it was something I could do for our daughter for the entire first year of her life.

The new challenge: getting Olivia to drink milk. She hates plain milk. She turned her nose up at chocolate milk. And, she barely let the strawberry milk touch her lips before cringing and letting the few drips she'd gotten dribble down her chin.

We've finally gotten her to drink chocolate milk in boxes from the juicebox isle. Why? Because they have a picture of a cow on the side, and we've convinced her that she can Moo just like a cow if she drinks her Moo Juice.

The more she drinks, the more she Moos.

That said, each box is only 6 oz. of chocolate milk and she refuses to drink more than about half a box a day - a far cry from the up to 32 oz. she should be getting.

Her doctor said not to worry about the calcium, vitamin D and protein as long as she's getting them from other sources - we've got that covered.

The trouble now is that she's slowed down how much water she's drinking also. We tried juice, too, and she's about as big a fan of that as she was in the original milk efforts.

I follow the poor Ladybug around all day with multiple sippy cups, juice/milk boxes, the straw mug and ice pops just to try to get her above 16 oz. a day.

Oh, please let my daughter start to be more thirsty and find something she really likes (aside from breast milk) soon.

Any suggestions on how to persuade Miss Olive to drink more?

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For Miss Olive's 1st birthday we got pictures taken of her and did a couple Mommy and Me shots also.

Here are two of my favorites of us together.

This is my absolute favorite. I'm so glad we decided to have these taken.

Free = Good

I've mentioned before that I'm always up for a deal, especially when it comes to things for Miss Olive who will 1) not know any better and 2) use/wear most things for only a short time.

Tonight the Hubby and I took the little one to dinner at Chili's, where we found out after arriving that kids 12 and younger eat free on Tuesdays.

Though the Ladybug just turned 1, we recently started ordering her, her own kids meal when we go out to eat because then she can have as much as she wants of what she likes plus try whatever she'd like off mine and the Hubby's plates.

Here's my beef (no pun intended ... OK, maybe just a little pun ...) with kids meals: At some restaurants we can pay $5 or $6 for Kraft Easy Mac with a side of broccoli, which Miss Olive might - on a snarky day - eat three bites of and be done.

I'm all about the free kids meal. I doubt most kids finish every bite of their pint-sized burgers or two-piece chicken finger meals. As long as the child meal is free along with the purchase of an adult meal, I doubt the chain restaurants that offer these freebies are loosing money.

In honor of the Ladybug's free cheeseburger, mashed taters and "moo juice" (chocolate milk that she will ONLY drink because she is convinced it will make her "Moo" after every sip), here is a Website I found on which you can search for free and discount kids meals near you - http://kidsmealdeals.com/.

Miss Olive seriously enjoying her cheeseburger.

A Good Start

I can't think of a better way to start Memorial Day weekend.

Last year, I ended up getting pretty sick after my C-section, so I had to stay home and miss out on all Memorial Day-weekend fun. This year, things are so much better already.

Yesterday, I took Miss Olive and one of her cousins to a mom/kid event they have at one of the local malls. It was a carnival theme with a big blow up slide, cotton candy, face painting, a balloon-animal-making clown and more.

I've taken Olive to these events before, and she always seems to enjoy watching the other kids as much as anything else. Yesterday was about the same - she wasn't big enough to ride down the slide, but she loved watching her cousin slide down over and over and over again.

After too much sugar, a flower balloon, a (crappy) "dog" (a long balloon with a dog head and no legs or tail that the clown insisted was "fun for littler kids")  balloon, and meeting up with some friends, I took the girls to lunch and to a few stores before leaving the mall. They were blinged out with lighted rings and glitter bracelets by the time be walked out the doors - I'm definitely a sucker, but it was SO much fun.

Posing with Miss Olive holding said crappy "dog" balloon and her cousin with a flower.

The fun continued today. Miss Olive went with me this morning to run some errands while the Hubby worked on fixing up our once-falling-apart but now almost-back-to-usable 2nd bathroom.

On the way home, we passed through a village about a few minutes from our house and noticed chairs lining the streets and people setting up for a parade. I pulled over and asked some people setting up a float what time the parade started, then rushed home and told the Hubby I thought it would be fun for us all to get ready and go.

About an hour later, we were in our chairs on a friend's lawn telling Olive to wave and say "Hi" as the firetrucks, band, politicians, boy scouts and others passed by. 

It was her first parade, and she absolutely loved it. The Ladybug is a big fan of being outside for just about anything. Combine that with trucks, waving and candy, and she was pretty much in heaven.

The fam. By the way - this was our first time to use this clip on umbrella on Olive's seat and we love it. It's from JCPenny and it was great to give her just enough shade.

The Hubby with Olive, whose hands are filled with two suckers she picked up during the parade.

My silly Ladybug showing off her tongue, which turned blue after she licked some Laffy Taffy.  Her lips were stained blue all afternoon. Too funny.

The rest of the weekend will be filled with family time with both mine and the Hubby's families, which will include swimming and cookouts. 

Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekends as much as us - Happy Memorial Day!

Weekend in Photos

A few favorite photos from Olive's birthday weekend ...

The singing of Happy Birthday. The Ladybug wasn't sure what to think of the candle and refused to show off her skills to blow it out.

Before this first handful, Miss Olive started with just a dab of icing on her first finger, bite by mini bite. After this handful, she was all-in.

She just noticed she had a little something on her hands.

Getting close to cake overload.

Opening presents. About mid-way through, the little one pooped out and decided she was more interested in snuggling with Mama than opening any more presents. It was, in fact, a VERY long day.

On her actual birthday, Sunday, Miss Olive opened some presents from the Hubby and me, including this baby doll.  This doll has been the object of many Olive kisses since.

My daughter, who can barely be bothered to wear a hat or a hairbow for more than a few minutes at a time, sported this princess crown (a gift from her 2-year-old cousin) for a good chunk of the afternoon. I finally had to take it off her when she started breaking a sweat from the feathers.

God decided that his birthday gift to my outdoor-loving daughter would be one of the only super nice, warm, sunny days so far this year. We broke out the water table Olive got as a gift from my aunt, uncle and cousins. She had a blast!

Re-hydrating, and enjoying getting to drink from a wide-open cup all by herself without anyone caring how much she spilled on herself.

Looking for mischief. Sadly, there was little to be found in the chair pocket.

What are some of your favorite memories from your little ones' first birthdays? 

What are some of your favorite memories from your birthdays as a child?

Happy First Birthday

Dear Olivia –

A year ago today as the day began, I was still anxiously waiting to meet you.

After almost two days of labor and the (at the time) impending doom of a C-section, I was both ready for you and scared of your arrival all at the same time.

But then, at 8:41 p.m. (by C-section), there you were. And in one second my reality, my heart, my way of thinking about things, my way of looking at the world, and my entire life changed – all for the better, all because of you.

I have had the pleasure of making your life, your learning, your comfort and your needs my new fulltime job. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to spend every day with you, making memories of your successes and growth along with you.

I’m in awe of how much you’ve grown over the past year. It seems like it’s gone by so slow and so fast.

When thinking back, I don’t know where my little tiny baby who had to be so gently cradled went. I know I was here by your side watching you grow, so I’m not sure how it happened. But, it feels like I missed the chunk of time when you grew into a little girl who points while asking for “this” or “that,” makes one of the greatest cow “mooooo”s I’ve ever heard, and is ready to rough-house at a moment’s notice.

You might be small, but you’re mighty and determined. You’re attentive and inquisitive. You want to figure out how everything works and you want to try it yourself. You’re sneaky and always up for a challenge. You’re so very loving and so very sweet.

I’ve learned so much from you during our first year together. You’ve made me stronger than I knew I could be. You’ve taught me a whole new kind of patience. You’ve made me appreciate taking time to breathe and really enjoy each and every moment.

I know all too soon, you’ll be running with the big kids, and when those days come, I’ll be waiting for the moments when I can still steal a quick hug.

As you get older, I want us to always keep being silly together. I want to always be able to make you laugh and for you to always know I will never be too busy to listen. And even when we’re at odds over something, please know, my love, that I only want the best for you. I love you more than I ever could have known.

So, dear Olive, Happy First Birthday. I look forward to seeing all the joy you’ll bring and how you’ll grow in the coming years.

All My Love,

Mama

Miss Olive in her party dress opening one of her presents at her first birthday party.
(More photos to come)

Some Accomplishments

The past couple days have been BIG for Miss Olive ...

1) She finally figured out her snack trap snack holder - We've been working on this for awhile, but up until yesterday, she was mostly amused by stuffing her entire hand inside and swirling and squirming it around until she crushed as many items as she could. Now, she's actually picking out a snack - in our case Baby Goldfish Crackers - and eating them one at a time. WooHoo for less mess!

2) She learned how to drink from a straw - So, I complained once before about my mission to find a sippy cup that Miss Olive couldn't bite to make it work, but rather a sippy cup she would actually have to learn to drink from. Oh yeah, and I didn't want it to spill everywhere.

I wanted the same thing with a straw, and I really don't think that it was too much to ask. I bought a couple types no-spill cup with silicone straws and was once again annoyed to find that they ONLY worked when you bit the straw. What the What??? Why would I want her to learn that straws work by biting them? So stupid. I threw them out without ever letting Miss Olive even try them. Then, about a week ago, I saw a kid-sized "frosty" mug -the kind with the liquid inside that you freeze - on the end of an isle at Kroger. It had a lid and a anti-spill (not quite spill proof, but good enough) straw that was plastic inside and silicone outside the lid.

We tried it last night at dinner, and it worked perfectly. The Ladybug thinks she is such a big girl using her straw cup. She's so very proud of herself.

Yes, my daughter did, in fact, learn to use a straw by drinking water from baby beer mug of sorts.

3) Miss Olive had her first taste of ice cream - The Hubby and I decided we'd made it just about one week shy of the Ladybug's birthday (in an attempt to avoid allergies, if possible), and we felt OK about jumping on board the ice cream train.

Just like there's no cookie/cake/candy/sweet anything Miss Olive doesn't like, I'm pretty there also will be no kind of ice cream she doesn't like.

We took her to the only appropriate place in Southwest Ohio (as far as I'm concerned) for your first taste of ice cream - Young's Jersey Dairy. Oh, did she love it. She has some of Mama's Lemon Custard ice cream from a cone and some of Daddy's Chocolate ice cream by spoon.

Not only did she like the ice cream, but the Young's plastic bib tied around her neck to protect her clothes from her ice cream adventure had a lion picture on it. She "roared" with joy.

Miss Olive's first bite of ice cream.

She liked it just a little.

4) Oh, and she learned to drive ...

Blowing kisses to her people.