Happy 2nd Birthday, Olivia!

Dear Olivia,

I can hardly believe that today you turn two years old. How time has flown, as it always does, and you have changed so much right before my very eyes. Your biggest accomplishment in the last year has been walking. And coming right up behind that is using words and putting them together.

In just the last week, you finally went from saying "CCCC!" to "Cars!" And some of your very cute phrases are "hold me" and "c'mon mama, c'mon!" You spend a lot of your time singing and chatting away, though you don't say all the words and some of it is still not understandable, but I can understand most of what you are saying to me. We've had a somewhat communication breakdown with you, but it has gotten much easier over the last couple of months.

Additionally, you are quite the rebellious one. No one messes with Olivia. You hit. You kick. And you get time outs. You know you will get in trouble, and you do it anyway. At the end of it all, you always say you're sorry and you give hugs. So, I think you are learning about right and wrong.

Everyone that comes into contact with you exclaims just how cute you are, and you definitely know how to turn on the charm. You light up a room. And those times when you are not being good, I still think you are cute and have a hard time hiding it.

I love spending time with you. You're so much fun to be around. You discover new things everyday. As a matter of fact, you know how to use the toilet randomly, and our goal for the next year is to have you out of those diapers (and, well, off of those bottles, too).

I love you, little girl. You are truly a blessing to our family, and I know that your sister loves having you around and playing with you and teaching you new things. You are so special. You always will be. And I hope that everyone that knows you in your life can truly appreciate you and all that you have to offer because I know that it will be so much. Never forget how much I love you, and always will, no matter what happens in life.

Happy birthday, my precious little Livey. I hope you enjoy the video that I made that incorporates the last year of your life. I'm looking forward to watching you become a little girl over the next year.

I love you,
Mama

Sidenote: The video is a long one. Five minutes. And I am not happy about some of the video turning so dark after I publish it, but hopefully you get the picture.

Not Much to Report

But, I thought I would fill you in anyway...

The three-day weekend was a whirlwind. We decided, somewhat on a whim, to take the girls to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, on Saturday. Sort of a mistake on our part given that that place is like Disneyland on the weekends. We were lucky we got there early, but we didn't spend much time there. There were too many people and both the girls were having tantrums. After, we took a long walk on the sidewalk above the beach. Josh took the girls down to the ocean and they discovered things for a little while. We also saw about 100 beached seals in a fenced off area which was pretty cool.

Yesterday we bummed around, as I had to get ready for my first day of work (which was today!). All is well on that front.

Though, yesterday Bea started acting really mellow and had super stinky breath so we thought for sure she was coming down with another sinus infection. This morning she had a fever and the doctor said it was a tonsil infection. 10 days of pink bubble gum antibiotics for her. She's quite the dull child right now lying around watching tv and wanting to color. That's it. Not eating much of anything. Hopefully the antibiotics kick in soon. I want my fun little girl back.

Olivia is basquing in her pre-terrible two glory. I can't even go there...it is just too dramatic right now. Birthday video to appear this Friday, and IT IS DONE!

Now, I give you these:

Lookee at those millions of sardines raght thar:


Woah, FISH:


Best picture that I've taken in a long time:

I am MOM, Hear Me ROAR

Is it a crime that I don't mind being the main enforcer in our family about 95% of the time? There are times when it is more than painful:

Stay close to me.

Walk on the other side of me on the sidewalk.

Watch out! There may be cars! Hold my hand, please.

Don't touch that.

Please don't crawl around on the floor of Target. Please!

Listen to mommy.

I'd prefer to say these types of things instead of "no" all the time. I don't feel it is too positive to say so much. But there are also pleasant times that you wouldn't think would be exactly pleasant.

Like when a child is going off to night-night land and suddenly upchucks all over their bed. Generally the first thing out of their mouth is "MOM!" I come running. I clean it up. I make it better. Or, I can be brought to the point of "if you do that ONE more time, you are getting a time out." Of course the child tests the limits and the time-out must be taken seriously. The crying can be excrutiating, but I am the one that in the end receives the "I'm sorry" along with the hug and the kiss that suddenly becomes a somewhat newfound closeness between me and my child.

I'm not exactly the fun one, though I do have my moments. I tickle. I joke. I play. But, I make sure that rules are followed, that something is almost always learned, that hugs and kisses are given on a more than as-needed basis. Enforcer. Caregiver. Teacher. And so many other things. Even though it can be an overwhelming at-times responsibility, I am MOM.

Olivia's Day and Other Stuff

Well, then. Today was a "mommy and Olivia" day, and while it is not over (she's napping), so far it has been quite fun. I have to say I felt a twinge of guilt as we dropped Bea off at daycare this morning, especially when she asked what Olivia and I were doing. Instead of saying that we were going to have some fun, I told her that Olivia had to go to doctor. Yes, I lied to my kid, but it was either that or a full fledge tantrum because she wanted to come, too. Instead, I just got an "Oh. I'm going to have fun with all my friends today."

After daycare, we roamed to Starbucks as you know I hit it up every darn day. Olivia quickly grabbed a vanilla milk and we hung out for a while. A little bit later we headed out to run a Valentine's errand and then had some snacks at home. Olivia was ready to go out again, so we headed over to Vasona Park because I heard they have a carousel and a train. When we got there, I was told that those things only run on the weekends so we were pretty much out of luck. She played at the park there and by the stream instead.

At lunchtime, we headed over to my old employer to meet one of my friends for lunch. Olivia was shy, clung to me and appeared to be falling asleep. Although, once me and my friend S hopped into the car, Olivia quickly became herself again. We had lunch, she was "pretty" well behaved, and then we headed home. And now she is sleeping soundly in her crib. The day isn't over yet, so we will see what other fun we can have when she wakes. I have very much enjoyed my alone time with her, and she has been nothing but smiles and giggles. Here's some pics for proof:





Other than that, Josh and I decided to get out of town for the night last week and we Priceline'd a room up in San Francisco. We were interested in having a great dinner and my friend V recommended The House of Prime Rib. That meal was the best I've had in the longest time, and I cannot wait to go again. Best prime rib I've ever had! Not to mention the salad, cream of spinach, yorkshire pudding and potato with all the fixings. So good!

I've been slowly doing things around the house. Yesterday, I caulked our dining area. Not fun. I'd love to just throw the paint on the walls, but someone tells me it has to be done right before that happens. I'm trying to finish up Olivia's birthday video, because next week she does turn 2, believe it or not. Work begins next Tuesday...

About Bea and Mommy Day

Wednesday was our day, and boy, was it busy. In the morning, Bea and I got ready and took Olivia to daycare, and then we headed out to get coffee (chocolate milk for her, grande nonfat with whip mocha for me). Upon returning home, we watched cartoons for a bit and then got ready for the big excursion of the day: The Children's Discovery Museum. We were meeting her friend Rachel there, along with her mom.

We got to the museum a little early, so we hung out on the steps, she chased some birds and then we entered the museum. The day was not without a few tantrums, and right as we made our way to the first stop in the museum, she had a full-on tantrum about other kids not sharing and letting her "drive" the fire truck. She got over it pretty quickly, and then her friend Rachel got there, so it was all about those two running all over the place and checking everything out. I can't tell you how much fun she had. It was four hours of fun at the museum. The only reason that we left is because she had to go to the bathroom and she still is too scared to use the big adult toilet.

We grabbed some food at McDonalds (don't look at me like that...it is a real treat for her), headed home, and then sat on the floor picnic-style and ate our lunch. She was bouncing off the walls at this point from everything that already took place and decided she was not going to take a nap. So, I gave her a couple of options on what we should do next: The park and library OR Home Depot so mommy could get some paint. You guessed it. We headed to the park. She walked the whole way (no stroller) and played in the park and sand for a long time. She was running out of energy quickly, so instead of going into the library, we walked home. Another cartoon later, and it was already time to pick up Olivia. So we walked and picked her up and that was pretty much the end of the day for us. It went by so quickly, and she had a lot of fun (I hope!), and it was so incredibly nice to spend some alone-time with her. I can't get over how easy it is to manage one child instead of a child AND a toddler. But, it was great time and Olivia will have her day next week.

Here's some pics from the museum...

Finally getting her turn driving the fire truck:

Catching a ball in mid-air:

Bea and Rachel:

Driving the ambulance:

Hording the balls at the at the water play station:

Building her own little water station:

Face painting fun:

Cute as a button:

La Di Da

I got a new job! I thought I would just come out with it instead of keeping you in suspense. I can't give any details at this time, but thought I would share. So, basically, my phone interview with the unemployment people is tomorrow where they are supposed to ask me questions, but instead I get to say, "HEY! GUESS WHAT? I'M NOT GOING TO BE NEEDING YOUR ASSISTANCE AFTER ALL!" I'm thinking I might confuse them a bit or throw them for a loop, so we'll see what happens. I mean, when telemarketers call and you tell them, "Sorry, we are in the middle of dinner right now. Can I get your number and I'll call you back when we're done?", well, they tend to get a bit flustered. Hopefully, I'll just get a "Yes, miss, we will go ahead and close your claim."

And on that note, I don't start this new gig until the 19th, which gives me a little vacation time, which I am excited about and am enjoying. Just today I installed new handles on our kitchen cupboards and I finished painting the front room. I meant to say "we" on the painting as Josh came home early and helped - i.e. he did a lot of it while I asked dumb questions about having to put the blue tape around odd things and if I unscrew the face plate for the electrical outlets should I turn off the power so as not to get electrocuted. That is not funny and don't laugh. While I was pregnant with Olivia I made it my sole duty to have nice fancy plates for light switches, and instead of asking such questions, I got a nice jolt of electricity not just through my body, but it also went through my yet-to-be born child. It was just a little scary, that's all.

In any case, I've got a lot going on until work starts up again. Mostly stuff around the house, and I promise to show some before/after pics soon. I'm very relieved, but mostly I am going to enjoy this time, because it is going to be a long time before I have this much time off again.