Lately

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately because we have been busy, busy, busy!  But here’s what we’ve been up to lately (sorry for the long post!)

Uncle Drew came into town for a visit!  Olivia was a little shy at first, but quickly warmed up to him once he offered her some Cheerios.  Within a few hours, she was eating out of his hands – literally!  While she got warmed up to Drew, Pop-O was on deck for playing with her and making sure she did not destroy Tutu’s nice house!  

We also discovered the joy of the Children’s Museum recently.  We got invited to a birthday party there and she L-O-V-E-D it!!  The ball pit was a big hit.  

And while I loved seeing joy on my child’s face as she discovered new things and got rare childhood diseases from licking balls that other kids also licked (see below for more on this…), the best part of the experience for me was that it WORE HER OUT!  We got home and she went to bed for the night at 6:30 (one hour before her usual bedtime) and slept until 7:30 the next morning (a delightful departure from her usual 6:00 am wake time!).  

Matt was out of town for the birthday party, so we headed back to the Museum the following weekend for a family playdate with Olivia’s friend Liam.  They both had a great time and took wonderful naps that afternoon!

And…the following Wednesday, Olivia woke up with 2 little red spots on her face.  We couldn’t figure out what they were and didn’t see any other spots/bumps and no fever or loss of appetite, so we sent her to school but told her teachers to keep an eye on her.  By the time I picked her up that evening, the bumps had spread and the next morning the pediatrician confirmed our suspicions – Hand Foot and Mouth!  Luckily she never ran a fever and didn’t appear to be too phased by the bumps.  And, even more lucky, I didn’t have much going on at work, so I was able to stay home with her!  (One thing that no one prepared me for was how stressful/upsetting it is when your child is sick.  But, having to go to work and leave her makes it a hundred times worse for me.)  So I was thrilled to get to spend a sick day taking care of her.  

We ended up keeping her home on Friday too.  She still didn’t have a fever, but we didn’t want to infect any of the other kids in daycare.  Matt had to work too, so we used my Back Up Care from work and found a WONDERFUL nanny.  She was responsible, friendly, and sent me pictures/updates all day long.  It was great.  I love to see Olivia get used to her as the day goes on.  In the first shot we got Olivia has her paci and, as Matt says, looks "dead  behind the eyes."  But, as the day went along, you can see her get used to the nanny and have fun.  

And, she did an “art project” with Olivia --- I think it’s the cutest thing ever!  She’s obviously a gifted artist ;)

Finally, a few Sundays ago was Grandparents Day so we spent the day with Olivia’s favorite grandparents.  We spent the morning with Mimi & GrandDad and then went to see Pop-O & Tutu in the afternoon.  We didn’t get any pictures, but Olivia was very sweet and demonstrated her favorite tricks: (1) screaming when she wants your attention; (2) waving “bye bye” when she’s ready to leave; and (3) patting her (or my) head when you start singing “Head and Shoulders”.  It was a great afternoon.  And, one especially funny story – at my parents’ house she did not want to sit in her high chair.  So I took her out and we walked over to the island in the kitchen.  Her cheese was sitting on the counter and she saw it.  I told her “if you want your cheese, you have to sit down” and she immediately plopped down right on the kitchen floor!  We all died laughing.  So, when it comes to cheese, Olivia knows how to listen!

One last funny thing Olivia has been doing lately.  I've mentioned before how she waves her hand to "go bye-bye." Well, it has gotten out of control lately.  She does it ALL the time.  In the morning, we usually bring her into our bed for a few more minutes of rest since she wakes up at the crack of dawn.  She will be sweet and lay down and cuddle for a while, but once she's had enough she will abruptly sit up and start waving.  If we don't take her out of the room and to eat breakfast - she will cry her face off.  Same thing when we try to change her diaper -- she will  be good for a while, but if we aren't going quickly enough - the waving starts.  She does it people's houses (sorry Pop-O & Tutu!), at restaurants, at the store, and...most recently and upsetting, at school.  The transition to the new class has been a little tougher than we hoped and every morning as soon as we walk in the room, she starts pointing at the door (or walking out the door if I let her) and waving.  I'm sure it will just take some getting used to, but its pretty sad to watch.

Anyways...it’s been a fun and busy few weeks and now we are getting ready for a HUGE milestone…Olivia turns one!  Stay tuned…