6.5

Olivia turned six and a half recently and I wanted to take a minute to write about our girl.  At 6 ½ Olivia is in such a great place.  Matt and I have both commented lately what a nice groove our family has gotten in – and a big part of that is due to Olivia.

Much to my GREAT delight, she is still a mamma’s girl.  I know that our time together has been limited since Eric arrived and I can tell she really cherishes moments of mommy/Olivia time.  Most regularly, we have been bonding at night time as Olivia has grown to love the Babysitters Club books as much as I did when I was little.  She laughs out loud when I read them to her and begs for “just one more chapter! Please mommy!”  She loves to snuggle and Matt’s constant travel provides regular opportunities for her to sleep in my bed and get all the mommy snuggles she can handle.  Desipte our king size bed, she will sleep as close to me as possible without actually sleeping on top of  me and counts it as a victory if we wake up cuddling.  Another activity she likes to do is get dolled up with me.  She calls it “Persis’ salon” and any time there is even the smallest opportunity to get fancy, she begs for the salon treatment – I wash her hair and blow-dry/braid it, put lotion on her, put make up on her, and help her pick out a fancy dress.  As much as she likes this time with me, I know I love it even more because I get to hear all her smart and funny thoughts on life.  Whenever we take trips these days, we get a hotel room with 2 beds and let Olivia choose who she wants to sleep with – by herself, daddy or mommy.  And she always picks mommy.  We recently went to Austin for Spring Break and on the last night Matt was lying in bed with her, rubbing her back.  He asked her if she wanted him to leave or stay since they were already snuggled up and she had slept with me for the past 2 nights.  Through half-closed eyes and a tired voice, she assuredly said “Daddy.  I want you to leave.  Do not stay in this bed.  I want to sleep with mommy.  Make sure you leave so mommy can sleep with me.” 

But, her heart no longer beats just for mommy.  Matt and Olivia have a super special bond that centers around music (Matt teaches her the top alternative songs of the week and Olivia schools him on her favorite singer Emily Arrow), math (Olivia’s favorite party trick is showing off multiplication and algebra skills), sports (these 2 love to go in the backyard and play tennis or softball), and Olivia’s love of being carried and thrown around by her daddy.

Olivia has settled into her role as big sister and loves Eric so much.  She is happiest when he is only paying attention to her and gets pretty upset if he wants mamma (ironic since they are the exact same in this regard).  She really looks out for him and loves to make him laugh.  As he gets more mobile, she is liking chasing him around the house and teaching him new things.  She also loves to make believe the 2 of them are in this secret club set up solely to drive me crazy.  For instance, while he is eating dinner if Eric starts to throw food on the floor or make a mess, she will say “Oh!  Good job Eric!  Just like I told you.” and then crack up laughing.

The new favorite thing to do with him is "Secret Sibling Club" where they will go into my room and Matt and I aren't allowed to come in.  I'm not sure exactly what they're doing but they both seem to like it.  One day I was listening at the door and I heard her say "Okay Eric.  This is how you have a tea party.  No.  No Eric.  Don't drink it yet.  Leave it there.  I have to pour the tea.  Okay Eric now you can get it.  Good!  Good job baby Eric!  Oh remember - pinkey's out!"  Another time they came out with "dessert" for all of us with a bunch of pretend food.  I call those times a win-win - sibling bonding time for them, and a few minutes of quiet for mamma! ;)

Academically, Olivia is thriving at school.  We had our mid-year parent-teacher conference and were so happy to hear about all the things she is learning about, read the stories she had written, and take a peek at her journal (the very first writing was about how much she loves her mommy!).  We sat and listened with wide-eyed adoration as her teacher described Olivia as a good friend, polite and creative, a passionate reader/writer, a hard worker, and a quiet leader in her class.  There were so many lines in her report card that I loved because I felt like her teachers really knew and understood her true personality, but my absolute favorite was when her teacher commented that Olivia is very aware of the daily routine of the class and observant to any deviations from that routine.  That is just classic Olivia who has always been a creature of habit and thrown by anything out of her routine.

 

That being said, Olivia also has gotten more comfortable with her friends at Kinkaid and braver about playing with them.  At the beginning of the year she got invited to a playdate at a new friend’s house.  Matt and I were SO relieved because we knew making friends would be key to her success at school.  But our girl was worried and nervous and refused to go unless mamma came too.  So I did.  And then when she was invited back, Olivia again refused to go without me.  So, like any good parenting book would recommend, we bribed her with a trip to the American Girl Doll store.  She begrudgingly went and ended up having a good time, but I had to peel her off of me and basically run out the door.  But now, she is excited to go to her friend’s houses.  She has a playdate coming up with a friend who’s mom is going to pick her up from school and bring her to her house for the playdate.  And, of course, guess who is nervous now?  Of course.  Mamma.  But I’m trying not to let it show.

Olivia has also ventured out into the world of softball – another example of her new found courage.  Again, at the beginning of the year, almost every Kindergarten girl at Kinkaid played soccer together.  I begged Olivia to play, promising all sorts of comforts and assurances.  But she was steadfast in her refusal (which I sort of admired).  And just like that, 6 months later, I mentioned that a few girls were playing softball and asked her if she wanted to play too.  She immediately said yes and has been excited about it ever since.  (That being said, at the first practice she was walking to the field holding Matt’s hand, while I pushed Eric in the stroller behind them.  Just as they were about to step foot on the field, she dropped Matt’s hand and ran back to hold mine.  But she really seems to be enjoying the game so far – she is excited for practices and constantly tries to teach me softball lingo & moves.

 

Baby dolls still reign supreme for playtime.  Olivia recently saved up all her money (let’s be honest, I’m gonna say 75% of it was straight from Popo’s wallet ;) and bought her very own American Girl Doll.  As you may guess, there was lots of angst and hand wringing and lists made on which doll to choose, but ultimately she decided on a Truly Me doll which she named Mia (to coordinate with her other “a” AG dolls – Willa, Camilla, Ava, Ella).

I continue to count my blessings that I am lucky enough to be the mamma of this sweet little pumpkin.  I can’t wait to see what the next few months hold for her!