Dressing Herself

 

Sooooo Pretty

Among the many joys of watching Olivia grow day by day has been observing her personality blossom. She becomes more independent each day, and as she learns more words…she gives more orders. She cares very much about and is quick to notice beauty, both in the world around her and on her person. One of her new phrases recently is “sooooo pretty.”

I think that perfectly describes this look:

Olivia is already a shoe hound, and she had just gotten these new church shoes earlier in the day. She ordered me to put on these socks and shoes and then admired herself in the mirror. Child didn’t fall far from the tree.

Diva in Training

Throughout Olivia’s life, depending on what time she wakes up, I have at times had to get dressed once she is already up. For a long time she enjoyed showering with me, but in recent months she chooses to watch PBS in our bed while I am in the bathroom. Since I can see her from the shower, this works perfectly and moves much faster. Last week I got out of the shower and this is how I found her.

She is basically sitting in the dark (our blinds were still closed) wearing her sunglasses to watch TV. I didn’t even realize she had them with her, although I wasn’t entirely surprised. She doesn’t go anywhere without them these days, much like her Momma.

Fun with Bubbles

 

I was walking through my least favorite store in the world this spring, searching for something I could not find in Target when I noticed a bubble wand for a dollar. I thought I’d get it for Olivia since the weather has improved and allowed us to play outside again.

Turns out that bubbles are one of Olivia’s most favorite things in the world. She loves to chase them, pop them and try to blow them. This is how we spent much of the day she turned two, but it’s a regular activity for us these days.

Things Olivia Has Learned From Her Daddy

Normally I would have stopped the following events from continuing, but it was her birthday and I didn’t have the heart. Plus, I wanted to be able to show her years from now how she learned to eat cereal from her Daddy.

On the Phone

Please remember when you read this that I am blogging so that one day Olivia will be able to read about her childhood. 
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Ring. Ring.

Olivia: "He-llo!"

Aunt E: "Happy Birthday Livi!"

Olivia: "Cooper!"

Me: "Yes, Olivia, that's Aunt E, Cooper's Momma."

Aunt E: "Did you have a good birthday, Livi?"

Olivia: "Uh-Huh."

Aunt E: "Did you do anything special for your birthday today?"

Olivia: "Went poo poo in toilet."

Two Years Old!

I have looked at Olivia several times in recent weeks and couldn’t help but ask – what happened to the baby I just brought home from the hospital? Where has she gone and where did this Big Girl come from??

Accomplishments & current activities:
-Loves to wear a necklace. The one she wears (because it is sturdy and perfectly sized for her) is in this photo below. Her Aunt Leelee made it for me once upon a time.
-Loves her sunglasses. This photo caught a rare moment when she has them on correctly – she prefers to wear them upside down.
-Mastering her ability to jump. She only comes off the ground about an inch, and it looks more like galloping than jumping.
-Enjoys working on her puzzles and reading. Especially her Bible at night with Daddy. He will often read her a chapter or more before she goes to sleep.
-Can count to eleven – she recites her numbers all the time, and knows the difference between letters and numbers.
-Has developed a strong preference for her own music – she will now tell us to turn our music off when we get in the car and cry if we refuse.
-Understands possession – will often tell me something belongs to “Libbie” (how it sounds when she says her own name) or Momma or Aden, etc.
-“I LUB IT!” She makes this declaration at least once a day. This morning she said this when she got to drink the milk from her cereal straight out of the bowl.
-Has been potty-trained for about three weeks and sleeps in a regular twin sized bed.
-Can identify all major body parts and several random ones (i.e. the collar bone)
-Loves talking on the phone (for short amounts of time, anyway)



My Sweet Daughter,

You have brought your Daddy and I more joy in the last two years than we could have ever imagined. I am so thankful that God chose me to be your mother; that I get to continue to watch you grow, learn and become the woman He’s created you to be. Each day with you is an adventure! Your laughter is contagious, and your smiles and kisses can make the gloomiest of moods evaporate in an instant.  I love to watch your mind work, to see you try something new or concentrate on mastering a new skill. I can already see that God has given you a determined spirit; it is my hope and prayer for you that as the years progress you will use it to focus on the Lord and persevere in your faith. You have such an open heart, and freely share affection with everyone you meet; I hope that is something that never changes about you.

You challenge me every day. You challenge my patience, my creativity, my physical limits and my faith. On more than one occasion you have brought me to my knees and to tears. But for every time that has happened in the last two years, there are a dozen other times when you have been an inspiration to me, filling my heart with more love and joy than I ever thought one human could bring to another. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you, Olivia. Maybe I am biased, but I think you are incredibly special.

As we celebrate your turning two today, I want you to always know how much your Daddy and I love you.

Hugs and kisses,

Momma

Big Girl Room

In addition to the awesome accomplishment of wearing Big Girl Panties, Olivia moved into her Big Girl Bedroom recently. While she spent her first weekend away from home at Gran and Pops’ house, C and I transformed the former guest room into a Big Girl Paradise. I wanted to be sure that she felt her room was an exciting part of Getting Big, not a Thing She Was Forced Into By The Arrival of Little Sister. After a week in her new room, I would say, Mission Accomplished. She came home from Gran & Pops’ and wasn’t really sure what to think of the idea that all of those new things belonged to her. I think she’s adjusted nicely – it only took a couple of nights for her to be completely at ease sleeping in the Big Girl Bed.

I told her I wanted to get some photos of her Big Girl Room, and she wanted to be in all of them. Here’s her new bed, which is actually my bed from my parents’ house. I got it when I was 12, which is also when I picked out the headboard that Olivia is now the proud owner of. C and I picked out the bedding at Target while she was gone, and she thinks it is fabulous.



I think her favorite part of the room so far is the tableside lamp. She can reach to turn it on and off herself and is very proud every time she does.



We also found this cute little chair at JC Penny – she loves to sit it in to put on her shoes when we get dressed in the morning. Behind her is the toy chest that her Pops made for her.



And an action shot – Liv tucked in and ready for Night Night.