24 Months, Week 2

Two year well-check!  We found out what we had already suspected, Olivia had a major growth spurt over the last six months.  Almost three inches to be exact!  She is now 28.9 pounds and 35.25 inches tall.  She is hitting all of her milestones and already working on mastering some for her next check-up.  The doctor also gave the green light to turn Olivia's car seat forward facing.  This has been a debate at our house for months, but the pediatrician did give me a high five as she said very few parents actually follow the AAP's recommendation to keep them rear facing until two.  But, I know she and Daddy have been chomping at the bit to turn her around so I (reluctantly) agreed.

The other big news is that this week Olivia sat and used the potty for the first time!  She has been asking to go for the last few weeks; often barging in the restroom and shouting, "My turn!  My turn potty!"  Since there are other kids in her room at daycare who have started potty training and Livi never wants to be left out of anything.  So, it I guess it's time to go shopping for some potty seats!

Grandma and PaPa also came to visit us for Memorial Day weekend.  I think they had just a little bit of fun on the playground and dinner date!

 
Grandma and PaPa also brought a special visitor with them, Auntie Mary Ann! She has been visiting from Texas and we were very glad she was able to join us for the long weekend. While Josh and PaPa were at the Indy 500 race, the girls headed to the outlet mall to do a little shopping.  Livi wanted to take a break while we there to ride some of the rides.  Unfortunately, she wasn't too happy once the rides started moving!  Nothing some rolls and cheesy potato soup from O'Charley's can't fix.

2 Years, Week 1

 

After all the party fun was done, it was time to celebrate another special occasion, Mother's Day!  It was nice to have Grandma here still visiting (and PaPa too!) to help make the day extra fun!  In addition to having all the outside flowers planted, Livi also painted me some pretty wind

chimes.  Her handmade gifts are the best!

 

Since Livi loves to play in the water so much, Josh and I decided to buy her a water table for her birthday.  Luckily the weather warmed back up this week so she could try it out.  I think it was a hit!  Any time she can make a mess and not get in trouble for doing so, she's a happy camper!

All that hard work playing sure works up an appetite.  But, you better watch your plate or Livi might take your dinner.  I guess sometimes you just can't wait for Mom or Dad to cut your chicken up for you!

A week after Livi's birthday, it was time to head north for Grandma Sue's birthday.  First order of business was helping Grandma plant some flowers (and who doesn't garden in a tutu?).  Grandma bought her a special planter and watering can.  Livi is excited to watch them grow over the summer.

After a fun day of planting, we went out for dinner.  Grandma is an amazing cook, but she definitely deserved a night off!  Grandma's big gift was a family vacation for all of us and Uncle Drew and Aunt Lisa to Gatlinburg this summer.  A gift everyone can enjoy!

As an added bonus, we snuck in a trip to the Dunes.  This little girl LOVES the beach!  The water was still a little cold, so she mostly stuck to building sandcastles.

 

That's Ms. Attitude to you.  Livi went shopping with me earlier this week so she could pick out a birthday present for Grandma Sue.  While I was picking out a few options for Livi to choose from, she took the opportunity to accessorize.  And this is the face I got when I tried to take her picture.  Oh Livi, this next year should be interesting!

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Olivia Marie!

Two, too cute! I can't believe it has been two years since this beautiful bundle of energy came into our lives. I can still remember the day she was born so vividly (and we'll always know exactly how old our heat pump is!). She blessed me with a short labor and was only two days past her due date. Since then time has flown by so quickly and she has taught us just how much you can love something so small. Each day she does something new that makes me laugh and my heart sing. We love you with all of our hearts Olivia Marie!

We went with an Olivia the Pig theme.  In case you don't have a two-year-old in your house, author Ian Falconer created Olivia the Pig book series after being inspired by his niece.  Nickelodeon then turned the character into a cartoon series complete with a theme song.  Olivia is a precocious six-year-old, with a vivid imagination and wonderful sense of adventure.  An excellent role model for our own Olivia! 

As with any party, it's all about the dress.  I was super excited when I found someone on Etsy who had designed this gem.  Livi was also very happy to have a dress with her favorite girl "YaYa" on it.

Olivia was very excited to have two of her very best girl friends, Isabella and Isabelle, come and celebrate with her.  They all played very well together and were troopers with the games!

Time for cake!  Lucky for us, my friend Elizabeth is a baker on top of being a school psychologist.  Not only are her cakes delicious, she is awesome with a theme.  Oddly enough, Olivia didn't really like being the center of attention when it was time to sing.  When everyone gathered around, she became very shy!

We were so lucky to have so many friends and family with us to celebrate! Unfortunately by the end, Livi was tired of having her picture taken!

She was also blessed with many, many wonderful gifts! Clothes, toys, books, a zoo membership, and $$$ for future...what more could a girl ask for?!? Although, her reaction to the princess panties from Cheryl was priceless!  I've never seen a kid so excited about underwear.

23 Months, Week 4

Just another day in the neighborhood!  We took Livi to story time at the library so she would have the chance to meet some of the 500 Festival Princesses.  She wanted absolutely nothing to do with having her picture taken with those ladies!  Instead she found matching fireman's helmets for the three of us to wear and we had the princesses take a picture of us.  Sigh, the thinks we wouldn't do for this girl!

Our girlie still loves to go out to eat!  Sometimes she eats more than we do!  She and Josh still have their Saturday morning tradition of going to get donuts at Taylor's.  She's started to hit the "Chandler phase" when it comes to smiling on cue.  It actually is kinda cute.

And look at the prep that went into my fabulous Mother's Day presents!  The last few years, Josh has planted all the annuals outside for me for Mother's Day.  This year, Livi went with him to help pick the flowers.  I'd say she has a pretty good eye! And Josh did an awesome job executing this Pinterest find (anyone who has ever attempted a Pinterest project knows they can be pretty tricky!)

This girl loves animals!  Every time she the mascot at Old Navy she runs in and want to give hugs and pats on the head.  I bet that dog would be a lot easier to take care of!

After another long day at work, it was nice to have some special visitors.  Livi also volunteered to help fill in for one of the open secretary positions.  That might get a little tricky around nap time!

Livi has started taking art class at Gymboree in addition to Play Gym.  She loves it!  She has so much painting and creating.  I love it because the mess stays at Gymboree






I just love this face! Even when she says "yuck" and "gross" during diaper changes.  Or when she's running down the hall after bath time yelling "I nakey!!!"