Olivia - 18 Months (January)

One of the first milestones of the new year was my littlest angel turning 18 months old. Never mind that she's almost 22 months old now...let's just time travel a little to mid-January when Olivia was just coming into her own (attitude).

You'll recall that I'm an auditor by trade. That is, I have a career that keeps me preeeety busy from January to well, we'll say the first of May. Hence we are just now going to start to get caught up on the significant events of 2015 after the year is more than a quarter over. I made a few notes about what was going on back then and I'll have to rely on pictures to remember the rest. Olivia has changed so much in the past few months it is hard to remember a time when she wasn't doing what she does now. Let's begin.

At her 18 month well check she was 22 lbs 6 oz (28th %) and 31.3 inches long (33rd %). She's so much smaller than her bubba was at this same age. My petite but spunky princess. The good thing about this pediatrician visit was that it appeared she was getting over her fear of the doctor and nurses. Then of course the visit ended with shots. Poor baby is so confused about that place. 

One of the things I talked to the pediatrician about was Olivia's aggressive nature. She regularly hit her brother (and us) and generally yelled for everything she wanted. The pediatrician commented that we are going to have to figure out how to "contain her spirit" and eventually channel it in the right direction. To handle the demanding/yelling for everything, we started making her say please ("peese") and that worked out well. We still haven't figured out the hitting, although I think she is starting to grow out of it a little (sort of). Part of the problem is sometimes I can't tell if she is really hitting or if she is just aggressively giving "love pats." I asked her teachers if she was having a problem hitting at school and her teacher said, "Yes, she sometimes hits the other kids." So I asked if that was common in her classroom (trying to make myself feel better) and the teacher said, "A few kids hit....Olivia is one of them..." Thanks. Thanks for that. 

Aside from delighting in tormenting her brother (evidenced by the huge mischievous smile on her face as she advances on him) and beating on the rest of us, she really is quite affectionate. Immediately after hitting she will usually gently pet the area that received the beating and give hugs. She is a snuggly girl and enjoys being cuddled up in Mommy or Daddy's lap (although not for very long). At 18 months she was just starting to talk more and have some recognizable words. She used to say a few animal names, but now (at 18 months) she made a switch and says the animal sound instead of the name. So, instead of saying "cat" when she sees one of the cats, she would say, "Meow, meow." She also calls all rabbits "hop," which sounds a lot like "up" (a source of frequent confusion). Other notable phrases at 18 months were, "nite nite shhhh" when putting her toys to sleep (i.e. turning them face down on the pillow, similar to smothering them) and "bye bye tee tee" after flushing the toilet. Oh, don't be confused. She was not potty trained, but no one else in the house who is potty trained has any privacy when they go. Her brother actually asks me to shut the door for him, "So sister won't come in." Welcome to toddlerhood, son.

Part of the fun of leaving behind the baby and becoming a toddler is imaginative play. One of her favorite things to do (and I didn't remember her starting so young until I came back across the photographic evidence) is take care of her stuffed animals and dolls. Specifically, putting diapers on them and using wipes to clean their poo-poo or blow their nose. Unfortunately, she uses the same wipe for both. Hopefully, we won't have to address this when she has real children. 

Instructing Grammy in the fine art of diapering Baby Doll. She's good at giving instructions.

Blow your nose, Mickey. Don't worry, I'll clean your bottom next.

Olivia was having a rough time at 18 months. Mommy was in busy season and Daddy would hold down the fort most nights. Fortunately she was (and is) a firm Daddy's girl. She was usually my better sleeper and would sleep through the night unless she was teething or sick. Of course this is when she decided to try and cut all 4 of her molars at once, so the sleeping through the night thing was hit or miss. She actually follows directions really well for her age and you can tell she understands soooo much more than she can say. She is also a much better eater than her brother - which probably isn't saying much given how picky he is. 

One morning she grabbed Daddy's lunch box and her toy phone, said "bye bye" and headed to the door. I guess that's what we all look like when we leave for the day.

This girl has a love of bubbles and toy balls. She can say "basketball" pretty clearly (genius).

Cooking in the kitchen.

Making taw-fee (coffee) or  teeee (tea).

Mommy and her love bug.

I got this picture while I was at work one night. Static tunnel!

Olivia's love of accessorizing has already been documented and it hasn't diminished. She will wear every necklace she can find then start sharing and trying to put them on her dolls, the cat, and Mommy and Daddy. She also loves to wear hats of all kinds and go places with her purse(s).

Olivia's other love is her brother. She wants to do everything Bubba is doing, including occupying the same space when she can. She is usually pretty rough with him and clearly enjoys being in his way, snatching his toys, giving him "love pats" and generally being a little sister.

Oh, did you think this picture of Olivia and Daddy seemed out of place in the brother-sister montage??? Look again...

Olivia's destructive capabilities are strong. For a while we were calling her "Olivia-the-Destroyer" around the house because of her tendency to get into everything and leave a trail of destruction behind her. Then I recalled research supporting how kids internalize what you label them (I read too many parenting books) and decided I didn't want to warp my baby at such a young age. So, while it is still true, we try not to say it (when she can hear).

I love this picture because I have a similar one of Nathan. We keep this cabinet of miscellaneous plastic stuff unlocked so the kids can have access to it and make a mess if they want to.

The path of destruction leads to one place.....

"Hmmm, how many wipes can I take out before someone stops me?"

Olivia followed Nathan into the bathroom but didn't follow him out. Jimmy called her and the roll of toilet paper literally rolled out as if on cue. I find this. She looks very proud of herself. 

But then at least she cleaned it up (mostly) by herself.

Finally, 18 months marked the age where Olivia became a cat (or, meow-meow, as she would say). She started demonstrating several traits of cat-hood, including stepping directly in the middle of a game (or anything else) you are trying to play, "helping" with the laundry, and trying to get up into windowsills that aren't big enough to hold her. But my favorite cat behavior is trying to fit into spaces that are woefully too small. Observe...

"Is this helping, Mommy?"

"No? Okay, I'll get out. Sike!"

Just a girl and her lei, and her necklaces, and her Santa Clause book and a ball...in the laundry basket. You know, the usual stuff.

"Mommy, that Santa is hi-larious!

"Oh, hi. Just trying to fit inside this drum. No biggie."

A little pre-bedtime bookshelf challenge.

"Were you going to use this tub for something? Packing away the baby? No?"

At first I thought she was going to try and sit in this. But no.....

It was a step-stool, instead. "I regret nothing!"

This girl and laundry baskets.,,

Olivia vs. the Drum, round 2 (you didn't think she'd give up did you??)

My sweet angel, Mommy and Daddy love you so much. I love the little girl you are becoming. Independent, stubborn, bossy and sweet. Reminds me of someone I know. You are going to do amazing things and teach us things your brother never could along the way. My prayer for you is that you grow to love the Lord with the passion you already show you have tucked away inside you. Even though your favorite pastime right now seems to be making my hair turn white, I still love you unconditionally. No matter what, angel. No matter what.