I've loved Olivia at every age, but every day it seems she grows and gets smarter and cuter and I think how much fun she is now. In some ways, things get easier (she can walk and talk) and in some ways, more difficult (she's very opinionated, can be stubborn, and throws the occasional temper tantrum).
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| Look at that block-stacking ability :) |
She can tell us when she wants more food or when she is all done. She can tell me when she wants milk and when she wants to read a book (or a million). She loves books! She always wants us to read them to her and sometimes she'll "read" them herself. She turns the pages and says "Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da." That must be what she thinks we sound like when we read. :)
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| Here she is reading in her basket of toys |
She LOVES Elmo and would watch him (Sesame Street) all day if I let her. She can "jump"and spin in circles and loves to show us her belly button (that is when she's wearing a shirt that allows her to do so). She says a lot of words but I think our favorite word she says is "tuh-tul" (aka turtle) because it sounds so cute when she says it. A close runner up is the word cookie, or as she says it, "keh-kee". She scrunches up her nose when she says it...so cute!
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| Reading with Grandma and Grandpa on Grandma's Birthday |
We keep pretty busy during the week with activities. Monday mornings Olivia goes to a little gym class at 9:00. It's fun for both of us - she gets to run around, crawl up, over, around, and through things, jump on a trampoline, and interact with other kids close to her age; I get to talk to the other moms. :) In fact, I've become friends with one of the moms from the class. It's so nice to meet someone else who is easy to talk to and whom I have a lot in common with. We have similar parenting philosophies and interests.
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| Olivia on the trampoline at her class..Sorry for the blurry phone picture |
Tuesdays, I get an hour to myself when I go to a yoga class at the Kettering Rec. Kazumi watches Olivia for me, so it's a win-win for everyone. An hour of peace for me and the two of them get to spend time together. We occasionally go to the Oakwood MOMs group playgroup afterwards.
Thursdays, we have been going to story time at the library that's very close to our house. They always sing some songs, read a few stories, and then make a craft. Technically, it's for kids 18 months and older, but it's way better than the story time for her age group.
On Fridays we had been going to this great program at the Wright Library called Books and Blocks from 10:30-11:30. It's in a big, multipurpose room and there are little stations set up around the room with different things like foam blocks or toy cars or puppets and the kids are just allowed to play/roam freely for the first half an hour. Then they listen to a story or two and finally, sing some songs (i.e. Ring Around the Rosie and the Hokey Pokey).
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| Olivia at Books and Blocks |
Unfortunately, I signed Olivia up for a Sing and Sign class at the Rec Center that is on Friday from 10:15-10:45, which means we miss the first half hour of Books and Blocks. We could try to go for the last half an hour, from 11:00-11:30, but last week, Olivia was so tired and cranky after her class that we didn't make it to the library. Both things are great so it's too bad we can't do both. Maybe this week - we'll see!
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| Another pic from my mom's birthday |
