Hi and Bye Bye

Dear Olive,

I cried tonight because you're growing up so fast. It's hard to even remember some of the most precious moments of when you were a few months younger, what other things might I forget? I feel so bad because there's this constant battle in our life for time. Time to work, time to spend with you, time to spend with your dad, time to spend with myself, time to spend with family and friends, time to do the dishes. We are sometimes so quick to just pass you around between each other to get the time we need to just get by in life. And while that's going on, you're changing every day.

At night it's my favorite time. Right before I put you to bed, all I have to do is turn off the light and you know what to do. You put your head down on my shoulder and you just relax and I stand by your crib holding you and swaying for a while. Sometimes I get a nagging feeling that I need to put you down and get on with all the things demanding of my time that I didn't get to yet. But I ALWAYS just hold you and make the effort to be in the moment because I feel you growing up so fast and I think about how you will not always be so small that I can hold you while you sleep. Things will never be as they are right now, again.

I tried to take a video of you tonight playing in your bath. You were having a grand ol' time in the kitchen sink at your Grandma Shelly's house, with tons of family around, laughing and waving and trying to say, "uh oh" and I tried to capture the moment. For some reason the camera didn't save it, and I was sad that those little moments will be forgotten with the hectic way life is and the fast pace we are moving.

Today was a great day Olive. You started getting really good at waving hi and bye bye, and when we dropped your toy and said "Uh Oh!" you said it back. It was absolutely adorable and everyone crowded around trying to get you to do it again.

You are soooo close to walking, you transfer from thing to thing and get around pretty good, but I can tell you are just ever so ready to let go and move around on your own. I'm in no rush for you to walk, I realized today it's just one more thing that makes you 'not a baby anymore' when you start walking!

You're starting to really love figuring out things. You sat playing with a tupperware the other day until you could get the lid off and back on again. Luckily I did get that on film. I was proud of you! I never showed you how to do that, good girl!

I stood extra long tonight with you by your crib. I held you and treasured the moment. It's all about enjoying every moment. Easier said than done, but easy when it's you.

Spendy Little Sucker

Dear Olive,

We can't take you out to eat anymore! And FYI eating out with you alone is A BIG mistake. Tonight I made that mistake.

This past week was definitely different when we'd go out to eat. It was a turning point. You no longer sit in your high chair, you stand up in it. Yeah whoever thinks those straps work is absolutely demented. You want to eat standing up, or not eat at all, and just mosey around the booth from person to person.

Tonight there was horrible traffic so I thought I'd just try to kick it in the local Applebees and wait it out. This is where I made the big mistake. First of all it was close to your bedtime, and I wanted to hurry you home and get you to bed without a bath. But I know you needed dinner, and I needed to avoid this traffic.

You wouldn't sit in the high chair (not a shock) so I let you sit on my lap. You were intent on playing with my ice water, dipping your little hands in and stirring around the ice. But then you tipped the whole giant thing over and got me soaking wet. After cleaning THAT up, the food came and you sat for a little bit, but you wanted to pick it up yourself and got food ALL OVER the place. As soon as you were bored with that, I had to pick you up again, and you were so fussy I didn't even get to eat my food.

What a waste of money! And time! I still had to come home and give you a bath since you were totally covered in mashed potatoes. Plus the traffic wasn't even cleared up when we left. It's not your fault, I knew that you were becoming too hard to take out to eat. And why I thought I'd try it by myself is beyond me. But this was the experience I needed, to know for sure that I'm over restaurants with you for a while!

You, Olive Grace, are a wild one.

Here's a pic of you at Chipotle yesterday, once again squirming out of your high chair and spilling the food dish all over the place.

Two Front Teeth

Dear Olive,

Good Lord up above, when is this teething going to be over? Olive, are you going to be this upset for every single tooth? I've started leaving the house in the morning and not coming back until the afternoon because you are a lot happier (distracted) when we are out and about.

You are learning all kinds of new things though. Somehow you've figured out that to get down from something high, like the bed, you have to turn around and back down, legs first.You can't do it on your own but you are trying.

Probably the strangest thing is your aversion to holding your own bottle. You just won't do it. I put your little hands around the bottle and let go, but no. You're also not that into the sippy cup yet but I've started putting it on your high chair all the time anyway.

I just can't get over how adventurous you are. You try to stand, climb, or tumble your way through everything in your path! You are my little monkey! Even in the bath tub, it's so hard to keep you sitting down, totally dangerous!

One last thought for the night. . . I can't wait until I can start giving you one of my favorite foods... sushi! You already enjoy eating with chopsticks! I guess I'll have to wait a little longer.