Our 'Big Girl' turns 2!

On October 28, Olivia turned 2! This post is all about the sweet girl that we love so much and who makes us laugh every day.

Olivia is a little fire cracker. We try not to spoil her too much, but she seems to know instinctively that she is the boss, and isn't afraid to tell you what to do. She is always coming up with new words and ways of expressing herself...she is able to speak well enough that she can say any word she wants to. This morning while watchin Sesame Street she did refuse to say 'investigate'...but I think she was just being sassy.  My favorite sentence to date was last week when I asked her where Grandma was. I honestly didn't know, and expected her normal response of 'iuh-no (I don't know)', but she surprised me with 'na-ma go food need nanas'. I was floored, but she was exactly right. A few minutes later Mary came back from the grocery store, bananas (and other food) in hand.

As you can see from these pictures, she definitely no longer looks like a baby, and is getting more and more independent and 'kid-like' every day. She is a great big sister, always trying to help Carter to be happy *please note that she equates happy with silent, and is constantly shoving his pacifier into his mouth to help him :)*. She loves mimicking mom with her babies; she feeds, diapers, and puts them down for naps multiple times a day. One of my favorite things is watching her hold her baby carrier just the way that I carry Carter's carseat as she walks around the house pointing out things for her baby to see.

Her official stats from the doctor:
Height: 35" (83%)        Weight: 25 lb 1 oz (30%)

We have definitely hit some of the terrible twos, but they aren't all that terrible. We have mostly noticed that her automatic response to anger is to throw whatever she has, but if we catch it early enough she is able to control it. She knows that a thrown toy is a lost toy, and anything thrown at a person means time out. I think her ability to let us know what she needs and wants has really helped curb the terrible twos, but I know that we are in for much more. This girl is just learning to scheme, and I know that she has quite a few good adventures left before her toddlerhood ends.

I can't believe that two years ago I held this beautiful girl for the first time. She is such a blessing in my life and the lives of everyone around her. I can't wait to see all the new skills and fun times that the next year holds.

End of June

We spent a lot of this summer enjoying the new personality that we are able to experience each day from Olivia. She is getting so capable and grown up that we are amazed all the time at the little things she does and says to let us know what she wants to do.

 

She loves to parrot anything that the grownups are doing, including 'Na-ma's' crossword puzzle in her chair outside :)

 

She has a new hobby...smelling flowers...then proceeding to pound them against the wall until all the petals fall off. Not sure who taught her that one!

On the 27th Olivia got to help Aunt Kathy and Grandma make some decorations for Carter's baby shower. She was loving being part of the team, and was hilarious with her grins and excitement.

 

Slide faces!

 The last two weeks in June Olivia had her second dose of swim lessons! This time dad got to help her most days, because mom was looking more and more like a beached whale every day. Olivia got more comfortable going under water, and started learning how to jump off the wall.

On the 29th, my wonderful in-law family threw me and Carter a baby shower. It was so fun, and we got lots of wonderful boy things. It was great, because now Carter doesn't have to go out of the house in a pink blanket - though his pink bouncer is his most comfortable place to sit :).

The next day Olivia got to be a flower girl in my good friend Alesha's wedding! She and I walked down the aisle throwing lavender seed, and she continued to throw it throughout the ceremony, which resulted in a huge lavender pile (and quite a strong scent) by our table the entire night. The wedding and reception were both wonderful, and we were thrilled to be part of the day. So thrilled that we forgot to take pictures!

Blast to the Recent - Carter 2 month

Yes I know 'Blasts from the Past' are usually more fun, but someone in our family celebrated a *not-so* important birthday this month, so I need to check in about reality.

On August 11th, Carter turned 1/6. This time has been really special for our family, as we all (even Olivia) do whatever it takes to elicit a smile. When Carter is in a good mood they are easy to get, especially for his big sister. His arms go a mile a minute and he smiles so big, with his entire face. I love when his smile just holds, and you just know he's trying to laugh. I can't wait until we get more than the raspy breath that usually accompanies his smile right now.

Carter is quite a bit louder than Olivia was as a baby; Alex and I have decided that he already has made more noise than she did in her entire first year. A lot of that noise is sad, he has some tummy issues that we are trying to work out. We have recently (as of the last few days) been able to really recognize a tired cry from a hungry cry, and are trying to help him be a happier baby.

His official measurements are:
Height: 23.5" (63%)    Weight: 11 lb 8 oz (37%)    Head Circumference: 40.5 cm (55%)

His 2 month birthday was spent on our trip to Idaho and Utah (at this point we were in Utah) meeting all his cousins. Here are a few pictures from that day, and one early but adorable one.

The first is from our time in Idaho. Teagen and Carter have a special bond. Mostly Teag just loves babies, but I think he has some special feelings for his next youngest cousin. I took this picture from the stairs, about eight feet away from the two of them. I came downstairs just to catch Teag sitting in front of Carter's bouncer, just staring and babbling at him. Carter was grinning back...such a special moment! Apparently (I missed it, but Amber saw) just a few minutes later Teag wanted to sit next to Carter, so he stood up, turned around, and slowly backed up to the bouncer, looking to be very careful where he was going. He started to sit down on the edge of the seat right next to Carter, but apparently got a little worried and decided against it, because he turned around again and sat down in front instead of on the bouncer. They sat like this loving each other for a long time before they (mostly Teag) went on to a different activity. I can't wait to see the two of them become friends as they grow up.

I'll admit to being a busy mom of two under two because my birthday picture taking is extremely lacking with Carter. I did manage to take a few on his 2 month birthday, but they were when I decided to be mean and lay him in the grass to see what he would do. Definitely concerning, but he didn't scream, so the pictures turned out okay.

I love all the little perfect baby features here, and how you can see how soft he is.

And here is just a funny glimpse into post-partum hormones. This particular morning consisted of a photo shoot with all the grandkids (which turned out AWESOME thanks to my amazing sisters), and then each family took some pictures. Olivia was being a bit of a pill all morning - after an entire week of traveling, fun activities, and sleeping in the same room as Carter, Alex, and I, acting out is to be expected - so she wouldn't hold Carter at all for a picture. They were all dressed up cute, and everyone else got a great picture, so I really wanted one for us as well. I tried this ridiculous looking pose before I eventually gave up...with a few tears. Logically I knew that the pose wasn't going to work, but my hormones needed something...so this is what they got :).

 

We are so blessed to have Carter in our lives, and are enjoying the little bits of his personality that are beginning to show as he grows stronger and more aware of us every day. I love the smiles that he saves for his mom, and love watching Olivia and Carter learn to tolerate each other and the love between them. I know that I'm extremely lucky to have two wonderful children, and try to cherish each day that I have with them.