i always enjoy my time with olivia. i must say that i am blessed in life to know such good people. but they always say, surround yourself with people who are positive, people who support you, people who love you. so, we did.
the day started out hot and humid. i honestly didn’t mind it, only because it had been so cool the days prior and i definitely don’t want summer weather to end just yet. i love the sun on my legs and being able to enjoy being outside and it’s not chilly or freezing {yet}. we have plenty of time for that kind of weather! so, welcome warm weather, welcome back after a week of hiatus!
i picked up miss olivia and she suggested going to tokio pub, a japanese restaurant. i was sold. i love japenese food! it was quiet and cool inside. there weren’t too many patrons and olive was being cute and shy. she had definitely reached an age where she gets super silly and wild. like any toddler. she’s become loud, crazy, and rambunctious. but in typical olive fashion, she becomes quiet and shy with anyone she’s not totally familiar with. so she was being a bit sheepish with miss olivia but took right away to the crayons and doodle sheet the server brought by!
[crayanles won’t roll off the table. hahaha]
[my sweetheart getting creative]
we perused the menu and both wanted some udon soup. yes, it’s blazing hot outside and we order a hot, big, hearty bowl of soup. hehehe. our food was served and it was delicious. olive enjoyed her chicken fingers and fries. i was quite surprised by this little cute. she didn’t really want any of her fries. whaaaaaa? was this my daughter?! she was so into eating the chicken fingers! that was totally fine by me!
olivia and i had a great time catching up. i love hanging out with her and she loves hanging out with olive! after a long lunch, it was time for her to get back and i was a bit sad. i’ve said it many times before but hours and hours can pass hanging out with her and feels like a blink of an eye!
[pretty cool decor]
it was fantastic hanging out with olivia on this beautiful summer day. happy friyay everyone! muwah!
olive had her first swim lessons with her dada! i, unfortunately, could not attend. boooooo. hc did his best to take some photos of their first experience but…they are so so and they will do. haha, i asked him to ask someone to snap a few photos of them but he didn’t. c’est la vie!
hc and olive got inside the pool and all was well. olive wasn’t too worried or fussy. she was entertaining the fact that she was in a pool with her dad but she wasn’t hip on the idea of other people around her in the pool. as usual, she was not a happy camper. stranger danger! she gets super clingy around people she doesn’t know and this little group of swimmers was making her a bit uncomfortable. she’s a trip!
they went through a series of activities and olive was upset. she didn’t want to be in anyone else’s arms. she didn’t want anyone to touch her and she definitely didn’t want to give the instructor any high fives! oh dear. thank goodness, being in daddy’s arms was pretty much the case until this happened…
there is a part of the class where the instructor takes your babe and pulls her across the pool – all hell broke loose. she shrieked bloody murder and flipped out! eeekkkkkk. oh olive.
overall, it was still a success despite her mini meltdowns. she was in the water. she did have fun and the next few lessons will be easier and better! i am hoping to catch one of her lessons soon and see my little babe in action! soon she will be a trained mermaid! i can’t wait for her to be a little swimmer!
on 6.24.15 is a day i will always remember. it’s the day baby olive decided to not nurse anymore! whaaaaat?! yes, it happened. i wasn’t sure when this day would arrive and i was not ready for it.
i remembered telling myself that i would do my best to hit six months with nursing olive, at minimum, as long as my body cooperated. my bold goal was one year. as the months rolled by, we hit six months! yipeeeee! it was a good milestone for us. alright, i told myself. a year it is. it felt like a million years away at that point. well honestly, i thought hitting six months was a long time but a year? we will see!
a year rolled around and i found myself not ready to give it up and olive wasn’t ready either. i, for sure, wanted olive to make that decision for herself because as a nursing mom, i think i was attached to it more than her! ha!
i knew i was going on a trip in january to celebrate my sister’s big birthday and i said to myself…this is it. i am going to stop nursing! this trip will help me out because i was going to be without my babe for four days. while i was in l.a., i decreased the number of times i pumped. well, as soon as i came back, olive and i fell back into our usual routine.
i wondered a lot about when was it going to be the right time? i talked with other moms and a lot of them said when it happens, it happens and it will all fall into place. i felt like olive would never want to stop nursing. for months, i would try to change up the routine. i would wake her up and walk her into the living room {she would cry and sign for milk}, i would stay in her bedroom and try to play {she would cry and sign for milk}, i would try to go into the kitchen to distract her {she would cry and sign for milk}.
don’t get me wrong. i loved, loved, loved nursing her. it has always been our time, our special moment, our wonderful quiet time together. i enjoyed almost every second of it {except for when i would experience the pain…now that is a whole ‘nother story}. i think i loved it more than olive did! no joke!
well, that wednesday morning, i got her out of her crib and distracted her. i changed her diapy and then put her on the floor of her room to see what she would do. she stood up and walked over to her toys and started playing! whaaaaaa??!!! omygoodness. she didn’t cry for milk! i was mildly excited {i ran into the room and hid the boppy!}! i was very watchful and curious. after she roamed around for a bit, i started getting ready. she came over to our bedroom {where she nursed every single morning} and walked up to the bed and just leaned her head against it, staring lovingly at me. i just stared at her, for what seemed liked forever but was probably on a few minutes, and my heart felt sad. i was soooo sad. it was a great big millstone for both of us and i was the one who was shattered. oh, that moment where it no longer is and it’s a fact and you have to except it.
my baby was moving into her big girl chapter and it was so stinkin’ bittersweet for me. so, yes, that is how the story goes. the day olive gave up nursing at nineteen months. i am so proud to have gone this long and never giving up even when, at times, it was so incredibly painful. i never would have thought i would be such a strong advocate for breastfeeding. i mean, even when i was pregnant with olive {up to the eight month}, i wasn’t going to nurse her. i then changed my mind {i figured why refuse something i have never even tried?} and i am so glad i did…what an amazing journey i would have been missing out on!
each from that wednesday, we have changed her routine and every day, she has moved on happily without nursing. i am so happy to have let her choose what was best for her. any mom can make that decision for their babe, it’s easy, but to have your child make it for herself…it’s the best feeling in the world {besides, if it was left to me…i would probably nurse olive until she was eight…hahaha, just keeding}.
oh, i am still so sad over it but i now have a new found freedom! no more nursing, no more pumping, no more timelines and restrictions! hallelujah! i am free! i am free of it all! woot!
i am so happy to move onto the next wonderful chapter with my baby girl! cheers to that!
little miss olive had her first dentist appointment! i was a bit nervous for her check up because she does.not.like.strangers. she doesn’t like anyone she doesn’t know getting too close to her. so i was a bit trepid over it all.
we arrived at the office right on time {whaaaaa?? who me, on time?!}. olive immediately took to the play area while we waited to be called in. we put together a few puzzle pieces on the tiny table and then it was time. we walked all the way down the hallway to the last room. we sat on the chair together while the assistant asked me several questions about olive’s diet and teeth. after the questions, she put on a mask and gloves and that in itself freaked olive out. as the assistant moved closer…it was a total meltdown.
i had to hold olive down and put her head in the assistant’s lap so she could examine her teeth. it was so heartbreaking. olive kept screaming, “no, no, noooo, no, noooo!”. awwwwww, my poor babe. after a minute or so, she was done and gave me some feedback and then went to summon the dentist. she did warn the dentist that olive has ‘some lungs’ on her! hahaha!
dr. albert came in and was so kind and sweet. she was wonderful with olive and very attentive and detailed. she quickly examined olive’s mouth and teeth and shared insights on olive’s teeth situation {she has a few crooked teeth}. it was informative and great to talk with her!
overall, it was a successful visit. olive was a trooper and championed her first visit to the dentist! she walked away with some goodies {sugar free lollipop, floss, and a new toothbrush!}. yay!
[she took to the play area right away!]
[waiting for the dentist!]
[ooohhhhhhh, she was not happy]
it was a great visit overall! we love the place for it’s cool decor, super friendly staff, and sweet dr. albert! here’s to another great visit in six months!
my precious baby girl. she is so amazing. i am in awe over her sweetness every day. the love. the love. the love. it’s almost unbearable.
[20 months and growing]
since her eighteen month appointment, this girl has changed soooooo much.
she now says two word sentences! now that is a feat. she says, “i eat” or “bye, bye. see ya!” or “yes peas”. it’s so flippin’ adorable. i die every time she says something cute like that. i revel in every second of it. i know this is nothing new to anyone who is a parent but to a parent of their first child, it’s soooo novel and exciting and i will gush over every moment with no apologies.
her facial expressions are so distinct. she scrunches her face in disgust. she raises her eyebrows in surprise. she crinkles her nose in question. i love watching her react and seeing her face coincide with her emotions.
she understands exactly what you say. she might not be able to articulate her thoughts completely but i love that she understands what i say. it’s so cool. as soon as the words come out my mouth, she is on foot to do it or go there. i love it.
she has a major opinion. oh yes she does. when she doesn’t want to do something, eat something, or go somewhere, she expresses it. she infamous for throwing herself on the ground or anywhere for that matter. she’ll flip off a chair, she will tumble off a ledge, or she will simply bounce off the ground. if she doesn’t want to do it, she will let you know. when this happens, i usually just stand there and put my arms on my hips and she will get the message that i mean business {it’s usually accompanied with a very stern look and a very stern “olive”}…and hopefully she won’t throw another fit/tantrum. hopefully.
she is definitely intuitive. she can put on her own shoes, correctly. she can pull on her socks. she senses when something is wrong, or when you are sad, happy, or when something doesn’t feel right, she will know. she has always been very careful and cautious since she was a wee one and it has carried on. i love this sensitive, emotional, responsible side of her.
having particles in her shoes, bumps in her socks really bug her. she is so particular. hmmmmm, i wonder where she gets that from?!
man oh man is she neat. she must get that from her daddy! hahaha! she looks at bugs and say yucky. she gets food on her fingers and she says yucky and won’t eat until i wipe her hands or if you give her a wet nap, she’ll do it herself. eep. she puts her toys away. she loves washing her hands. i don’t mind the kiddo getting dirty, playing outside, falling to the ground at the supermarket and licking the floor…she does do all that, but in the end, she’s a bit of a neat/clean/tidy little lady.
this girl is a goofball. she’s so silly. she loves to giggle. she loves to play hide and seek. she loves to sit amongst all the pillow on our bed and laugh. i love her humor, sass, and cuteness. she is a toddler and she loves to play. she will pull out her books and read aloud and i melt. she will run like a crazy little person all around the house and i laugh at her energy. i cherish every moment of her silliness and wild actions. i want her to have fun, be carefree, and be young. this moment is going by too fast already and i want to savor every second.
olive is cuddly and she’s soooo loving! i love this about her. she loves to give kisses and hugs. she will always be in my arms, lean on me, snuggle her head on my neck/shoulder and i die over every moment. i know that these actions will eventually become less and less so i am taking advantage of every time olive wants to kiss, hug, and snuggle. sometimes i want to squeeze her so hard…i can’t get enough of her!
there ya go lovies. olive’s twenty month report card and it’s a+++.
it was a warm, gorgeous day out. this day was a day where we had a chance to run errands, relax, and slow down. it was a perfect weather day for a ride around town in the jeep! we had a whirlwind of the past few days and we wanted to take advantage of this day together to get some things accomplished around the house.
first things first, we needed to fill our empty bellies up with some food. we opted to try a brunch place in downtown dg. we chose this place because they had outdoor seating and it was a great day to eat alfresco. honestly…i don’t even remember the name of the restaurant. i am sure i will cross paths with it again, but today it will go nameless. ha!
after brunch, we headed out to a few stores. we desperately needed to buy tile. we have been in the process of remodeling our hallway and our goal to get it done is in a few weeks. we shopped a few tile stores and haven’t loved anything. so, we finally hit one more destination and hc really liked a style and color there. i trust his judgements and taste and i, actually, didn’t immediately reject it, so we moved forward with his choice.
i’m quick to say no. when we have looked at tile in the past {or anything for that matter}, i innately know whether i like it or not. there’s no hemming and hawing. i’m good like that, at least when it comes down to something personal.
[she’s more interested in the make up brush]
[my cutie and that bruise on her forehead…she tripped and directly hit her head onto my parent’s glass top table. poor babe.]
[brunch time // i didn’t even realize i was so cubbie’d out…i’m more festive, casually throwing things together than i was for cubs family day!]
after we hit a few stores and got things accomplished, we headed back home to do more stuff around the house. oh, the joys of being an adult, being a parent, and being a homeowner. it’s non-stop responsibilities and fun! and yes, it is fun {at times}…haha. depending on the day and the task.
well, one thing i can definitely say with conviction is – i can’t wait until our hallway is dunzo! woo hoo!
oh baby olive. she loves the swing. she loves the swing at her sitter’s, she loves the swing at gramma’s, she loves the swing at home…oh wait, we had no swing for her until now!! woo hoo!
we were so excited to have received this fabulous swing set! it is made out of cedar and has all the components we wanted in a play set. a swing, a slide, a ‘picnic’ table, a sand lot, a ‘fort’, and it scored bonus points with us for it’s aesthetically pleasing color combo. i am very into color, balance, simplicity, and clean lines. this applies to pretty much everything in my life. whether it’s clothes, house decor, or playground sets! haha!
hc would show me set after set after set and i would promptly have an opinion. my eyes would settle on the picture and i would expeditiously say yes or no. it was driving hc a bit crazy but i was adamant on what kind of play set would permanently live in the yard. if it was going to be a fixture out back and i would have to look at it everyday, i wanted one that would aesthetically pleasing!
so lo and behold, we finally {after much arguing} agreed upon a set that we both loved! it arrived and hc was set on building it by himself. and by george, he did an amazing job putting it all together. it stated that the workload would be 14 hours with two people assembling it. hc did it by himself in nine hours!
when he finally finished, we waited for the perfect moment to show olive! we brought her out to the front yard and opened up the gate to have her walk into the backyard…as she took a few steps into the back, her eyes locked onto the play set! it was priceless! her eyes lit up, a sheepish, sweet smile spread across her face, and she started running! she was so happy and excited. i melted. my heart just melted watching her elated reaction. it was such a great moment!
she immediately wanted to go on the swing and there she sat, swinging on the swing set…refusing to get off. it was pretty awesome. olive’s summer was just made.
we are so grateful to dick and jane for their continued support of olive’s happiness, future, and care. many kisses and hugs to two very caring, gracious, awesome people.
it’s been awhile since i have seen ryan. i was super happy when i found out that hc had finally made plans with him to come over…he hasn’t seen our new place!
while we were getting ready, hc walked out to the garage and didn’t come back. i assumed he was walking out to get something and would return within minutes but fifteen plus minutes rolled by. i was confused on what he was doing out there! the front door finally opened and in came hc and ryan! yay! big hugs for cousin ryan!
[can you tell they are cousins?]
it was so good to see him. he is such a great, sweet guy. we wanted a no fuss night, so we ordered pizza for dinner. of course, hc took him on a tour of the whole house, natch. after the tour, it had just stopped raining {oh my, the rain around here has been non-stop}, so hc and ryan took a drive in the jeep to pick up beer and the pizza.
[flirting with ryan. look at her face. curious, interested, and shy]
they came back and we got down to business. ryan was soooooo sweet with olive. like crazy attentive, doting, sweet to her. he was smitten with her from the start. olive, on the other hand, was not. she ran from him, she turned her face away, and would not look him the eye. i say it every time…it takes olive a good 45 minutes to warm up to anyone. once she does, she’s so fun and sweet to anyone but it definitely takes awhile!
ryan played with her. he talked to her. he tried playing peek a boo with her. it took her just a wee bit to finally crack a smile. ryan and olive sat at the dinner table first while we were getting things ready. olive completely turned her head away from him and stared at the wall. ryan was persistent. he joked around with her until she started giggling and from there on…she was smitten. ryan was her best friend!
[olive watching a movie and us folks hanging out]
after some good grub and great conversations, we decided to move the party on over to the living room. i cleaned up the kitchen, gave olive a bath, and we all chilled while olive watched her movie.
it was great hanging out with ryan. he’s is such a wonderful person and besides that, we are family! he actually stayed for quite a bit. the only reason why he decided to leave was because hc fell asleep on the couch. yes. it was past his bedtime. there is my hubby snoring on the couch while his cousin is visiting!
so, we said our goodbyes and ryan drove away. it was quite the lovely evening.
another summer, another concert in the park in hinsdale! earlier that evening, my sister made mention to me about attending the concert at 6:30pm. since it was still early, hc and i decided to knock out some errands before we headed out there.
we did some shopping and we were on track to be just a little bit late but a series of events caused us to be very late. to a point, where i said to him…”why are we even going? we are going to be sooo late!”, well we went anyways {cause that is who we are}! we arrived with barely an hour to spare. we found the gang right away.
as were walking towards them, hc saw reagan running towards us {playing with his buddies} and he let go of the stroller {that obvs olive was sitting in} to grab reagan and pick him up. in that process, hc let go of olive on an incline! i was enrapture in what hc was doing, so both of us did not notice that olive was rolling down a small hill and her stroller was tipping over and falling! omg! olive’s face went south fast and almost hit the ground! hc grabbed for the stroller and picked her up right before she smashed into the grass and i gasped out of surprise and terror! did we just let our baby almost flip over in her stroller?! why yes we did. in front of hundreds of people. how embarrrrrasing! eep!
[hmmmm, terrible blurry picture because i was walking too fast]
[as soon as olive got there, they doted on her]
[crazy kids…olive is like: whatevs]
[auntie kim and the babes]
we walked around for a bit looking to get olive something to eat or drink but there really wasn’t anything just right for her. she already had her dinner but i was looking for something additional for her to munch on. but fail. so we moved on. we walked back over to hang out and the boys wanted to show olive the fountain. she was quite impressed!
i rolled up her sleeves and she had the best time splashing around in the water! i couldn’t pull her away! it was actually quite cold, the band had just finished their last set, and it was time to go and warm up!
[the dudes]
[the kids so excited to play near the fountain]
[sooooo excited to see her first big fountain!]
[she looooooooved touching the water]
we all walked back to the car and went on our merry way home. it was a quick but significant night out! i was glad we went, even though it was only for a short time! moments like these are always great even short lived.
last year, on july third, we had gone to eye in the sky festival in lisle. we loved it. it was fun, entertaining, and yummy {we love carnival type food! greasy and fattening}! this year, we planned on going to it but my sister, kim, suggested for us to go to the taste of oakbrook or her friend’s country club to watch the fireworks. we were game for anything. i do love experiencing something different from what we normally do!
we picked up my sister, thuy, and headed on over to the golf course. it was quite the long trek to the hot spot! lots and lots of green. we walked, and walked, and walked and finally found the crowd. they had hot dogs, popcorn, and bouncy houses for the kiddos! how fun!
[the sunsetting on our walk towards the event]
[she loved the bouncy house]
olive was smitten over the bouncy houses. she played in the ‘smaller’ kid bouncy house and had the best time! she is such a little spider monkey. she loves to climb anything! she would only climb up the slide versus using the ladder like any other kiddo! she dances to her own beat. she did that over and over and over and over. probably for an hour or so. i just sat there and watched her have fun. that sweet smile on her face is the best. i also wanted to make sure no big kids would run her over {and it’s always the boys…they are so rough!}! only once did she get smashed. a boy somersaulted down the slide and kicked olive in the face…not cool. not cool at all.
after a long while of playing in the bouncy house, i finally convinced her to leave. it was perfect timing because hc had brought us food! we noshed on hot dogs…yes, it was a fancy affair! olive thoroughly enjoyed eating her hot dog, she would make goofy faces while as she ate. such a funny lady she is!
[my sweet babe]
[my cray cray hc]
[mmmmm, hot dog]
[waiting for the fireworks!]
[crazy kids…sam, reagan, and bennett]
[crazy gals…thuy, kim, and helen]
the sky finally turned off it’s lights and it was time for fireworks! this is olive’s first time watching fireworks. last year this time around, she was only seven months old and in bed by the time fireworks began! this year, i’m not as regimented with her bedtime but besides that, she’s naturally a night owl!
[watching her first fireworks with dada]
it was a very relaxing and low key evening, watching fireworks on this lovely third of july! we had a great time hanging out with everyone. thank you to helen and michael for inviting us! it was a fantastic time to experience fireworks this way.
