Lots of Pictures and Videos!

I've become very excited recently, as I can now put pigtails in Olivia's hair. They aren't very big, but she looks so much older when she has them. She also hates them, and it is an ordeal (the new buzzword in our house is "Ouchie!" - it is apparently a catch-all phrase that encompasses anything that makes Olivia irritated).


The pigtails are also a nice break from this hot mess...


I know I've said it before, but I am still always so amazed at how much of a "little girl" Olivia has become. She understands everything we say, and is really communicating well. This video isn't so much for the images, but the laugh. We love Olivia's laugh. Of course, the little squinty eyes at the end aren't too bad either.

For those who've followed our blog for a while, you'd know that we have struggled with sleep issues with Olivia in the past. She is a great sleeper now (except during the occasional ear infection). We put her in her crib wide awake for both nap and bedtime, and there is never (okay, never say NEVER) a protest. Speaking of ear infections, we went to a pediatric ENT, and so far, no ear tubes are necessary. We are going to wait out the summer and see if things improve, but he said if she gets one more ear infection in the next little while that is as bad as the last few, then we should schedule surgery. I'm just glad there is no surgery yet!


Ellie is, for the most part, a pretty pleasant baby. She loves rolling over from her back to her tummy, but hasn't mastered rolling from her tummy to her back.


I took this picture after having set Ellie down on the living room floor. She fell asleep right there. Didn't last too long as Olivia was in the same room.


Sleeping is not one of Ellie's strong skills, although this post is full of pictures of her sleeping. I think it is just that I am always so shocked when it happens, I have to document it. She takes pretty short naps during the day, and is still awake several times during the night. She is actually up so often during the night, that we have moved her crib into our room. By the early morning hours, she usually ends up in bed with us, as I'm usually just too tired to keep getting up with her. She really likes to sleep on he side, and one morning I got out of bed, and she fell on her stomach and face planted in the mattress. Didn't wake her up, though.

I love Ellie's little voice. She has such a sweet coo.

One of our staple dinners lately has been spaghetti. It is cheap, super easy to make, fits into my soy-free, dairy-free diet (as long as the spaghetti sauce doesn't have Parmesan cheese in it), and everyone will eat it.

Olivia has started requiring privacy when going #2. She will often go hide. Jeremy was playing with her outside one day, and she hid from him to do her business. Can you find her in this picture? We're thinking that she will be ready to be potty trained around Christmastime. She is very interested in the toilet and we have a potty chair for her that she has shown some interest in. We talk about how mommy and daddy don't have a diaper, and she likes to accompany us to the restroom. The other day she pooped in the bathtub, and started crying. She was so worried that I was going to be upset with her. I think it is a great sign that she realized that the tub was not the appropriate place to go "poo poo".

Olivia is a bona fide binky-holic. I have been dreading breaking her of the habit. For a while we've been trying to limit her binky to the car and sleep. With all of her ear infections, though, it was a great "pacifier" during the day, so she was able to get away with a lot more binky use than we would like. A few weeks ago, I decided that she could only have it at nap and nighttime. I thought car rides would be horrific, since she would always ask for it immediately, and would cry if it was not turned over right away. However, she has done really well! She has only asked for it a couple of times, and I tell her that she only gets it at bedtime, and that has been it. Not even a protest. Way to go Olivia! A plus is that not having a binky in the car allows for moments like this. I don't know exactly what she is singing about, but it has to do with a monkey.

For those who don't know, Olivia is a daddy's girl. This is what happens when she sees Jeremy come home from work.

I walked into daycare yesterday, and found Ellie like this. Her daycare teacher said that she was tired, so she put her down here while she went to get her blanket, which is no more than 20 feet away. By the time she got back to cuddle with her, she was already asleep. So cute!

This video of Ellie shows her patience. I think what she is trying to convey is, "Mom, I'm really trying to be a good sport and have fun with you, but honestly, I'm starting to get pretty irritated!"

Bath time is always a fun time at our house. No explanation necessary!