Crossing This Off the To-Do List

Dancing Queen

Every year, Allstate sponsors a “family day” in September – it’s a carnival, complete with yummy food (corn on the cob! Ice cream!), rides for adults and kiddies, a petting zoo and various other things.
Ah-ma and Ah-Gohng joined us at Family Day, as well as some family friends. Olivia had such a great time. We ate lunch near the bandstand, which had a large concrete “dance floor” in front of it. One guess who was the first (and only) person out on the dance floor. No, it was not Stephane…it was the OG! You couldn’t keep her off of it…she was literally the only person (large or small) on this huge dance floor and she was NOT afraid to shake it! Next thing you know, she'll have learned how to do the "chicken leg."

The OG also loved the Merry-go-Round (mo’ mo’ mo) and the car and airplane rides that took her around and around and up and down. She was a little small to go on the rides, and so I was nervous to have her go on them (I could just see her trying to stand up while the ride was in the air)…but, she stayed seated and loved every minute of it. We could hardly get her to climb out of the ride when it was over! Luckily, the lines were never too long, so we just went on all of the rides again and again and again…

When we finally convinced the OG that she had had enough of the rides and that we should go to the petting zoo. There, we saw an alligator, tut-tles (the OG’s current favorite word – everything is a tut-tle), a huge pig, ducks, goats, lamb, sheep, and best of all, little bunny foo-foo. The OG liked looking at all of the different animals that she’s seen so frequently in her books, but she was a bit apprehensive about touching them. She would put a death grip on Stephane (with her little legs and her arms) whenever an animal came too close. Maybe she’ll like them more next year...as a consolation, we went back for more kiddie rides.

The Grand Ol' Duke of York...
As previously noted, the OG’s first two swimming lessons were not quite as productive as we would have hoped. Well, by week 3, did all that turn around! The OG is well on her way to becoming a “fishy” (another one of her favorite words). We have had a few more lessons since then…and now she is comfortable just holding on to Stephane while he lets go of her, playing all of the games with the other kids and even “jumping” into the pool from the side. Next up, we are working on trying to teach her how to kick her feet to make big splashes. Last week, she was the only one who showed up at swimming class, so she had a private lesson. We made up some new games that she loved playing.

One in particular involved throwing a starfish toy into the pool. And then we would ask “Olivia, where is the starfish?” and she would look around and around until she located it, point to the toy and say “there” and then Stephane would ask “should we go get the star fish?” and she would say “yah, yah…” and then they’d splash their way over and bring the star fish back to the deck. A simple game…but, boy did she love playing it!

[update: One Fish, Two Fish... the OG is a regular fish in the water these days. She "splashes" and "scoops" and even tries to go swimming whenever she sees large puddles on the street. Looks like these lessons have paid off. YAY!]

Notre Dame Family Day

A few weekends back(well, by the time I actually got around to uploading this post, it's now been a few MONTHS back), we made an impromptu family trip to South Bend, IN. We were graciously hosted by Coley, Patty, Elly & Ben – first, at their tailgate and then at their beautiful home. Brad, Mackenzie and their adorable baby girl Emerson (Emmy) were also in attendance. We had such a fabulous time! The OG loved schmoozing at the tailgate - she would walk up to just about anyone and start jibber-jabbering away. Emmy and the OG bonded over their new Notre Dame apparel and became fast friends.

Back at Elly and Ben’s house, Elly showed (and shared) her pretty playroom with Olivia. Of course, they were not as interested in playing with Elly’s many, many toys as they were with those of Ben. Elly helped Olivia squeeze into Ben’s new reclining bouncer…she even helped “rock” Olivia up and down in the bouncer. The best part was that when Mom wasn’t watching, Elly used both her arms and pushed up and down as hard as she could... but, when Mom came back into the room, Elly would only gently and slowly rock Olivia. I guess by the age of 2, you know what you can and can’t do when Mama is around! So funny!

The Chicago Marathon
On Tuesday, we had a rare, but wonderful, treat…Auntie Tamra drove west 3 whole blocks and came to visit! Can you believe that Auntie Tamra hadn’t come to visit once, since moving a hop, skip and jump away? Terrible! While the primary reason was to hang with the OG, Auntie Tamra also wanted to paint signs for the Chicago Marathon this weekend. The OG immediately jumped on board and insisted on painting a sign for her Auntie Cori all by herself. She grabbed a paintbrush (one for each hand, naturally) and a poster board and went to town. The finished product was quite a master-piece! I think I can safely say that there will be no other sign like it at the marathon!

When she was finished with her painting, Auntie Tamra took her upstairs for a bath and some snuggly time. She picked a good day to come over because the OG was feeling very huggy. She just laid her head on Tam’s shoulder and they rocked and rocked in her chair. The OG must have felt very comfortable because she feel asleep just a few minutes after putting her into her crib.
On Marathon Morning, Bob, Keegan, Travis, Justin and the family started out on our mission - we were determined to see Cori, Heather and Ann run by in as many spots as possible. We got to Mile 3 early, to stake out a good spot. The OG was ready to cheer all the marathon runners on!

The OG was handing out "high-fives" left and right. In the earlier miles, many runners would come over to our side, just to high-five her.

We are so proud of Auntie Cori, Auntie Heather and Auntie Ann for finishing the marathon (despite the record heat that day). Way to go, girls!!!

Curriculum Night
Every few months, Little Hands has a "family night" at the school. This particular night, each classroom was assigned an animal, and the students went around to the different classrooms to learn more about the animals through art projects and songs. As a special bonus, all the classrooms had yummy snacks, too. The OG loved making her sheep mask, but she loved eating her Bengal Tiger popcorn ball even more. No surprise there!



Arts and Crafts with Auntie Tam - Round 2
Apparently, not too put off by the big mess we made making marathon signs, Auntie Tam and Uncle Mikey came over for some dinner and pumpkin carving. First things first, though...a big CONGRATULATIONS to Tam and Mike on their engagement! As you might have suspected, the OG demanded to wear Auntie Tam's ring as soon as she walked through the door.

After we convinced the OG to give the diamonds back...we moved onto the serious portion of the evening - pumpkin carving and painting (for the OG). As you can see, no one was messing around here...

The OG just loved painting her pumpkin. In fact, most of the night, she had paintbrushes in both hands and worked them simultaneously. She's a very efficient girl, that Olivia!

Auntie Tam chose to carve a scary witch, while Uncle Mikey opted to further display his affection for Tam. (What a cheeseball!)

One Snack Size for You, Three Full Size for Me
Olivia dressed up as a flower fairy (or something along those lines). There was a flower for her head and wings and tulle and tights and booties...I'm not entirely sure what it was supposed to be, but I do know that the OG loved wearing her costume.

This year, we took the OG trick or treating to a few of the neighborhood houses. Like last year, we only went to about 5 houses, yet she came home with an overflowing pumpkin filled with candy! Unlike last year, this time she understood what was going on...and kept trying to eat all of the candy before we could take it away. More than one candy bar had bite holes through the wrapping from her big ol' chompers.



The OG loves her some Uncle Trav...

FINALLY - done! Cross it off the LIST!!!

One Lucky Girl!

Auntie Cori came all the way down from Milwaukee, just to visit the OG. Olivia felt very loved and special and was so excited about all the extra attention. Auntie Cori and the OG spent a fabulous weekend together, while I worked on cleaning up the house. One of their favorite things to do was to look at the picture of Uncle Travis and Uncle Huey on the fireplace mantle. Cori would ask “Where is Uncle Travis?” and the OG would point. Then, Cori would ask “Where is Uncle Huey?” and the OG would point to him, too.

The OG and Auntie Cori also played fashion show…with the OG as the supermodel and Cori as her fashion photographer. The OG was totally at ease walking around in high heels and carrying a Little Louis.

The OG and her Auntie Cori had so much fun…they even went on a beer run for Stephane (after he came back from the Cubs’ game) and a Diet Coke run for me!

How Old Are You Now?

The OG helped Ah-Ma celebrate her 29^th birthday (yet, again) over Labor Day weekend with a surprise birthday party at Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse and an extra special birthday cake and cupcakes. Olivia loved tasting everyone’s dishes and was very patient with me…even with the help of Cesar, our great waiter, who cracked most of my crab leg shells and removed the meat for me, I was still the very last person to finish lunch! Oops! Happy birthday to Ah-ma!

More Family Fun

After Labor Day, the OG’s grand-mère (we have yet to come up with a nickname that everyone can agree on) came for a week long visit. The OG was so excited to be able to spend so much time together. Everyday, from morning until bedtime, Olivia and Grandma ran around the house banging on Tupperware in the kitchen, reading one of the 80 books that Grandma brought with her (thanks!), and playing with the OG’s toy kitchen set. I’m exhausted just thinking about all that they did!

Wake up, Olivia

Olivia loves coming into our bedroom on a lazy weekend morning and playing in our bed. I took this picture this last weekend and it has become one of my favorites! As Auntie Lily said…this is exactly what it is like to open your eyes and see Olivia’s face, first thing in the morning!

Life Lessons to be Taught at an Early Age

The OG had been asking questions about why I suddenly became a single parent, so we (when Steph is home) have been trying to teach the OG about Stephane’s first, true (and, at times, only) love – Notre Dame football. For my part, I should have better negotiated our marriage contract - although I had always known that nothing comes between this man and his ND football season, I had assumed that once babies were involved, a re-prioritization would be required. Silly me! In any case, the OG doesn’t have a choice but to become an ND fan, and so we’ve been teaching her about the golden helmets, Charlie Weis and, of course, to say “Touchdown, Irish!” (complete with referee signal).

Mor’, Mor’

Make no mistake about it, the OG loves to eat (just check out that belly, below)! She is very curious about all and is willing to try everything. It isn’t a coincidence that in just about every blog post, there are multiple pictures of the OG eating her favorite foods. A recent discovery is the OG’s invention of her own sign language. Whenever she wants more of something (usually this is seen in the context of “more food,” but can also be used in other situations, as discussed below), she spreads the fingers of one hand wide (like she is showing the number five) and then uses the pointer finger of her other hand to point repeatedly to the palm of the first hand. This is all accompanied by the words “mor’ mor’ mor” and a wide-eyed look, wondering why she hasn’t received mor’ yet.

Macaroni and Chee-sh

Olivia loved this so much that she had multiple servings. After I refused to give her anymore…she picked up her plate, pushed her little nose against it (it was clear, so we could see what she was doing) and used her tongue to lick up the remaining chee-sh sauce from the plate. After that, she decided to wear her plate as a hat (hence the pieces of macaroni all over her head).

C is for Cookie…

…and chocolate…2 of the OG’s very favorit-est things to eat…all the better when they are combined into one sandwich cookie! Delicious!

Food Envy

There is no faster method to guarantee that the OG will want to eat something than to put it on your own plate and not on hers. Despite having a large piece of tender grilled chicken and French fries on her own plate, Olivia spied the ribs that her grand-mère had ordered and demanded a piece. She did love eating the meat off of the bone, at least for the first few bites, and then it all went where all food goes once the OG is tired of it…splat…onto the floor.

Mor’ Mor’ Mor’ Part II

The OG’s current favorite game is to play “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” at least 3 times in a row, row, row. She walks over, puts her hands in yours and then starts swaying back and forth (with feet planted in one place). If you don’t start immediately singing “Row, Row…” then she prompts you by saying “Ro’, Ro’, Ro’,” herself. And, even before you finish the line “…life is but a…” the OG is already pointing to her hand and asking for mor’, mor’.

No Mor’

Olivia has started to take swimming “lessons” at my old high school. She is in a class with about 6 other toddlers, ranging in age from 16 months (Olivia) to about 3 yrs. Our first lesson was quite interesting…the nano-second that the tip of her toe touched the water, the OG started screaming at the top of her lungs…and didn’t stop for 44 minutes. She wanted nothing to do with all the kicking and splashing and merriment in the pool. It was a total disaster…hopefully, by the end of the session, she will at least learn to enjoy the water.

[Update: we’ve since had a second swimming class…and this time she only cried for about 32 minutes of the lesson. She did pause to play in some of the games and especially seemed to enjoy when Stephane would jump up and down with her in the water. Most of the time, her legs were wrapped so tightly around Stephane’s chest that it looked like she would cut off his circulation. Despite her terror, she had moments of sweetness in the pool, too. Whenever one of the swimming assistants would come over and give her a water toy or try to entertain her, she would pause in her screaming to say “dank yoo” and/or blow a kiss, before she continued with the screaming. If she keeps up this improvement, it looks like it will take about 3-4 more lessons to get the OG to the point where she actually enjoys the water and isn’t so afraid…] Keep up the good work, Olivia!

How Revealing…

Little Hands caught the OG in some tender moments while she was playing in her classroom with a baby dolly. First, she gave the baby a sweet kiss on the head…

She helped to check the baby’s diaper…

And, she was very interested in teaching the baby how to eat a taco! Tapatio, anyone?

It sure seems like Olivia is ready to have a new baby in the house…which is a good thing…Let’s just hope that the OG remembers her gentle touches and doesn’t try to poke out the baby’s eyeballs!!!

GO IRISH!!!

Go Fly A…

On the last day of his short visit, Real Uncle Jason took Olivia to the park and showed her how to fly a kite. They had beautiful weather, with just enough wind to raise the kite high up in the sky. Olivia loved watching it twist and turn all over the place.

I promise I'm actually having fun!

We Miss You Already, Real Uncle Jason!

Next time you visit, try to sleep a little less, okay?

Putting Baby in the Corner
Saturday night, the whole fam went to the wedding of one of my childhood best friends. I feel certain that the OG knows when to “turn it on” – even though she had been super crabby all day…as soon as Ah-ma held her and was showing her off to her friends, the OG was smiling and cooing and blowing kisses everywhere. At dinner, we were seated with cousin Sylvie and her whole family. It was the perfect set-up. Our table was right next to this huge, corner carpeted area (where the coffee and sweets table would eventually be set up) and the OG and Sylvie could run around in circles. I think the OG must have been getting drunk just sniffing Ah-Gohng’s double scotches because she kept running in a straight line, but then she’d veer off course and start running diagonally even though she was still facing forward. It was so funny to watch. Sylvie and the OG had a great time together. Congratulations to Jen and Mike! And, more recently, congratulations to Sylvie for becoming a big sister this month!

Watermelon Fest
Little Hands held their annual Watermelon Fest in late July… and wouldn’t you know it? Watermelon is one of the OG’s absolute favorite foods! In the summer, Ah-ma often gives her some watermelon after lunch or dinner. Over the past several months, we have been teaching Olivia to sit down when she eats. At Ah-ma’s house, that means she gets strapped into her booster chair and then her tray gets snapped into the front of the booster. We put her plate on top of the tray (duh). Most of the time, when Olivia is full, she wriggles and squirms and tries to get out of the booster chair. However, when she eats her watermelon…she not only sits there like a good little eater, but if you try to remove the tray from the booster seat, she grabs it with both of her hands and pulls back while trying to snap it back into position. That’s how she tells us that she wants M-O-R-E!!!

Next year...Taste of Lincoln!

Little Hands followed up a very successful Watermelon Fest, with an even more fabulous Corn Fest! The OG was much too busy eating TWO corn on the cobs to pause and smile for the camera. She washed the buttery corn down with a 1/2 bag of popcorn. I have never seen a baby girl love to eat so much corn! If she keeps this up, we may have to move back downstate just to keep up with her!

She's a Girly-Girl, Folks!

There are only two things that the OG loves more than watermelon and corn...

...first, she loves high heeled shoes. She literally woke up one day and became obsessed with my shoes. She tries to put them on her little feet and then clomp around the house listening to the clickety-clack that all kids seem to love. She has also taken to carrying a purse on her arm. She doesn't seem to love that quite as much as the heels, but clearly, we've got a girly-girl on our hands.

The second thing that the OG loves are mini ice-cream cones. Well, in all honesty, she probably would like them even more if they weren't "mini"...but, what she doesn't know won't hurt her! If we pull out her mini cones, she knows what is coming...she will go and sit in her seat and swing her little legs over the side, just waiting in anticipation. Quite frankly, this is the only 8 minute period throughout the day that we can count on a few minutes of rest. (Lately, it seems that we spend all of our other waking moments chasing her around the house!)

After a Hard Day At the Office

Not so Dandy-Mandy
On Sunday, we joined Huey and Dana, Bob and Heather and best of all, Keegan, at the Arlington Park Race Track. We had a fabulous time! We found a little grassy area in the shade as our home base. It was the perfect space for the OG and Keegan to chase bubbles and eat animal crackers. Just before the start of each race, we’d go up to the railing and watch while the horses raced around the track. The OG loved the horsies – she kept pointing and clapping as they came around the final turn.

Keegan shows the OG his cute, little nose.

Where are the horses?

A is for Anecdotes

Ah-ma is starting to teach the OG her alphabet. She is starting at the beginning, with the letter “A.” When Ah-ma says “A,” the OG will repeat it after her. And then when Ah-ma says “A is for Apple,” the OG will say “A” and then say “Bapple.”

Another funny story about the OG and her bapples. This morning, Olivia was playing in the kitchen while Ah-ma was preparing her breakfast. Olivia was being very quiet…so, Ah-ma looked around a little bit suspiciously. What did she find? She saw Olivia playing on the floor with a carton of apples that Ah-ma had just purchased at Costco. Upon closer inspection…Ah-ma saw that the OG had taken a bite out of each of the apples and then put them back in the container! Naughty…yet so funny!