Happy Birthday Olivia Grace!!!

She's 2!!!!!!!!!! I just want to apologize in advance for how long this post is going to be...but it's my blog so I'll do what I want! ;)

My beautiful baby is no longer a baby. She's in full on toddler mode and isn't looking back! As much as I miss her being my cuddly, chubby baby, it's SO rewarding to see the person she's becoming. A person, I might add, I'm VERY proud of. She brightens our days with laughter and her goofy personality. As I write this she's in the family room with non-matching jammies and crazy hair singing a song (that I don't really recognize. I think she makes them up! haha) and twirling in circles smiling. She brings out our silly sides and reminds us how FUN it is to be a kid!

I haven't done a good job of updating her milestones in a while so this list is a bit long as I'm trying to include all the stuff I haven't posted in the last 6 months.

- She still LOVES baths. When she's in the tub she immediately asks for "BUBBLES? Please (DEEZE) mama". She also spends a lot of her time watching her reflection in the drain and dancing.

- She LOVES singing her ABC's with me. She skips a few letters here and there on her own but if you stop the song at a random letter, she'll jump in and say that letter. She also sings the end with GUSTO. It usually ends with her singing, "NEXT TIME WON'T YOU SING WITH ME!!!!!" at the TOP of her lungs!

- We still go to gym class once a week. Her favorite thing to do is hang on the bars. She likes to hold on and swing back and forth. She counts to three and then drops down to her bum.

- STILL loves to dive off things head first. She's in heaven with anything that has to do with climbing and jumping off things.

- She has a very sweet personality. When kids hit or kick her she USUALLY doesn't react. She lets them do their thing and walks away. BUT don't try and take something she has. She'll hold on to it to the very end! Even if it means both kids fall to the floor. :)

- She's still very shy around people she doesn't know very well. She'll put her head down and refuses to look at them. It cracks me up because it's SO NOT her in general. When she's in her comfort zone she's a big goofball that loves to dance and make funny faces.

- She still takes one 2-4 hour nap a day and sleeps 10-11 hours a night (8 or 9 pm - 8 am). When you go in to get her after she wakes up she always says, "HI!!!!" I then say, "How are you?" and she says, "GoooooOOOOOD". So adorable.

- She was WAY behind on teeth until recently. She now has 12 teeth with 4 coming in right now at once!

- She can count to 16 on her own.

- When she gets to watch a show (she gets her iPhone when we are out and about and I need her to sit still) she loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba (babba), Caillou, Wonder pets and Olivia. She now likes to sing along to the songs and do the dances. It's my favorite thing on earth! Just watching her try and say all the words makes me so proud! She sings them and is SO happy when she remembers and sings a song. It's adorable.

- The week she turned 2 it's like a little switch went off in her head and my patient little girl became a bit impatient and likes to throw tantrums (on the floor) when she doesn't get her way. Luckily they don't last long for the most part. It makes me laugh a little too because I was the QUEEN of the under table tantrum. I usually try not to smile or laugh but part of me want to say, "Nice try! I INVENTED those. You can't phase me! hahahaha"

- She LOVES stacking blocks

- She loves coloring and drawing on her sketch pad. She'll color for long periods of time. She'll sit and quietly color while I get my stuff done. She's getting really good too. She is fully coloring things in (doesn't stay in the lines) and is very proud of her pictures!

- This girl dances all day long. It's so adorable. She'll copy any silly dance Wes and I make up. She even says, "ROBOT!" and does her version of the robot. hahaha

- She loves playing with her babies. She kisses them over and over again when she puts them down for bed. It melts my heart.

- She loves pushing her empty stroller around the house
- She'll run up to me, give me a hug and say, "I Lu You" all by herself. Oh how I cherish these moments!

- Her eczema started to get worse (behind her knees and in the insides her elbows) so we are doing 3-5 month "diet" that is gluten, dairy and egg free. With children this age, if you completely cut out these allergens for a period of time you can slowly add them back and a lot of the time the body no longer reacts to them. In some cases the kids completely lose all allergies completely! So far so good! It's been a LOT easier than I thought it would be. We are almost one month in and her eczema is better! She seems to have more energy too. I'm really glad we made the decision to try and nip this in the bud.

- LOVES blueberries, rasberries, strawberries, pineapple, cereal bars, chips, pasta, pizza and raisins.

- When she doesn't want to do something she closes her eyes and shakes her head.

- She's starting to say, "please" and "thank you" all on her own without being asked.

- She won't wear boots or hats (accept in the last snow storm. She was happy to put the gear on the get out in the snow!)
- Whenever she picks up a hat, she puts it on her head, takes it off and says, "YEE HAW!!!"

- She loves to be chased and surprised

- She knows her colors and shapes

- I love you sounds like I la You

- Every time she says, "bye" she says, "see you soon" right after.

- She's still a good traveler

- She pulls pillows off of the couch so she can jump onto them.

- She poops in the same corner every day and sometimes peeps up and says, "MAMA Poop!"

- Consistently strings short 2-3 word sentences together

Whew! Is that long enough? I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting but I can add them later.

We are so very proud of you, Livie Lou. You make us so very happy. We couldn't ask for a more wonderful little girl. We love you! Here's to many, many more!