A few recent pictures of Olivia, age 2.5 going on 7! I don't know how to put into words all of the ways that she is growing and changing. Today she wanted to know the name of a little girl who was talking to her, and after hearing the name she looked at the girl and said "Thats the most beautiful name I ever heard!" ha! When she loves something she will say "Oh this is my best!" Her current best is a turkey & Cheese sandwhich, and when I serve it to her she'll immediately say "Oh this is my best mama, and you never did make this in awhile!" ha! She goes once a week to a 2 year old class and the teachers have a host of Oliviaisms to tell me about when I pick her up. She is figuring out her world by asking alot of questions now, including "Where do we come from?" I always answer her honestly, but i really had to think about how I wanted to answer that. We have our interesting times too...like the toddler tants where she is none too happy with most anything, which shows up alot after naps and if she doens't like whats for dinner. Olivia loves to see other kids, especially older ones and really wants to be included in what they're doing. She introduces herself right away, and just wants to join in their fun. I babysit for Hannah once a week, and Livy really adores Hannah. She calls her "my best!" Hannah tries to teach Livy new things, and if its going over Livy's head she just screams in delight and starts running around the house. Its quite a sight to watch. Hannah is older and just a delight to be with. She appreciates Livy's personality and watching their friendship blossom has been pretty special as a mom. They have conversations that blow me away, and they actually ask each other questions about things. I have a few recorded on video and they will love to watch it someday. Livy also loves to play with Avery, and will ask for daily updates on Avery's whereabouts. She sometimes plays pretend games and make Avery show up. She likes to hear the play by play on the Thompson clan, including what Shilo is up to! Its quite sweet.
So thats an update on my peanut! She is going to pre-school in the fall, and I just turned in all of her paperwork. Time is moving along, and I'm trying to hang on, an enjoy every moment of her. My job is still allowing me time to do that. I get creative with my scheduling to maximize and balance my home time. I usually have at least 2 full days at home, then I work 2-3 afternoons a week, still leaving my mornings with Olivia. Being home with her is my sanity, and I go insane if I'm away from her too much. I also go insane if I'm with her too much, so working a few hours is good for me, but too many makes me feel out of balance. I have a rythmic dance that I do to balance work and home, and some weeks it feels like I have three left feet, and other weeks it feels perfectly in sync, and I'm guessing that most of us feel that way too.
