Olivia - 3 Years Old



Olivia turned 3 on October 1st. We had a cozy little celebration with the girls in our family.
It was a lot of fun! She received an aquarium, edible play-doh, rubber boots, a Dora outfit, gifts from Switzerland and a Mickey Mouse apron. Grandma and cousin Alyssa chose an adorable Monkey birthday cake.





Our new cat, Scooter.

Last night we attempted to go trick-or treating. Grandma and Olivia practiced at home at the bedroom door first.When we got outside it was dark and pouring rain. Olivia got scared and announced that she wanted to go home before even reaching one house...hahah! It was fine, we still had fun:) She dressed up as an adorable little cow, pictures to come soon!





Canada Day Festival in Langley.

Putting It All Together - Parenting a 2 Year Old

The last few months have been very busy. Good but busy.

 Olivia is now 2 1/2 yrs old, she weighs 42lbs, towers over most two year olds, wears a size 9 in shoes and a 4 in clothing! Needless to say, she's a very solid little girl. She's solid and she's energetic! 

 Our days are spent going to Playgroup, various parks, the library and swimming. With Olivia, this is an absolute necessity. When she's not stimulated, she gets grumpy and walks around with what I call "the mean mug;” furrowed brows, nostrils flaring and frowning. It’s actually sort of comical. 

 When she's had a full day of activity, she's chatty, engaging and so snuggly. I've been working hard to create more balance in our lives. 

 Physical: 

 Gym: When she goes to Playgroup, I go to the gym or take a spinning class. This provides me with the opportunity for "me time," exercise and stress release. 

 Playtime with Olly: 

 Whether we go to the beach, park or swimming pool, I've been trying to be as present and engaged as possible with Olly. I realize that the years will pass quickly. I must savor this time. Plus, she’s a lot of fun!

 Intellectual: 

 Another activity, which helps me a great deal, is reading. After putting Olivia to bed, cleaning and reorganizing the house, I like to curl up with a good book for an hour before bed. Reading stimulates my brain and imagination. I enjoy getting a glimpse into other countries and places in the world. 

 Reading with Olly:

 I started taking Olivia to the library when she was five months old. We go to the Library once a week and choose 2 or 3 books to read at bedtime. Olivia loves the stories, but she is also beginning to point out and name objects, colors and shapes. I'm often quite amazed at how observant she is. 

 Social Life:

 I have been making more time to have coffee with friends, go for a walk or simply talk on the phone. I find that taking the time to laugh, vent or just be silly really recharges my batteries. 

 Household: 

 Since I’ve grown into my 30’s, I’ve gained an appreciation for cleanliness and organization. I find this even more so, now that I’m a Mother. I still have the appreciation and the motivation, but I’ve come to realize that when you have a two year old, it’s important to handle the important household tasks, but it’s ok to relax a little. After all, I think if Olivia had the choice between a bike ride and a perfectly organized kitchen, she’d probably choose the bike ride. 

 Finally, I continue to approach parenting and life in general with an attitude of gratitude. I am thankful that both Olly and I are happy, healthy and safe. I am also extremely grateful to have a terrific family and great friends. I love being a Mother. I love my daughter Olivia.

Parenting - Finding a Balance

I still haven't found a balance. I'm constantly searching, but I'm still looking. This week, my two year old threw some really serious tantrums. She was screaming, she was lying down on the floor and kicking, she throws crayons, books, food, clothes toys, you name it. i often wonder what I was like at 2. Probably the same. Every night I pray for patience and guidance. I am a single mother, it's all upto me. I thank God, because my patience is strong. Yes, I have my moments of sheer frustration. Luckily, I have some tools:

1.) I have my breath. I can always take long, slow deep breaths. As I breath in, I think "in with the positive." As I exhale, I think "out with the negative." This helps me a great deal and I can't do it anywhere.

2.) The second thing I do when I need to destress is walking. It's winter here in Vancouver, so I bundle me and my daughter up, I put her in the stroller with some snacks and we head out for a walk. I walk off the stress, we both get some fresh air and a change of scenery and return feeling calm and content.

3.)The third thing I do to relieve stress is call another mom freind when my daughter is sleeping. By the end of the day, we both have some story to share about our days as mothers. After we vent, we somehow seem to be able to put a humorous spin on the days events. Laughing with a freind really helps.

I absolutley love being a Mother, but holy cow, it is strenuous and challenging at times. I want to send a shout out to all the moms out there, you're amazing and wonderful. Give yourself credit. We have an important role in this world.

Olivia's Beautiful Smile!

A Valuable Lesson in Parenting

A few days ago, I wrote an article expressing my frustration with my daughter's irratabilty, tantrums and lack of desire to nap. I was so annoyed
and worn out. Later that day, a friend and fellow mother, told me that my daughter was teething; she was getting her second year molars. Once she told me this, my daughter's behaviours made more sense to me. I felt bad that I had I had been so impatient and so insistent that she take her nap. I've been thinking about this for the last couple days and reslised that the real error I made was in being too rigid about our routine. My daughter is normally great about taking her naps. Would the world end if she didn't take her nap? Absolutely not! Was she being defiant? No! Structure and routine are great, but flexibilty is also important. Even though we had a dificult day, I learned a valuable lesson - be flexible!

Second Year Molars - A Dificult Day for Olivia and Mommy - Teething Woes

Today was a difficult day. I had decided, early morning, that I would take the day to get organized for the coming week. As a mother, there are countless preparations to make to help the week run smoothly. There is laundry to do, garbage and recycling to take out, meals to prepare, outfits to choose, a house to clean, appointments to mark on the calendar, activities to plan and phone calls to catch up on. Olivia was having none of this. She was cranky, restless, demanding, throwing toys, chucking her soother and asking for food then not eating eat it. She wouldn't go down for her nap, which was very unusual. I was beyond frustrated. I felt like we weren't connecting or working together at all. We were both feeling frustrated. My plans to get organized were rail roaded. I called a good friend and neighbour and asked if Olivia could spend a bit of time at her house so that I could get refocused and possible get dinner started. I explained that I needed a breather. She was understanding and told me to take the time that I needed. I was very grateful. Olivia went over and watched part of a movie. She was calm and relaxed. I suppose she needed a break from me too. After preparing dinner and fruit smoothies for the morning, I went to pick up Olivia. Olivia seemed tired and I noticed that her cheeks were rosy. My friend, who has a six year old, explained that my daughter was teething. Apparently, children get second year molars. I did not know this. So, like I often do when I'm not sure about something, I looked on line fore information on second year molars. I found a website called :

http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-teething.htm, which provided a complete baby/teething chart:


Age Teeth Position:


6 to 7 months Incisors Two central bottom & Two central top teeth.
7 to 9 months Two more incisors Top & bottom; making four top & four bottom teeth in all.
10 to 14 months First molars Double teeth for chewing
15 to 18 months Canines The pointed teeth or “fangs”
2 to 3 years Second molars The second set of double teeth at the back


Again, as a refresher, the teething symptoms include irritability, drooling, coughing, biting and gnawing, not sleeping well, and cold like symptoms.


I've read on a few parenting message boards that it can take anywhere from days, weeks even as long as six months for the second year molars to come in.


So how can I help my daughter through this process?


Olivia has been asking me for yogurt and cold applesauce a lot lately, which makes sense because they are cold and likely soothe her gums.

I went to http://www.mamapedia.com, a website where other mother’s ask questions and can post comments and their experiences. Other mother’s suggested cold cloths, juice Popsicles, Advil, soothing music, Hyland’s Homeopathic teething tablets, and baby OraGel. I will try my best to be sympathetic. I know how painful a toothache can be. I will try as many strategies as I can to soothe her gums.

I have found different phases of parenting to be more stressful than others. Sometimes I feel like when I think I finally have the hang of things, a new phase arrives and I’m thrown for a curveball. On top of everything, I am a single mother. I’ve become better at asking for help from friends, family and Olivia’s daycare provider. I’m new to parenting and I’m learning as I go. Mother’s we need to be gentle with ourselves. It’s ok if we don’t know everything.

Part of taking care of myself as a Mother includes exercise. The benefits of exercise are countless. For me, the primary function of exercise at this point of my life is to reduce stress and to boost my energy levels. Tomorrow morning, I plan to go for an Oceanside run to clear my head, let go of the tension and get energized for the coming week.

Have a great week fellow Mommy's!

Mommy and Olly on e-Bay!

Our Trip to Saskatchewan December 2011

Olivia and I recently went on a trip to Saskatchewan to visit my mom's side of the family. I have so many aunts, uncles and cousins that I rarely see. I really wanted to spend some time with them and I wanted them to meet Olivia for the first time. We flew there and back from Vancouver. The plane ride there was pretty scary for Olivia. However, going back went much more smoothly. I had figured out how to set the tv to cartoons. She was thrilled!


Most of our trip was spent in a small town called Humboldt. We stayed with my Aunt Doris. She's a very kind woman. Being out in the country was so relaxing. It was so quiet and cozy. There was lots of snow on the ground and the sun shone everyday. We went for some day trips to the neighboring towns, had long afternoon naps and enjoyed lots of good meals. I did a lot of reading. Olivia was so well behaved the entire trip. She enjoyed meeting our relatives and they absolutely adored her.


I came back to Vancouver feeling refreshed and clear headed. Olivia was happy to be home as well.


My sister lives in Switzerland and would like us to come for a visit at some point. Olivia is an excellent travel companion. I think it would be an exciting adventure.

Fall of 2011 - Olivia the Great!

Miss. Olivia Ann is growing and changing daily. She is so tall, strong, agile and FAST!!! She started ballet this Fall. It's a lot of fun to watch. I particpate too! Which probably looks hilarious!

Olivia continues to love daycare. She loves her daycare friends the woman who runs the daycare. They do arts and crafts, play games, sing songs and have snacks, lunch and naps together.

Olivia goes for long stroller rides with grandma along the seawall regularly.
They talk, sing and stop to look at all of the dogs, birds, trains and squirells along the way.

Olivia continues to love books at nap time, bed time. She also loves our weekly trips to the library. Not only do they have books and DVD's but they also have a Thomas and Friends train table! Our local library has an excellent kid's sections with storytime, teddies, big cushy chairs and lots of large, colorful cushions.

Starting in January, I'd like to register Olivia for another dance or music class, and something athletic.

I'm looking forward to Christmas with Olivia, family and friends. I find I enjoy Christmas so much now that I'm a mother:)

Since becoming a mother, I find myself so excited about life. I've also become so much more focussed as a person. I plan ahead, I'm organized, I think things through. I love my life. Sometimes there are challenges, but I work on being positive. I thank God every night for my dear, sweet Olly. I am thankful that she is happy, healthy and safe.

Miss.Olivia - 2 years old!

I can hardly believe that my little girl is 2 years old already.
I remember the moment she was born and placed into my arms.
She was very quiet, but her eyes were very bright and wide open.
I said "hello there, welcome to the wolrd Olivia. You are so pretty!"
The doctors took her briefly to examine her and make sure she was okay...
she wasn't crying or making any sound. She was fine though, thankfully.
Perhaps she was just trying to take everything in. Her first cry came the following morning. Being a new, unexperienced mom, I wasn't sure what to do. The nurse suggested that naybe she needed a diaper change. Sure enough, she was right. I changed her little diaper and she went back to sleep. I barely slept the first few days after she was born. I kept hopping out of bed to gaze at her sleeping. I was so excited to bring her home from the hospital. I couldn't wait to start our new life together. I was glued to my dear Olivia at all times. I had lots of questions and lots of anxieties. Everything was so new. Family and friends were helpful in the baby wisdom department. As for the anxieties..I just had to face them. I was scared to drive with her...I was so afraid of a car accident. I didn't want to take her for walks in the stroller at first. Again, I had worries. But I got past all of that with practice. I'm still a big Mama Bear though.

Over the next two years we have swam together, gone on countless car,train, bus and stroller rodes. We have explored books and toys. We had a moving truck fire where we lost everything. But we built our home up again slowly.
We have gone camping, to playgroups, the beach, the library and recently, ballet lessons. She's grown to be a very strong, solid, expressive little girl who is loved by everyone she meets. I've grown as a person. The focus of my life is creating a good life for Olivia and myself. We are surrounded by terrific family, friends and neighbors.

It has been a good to years. The best two years of my life. As an added note, I finally lost all of my baby weight. It took 2 years, but I did it!
The first year I didn't really lose any weight. However, for the past year, I have been eating smaller portions, making smoothies, walking and chasing after my little boot camp instructor "Miss Olivia."

Olly the Dolly - 21 Months

My baby Olivia is a ray of sunshine. I'm so blessed to have her. She learns so much every day. She's about 30lbs and she's quite tall and athletic. She likes to climb, swing, run, jump, dance, clap and kick the ball at the soccer field. Olivia needs activity, otherwise she lets me know that she's unhappy. She also enjoys going to the library. bed time stories, watching the ducks at the local lake and pretending she's taking on the phone. She enjoys watching Barney.

Olivia's Words:
Hi
Hello
Bye Bye
Soo-Soo (soother)
ba-ba (Bottle)
Shoes
Coat
hat
Streoller
Walkies (Walk)
Night Night
Mama
Baba (Grandma)
Car
Cat
Neigh-Neigh (Horse)
Moooooo (Cow)
Cheese
Potty
Barnie
Dora
Chair

I try to keep a bedtime routine with Olivia which is evolving. She's always been a pretty good sleeper. Though getting her to simmer down before bed takes a bit of creativty and routine. Before bed or nap time, we read a few stories together. Then the stories go "night night." I play relaxing nature sounds on my Ipod whcih really helps. If she's gets out of bed, I pick her up and place her back into her bed. Sometimes this takes 3 times, sometimes it takes 12 times. But it's coming along.

One big change with Olivia, is that she has become affectionate and I love it. She loves huhs and kisses and cuddle time.

I've been getting more time for exercise and relaxation which makes me a happier and more patient mommy.

Olivia-17 Months

My dear Olivia is growing so quickly. She's wearing size 5 diapers. For clothing, she's wearing 18-24 months; for shoes, she's into a size 5. She runs, dances, climbs and loves practicing going up and down stairs with mummy.

She nows says the following words:

Mama
Cat
Ok
Uh-oh
Mine!
Hi

She understands much of what she hears. If you ask her where her coat is, she will walk over to the closet and point. If you ask her where her "blanky" is, she will go to the bed, pick it up and bring it to me. She receives a lot of encouragement and seems very pleased with herself:)
She will point to her hair, teeth, tummy and toes when asked where they are.

After 17 labour-intenive months, I am starting to feel more rested and relaxed. Before I had a Olivia, I had zero concept of how hard parents work and how the first while is exhausting. I am fortunate to have some very supportive and loving people in my life who have guided me through this time. I am very thankful.

Olivia 15 Months

My dear, sweet Olivia is growing so quickly. She runs around,climbs,dances, plays "peek-a-boo" and practices doing sommersaults. She's also a big fan of creating enormous messes wherever she goes:)

She lets me know what she likes and doesn't like. For example, Olivia really enjoys going swimming. She shrieks and laughs and kicks her feet with delight. Olivia really doesn't enjoy getting her hair combed. She yells, tries to block the comb with her hands and tries to wriggle away from me.

She has started waking up at around 7:30 or 8:00am, which is great. For the past 3 or 4 months, she was waking up at 5:00am which was really hard for me. I'm not a morning person, regardless of when I go to bed the night before. So at the moment I sort of feel like a lady of luxury.

The holidays went really well. Olly was able to spend some time with her aunt and uncle from Switzerland. The forecast is calling for snow this evening. If so, I'll take her out in her new sled tomorrow.

14 Months Old!

Darling Olivia had a terrifc week! She kept busy running around at the park, playing with her little friend, Elijah, and rading on the Christmas train at the mall.

Olivia dances and sings funny little songs. She starting to say "mama" regularly especially before bed time. When she wants to be picked up she raises her little arms arms and says "uh!"

She has started hugging her favorite teddies, she likes the really soft ones. She also enjoys holding books and looking at the pictures.

Olivia will be 14 months tomorrow. She is growing so quickly! I love my daughter so much. She is an angel.

My Darling Olivia

Olivia is now 13 months old! She's running around, getting into everything, smiling, waving and eating lots of 'big girl' foods. Last week it snowed and Olivia was very fascinated. She seemed intrigued at the crunching sound her little winter boots made in the snow. She enjoyed watching other children tobaggen at the local school yard. I will post some more snow photos in the weeks to come as we are supposed to have a very cold and snowy winter.

Halloween 2010

Olivia at 1

On October 1st, 2010, little Olivia turned 1!

We had a family birthday party at our home. She had a lot of fun and received many special gifts. Her grandparents bought her a baby recliner, it's adorable!

Olivia has been walking since August 25th. She's says "mama" fairly often and loves to dance. She has 12 teeth and loves to eat!

She has had a bit of seperation anxiety lately. From what I've read, this is totally normal.

I love my little munchkin so much.

Amazing Olly

Over the last few months, Olly has grown so much. She is tall, strong and very mobile. She has 10 teeth and says "baba" "uh-oh" and once in a awhile, "mama." During the summer, we spent a lot of time at our local swimming pools. She loves to play in the water, splashing and kicking. As of August 29th, Olivia started taking 3-4 steps on her own. She can take nearly 10 steps when pushing her doll carraige. Olly is a ver social little girl and loves to people watch. Her 1st birthday is coming up in less than a month. The time has passed so quickly.

I have adapted to motherhood quite well and embrace this new role in my life. I appreciate all of the love and support that I have received from family and friends along the way.

Olivia Ann - 8 Months

At eight months, Olivia is fabulous! Her personlaity is emerging. She has very distinct facial expressions for diferent feelings. Recently, while at a trip to Uncle Gerald's, we noticed that she seems to pose for pictures. It's really funny.
She is getting her two front teeth which I'm sure she'll love to show off. Olivia started crawling today which was so amazing to see. She's sitting up by herself and pulling herself up on to furniture. Her growth is rapid and she continues to have an excellent appetite and sleep schedule.

I continue to feel that motherhood is a gift. This experience has been profound. I am very thankful for the support of family and good friends.

Olivia 7 Months

Olivia contnues to have a great apetite and sleep schedule. She has two bottom teeth.
She enjoys yelling and trying out new sounds. She's incredibly strong and hilarious.
She loves to grab just about anything,examine it and then put it in her mouth. I really have to keep an eye on her. Like I said, she's really strong and loves to roll. She sort of crawls backward and is working on her military crawl. I am loving this journey with my daughter so much!