AppleJack Pumpkin Patch

We had a great afternoon at the pumpkin patch.  This is the fourth year that we’ve gone and the first year that Olivia has really truly enjoyed it! 

The first thing she HAD to do was jump on the giant pillow!

Then, she slid down the big slide. . .all by herself!

Next up was the train.  This was the first year that she rode it!

Choo Choo!

We had a lot of fun in the corn maze.

And had to stop for pictures!

She loved the teeter totters.

More slides!

This is how Olivia rides tricycles.  LOL!  We can’t get her to use the pedals.  She is almost, however, a little too short to reach.

But, is growing taller every year!  What a great afternoon we had as a family! 

To see our adventures from previous years, go to:

http://oliviaandlogan.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-10-17T20%3A37%3A00-05%3A00

http://oliviaandlogan.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-10-21T17%3A23%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=20&reverse-paginate=true

Halloween Preview

My Daughter, The Helper

Olivia is at the stage right now that she wants to help with everything and she actually can!  Yesterday, she helped me clean all the bathrooms and then begged to clean the bathrooms again today.  While I was putting the laundry away, she wanted to help so I told her to put daddy’s socks in his sock drawer, mommy’s socks in her sock drawer, etc.  I went into the bedroom expecting to see everything in the wrong place, but it was all exactly where it should be.  Then, she wanted to help some more, but all I had left were clothes to hang up.  So, I told her to go into mom and dad’s closet and put all the jeans in the laundry basket.  Then, I got busy finishing up the laundry and wasn’t really paying attention to what she was doing.  She walked up to me and said, “The jeans are washing!”  Olivia had not only put all the jeans into the laundry basket, but she pushed it all the way to the laundry room, put the jeans in the washer and started it.  The only thing she didn’t do was put in the soap because she couldn’t reach it in the cabinet.  I was in awe.  I think this girl is going to start earning an allowance!

She also sat through her very first full length movie at home.  A movie rarely keeps her interest past 15-30 minutes, but she LOVED Charlotte’s Web.  We watched it again today and she fell asleep during the last 10 minutes.  This hardly ever happens either because she doesn’t sit down long enough to fall asleep.  She is even snuggling up with me to watch it, which I am thoroughly enjoying!!  I’m loving this stage.

Tuesday, November 18, 2011

This afternoon after I cleaned up lunch, the house got mysteriously quiet.  I peeked into Olivia’s room and this is what I found.  Can you even find Olivia in there?  It took me by surprise because 1) Olivia doesn’t normally go in and take a nap and 2) she doesn’t let the cats sleep with her (although they always want to.) 

Then, I had to wake her up because we had an appt with a surgeon today.  Olivia is having a keloid cyst removed on November 3rd.  I’m soooo not looking forward to it, but it needs to be done.  It is a result of her 105 days in the NICU.  Keloids are formations of scar tissue that grow because the body over-defends itself as a result of trauma or surgical incisions.  The problem is that with surgery, you are creating more skin trauma and another surgical incision so the chances that it can grow back are great.  However, when caught in early stages, steroids can sometimes be used to get rid of them.  It is a fairly simple procedure, but because of her age, it will have to be done under anesthesia at a hospital which makes it a bigger deal.  And I just hate that she has to undergo any more surgeries as she has another eye surgery in the future as well.  So, please say a prayer for her and her doctor and nurses (and parents.) Pray that her surgery will go well, her healing will be swift and that it will not grow back.

End of An Era

It was a couple of months ago when I noticed that Gogum no longer slept in Olivia’s bed.  After two years of being her constant companion, he became just another one of her toys.  Even more surprising was when Lily no longer went everywhere with her.  Now, she no longer sleeps with her either.  It’s kinda sad actually because they were her very first favorites. 

These are now her inseperables: Little Lily, Newt and Little Sister.  They go everywhere with her! 

You’d think green was her favorite color, but she’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not.  Red and pink are her favorite colors.  I don’t know how many times a day I hear, “But, blue (or yellow or green) is NOT my favorite color.”  Somedays she won’t even wear jeans because they are not her favorite color.  Haha!  I love discovering her interests, likes and dislikes.

Recipe of the week

So, tonight I tried my new recipe(s) of the week: Meatloaf muffins and cauliflower mashed potatoes.  I have two meatloaf recipes that I alternate between and this new meatloaf recipe became Ryan’s new favorite.  Olivia only took one bite of it, but that is nothing new.  The cauliflower mashed potatoes received mixed reviews.  They looked like mashed potatoes, smelled like mashed potatoes, but still had a cauliflower taste.  I really dislike cauliflower, however, I did not think they were all that bad.  Super healthy and way more diabetic friendly than mashed potatoes.  So, I’ll probably make them again. 

Here are the links to the recipes:

http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/09/meatloaf-muffins/

http://www.bubblecrumb.com/2011/07/25/cauliflower-mashed-potatoes/

Next week?  A new tilapia recipe.  With only 2.6 g of carbs and 23 g of protein, it’s a diabetic’s perfect food.