All About Olivia

There are a few things you may not know about Olivia ( or if you've been reading this blog for 5 years, you probably do.) One is that she is very funny. Her sense of humor just cracks me up everyday. She gets confused because daddy was a wildcat and I was a shocker in college. So, she referred to me as a wildcocker the other day. And when Abigail cries, Olivia becomes concerned that her face is "burning up" as it turns quite red. Maybe that's why she likes Mr. Bean so much ( yes, the British comedian.)

Olivia is also very active. . .to the point that many have suspected ADD. Time will tell, I suppose. The thought of her having to sit down at a desk all day kind of makes me cringe though. She's always moving and she has been this way since the NICU. I'm sure her nurses will vouch for that.

She is very small at 31.5 lbs and 42 inches tall. Eating has always been a struggle. Since we haven't gained anything in 6 months, I told her that when she makes it to 32 lbs, we'd have a party with a cake. That actually has motivated her a little bit to eat more than 2 bites of her dinner. I'm sure that her high activity level doesn't help with the weight gain.

She's eccentric. Especially with how she plays. The other day, she was playing with a family of computer mice and a family of blow dryers. My hair clips were once bugs living in my old jewelry box. She loves when her balloons deflate so that she can walk them around the house on their "leash." Last night she slept with a plastic lobster shovel (it has never been outside.) And when she grows up, she wants to be a butterfly. A pink and purple one. There is no limit to her imagination and she is definitely not one who just goes with the crowd.

Her memory is like a steel trap. Seriously, she remembers things that most people would not. She remembered that we used to have a white microwave and she was maybe 3 when we gave it away. She remembered that my dad installed a CD player in the kitchen and I don't even think she was three at that time. She remembers where presents were placed under the tree from 2 years ago! I've learned not to argue with her about certain things because chances are, she's right if memory is concerned.

She is very smart. She loves to play the what if game and is always coming up with questions like, "What if there were no houses? What if my feet were my hands and my hands were my feet? What if it was always nighttime? What if there were no trees?" The only reason she is a bit delayed in a few areas is because she won't sit down to work on it ( like writing letters, numbers, doing puzzles.) and she loves to tell stories and have stories told to her. She also loves for you to take videos of her. She would be content all day if you would tell her stories, take videos with her and answer her questions.

She is very musical. She feels music with such a passion at 5 years old. She makes up songs on the piano and on the guitar. Her rhythm is incredible and she just has a musicality that astonishes me. I predict that music will be a big part of her life. She rarely sits still unless she is at the piano. It's almost a release for her to get her energy out. Currently, we are debating piano lessons now vs later.

And that's a little bit of who my Olivia Paige is. I love her so much. She has become such a loving, affectionate child. She has told me that she never wants to get married or move away. She just wants to stay with me forever. Even when she's a butterfly, she promises to just fly around the house. Near or far, butterfly or not. . .she's definitely going places.