Friday, July 9, 2010 - Update

Been busy with playdates, trips to the park, gymnastics, occupational therapy, Jazzercise. . .and finally getting to see Eclipse and my dear Edward. :) What a fantastic movie, but I can't brag about the movies without saying to read the books first. It's been 2 years since I've read them and I think I am going to have to re-read them. Amazing books!

I was a little bummed to find out that the site I got my blogger backgrounds from is no more. So, I'm back to thecutestblogontheblog.com. If anyone has another that they recommend, let me know!

Potty Training Day One

I guess she wanted a little more privacy. . . .

No success yet, but Olivia is now sitting on the potty for more than 5 seconds at a time. With her newly created hideout, she would be content to sit there all day. If only she understood what she was supposed to do while sitting there. . . :)

Heather's Fight

Many of you have asked how Heather is doing and her fight with melanoma cancer. Well, my friends, she is still fighting hard. I thought I would share the news story about her that was on last night. She has an amazing story and has done a lot to spread awareness of this fast-growing cancer.

Beauty came at high price for Derby woman

To follow Heather and her story, you can visit her cancer blog here.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - Update

Olivia has started enjoying not only pedicures, but manicures as well. Today, she wanted her nails painted red. I've only painted them one other time and that was a clear color. Now, it looks like I am the one in need of a manicure. :)

P.S. Just an FYI for my out of town friends. . .fireworks are legal where we live. Actually, they are huge here and you can watch several professional-like shows from your driveway. I didn't want anyone to think we were breaking the law. LOL.

Fourth of July

We spend every 4th of July (at least for the past 5 years) with Ryan's brother's family. They are the ones who moved to California this year and we thought our tradition had been lost. Thankfully, they are back in town. . .for good. We all had a great time together and Olivia thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks this year. Thanks for a great evening!

Ring around the rosie. . .

Olivia, Rebekah and Julia

Olivia even lit some of her own fireworks.

Olivia and Aunt Laura

The smoke balls (smokey smokeys) were Olivia's favorite!

Happy 4th of July from our family to yours.

Saturday, July 3, 2010 - Update

With all of this rain and humidity, I've started wondering if my girlie is going to have curly hair.

Friday, July 2, 2010 - Update

Cousin Julia and Olivia

The three Glunt girls

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - Update

Izzy and Olivia at their first slumber party
Izzy

Last night, Olivia and I had a slumber party with Shelley and Izzy. We painted t shirts and had a pizza party. It was a lot of fun. Olivia is not used to sleeping with other people as she loves her little bed, so every time I moved I woke her up. So, I felt like I could barely move all night long. It was nice to feel her snuggling up with me, though. Thank you, Shelley and Izzy, for having us over. I'm sure Olivia will get the hang of slumber parties and there will be many more in Izzy and Olivia's future (and they won't want us around for them!) Sadly, these are the best pictures that I got.

Ryan and I took Olivia outside tonight to familiarize her with fireworks. She is now a pro at snap-n-pops and loves smoke balls. . .especially because she gets to pick which color to use. She doesn't even seem too afraid of the loud noises when you tell her they are fireworks. . .pop, pop, pop. Hopefully, she'll have a good time on the 4th!

My perfect kitty

Monday, June 28, 2010 - Update

Besides taking baths and playing in water tables. . .Olivia is not big on getting wet or being sprayed with water. We took a trip to the zoo today and they had those misting stations set up. We took Olivia under one and she loved it and wanted to do it again and again. Later in the day, we took her outside and hooked up the spray nozzle to the hose. We set it on mist and let her get accustomed to being sprayed with a little bit of water. Then, we slowly switched the settings until she was showered with water. She loved it (as you'll be able to tell.) Soon, she was soaking wet and having a ball! We spent the day together as a family and I think this was the best anniversary yet!

Happy 7th Anniversary

Tomorrow (June 28th) is our 7th wedding anniversary. I hope the 7th anniversary is a washer and dryer. No? It's copper, wool and desk sets? Oh well. . .I'd rather have the washer and dryer. Thanks, honey, for always standing by my side and making me feel special just for being who I am. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that someone would love me so completely. I love you so much!

Sunday, June 27, 2010 - Update

Every morning, I find Olivia sleeping like this. Silly girl.

I think she's going through a growth spurt (except she's not eating very well.) All she wants to do is sleep and she is taking naps regularly again for the first time in a year! She is on her second nap of the day today. Most mornings, I have to wake her up by 9:30 am or before to get to where we need to go. I really really hope she's growing. I don't want her to be three years old and only 23 lbs. :( I'm sure her doctor doesn't want her to be either. Speaking of. . .she turns 3 in exactly 2 months! Can you believe it? We are having a Sesame Street birthday party! I'm looking forward to making it bright and colorful and fun. Speaking of birthdays, Happy Birthday to my nephew, Alex, who turns the big double digits today! Hope you are having a great birthday!

Saturday, June 26, 2010 - Update

Ryan and I went to see Toy Story 3 today. We didn't take Olivia as she is not quite ready for a movie in the movie theatre. . .it's all she can do to sit down and watch a 15 minute long Clifford show. Hopefully, someday soon we can take her to a movie. That sounds like such a fun family activity to do. The movie was great. . .really sweet and I couldn't help but cry. I cried partly because it was genuinely touching and partly because of Olivia's relationship with some of her toys including Gogum (pictured above ) and Leapfrog Lily. They sleep right beside her every night and she expresses such concern and affection towards them. Even I have grown to love them because they are so very special to her. They will be two of the toys that will always be special.

And, in other news. . .we got our new washer and dryer delivered this morning. It was like Christmas in our house! I never imagined that Olivia would get so excited about it. She was a little concerned when they took the old ones away, but she has been talking about the new washing machine all day long. It's too cute. Even Autumn is intrigued by the new additions.

Before

Ta Da! We love 'em!

Metformin

I met with a new endocrinologist on Friday and he is starting me on Metformin. In addition to changing my diet, we are hoping that this will help manage my diabetes. The problem is. . .I've been on Metformin before as it is also prescribed for the treatment of PCOS and infertility. I could not tolerate the side effects from it and had to discontinue treatment. For some, it is a miracle drug, but this was not the case with me 5 years ago. Please pray that I am able to tolerate it this time and that I see a great benefit from the medication.

Friday, June 25, 2010 - Update

Olivia's annual picture with her birth size doll.

To compare to the previous years, click here.

We almost forgot. . .June is just about over and I hadn't taken Olivia's picture with her birth size doll. Just this week we received a generous gift from a loyal blog reader who made a quilt specifically for her birth size doll. Isn't it adorable? Olivia got to choose her own blanket from two that were made. . .she chose the one with "Gus" on it (her cousin's dog.) This is so special to us and something we will keep with the doll for years to come.

I also wanted to let you know that we received a plaque in the mail for being the 2nd highest fundraising team at our local March for Babies! What an honor! And something we couldn't have done without your support! Thank you to all who gave so generously to this amazing cause! You should be proud!

Thursday, June 24, 2010 - Update

My husband and I are going on a high protein/fiber/vegetable/low carb diet. I'm doing it because of my diabetes diagnosis and he is doing it just to be healthy and supportive. We've found a way to include some sort of vegetable with every meal. Broccoli slaw is delicious and I even leave out the sugar! Ryan very much dislikes peas and I very much dislike cucumbers, so we made it deal. He'll eat peas if I eat cucumbers. Last night, we split a cucumber and I found that if I completely soak the cucumber in balsamic vinaigrette. . .it doesn't taste too bad. I ate my entire half! I'm becoming addicted to salads. . .which is good. I gave up soda, but that makes me enjoy my iced tea that much more (I love Starbucks shaken iced tea.) I haven't had a single headache since changing my diet! I thought I was going to be referred to a dietician, but now I'm being referred to an endocrinologist. I don't want any more tests or medications or supplements or referrals. . .I just want to get on with it and feel better, ya know? I'll give 10 points to anyone who submits a recipe that I can use. . .especially with vegetables or beans. You'll get an extra 5 points if I enjoy it! LOL.

Autumn Again

Last weekend, Olivia stayed the night at my parents' house. She loved to sit and look at pictures with grandpa. This video was taken accidentally (my mom was trying to get a picture) but I thought it was really cute. Nothing like a little girl and her kitty.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - Update

I ♥ piggie tails

I'm feeling a bit discouraged tonight and I can't really put my finger on what's bothering me. I think it's the fact that Olivia is sort of in this protective bubble with people who LOVE her and understand how far she's come. They know what she has been through. But, in the real world. . .she's just another kid. I struggle with that. People don't understand why certain things are difficult for her or why she acts the way she does. It seems the older she gets, the farther behind developmentally she is. She works so very hard, but when she makes it to point A. . .the other kids are coming up on C. By the time she gets to C. . . .everyone else is approaching F. There is just no possible way that she could catch up. Her fine motor skills are vastly improving each day. She struggles with hugs. Most of the time, she runs up to you, puts her arms out and pushes you away. We've been working really hard at giving big bear hugs and she's doing it so well. It just brings tears to my eyes because sometimes all I want is for Olivia to run up and give me a big hug and say, "I love you, mommy!" And, do it without being told. Sometime I'll give you an update on how she's doing in all areas. I'm not quite in the right frame of mind tonight to do so. We all have nights like that, I suppose. Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix or a big piece of ice cream cake. . .oh, the diabetes. . .I forgot. Guess I'll have to go with sleep.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - Update

I'm so excited to meet my mom's friend, Tiffany. They've been friends since they were my age!

When I was there, I got a yummy cupcake!

Pretending to be camera-shy.


Tiffany and her daughter, Emma

Bye, bye Tiffany!

Tiffany and her twin sister, Tamar, are my very oldest friends. We grew up together and they were the closest things to sisters that I had. The three of us did everything together. I think I thought we were sisters because when their youngest sister was born, everyone was saying, "Oh, she has Tiffany's nose or Tamar's smile. . ." and I said, "What does she have of me?" I was genuinely upset when they said nothing. We've lost touch over the years which makes me sad, so it was so nice to catch up with her today. Now, I just have to find time to get together with Tamar. What a great visit! Thanks Tiff!

My Little Helper

Olivia is always trying to help out, whether it's putting laundry away or drying dishes. Today, I spilled some frozen broccoli all over the kitchen floor. I grabbed a broom and dust pan to pick it all up. Olivia soon came out with a comb and started combing it all up saying, "Oh man, oh man" in her best Swiper voice. When it was all cleaned up, she proceeded to dump a few Goldfish crackers onto the floor and comb them up as well. . .singing her clean up song. Yes, sometime she makes more of a mess or doubles the work, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Sailing!

We hope you have a wonderful birthday! We love you!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to three of the greatest fathers I know.

One of my favorite pictures of Ryan and Olivia

Olivia and Grandpa Glunt

Olivia and Grandpa Sailing

This last picture was just taken today when Olivia stayed the night at Grandma and Grandpa Sailing's house for the first time. Ryan and I had a wedding out of town (9 hours round trip) and because we wouldn't get home until 1 am, we decided to leave Olivia with my parents. She had a GREAT time and I can never hear what an angel my child is too many times. I guess she was a complete joy! Of course, we already knew that. . . Thanks mom and dad for watching her! And, Happy Father's Day again everyone!

Thursday, June 17, 2010 - Update

Why is it that I can only capture her smiles in the bathroom?

I met with my doctor today and he confirmed that I do have diabetes. It feels weird to type that. I don't know how to feel about it. . a part of me has longed for answers. Another part of me knows it will be a lifelong challenge to manage it. I had some more bloodwork done today, including an A1C that will show my blood sugars over the past 3 months. If that is okay, I will meet with a dietician to manage my diabetes through diet. If it comes back abnormal, I will be looking at medications, meters, etc. My doctor thinks it will just take a change in my diet. Luckily, I have an awesome husband who will change much of his diet along with me. And, I've heard from several friends who are going to do the same. Cutting out sugar, soda and carbs is probably good for everyone, although it will be a challenge. But, if it truly helps me feel better, it will be worth it. A part of me wonders. . .polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS - the cause of my infertility) has been linked to insulin resistance and diabetes. If I get my blood sugars under control, will that help my PCOS and in return. . .my fertility? Is diabetes linked to premature birth? Many people have asked if I had gestational diabetes. That test was scheduled for week 24 and I only made it to 23 weeks. . .so I don't know. With the answers come many more questions, I suppose. Please pray that I am able to successfully manage this with my diet and that doing so doesn't depress me too much. :) I really really love all kinds of bread.