Party Time!

Welcome to Care-A-Lot and Olivia's 6th birthday celebration. It's a lot of work to have a birthday party at home. Remind me of this next year. ;-)















Olivia was in heaven with two of her best friends, Sage and Madison.



Uncle Donnie even tried on a Care Bear mask. Awwwww.



The boys (and Madison) were drawn to the train table.



Sage is Olivia's best friend from preschool. Oh, how I wish they went to kindergarten together!



Happy Birthday to Olivia!



Thanks to my friend Amy for making the adorable cake! We had chocolate, strawberry and rainbow!




Madison made the cutest Care Bear!! Could not get over how cute she looked!




Olivia was ready to open presents!




The hit of the party was Olivia's sandbox that Grandpa Glunt built her! It is amazing with benches that fold down. It was well over 100 degrees and the kids did not want to come inside!



Madison and Olivia were the last two standing. LOL! It's never too hot for some sandbox fun!




It's so easy to cover when you are done playing! Awesome!!



Alison and Abigail liked playing together too.



It was a great adventure in Care-A-Lot!




Olivia did help clean up after her party with her new vacuum. She recently realized that her toy vacuum didn't really suck anything up. She wanted a real vacuum and was so excited to get this!


Thank you to all who came, endured the craziness and made Olivia's 6 th birthday celebration very memorable!

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Six Year Stats

Olivia had her 6 year checkup yesterday. After 11 months of only gaining .5 lbs, she has gained 1 lb 9 oz since July. So, the appetite stimulant seems to be working very well.

Weight: 33 lbs 3 oz - less than 3rd percentile

Height: 42 1/2 inches - 8th percentile

BMI: 13

100% Sweet, smart and adorable!



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Beauty And Brains

Abigail is still not crawling, however, she drags herself everywhere and is very very fast. Surely I don't have to be concerned about the discrepancy between her arms and legs strength? She bears weight on her legs, but doesn't pull up yet.



One of her favorite places to go is the bathroom to play with the bath toys. These are the only toys she plays with. She prefers phones, remotes, electronics, computer mice or anything Olivia is playing with. She seems bored with her baby toys. She looks at me like," So, what am I supposed to do with this?". She examines things like she is trying to figure out how they work. Seriously, I've nailed down her first birthday ideas to electronics, bath toys and food. LOL! I had to take down the carbon monoxide detector from the hall outlet because she pulled it off, took off the back and was trying to get the battery out.



All of that mischief wears a girl out! We are wanting to wait to put the baby gate up until after Olivia's party, but I don't know if we'll make it. Right now we have Olivia's bench across the stairs. And I better go move that hammer from off the floor. Geez.

She even looks pretty when she sleeps. Brains and beauty. . .she will be a force to be reckoned with. LOL!


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The Best Day

What an amazing day! Six years ago I never thought I would say that about today.  In fact, I’ve struggled with that over the years. How can I celebrate one of the worst days of my life every year?On August 27, 2007 my whole world came crashing down.  I thought I was losing both of my babies that I prayed so hard for.  The odds were against us.  The chance of survival was slim, the risks were great and the road was long.  But, tonight, Olivia said it best.

"This is the best day ever.  Thank you for giving me this day.”

And that’s not the only time she made me cry today.  The first thing she did when she woke up was sing Happy Birthday. . .to her twin brother, Logan.  What a loving, selfless way to start her own birthday!  Tonight, she had all of us sing it to him while she pointed up at the sky. 

I was able to take cupcakes to celebrate with her at school.  I’m no longer worried about her not making friends.  I’m more worried about her becoming the class clown. LOL!  She was the same goofy Olivia that she is at home.  When we sang Happy Birthday to her in her class, she got up and danced.  It did my heart good to know that she is comfortable being herself.  And who cannot love her?

A friend of mine from high school made these cupcakes for me.  They looked so cute with her Care Bear plates and napkins.  And they were delicious!

We ended the day with dinner at her favorite restaurant, Genghis Grill.  And at 6:18 pm, while we were there, she officially became six years old. We thought it was neat that her number was 56. . .she walked in being 5 and walked about being 6. 

And she swears that she got taller. 

Two of her favorite gifts were her Squinkies mansion

and her cottage bed tent that she is happily snoozing in. May her future far exceed even her best dreams.

Thank you, Olivia, for giving ME this day.

Happy 6th Birthday!

I can't believe it has been six years.  Every year I make a slideshow of pictures from the previous year.  Hopefully it is something Olivia will like to look back on as she gets older.  This year I chose a song from One Republic because they are one of Olivia's favorite bands.  It's called 'I Lived.'

They did not want us to resuscitate Olivia and Logan as they were not considered viable until 24 weeks.  We had to beg them to.  But, she lived. And she has been given this gift of life, much like we all have, and I hope she lives it to the fullest.  I hope she experiences all life has to offer and doesn't hold back on pursuing her dreams. But, please don't actually break any bones, Olivia. ;-)




Of course, tomorrow is actually Logan's birthday too and he would also be six years old.  I can't help but wonder what he would be like.  I think I will always wonder that. I know he is so proud of both of his sisters and I celebrate his birth as well.  The world was truly blessed with two amazing people on August 27, 2007. I still can't believe that was six years ago. 

Sunday, August 25, 2013

We had a great time celebrating Izzy's birthday today at Pump It Up. Olivia has been begging to go back there for some time.


While going down the slide, she got a blister on her arm. Tonight she named her blister "Blisty." And she was so worried that it would be gone in the morning, she made me take a picture of it. I'm so not kidding. Only Olivia. :-)



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I Will Always Come

It was a rough morning at our house. Olivia's excitement for kindergarten turned to the realization that kindergarten meant less time with me. In her words, that "shattered" her heart. She loves her teacher, yet is so afraid of the rock wall in P.E. She cried and cried. She cried because her favorite pants have a hole in the knee. She cried because her favorite socks are too small and all of the others have bumps in them. I was so upset all day. I read this tonight and it really rang true today. I just hope Olivia knows that I will always come.

http://lisajobaker.com/2013/08/a-promise-for-my-daughter/

Right now that means putting her on the bus only to drive to school, get out of the van to watch her get off the bus, give her a hug and a kiss, get back in the van and drive home. Or telling her about the funny things she did when she was three and watching videos of them. Or sitting with her on the couch so that she can calm down and tell me what's wrong. Or telling another scary story about us getting lost in a deep dark cave while sitting on the floor of my closet. I've been here for 6 years and I'll be here for 60 more!!

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Most Viewed Post

I have had this blog for almost 6 years and have written about a variety of topics. The most viewed post (by a wide margin) is one I wrote about gestational diabetes. Multiple people still view it every day and it comes in as the top post every week and every month. I am not sure how people are finding it. Is it, like, the first site that pops up when googling the topic? Do doctors hand out the web address to every woman diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I just find it hilarious! And I'm sure by drawing attention to it, it will quadruple in hits. Man, I should have proofread it more seriously had I known that many people were going to read it. LOL!!

http://loganssisters.gluntfamily.com/2012/09/the-diabetes-post.html?m=1
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9 Months

I told you it was a big day today. Abigail also turned 9 months old!




She is just amazing! She says baba, mama, dada and baaa (for bath.) She also claps and waves bye bye. She has two teeth and thinks that entitles her to a steak. She loves to eat and knows when what you are eating is better than what is on her highchair.

Our baby scale broke, so I don't know what she weighs. I would guess around 19 lbs. She is the most mobile child I've ever seen who doesn't crawl. She scoots, army crawls, rolls and hops like a frog to get where she is going. She transitions from sitting to laying down ( and vice versa) very well. She is not yet pulling to a stand, but will bear weight on her legs. She does not seem interested in taking steps at all. At this stage in development, Olivia was riding/walking her pony all over the house. I put Abigail on the pony and she looked at me like," Are you going to push me?" LOL!

Abigail loves anything electronic and seems bored by baby toys. The other day she was surrounded by about 10 baby toys and chose the random computer mouse laying around. Her fine motor skills are exceptional! I love watching her little personality develop. She is just so incredibly sweet ( and really takes after daddy!!)




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My Moment

Every parent whose baby faces a life or death situation chooses a moment in the future to cling to.

Olivia was given a 30% chance of survival and a 90% chance of a major disability. I remembered having to bury my baby boy as my daughter still fought to survive. One day, my dad said to me, "Someday she will be running off the school bus with her friends." At first I was a little irritated (sorry, dad.) Did he not grasp the severity of the situation? I may not even get to take my baby girl home. . .let alone watch her go to school. There is a good chance she may not walk and if she did, it may be with assistance. But then. . .that became my "moment." It was the moment that I pictured in my mind as I saw my baby girl struggle for each breath. It gave me the hope that I desperately needed.




Someday this nightmare would end and she would be riding a school bus to school. And at that moment in the future I could say,"We made it!"

That moment came today, almost six years later.



To most people, this picture signifies the beginning of school, but to me it means so much more. It means that we beat the odds. It means she not only survived, but continues to thrive. It means we made it! It means that we WILL get through any challenges that lie ahead. It means I finally made it to the moment that I prayed for over and over again when she was a baby. Yes, I'm a proud mom of a kindergartner, but more than that. . .I'm a proud mom of an amazing girl named Olivia Paige, who said she loves kindergarten!



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I Have A Kindergartner!

Olivia started kindergarten today.  I’m doing better than I thought I would.  Praying she has a wonderful day. . .wonderful enough that she’ll want to come back again and again. 

She was actually very excited to go and to ride the bus.


She even showed off some superhero poses.  She is my superhero.

And took some pictures of her own to remember her special day.

She took pictures of me because, well, I guess it’s kinda my special day too.  I have a kindergartner! LOL!

Here she is waiting at the bus top.  We followed in the van to make sure she got settled in okay. 

No tears getting on the school bus which was huge!! Olivia didn’t even cry either. LOL!  I was so proud of her. 

And here she is in her classroom.  Right after this picture is when the tears started. . .my sweet girl.  The teacher came right over to her and seemed to do a great job of getting her engaged in something. We watched from the hall a bit and she wasn’t crying when we left.  Please pray for Olivia as she begins this new, important endeavor. 

BIG Day, BIG Girl

Tomorrow is the BIG day! My 1 lb 1.5 oz miracle starts kindergarten. My baby Abigail also turns 9 months old tomorrow and my niece turns 6 years old. BIG day. Praying for a very successful, amazing first day that will set the tone for the entire year. What a BIG girl she has become!





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Letters

So, this is one reason I could never homeschool like some of you do so wonderfully.

We are brushing up on some skills before kindergarten. I have laminated letter cards and just wanted to double check to make sure Olivia knows all of her upper and lower case letters. It's a fight to get her to sit still and work on them. Then, when she does. . .she won't tell me the letters. For example, we get to J and she says:

Olivia: Its best friend is K. It's the first letter in mommy's name.

Me: And the letter is?

Olivia: P, M, R??

Or she will say a wrong letter and tell me that was her teddy bear's guess and not hers. Or she is pretending that she's two and doesn't know them. I'm pretty sure she knows them all, but I just want her to say the letter.




Then, I catch her putting them all in alphabetical order perfectly. She's got it. She just likes to keep me on my toes I guess.

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Fun filled Saturday

Olivia went to a friend's birthday party today and it was like a preschool reunion. Kinda sad that most of them went off to different kindergartens.







Olivia and Sage together again. They are so sweet.



Afterwards, Olivia and I went swimming at the Y. Trying to have a fun filled last weekend of summer!!

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Summer Is Almost Over

Thanks for all those who have sent me words of encouragement. LOL! And lots of prayers for Tuesday would be great. We are just enjoying the last few lazy days of summer.









In exciting news. . . Olivia weighed 31.5 lbs on her 5th birthday last August. In May she finally made it to 32 lbs. Since starting feeding therapy and starting on an appetite stimulant, she has made it over 33 lbs. Woohoo! The other day she ate 1.5 grilled cheese sandwiches and two yogurts! My goal is to get her back on her growth curve even if it is in the 1%. LOL!

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Dear Teachers

Olivia has her Meet The Teacher tonight. I'm hoping the year ahead is a very positive one. I've seen those articles lately about the things every teacher wants a parent to know. My degree is in elementary education, so I somewhat understand things from a teacher's point of view. I'm just now understanding what it's like from a parent's point of view. These are some examples of things that I, as a parent, want my children's teachers to know.

1. My child is the most special child in the world. The challenge of every teacher should be to make every student in his or her class to feel that way.

2. We, as parents, are here to work with you to make our child's year successful. We know their strengths and their challenges more than anyone. Utilize those parents who are willing to help. Be open and honest with us.

3. Every child has their own unique strengths. Don't dwell on what they struggle with, but on what makes them unique. Those strengths will help them accomplish those things that are more difficult.

4. It's hard to begin a new year for the teachers, students AND the parents ( as I'm learning.) I have the same anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach that I did as a child!! Please make us all feel welcomed.

5. Love my child, nurture them, teach them and become one of those teachers that they will never forget!



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Growing Up

This morning we discovered that Olivia has a loose tooth. She was so upset. . .poor thing was sobbing!




"But, I don't wanna lose my little baby teeth! They are so cute and they are all friends!"

Broke my heart.

I think she is the only kid in the world who doesn't want to lose her teeth.

Loose tooth today, kindergarten next week. . .I'm gonna be the one sobbing!!

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Monday, August 12, 2012

Oh Abigail. Man. So, I had to password protect my iPhone because of her crazy shenanigans. Today she added a contact to my phone.




Yeah, I don't ever check my voicemail, but that's a post for another time (and it's better to text me!)

Later she changed this same picture to my profile picture on Facebook.

If my phone is anywhere in the room (or in my purse even) she will find it. It's like an obsession! So, I added a password that you have to use to get into my phone. Someone mentioned, though, that if you type in the wrong numbers too many times, it will lock you out. She would totally do that. LOL! She is gonna be the next Steve Jobs! Haha! Boy, she is her daddy's girl.

Anyway, I thought this picture was cute. We were reading one of Olivia's books that has her picture in it. I realized that Abigail was in the same pajamas as Olivia in the picture.




Speaking of clothes, look at this! No leggings. No tshirt. Woah.




We are working on wearing a wider variety of clothes and picking outfits out the night before. I have also started massaging her arms and legs after her baths and using a body brush and learning about the Wilbarger protocol. Just grasping for straws here and reading all I can about SPD, but she responded very positively to it!

Here is also a great article that I found about SPD.

http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/05/10/11-more-tips-for-dressing-your-sensory-sensitive-child/

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Growing growing growing

Abigail is trying really hard to crawl. But it seems every time she does, she goes backwards and gets farther away from her toy! But she can roll very accurately. And, yep, she has two teeth now.


She isn't pulling up on her own yet, but she is standing supported. She worked for probably 10 min to get those stickers off though. And was so mad that they didn't come off. She focuses on stuff a lot longer than Olivia ever did. Yep, I think she'll be daddy's little computer programmer.



We joked that Olivia could never do that line of work because she is too "flighty." Olivia overheard and told us she is still going to be a butterfly. LOL! So, flighty is good to have in that profession I suppose.


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The Not So Many Styles of Olivia

Olivia has a closet full of clothes that she won't wear. Every day she wears Capri leggings and a short sleeved shirt. I started a sticker chart as an incentive for her to branch out and wear something new. Yeah. . .not as easy as it sounds.

According to Olivia:

Pants cannot be loose at all. Leggings or jeggings only. No jeans or shorts or skirts or sweats.

Prefers capris, but if they are long leggings they must be worn with socks. They can't touch her bare ankles. And not just any socks! No bumps on the toes. Must be seamless socks which are hard to find!

Shirts must be smooth, nothing like silly zebras in tutus or cats in sequined glasses.




Sleeves cannot be long or sleeveless. Winter is always fun.
Shirts cannot be too long as they must not touch her ankles when she sits on her knees.

No dresses, obviously.

So when you see my daughter in the same things over and over again, don't judge. It is harder than you think to dress this girl!! Thank goodness for Old Navy's pajamas. They are all she wears to bed!




And, you know, you can make it a game. Next time you go shopping, look at each outfit and ask yourself, "Is this Olivia approved?" Chances are, if it doesn't look like this, it is not.




I guess I should mention, no one criticized her clothes or anything like that. Don't worry. :-) I just get frustrated about all the unworn clothes. Good thing there is Abigail, right? And at least after 6 years I have figured her out.

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Abigail's Turn

This girl warms my heart so much. It's interesting the things that I can do with her that I could never have done with Olivia. Abigail will be presenting me with a whole new set of challenges, however. For instance, she can already unscrew the jar of Cetaphil lotion ( I unfortunately discovered today.) Her superb fine motor skills, concentration and determination are gonna get her into trouble, I can tell. LOL! I had to warn Olivia not to leave a half eaten Milky Way within reach. Yep, found her with a chocolate face earlier. I'm gonna have to put safety latches on all the cabinets. Never did that with Olivia.




We got some new guppies this week for our fish tank and Abigail loves sitting and watching the fish. So relaxing.




She also discovered Olivia's baby Butterscotch and is in love!




And, say it with me. . . Awwwww. Gotta love bedtime stories with daddy.




Logan definitely had a hand in choosing just the right addition to our family. She is such a blessing.

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Smarty Pants

Maybe all kids are funny, but Olivia cracks me up every single day!! She has to be one of the funniest kids I know.

The other morning, the first thing out of her mouth was:

Mom, I have a bone tail which is kinda silly because I don't have a tail!

Yep, but it's called a tailbone. :-)

She was so angry that her birthday napkins came with Grumpy Bear colored purple. She said," Everyone knows that Grumpy Bear is blue!" I had to show her the picture online to prove he was blue when I ordered him. LOL!




Today, out of the blue, she said, "I just feel so bad for Pluto." ( I was thinking Mickey's dog, but then she continued.) They told him he could no longer be a planet because he was too small and I just don't think that's very nice! The questions that followed made my head spin.

How big is Pluto?

How big is earth?

How far away is Pluto?

Are there other dwarf planets?

Man, I should have paid a lot more attention in science class. Thank goodness for Google!! So blessed with this super smart girl!

Yep, she's my smarty pants!


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