The Long Arms

Olivia had me laughing so hard today. I was making my grocery list when she ran through the house yelling,"The long arms are coming! The long arms are coming!" LOL! So, I played along and we hid under the table because it was the only safe place to be apparently. When Abigail woke up, she had to hide under there too.



You can tell Abigail is wondering what her loony sister is up to. LOL! We seriously played it all afternoon and I'm exhausted. In the story we all got really old really fast. I asked Olivia how old we were and she said,"Really old! 41+!" The "plus" is what had me laughing so hard.

Anyway, she drew a picture of the long arms. They are green and I think they are from The Little Mermaid because we watched that this morning. I think they are the green arms that take Ariel's voice. Haha!

Speaking of The Little Mermaid, Olivia doesn't want to ever get married unless she meets Prince Eric. Then, she might reconsider. Keep those expectations high sweet girl! You deserve the best! And bless her heart, each time she watches it, she thinks he just might kiss Ariel by the end of the third day.



Yep, I have too extremely silly little girls!

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Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my amazing husband of almost 10 years! I know his fatherhood journey hasn't been the easiest, but I know he wouldn't trade his children for anything in the world!





Happy Father's Day to my dad who has always taught me that you can never go wrong by doing right. I could not have been blessed with a better dad!


Happy Father's Day to my father-in-law who I'm so lucky to have!


I am so lucky (and my children are so lucky) to have three such great men in our lives! Thank you for all that you do!

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Olivia and Abigail’s Pictures

I picked up the girls’ pictures today from their JC Penney photo session.  They are so very cute!

My new favorite picture of Abigail

My new favorite (and one of my all time favorite) pictures of Olivia

This one Olivia picked out to hang in her room.

This one I got in a canvas wrap.  It is beautiful!!

Haha! And this last one is for you, Shelley!

Anyway, we were very pleased with them. . .especially with the cost.  People spend hundreds of dollars on pictures!  We also received a CD of all the pictures that we can print or do with as we please. 

Feeling Much Better

Olivia is feeling so much better today. Her only complaint is that her eyes are really itchy and she can't rub them. She is eating and playing normally.



Olivia was so excited about a visit/play date from her best friend, Madison. It really raised her spirits and we love the sign!!
Thanks guys!


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Recovering

Well, they told us that she would sleep all day. I figured that's what a "normal" child would do, so Olivia would probably sleep for an hour. But, nope, she has slept all day and has only been up to eat two Popsicles and make me laugh. Her sense of humor always seems to shine through.

Olivia: Mom, do I smell? Smell me!!

Me: Huh?

Olivia: When Tobey ( our cat ) had surgery, he smelled different and Kelsey hissed at him. What if I smell different and she doesn't know I'm Olivia.

Kelsey: Purr, purr, snuggle.

Olivia then smiles and goes back to sleep.

--------------

Olivia's top three favorite things to do are drink chocolate milk, eat Pirate's Booty cheese puffs and watch a show on Netflix. She's on a clear liquid diet and her eyes are still puffy and blurry so she can't open them. She was quite upset about not being able to do any of those things.



So, she ate a Popsicle and listened to one of her shows.

She is now back asleep, but not before she muttered," I want my normal self back. I miss my normal self!!"

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Eye Muscle Surgery

We are now home from Olivia's eye muscle/strabismus surgery. This surgery tightens the muscles in her eyes and helps them work better together. Surgery isn't always 100% successful as this is her 2nd surgery (her first was at 1 year old.) When she gets a bit older, if not corrected, she could develop double vision and headaches among other complications.

Anyway, it's been rough on her. Bloody tears and lots of dry heaving/vomiting. She has been sleeping peacefully since we got home. Praying it will only improve from here!



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In Surgery

Olivia is currently back in surgery for her eyes. She did so well and didn't cry until right when they took her back and away from mom and dad.



Baby Ally even got a gown and she got to go back with her.



Daddy told her lots of stories beforehand.



And she colored lots of pictures. We had to wait quite awhile. Check in was at 9:30 am and they finally took her back around 11 am. Surgery should take around an hour. I'll keep you updated!

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Tuesday, June 11, 2013:

We went to Exploration Place today with Shelley and Izzy. The girls had so much fun. Abigail was such a good, good baby. She just sat in her stroller looking at everything. Olivia begs me on a daily basis to go play at the castle.




We even caught a quick science show.




And said hello to the dinosaurs.










And the big news of the day:

Abigail can now sit up unassisted! She was so proud of herself!



I'm trying really hard to keep Olivia's mind off of her upcoming surgery. She had a great day with her cousin, so I think it's working!


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Feeding Evaluation

Olivia had her feeding evaluation today.  It was about an hour long and Abigail sat in her stroller the entire time and played with her rattle.  Did not make a peep!  The lady who did the evaluation said she had never seen a better behaved baby. LOL!  As long as she doesn’t expect her to act like that every time. 

The therapist worked with Olivia a bit and then talked with me. Olivia really liked her, which is a huge plus and makes our lives easier.  We will be meeting twice a week with her.  She thinks Olivia does have some sensory difficulties, but also some underlying digestive issues.  The past few months, Olivia has started this new thing with swallowing air and making her tummy growl.  It gives her awful, awful gas.  Seriously. . .embarrassing, loud, smelly gas.  We don’t know why she is doing it or even what she is doing exactly.  The therapist is going to talk with Olivia’s pediatrician, but we will most likely be referred to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for further testing.  Finally, though, someone is acting aggressively.  Olivia has barely gained 1/2 lb within the past year, which nobody is happy about.  Again, I’ve been concerned about it her entire life when no one else was.  She was never tube fed after leaving the NICU, so everyone just seemed to dismiss her and not identify her as someone needing help.  It is so so frustrating!!  It is also so hard because Olivia is the kind of child who is very anxious about any kind of procedure or test or surgery.  Poor girl has eye surgery on Thursday and then all of this to deal with.  Not to mention she is very anxious about kindergarten.  We could just really really really use some prayers.  I just want her to gain weight and I have no idea anymore how to help her.  I have stressed over it for almost 6 years now with NO assistance.  Needless to say, I’m ready for some help and for some answers.  I will keep you updated. 

So Big!

Vacation was wonderful, but it was so wonderful to see my baby's smiling face again!!



And because she didn't get to go on vacation with us, we picked her up a little something:



She is such a cutie patootie!



She loves to sit up and eat big girl food. She has even mastered the sippy cup! She loves to take nice big sips of water! Abigail is just growing up before my eyes.




Tomorrow is Olivia's feeding evaluation. Wish us luck as I hope they have some helpful advice for us. I'm really interested in food chaining and trying to incorporate new food and textures into her diet. I just want her to be healthy and happy.

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Worlds Of Fun Vacation

Ryan and I have not been on a vacation together since before Olivia and Logan were born. Olivia has never stayed in a hotel. Needless to say, we really needed a getaway. At first I wasn't sure about leaving Abigail for 3 days, but I'm glad we didn't take her along. She wouldn't have enjoyed it and Olivia needed the undivided attention. And I needed the full nights of sleep! ;-)

It wasn't a big vacation, just a trip to Kansas City. We enjoyed shopping at Crown Center the first day.

Day One












You've probably noticed this pink monster popping up in pictures. Olivia found it at a toy store and fell in love. His name is Squeaky and he's a puppet who squeaks when you open and close his mouth. She loves him!! She also loves our hotel. In fact, she told me that she wants to move Abigail and our pets ( 3 cats, a hamster and a fish) here in this one bedroom hotel room. LOL! Makes you wonder about how much we need all that other "stuff" in life. Olivia probably would be just as happy in a hotel room. And it's not even a fancy one.

Day Two

The next morning we woke up and went to Worlds Of Fun. We just picked a date out of the air months ago and could not have picked a better day. The weather was in the mid 70s with light and variable wind. Gorgeous!












Olivia loves riding rides. She has always loved the vestibular input that it gives her. She was, however, a little bored with the kid rides at Planet Snoopy, but too small to ride the big thrill rides. We found a lot, however, in between such as the Octopus ( her favorite ) the Scrambler, Sea Dragon, etc. She was tall enough to ride those with an adult. Another favorite of hers was one in which you spin around stuck to the wall and the floor drops down. It, however, gave me a heart attack! She flipped over onto her tummy halfway through and started sliding down the wall. I couldn't do much but hold onto her hand because I was stuck to the wall. The floor only drops down a foot or so, but it was terrifying. Needless to say, I wouldn't take her on it again. THAT didn't terrify her, but escalators do. LOL!

Olivia has THE most infectious laugh. She has the best laugh out of anyone I know. And when she really gets to laughing. . .it is just one of the best sounds in the world! And she has laughed so much in the past few days. Oh how it has done my heart good!

After 7 hours at Worlds Of Fun, we got back to the hotel and Olivia was jumping on the bed asking when we were going to go swimming in the hotel pool. I really must figure out her secret to lasting energy!

Day Three

We slept in until about 9 am and it was hard for Olivia to say good-bye to our hotel. We stopped by to see Ryan's best friend and family ( who also have 2 girls.) It was a great visit! We ended with a trip to the Oak Park mall in Overland Park. Olivia preferred the Lego Store to the American Girl store. So, while daddy and her shopped for Legos, I shopped for my niece ( who had mouth surgery on Friday) all by myself.
:-( Maybe someday Abigail will go there with me. And THEN I found a new store I had never heard of called:




Oh my goodness!! I had never seen such adorable clothes! I picked out clothes for the girls to wear for family pictures. I am both excited and terrified that I discovered this store!!

Thank you to grandma and grandpa Glunt for watching our precious, precious baby Abigail while we were gone. We all really needed this vacation. It's definitely one that we'll remember for years to come! Olivia isn't ready to go home ( which is both a good and bad thing.) But who ever really is?

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Sleep Where Art Thou

So, I am so tired. For the past two weeks I have been reliving the newborn stage or something. Teeth+shots+tummy discomfort+5 year old girl who doesn't want to sleep alone=one really tired mama. I literally got no sleep last night. It was almost comical. Except it wasn't. I'd get Abigail back to bed at 1 and she'd wake back up at 1:17. Then back to sleep at 2, wake up at 2:38. All night long. Finally got her back to sleep at 6 am and Olivia wakes up crying, so I let her get in bed with us, close my eyes and Abigail is crying. And this is with Tylenol!! Thanks to my husband who got up to feed her before work so I could get an hour of sleep!

And this is how tired I am. I was plugging my iPhone charger in around 1 am. It has these prongs that fold in. Well, whenever I try to plug it in, the prongs collapse so I thought I'd just hold them open while I plugged it in. That wasn't smart and I gave myself a good jolt. My mind is so fuzzy I'm electrocuting myself. But maybe a good shock is what I need to be re-energized. Good grief!

So, consider yourself warned. I am tired and extremely cranky. :) And if I'm wearing different colored shoes or my shirt is on backwards or I have the milk in the cupboard, you'll know why.

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Six month Checkup

Abigail had her 6 month checkup/vaccinations today. She has such a hard time with them for a few days afterwards. Poor thing. Olivia was such a great big sister. . .wanting to know how many shots she had to have and holding her hand through it all.

Abigail's stats:


I can't tell you how nice it is not to fight for every ounce. What a weight off my shoulders! No issues with weight or development!

Olivia did insist on buying her a toy this evening because she had to have all those shots today. She knows just what Abigail will like.



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Park Fun

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The Funny Things Olivia Says

'A Startling Discovery'

Olivia: So, you are 35.  How old is daddy?

Me: He's 33.

Olivia: Oh. . .wait!  35 is more than 33.  YOU are older than DADDY?

Me: 'Fraid so.

'A Tell About'

The other night at about midnight when Olivia couldn't sleep, she asked me to tell her about when she was 3 years old.

Me: It's too late to tell stories right now.  Mommy is really tired.

Olivia: This isn't a story, it's just a 'tell about.'

'Please Don't Spit'

The other day while getting their pictures taken, Olivia and Abigail were laying on the floor.  The photographer was making all kinds of funny noises to get Abigail to laugh and Olivia kindly asked," Could you please stop spitting on me?" I was so embarrassed, but she asked her very nicely. 

'Dusty'

Yes, Olivia has a new pet dust bunny named Dusty.  And she refuses to throw it away. Only Olivia.

And last but not least. . .wow, do I even mention it on here? Hmmm. . .

The other morning Olivia was frustrated with her hair and threatened to cut it all off.  When faced with the possibility that people might think she's a boy, she just shrugged and said," Nah, I still have a high voice and a bagina."

Needless to say, it's impossible not to laugh every single day with this girl around!

Pictures

Yesterday I had the girls' pictures taken at JC Penneys.  I was really impressed and thought they turned out really cute and the girls were super good! I think we are going to go back and get family pictures taken next month.

Just copy and paste the following into your address bar to view the pictures.
 

https://viewimages.jcpportraits.com/sharealbum/sharealbumlist?rndId=AwMBAgVGWw%3D%3D&uId=BQYICAJOWA%3D%3D

Love You Forever

Olivia’s favorite book right now is Love You Forever.  We read it multiple times daily and every night before bed.  I’m sure many of you know it.

We’ve owned this book since she was a baby and have read it in the past.  Honestly, we kind of made fun of it because it creeped us out when the mom snuck into her grown son’s room to rock him.  LOL!  But, Olivia has really connected with it and it provides exactly the reassurance that she needs right now.

She has had so many questions lately about growing up and people getting old.  Olivia was afraid that if she grew up I would no longer be her mommy.  She never wants to leave her pink room or move away or grow up. I’ve tried really hard to provide her the reassurance that she needs right now. I tell her, “Yes, you can live with us in your pink room with your toys for as long as you want” knowing that someday she won’t want to anymore. And most importantly I will:

Love her forever, like her for always and as long as I’m living my baby she’ll be.

That’s exactly what she wants and needs to hear right now. 

Olivia's Preschool Program

Here is Olivia's Spring Program. They provided each student with a copy of it.  You won't be able to miss Olivia.  Not only is she front and center, but she yells out 'Mama!" after every song and waves.  LOL! Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/bj7BKpu6bSE

Favorite Ages

You know those days when it seems your child grew up overnight? Abigail has just seemed so grown up to me lately. Her new favorite thing to do is ride around in her pink car. She squeals with delight!




I'm LOVING her age right now. Very interactive and fun, but not yet getting into everything. LOL! And she is just so sweet!



And I'm loving Olivia's age right now too. We have so much fun together. She has always been such high energy that I always felt I had to constantly get on her. I had to always have a hold of her hand or she would just take off running. She doesn't really do that anymore. In fact, she goes grocery shopping with me every Sunday. She gets her own kid shopping cart and puts her stuff in her cart. She doesn't run with it or bump into things anymore. No tantrums about wanting toys. She even puts her stuff on the conveyor belt to check out. So grown up. We have such a lovely time. So, 6 months and 5 1/2 years old. . .how did I manage having both kids be at my favorite ages? LOL!

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