me likey

first of all, i love this blog. let's just get that right out of the way. i hope i can muster up enough energy (courage???) to try about, oh, EVERYTHING she makes.

one of TDC's favorite tools is the silhouette cutter and omg i want one. you can make SO MUCH AWESOME STUFF.

and guess what? she's hosting a giveaway! i'm all over this... you should get up on it, too!

enter to win one (and if you win, i will die from jealousy).

and if you don't win, you'll still thank me for introducing you to thrifty decor chick. AWE. SOME.

more olivia

parent/teacher conferences were last week at olivia's school. i want to write this down so i don't forget (meaning so when i get around to FINALLY updating her baby book, i'll have this all in one place):

11/19/10 teacher comments:

olivia has given us such joy of the past months in our first steps classroom. it has been so much fun to watch her learn and watch her personality develop. olivia loves to help and tries to help wash the table , throw trash out or put toys away. she is always eager to try new sensory experiences, and her fine motor skills have really strengthened as she's enjoyed coloring with crayons and markers. she is growing into a very sweet, energetic toddler and we look forward to watching her master more new skills!

stuff she does:

• attempts new words (yeah, well, when you only have like four words, this is good)
• follows simple directions
• tries to sing
• waves and says bye-bye (she's just waving at this point. no bye-byes yet)
• points to named objects
• points to body parts (head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, belly, hands and feet)
• responds to "look" and "no" (um, what do you mean by RESPONDS? because when we say "no" she laughs and continues on her merry way. i guess that is a response.)
• puts simple puzzles together
• looks at pictures during story (girlfriend LOVES books. she will sit still for 10 books)
• shows hand preference (righty. boo.)
• builds block towers (and immediately smashes them with a fiendish laugh)
• enjoys new tactile experiences
• marks with crayon, marker or paintbrush
• responds to music (yeah, that's an understatement)
• marches and uses rhythm instruments
• sings along w/ adults (i have got to get this on video)
• recognizes loud and soft sounds (well until recently, it was only loud sounds, but i hope the tubes change this!)
• holds crayon/marker in fist
• eats with a spoon/fork (both)
• climbs (oh this is BRAND new... she can climb onto the couch. when will she escape from her crib? NEVER I HOPE)
• kneels
• kicks and rolls a ball (she loves balls. kicking is her fave. much to the delight of her soccer-obsessed father)
• stoops to pick up objects
• walks up and down stairs holding hands (i've never seen her walk downstairs even holding hands, but if school says she can, i will buy it)
• imitates adult actions (she copies our bedtime routing with her baby doll)
• carries and hugs doll or stuffed animal (baby and biggie, her pug, are the LOVES of her life. they get hugs, kisses, wrapped in blankies, naps, baths...)
• shows empathy (hugs crying friends)
• shows desire to help adults (loves to help clean up)
• recognizes animals (show me the dog, the pig, the cat, the duck)
• makes animal sounds (she can roar like a lion or dinosaur and moo so far. HEY I'M WORKING ON IT)
• plays with water
• smells flowers (this is new and SO FREAKIN CUTE)
• watches shadows
• attempts to put shoes on (and socks)
• pulls pants up (she TRIES)
• puts on hat (sometimes)
• feeds self
• throws trash away (if asked)
• knows own cubby (OMG, HOW ADORABLE IS THAT?)
• acknowledges new visitors in classroom (probably by crying and running for her teacher)
• finds self in mirro or picture

stuff she's NOT doing yet:

• speaks words clearly (there are a few)
• uses two word phrases (i guess signing "more, please" doesn't count)
• names items while pointing (are we seeing the trend here?)
• recognizes own artwork

smartie pants! or is it smarty?

lotsa stuff!

my poor little bean had tubes put in her ears yesterday. we had a rough morning and afternoon due to a pesky fever, but nothing a little motrin/tylenol couldn't wipe out. she's back to her old, crazy self today!


as is evidenced by the following photo. can i just say what a TROOPER my nephew is? he's nine and SO OVER going to see santa at the freaking mall, but he put up with it in an attempt to show olivia it was AWESOME AND COOL to get a picture with santa.

let's see how that all turned out:

she loved it. obvs. i can't stop laughing. over that OR this:

hunter had a little girlfriend (IN THIRD GRADE) and she broke up with him in the EVENT that justin beiber should show interest in her.

other cool things about olivia bean:

• she dances and points her finger
• she does the whole "i've got my eye on you" gesture with pointing to her eyes then your eyes and back again
• a new tooth! little jack-o-lantern
• has an "innocent" heart murmur. wtf? also, boo.
• says hi! bye! and ba-pa ba-pa (backpack! backpack!)
• keeps her shit together better for surgery than either of her parents.

second trimester!!!

hurrah! i'm officially, by all counts, in the second trimester. wow, i have to say, this pregnancy is going by a MILLION times faster than the bean's.

and to celebrate, blogger allowed me to upload a photo! enjoy my chubbeh belleh!

i have no idea if this is possible but...

i *think* i just felt the baby kick. CRAZYTOWN.

wow, regardless, i forgot how much i love this. i'm so f'ing lucky.


13w1d:

OK, well i WAS going to post a pic, but blogger is being a dick. oh well.

holiday card time!

we had olivia's photos taken a few weeks ago and i now have them in my hands... mwa, ha, haaaaaaaaaaa! which means, YAY! time to create our holiday card!! i had such a blast doing this last year (the quality was fantastic) and am excited to head back over to shutterfly for this year's designs!

have you SEEN the selection of holiday cards this year? i'm seriously giddy over these. i've already mocked up about ten different cards. it was SO difficult to choose; i can't wait to send out our favorite design!

and i'm hoping my sister-in-law hooks us up with another wall calendar at christmas... it's become a bit of a tradition and i love having them to look at throughout the year. i love seeing how olivia's grown over the past year.

and sigh... check out these christmas invitations... now if i can only find the time to host a party...

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

miss olivia has some things she'd like to share...

1. she's 16 months old!!! and freakin hilarious. she loves to gather objects in anything she can get her hands on... her halloween pumpkin, my LV clutch (which makes her daddy very nervous for her future taste in brands), shopping bags, shoe boxes... you name it, she's collecting.
2. she was baptised yesterday (and i cannot WAIT to show pictures. she was so adorable in her puffy white dress, i can't even take it. CANNOT!).
3. she's having surgery to put tubes in her ears in a couple of weeks. boo. but we think it's the best option at this point for her poor sweet ears.
4. she's going to be a big sister in may. ;)

olivia would like to introduce her little brother or sister, affectionately known as "carlos" (hello, hangover fans) due to arrive on may 18, 2011.  olivia is VERY excited.