Sometimes Life Gets In The Way...In a Good Way

Summertime!

2011-06-22T13:52:00.000-04:00

Since yesterday was the first official day of summer (although here in Florida it has felt like summer for months now), I would actually hop on here and do a summertime post!

So, just how will we spending these blistering hot days of summer you might ask? Well, indoors, shuffling from activities and by the pool as much as possible of course!

Let's start with summer activities. Here is what our schedule looks like: Monday mornings from 10:00-10:30 are swimming lessons for our little fish. I can't say enough just how much Olivia LOVES the water! She started swimming lessons at the ripe old age of 6 months when we did the parent/child class at the YMCA. We did that until Livy was almost 2, which is when she transitioned to a class with other kids and no mommy in the water with her. To say she wasn't a fan is a HUGE understatement! We decided to take a bit of a hiatus from lessons and picked them back up when she was almost 3. When we went back it was a polar opposite reaction. She LOVED it. I think it helps that her swimming teacher Miss Charlotte is as fantastic as they come. Our little fish has made quite a bit of progress over the last few months and is so close to being called a swimmer. In addition to swimming lessons on Monday's, we try to spend lots of time at the pool and at the local splash park!

Wednesday evenings bring on the sport of the summer: Cheerleading! This is another activity that Olivia loves. Once again, it is through the YMCA (can you tell we spent lots of time there between activities and working out?). This works out well for Livy since she loves to be loud and jump around. Her first game to cheer for is on Friday and I cannot wait to see her!

Friday is a busy day. It starts with an hour of ballet for our princess. Livy started taking dance when she was barely 2 and has loved every second of it. Her teacher is amazing and Livy talks about Miss Jennifer all week. At least for the summer Friday nights will be spent at the Y cheerleading.

So there you have it. Those are just a few things we will doing this summer. In addition, we plan to spend lots of time outside riding bikes, blowing bubbles, and playing in the water.

How are you guys spending your summer?

My little hula hoop master!

2011-05-04T22:34:00.000-04:00

This year the Easter Bunny brought Olivia a hula hoop! She was so excited when she saw it. She picked it right up and started wiggling her little hips. She was so determined, and by that night she could do it! By the next Sunday she was a master!!

My 3 year old wants what?!

2011-03-19T12:24:00.000-04:00

Anyone with young children knows that conversations with them can be interesting to say the least! Olivia is no exception to this.

First, I should give a bit of background info. We have 2 nieces and a nephew who live in the same city as us, so we usually see them a few times a week. The oldest of the three is our 12 year old niece Reesie. She has loved Olivia since the day we brought her home from the hospital. Reesie and Olivia have always had an amazing bond, despite the 9 year age difference. Most weekends Reesie can be found at our house hanging out and playing with Olivia. To say Reesie is Olivia's idol would be an understatement!

Olivia wants to do everything Reesie does. I mean everything! Reesie plays soccer. Olivia begged to play soccer, and now she does. (Reesie is even the coaches helper on Livy's team). Reesie wears the crazy colored mismatched socks. Olivia now wears the crazy socks. Reesie has cute headbands. Olivia is the proud owner of the same cute headbands. So, you get the picture. If Reesie does it or has it, Olivia wants to do it or have it as well.

The other day Olivia and I were relaxing on the couch and Olivia proceeds to tell me that she want big boobies so she can wear a bra like Reesie! Apparently Olivia had been shopping with my sister-in-law and they happened to buy Reesie some bras, so that is when Olivia decided that she needed bigger boobies so she can be like Reesie! Not so fast young lady! I still want my little girl for a while longer! No boobies yet!

I know, I know... (Hangs head in shame)...

2011-03-19T01:09:00.001-04:00

Wow, no posts since September...TOTALLY PATHETIC!!!

I know I sound like the boy who cried wolf, but I really mean it this time, I'm getting back into my blog! I have new motivation: I am desperate to attend next year's Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration! I have been following all of my Disney friends Tweeting about it for the past 2 days, and I am so jealous that we are not there! It is an amazing, family friendly conference that not only has amazing social media content, but it takes place at DISNEY WORLD!!! I have been such a slacker with this blog and Twitter for the last few months, I am determined to fix that!

So, what have we been up to since September?

*I now have 3 year old little princess!!! I still can't believe Olivia is 3 already! She is doing amazingly well! You would honestly never know she was a 32 week preemie!

*We have taken 2 Disney trips and just renewed our AP's for another amazing year of fun!! Our December trip was beyond amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed every single second together, and we so sad to leave after that week! Olivia was turned into a beautiful princess at the Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique!

*Olivia had her first ballet recital in December! It was so stinking cute!!!! She is still doing ballet and loving every second of it! She has another recital next month, and one in June.

*In addition to ballet, Olivia is now in swimming classes and just started playing soccer. Toby is coaching her soccer team, and I am the team mom. It is an awesome family activity for us!

*In February we took another trip to Disney (a quick 5 days) and renewed our APs so we have another year of magical fun to look forward to! On this trip we also tried a new hotel (Port Orleans Riverside-which we LOVED), and Olivia was painfully close to the magical 40 inch mark to ride the "big girl" rides as she calls them! I think she will make it soon (hopefully before our trip next month)!

That pretty much gets you up to date here! I will leave you with the promise to keep up with my poor old blog, and a few pictures of Olivia.

73 Days!

2010-09-23T12:09:00.000-04:00

For any of you that know me, you will know exactly what 73 days is referring to....our next trip to Disney World of course!! Since we started our coutdown at 108 days, 73 seems like it's getting pretty close! We have our countdown on Olivia's door and each night she pulls one of the Mickey heads off the door.

As most of you know, this trip is to celebrate our princesses 3rd birthday! This trip is a bit of a splurge trip for us, but we wanted to make an extra week for Olivia. Here is a quick recap for those of your just joining this journey:

Who: Myself (Erin), my wonderful hubby (Toby) and our princess Olivia

What: Olivia's 3rd Birthday trip!

When: December 5-10

Where: Disney's Pop Century Resort

Why: To celebrate of course!!

We have some amazing thing planned for this trip that I am beyond excited about:

*We are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan for the first time this trip! Disney has some wonderful restaurants to splurge on and enjoy! Here are our selections:

~Yak & Yeti (Lunch)

~California Grill (dinner)

~Kona Cafe (Tonga Toast here we come)

~Crystal Palace (lunch)

~1900 Park Fare (dinner with Cinderella!)

~Hollywood & Vine (lunch)

~Garden Grill (dinner)

~Cape May Cafe (breakfast)

~LeCellier (lunch-I'm dying to try the cheddar cheese soup & pretzel bread!)

~Ohana (dinner)

~Ohana (breakfast)

~Teppan Edo (dinner)

~Chef Mickey's (we love this place!)

~Planet Hollywood (I can't stand it, but it is Toby's only request)

*We are also taking Olivia to the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique!!! She is super excited about this and I simply cannot wait to see her face after her transformation into Cinderella!!!

*I am over the moon excited to be able to spend some time in the World during the holidays! I love Christmas and everything that goes with it! I made sure to schedule lots of meals in the resorts so we can experience all of their amazing holiday decor!

There you have it. A quick recap of what our upcoming trip has in store for us! I will be sure to add more details in as we get closer to our departure date, but if you want to read the nitty gritty, feel free to join in my PTR (pre trip report) over on the DIS!

So, who else has a magical vacation in the works?

Got the Monday blues? We don't!

2010-09-20T11:54:00.003-04:00

Well, once again, it's Monday. The most dreaded day of the week for most people. In our house Monday is actually a great day! With my husbands work schedule, his days off are Sunday and Monday. Sunday is beyond busy for us. I work in our church nursery from about 8:30-1:00. After church we head to my sister-in-laws in-laws (confusing I know) for brunch which is absolutely delicious! Once we have stuffed our bellies beyond full, we head home so Olivia can get in an afternoon nap, before she and I head back to the church nursery from about 5:30-8:30 for evening service. Whew, I'm exhausted just typing that!

So, on to Monday. They are the total opposite from Sunday! As I type, Olivia and Toby are in our bedroom watching the Lion King together and I am watching the noon news in the living room. Our plans for the day include a whole lot of nothing! No running around. No work to head to. No nothing! I might sneak in a load of laundry and I know I will have to clean up the kitchen, but other than that, we just enjoy our Monday's as it's our only day that we have to ourselves!

I think this post has been long enough! I'm off to make some lunch and then enjoy a movie with my hubby while Olivia naps!

In Mickey's Hands

2010-09-14T11:28:00.002-04:00

I did it. I submitted my application to the Moms Panel yesterday afternoon and now there is nothing I can do but wait and hope I have advanced to the second round.

This year the questions were pretty much the polar opposite of those asked last year. To me, they were much more fact-based and it was more difficult to show creativity. Of course the 100 word limit was pretty tough for a talked like me! Here are the questions:

1.) A) When was your last vacation to Walt Disney World® with your family? B) Do you work in an industry that is in competition, would benefit from being associated with the Walt Disney World® Moms Panel or be in conflict with Disney’s family friendly brand? If yes, please explain. C) True or False - World Showcase is a collection of pavilions representing 14 countries that border the 5 miles surrounding World Showcase Lagoon.

2.)In 100 words or less, explain when and how you helped a non-family member plan their first trip toWalt Disney World® Resort.

3.)In 100 words or less, tell us about what resources you use to find and share interesting park facts and vacation planning tips with others.

I feel pretty confident in my answers, but who knows? There are literally thousands of hopefuls just as qualified as myself, who want this amazing opportunity just as much as I do. For right now, all we can do is wait and hope for lots of Pixie Dust!

Good luck to all of my fellow applicants, I wish there were enough spaces for all of us!

The yuck is here...

2010-09-12T17:50:00.002-04:00

Ughh, I guess it must be September, the yuck has returned to our house. Yep the visitor we seem to have every September made it's unwelcome appearance early last week and has very much overstayed it's (un)welcome. What is the yuck I speak of? It is the sinus, upper respiratory, throat junk that feels as though it deserves a Florida vacation every September.

It all started last Tuesday. The day seemed to begin normal, but when Olivia woke up from her nap she had a fever, chesty cough and a charming snot covered face. Ughh. I went in action right away. Give Olivia Tylenol. Check Slather her in Vicks rub. Check. Clean/scrape crusty snot off Livy's poor face. Check. Tuck her in on the couch with a Disney movie of her choosing (Mulan). Check. Over the next few days we repeated this routine multiple times a day, all with hopes of have my princess c0ugh and snot free by Saturday since we had ticket to go see Disney on Ice. By Friday night my little lady was back to her old, happy, snot free self!! Yeah! Victory for mom! Yuck has been defeated!

Saturday morning. Victory for yuck, mom defeated. What you may be asking? Olivia was fine Friday night, what could have happened? No worries, Olivia was still happy and snot free. Apparently, yuck felt as though I was left out. Now to be clear, I was not feeling upset at all by being "left out" of the sickness all week. The complete opposite was true as a matter of fact! I was miserable!! I felt like an elephant was sitting on my face. My sinuses were horribly stuffy and I was totally unable to breath out of my nose.

We were supposed to leave at 5:00 to head for the show. That meant I had about 10 hours to make a miraculous recovery. Yeah right. I did my very best. I took cold medicine, slathered myself in Vicks, relaxed on the couch, and even managed to nap a bit. 5:00 rolled around and I was feeling a little bit better, not bad enough to miss the show. Maybe I was trying to prove a point to yuck that I couldn't keep me down.

We ended up going and having a great time even though I felt like my head was in a vice the whole time. I came right home, took some lovely meds and went off to dreamland.

Today is a new day and I am feeling marginally better, still no where near perfect, but better. I think when the yuck has really left us, I will be posting no trespassing signs and writing a strongly worded letter to whom it may concern about yuck and it's belief that it must return every September.

It's Mom's Panel time again!

2010-09-03T13:34:00.002-04:00

To most people the beginning of September means the start of another school year, or the coming of fall. To myself, and thousands of other moms and dads, it means that it is almost time for the search for the new group of panelists for the Disney World Mom's Panel. That day this year is Monday September 13th.

What is the Mom's Panel you ask? It is an online forum on the Disney World website that allows guests to ask any question they have about the WDW resort. Not sure which deluxe resort to choose? Ask the Mom's Panel. Which character meal is the best for a Goofy lover? Ask the Mom's Panel. Not sure when you can catch a performance of Fantasmic! during your trip? Ask the Mom's Panel.

Who are these Mom's? Well, let me first say that the name "Mom's Panel" is a bit misleading. There are in fact Dad's on the panel! In addition to the Dad's, there are even grandmothers! Each and every one of them was selected based on their love and knowledge of all things Disney.

How are the lucky folks selected you ask? Each September for the past 3 years, Disney has held an online application process. The first phase is 3 essay questions that let the selection committee know who you are, why you love Disney and why you think you would be an essential member of the panel. If you are lucky enough to pass this phase, you get to answer another set of essay questions that are a bit more in depth and (from what I understand) focus more on your specialties and other characteristics of why you would be an awesome panelist. The third and final round is the ever so daunting phone interview! Yep, the people who you have been writing to actually exist! A week or two after the phone interviews (in October or November) the lucky new Mom's and Dad's are informed of their selection and they are in heaven (or at least I am assuming they are)!!

So there you go. Sounds easy right? NOT! This will be my second year applying and I have not yet made it past the first round. Last year when I answered, I took forever and really thought about it and probably totally over analyzed each little word. After talking to some current and past panel members, I think this year I am just going to write from the heart and really be myself, after all, that is what they are looking for.

I should also say that I have made some great online friends throughout this whole process! These are people who are now my friends on Facebook and Twitter as well as buddies on the DIS boards! I have also gotten to meet some of them in person recently at the Mickey Mom's Club Illuminations party held at Epcot a few weeks ago! *The Mickey Mom's Club-MMC is sort of like a consolation prize for not making the actual Mom's Panel. If you apply to the panel and don't make it, you are automatically part of the MMC. There is a special newsletter, and many different opportunities throughout the year.

I cannot say enough how much I would love to be a part of this amazing panel! I have loved all things Disney since my first visit when I was 4 years old and my grandparents took me. I started converting my husband to a Disney lover when we took our first trip together when I was 4 months pregnant with Olivia. Although he says he is not a fan, his eyes light up as soon as we get there and he is just as sad as me when we leave. Olivia has had no choice but to be a Disney lover, she was born into it! From her first visit at the age of 15 months to the most recent trip a couple of weeks ago she has loved every single second. I start planning our next trip to the World even before our current one has finished and get great joy from helping others plan theirs! Making this panel would be an incredible honor and I would be so proud to say that I am a member of the Walt Disney World Mom's Panel!

Hooray for Poop!

2010-08-30T15:43:00.004-04:00

Yep, I said it. Hooray for poop! I'm sure any mom of a potty training toddler will totally understand my excitement over poop. I have my fingers crossed, I'm knocking on wood, I'm hoping and praying as I type this; but I think Olivia may FINALLY be totally potty trained!!!!

Let me go back in time for a little while...

I bought a very nondescript white potty seat when Olivia was about 18 months old, in May of 2009. She had been showing an interest in sitting on the potty, and I was trying to understand what was so great about not being able to poop or pee whenever and wherever you wanted. I didn't want to push the potty training issue right away and end up burning her out before she had ever pushed something out! She would voluntarily sit on and and pretty much just hang out for a few minutes at a time. At this time I was secretly hoping she would be a potty trained prodigy and overnight be done with diapers and doing all her business on the potty. Well, needless to say, those dreams quickly went out the door!

Over the next 6 months or so, I just let her go sit on the potty when she needed, made sure she saw that the other little girls at church used the potty, and that Mommy made good use of the lovely porcelain chair in the bathroom. Flash forward to November 2009. Olivia was now 2 years old and I thought it was time to get serious with the potty training. Well, Mommy failed with this one. With the crazy time of year and millions of places to go and things to do, it was just too hard to devote at least one whole week at home to focus solely on potty training.

February 2010. No more excuses. Potty training WAS going to happen in our house! I won't lie. The first week was rough. Olivia really didn't want to give up the pure joy of peeing at will. I was getting frustrated that she was being stubborn. Not a happy week. Zero peeing on the potty occurred. Poop. That's a topic I don't even want to discuss (but lucky [or unlucky] for you, I will...in a bit). I will not give up. I will not give up. I will not give up. Week 2. I am thinking that there was some sort of divine intervention going on while Olivia slept that Sunday night. She woke up Monday morning and I asked the ritual question of the past week, "Do you want to go potty?". To my shock and amazement, her response was YES! I could have rivaled any professional sprinter on that short trip to the bathroom. I fumbled to pull off Olivia's jammies and diaper, sat her on the potty.......and she went!!!! WOO HOO! She had used the toilet for something other than a reading chair! I was ecstatic. I hugged and kissed her, danced around the bathroom like a fool, fed her about 10 M&Ms at 7:30am and pretty much acted like a big dork. Olivia was loving the attention (or was it the candy?) and wanted to call anyone her little brain knew. You may not believe it (actually, I still don't know if I do), but that was it! She went potty all day (as long I reminded her about every 30 minutes) and had NO accidents!!!! I guess what they say is true: when a child is ready to be potty trained, they will be. I couldn't believe just how lucky we were.

Over the next few months things were breezing along. By May, Olivia was in panties full time (except for nap and night time) and we were having limited accidents. Outings in public. No problem. Day trip to Disney World, not even a little dribble. Notice anything missing? Come on....you can do it. Yep, poop.

Let's go back in time again. Olivia has never, and I mean NEVER had a normal poop in her life. When she was in the NICU, they found a problem with her intestines. She had an air bubble that caused some issues, including her not being able to eat for over a week, while they let her intestines rest. That problem cleared up and was in the past. Fast forward to November of 2008, right around Olivia's first birthday. We discovered she was lactose intolerant. She had become TERRIBLY constipated and miserable. We put her on lactose free milk and avoided dairy products like the plague. Have you ever tried to cut dairy totally out of a 1 year old's diet? No macaroni and cheese. No yogurt. No nothing. I should also mention that lactose free milk runs about $3.75 a half gallon around here. Our pediatrician wanted to cut all dairy out for 6 months and they slowly try and reintroduce it. Soon enough the 6 months was up and we began to slowly add dairy back in. I noticed right away that the constipation came back and Olivia was in tears every time she needed to poop. We cut the dairy back out. Happy Olivia returned! We tried again to add dairy back in a few months after Olivia turned 2-during potty training. She seemed to handle it OK for a little while, but then our arch enemy constipation returned. At this point our pediatrician recommended that we start Olivia on some fiber gummies and 1/2 tsp of MiraLax daily. This combination was our miracle cure! Olivia was eating dairy, although it was semi limited quantities, and pooping DAILY, albeit in a diaper that I put on at nap time each day. Olivia broke into tears at the mere mention of pooping on the potty. Ughh.

Last week I decided that I would give her no choice but to use the toilet. After a weekend at Disney (and no afternoon naps, which meant no pooping), we were forced to give her a laxative enema so she could go. I was mean, horrible, terrible mommy and held her little body on the potty until she pooped. The event was filled with screaming, and tears (from Olivia, not me). As soon as she went, I danced around the bathroom, hugged and kissed Olivia and pretty much told her that she could have whatever she wanted since she had gone on the potty. What did she want? She wanted to watch the Incredibles. Move on to Wednesday. We were at church where I work in the nursery on Sunday's and Wednesday nights and she started the dance I was all too familiar with: the stick the hiney up and out poop prance. I calmly put her on the potty and went back to feeding the baby. After about five minutes the tears started. I went to check on her, and to my surprise, she had pooped!!!! WOO HOO! Maybe we were there?

Saturday August 28, 2010. This day will go down in history. I knew Olivia had to poop. She was doing the "Poop Prance" again. I sat her on the potty at 9:10am. At 1:00pm she pooped!!! yep, nearly 4 hours on the potty! I couldn't believe just how stubborn she was being. My mom had come over and tried to talk her into pooping. Nope, Gumma, it's not going to happen. Nice try though. I knew we had made progress with the two previous poops, so I was willing to be mean mommy because I knew it was for her own good. After those 4 hours of teary, whiney torture, Olivia was SO proud of herself! She happily flushed the toilet and said "Bye, bye poopies!".

Sunday. The war had begun again. It was about 8:00 when I knew she had to go. To the potty we went......for an hour and a half. No poop was to happen this night. 9:30 is bedtime, so this round was won by poop. Monday. Rise and shine, not let's poop! I think by this time both Olivia and her poop knew that mean mommy would win the battle so they gave in. Today it only took about 30 minutes!!!! There were only a couple of tears shed! Once again, Olivia was beyond excited and bid her "poops" farewell. So, are we there yet (in potty terms of course)? I don't know, but something in my head says we are. After nap today when I suggested pooping she skipped to the bathroom, hopped up and within 2 minutes, and zero tears she had gone!

Sorry, for the incredibly L O N G post, but I had to share my excitement with someone!

Now the score in our house definitely has Olivia in the lead and I will do everything in my power to keep her there!

I know, I know....I'm the worst blogger EVER!

2010-08-03T15:55:00.002-04:00

Why does it seem that every single post is me apologizing for not blogging? This time I have hit an all time low...it's been 4 months! So what is my excuse this time....Disney....I will admit it, I am OBSESSED with all things Disney! Even though our trip is still 4 months away,I have been obsessively planning every aspect since I booked the trip in March. Here are the basics for you:

*We are staying at the Pop Century resort from Sunday December 5-Friday December 10. We were planning on staying a day or two longer, but Olivia has a ballet recital on the 11th, and that is also when the big Christmas show starts at church.

*We are splurging for the trip and are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan! We have some amazing restaurants booked and most of them are new ones that we have been wanting to try!

*Olivia is going to be a Princess!!!! She has an appointment booked at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!!! I think this is what I am most looking forward to! Olivia knows she is going here and EVERY SINGLE day she jumps up and down telling me she is SO EXCITED to be a princess like Cinderella!

So what else have we been up to? We took our first family trip to Sea World! Toby had never been to Sea World so that is what Olivia got him for Father's Day! It was a fantastic day, although it was pretty darn hot! As we were leaving, Olivia asked if we could go to Disney too and asked daddy "pretty please"! Of course, he caved and we went to Downtown Disney for dinner and some shopping! We had a great day and can't wait to go back to Sea World(but not until the temperature is down quite a bit)! Other than that,we have just been enjoying our summer!

Sorry for the short update. I'm trying to finish the laundry, clean the house and make dinner before Olivia wakes up from her nap! I promise I'll be back soon though!!

Wow...It's been 2 months!!!

2010-04-06T20:45:00.002-04:00

Holy Cow! I cannot believe that it has been a little over 2 months since I have posted anything! That is just pathetic!! In my defense, part of my problem was that we didn't have a working computer in the house! Thankfully that issue has been fixed and I am the proud owner of an amazing eMachines computer with a huge screen that works like a charm, as well as my new baby, an iPod Touch that my awesome hubby gave me for Valentines Day! Now that I am totally back in the online universe I can get back in my blog that I have missed lately!

So, what has been going on with us?

My best friend and her family have moved back here to Florida from Georgia! She has a daughter who is 2 years older than Olivia and, thankfully they get along very well, so we have been spending LOTS of time together lately!
We took another trip to Disney a few weeks ago (yes ANOTHER one)! It was just a quick trip, we left on Saturday and came back home Monday night, but it was once again amazing! I love getting to go and see new things through Olivia's eyes. She is enjoying each trip more and more as well. Hands down, my favorite part of this trip was that Olivia is now FINALLY tall enough to ride Goofy's Barnstormer!!! Olivia loved it, but daddy was not a fan! Another first this trip was that we finally took her on the Teacups. This ride is by far my least favorite! I cannot do spinning rides anymore! Olivia wasn't too sure about this one either-she didn't cry, but she also did not want to ride it again!
We booked Olivia's birthday trip!!!! I am SO excited about this one! We will be going for a full week for this trip! I decided to stay at Pop because Olivia really liked it for our mini trip last month and that way there is more money to spend on fun stuff...like the Boutique and breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table!!! I will post more details about this trip as it gets closer (we are not leaving until December 5th).
Olivia has started ballet classes and swimming lessons without me in the water with her! She is in love with ballet (and looks pretty darn cute in her leotard and tutu if I do say so myself) and dances around the house constantly! Swimming on the other hand is not on the top of her list! We did the Mommy and Me swimming lessons for about a year, so I think she is mad that I am not in the water with her, so sometimes she gets pretty upset! We are making progress though, and I am hopeful she will be a full fledged fish soon!
We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Saturday was the egg hunt at church. Sunday the Easter Bunny came for Olivia and left a ridiculous basket FULL and hid lots of eggs, I made brunch for everyone then we went to my mom's for dinner. Let's just say that by the end of the day I never wanted to eat again!
I have also become a HUGE coupon fan!! It was starting to get a bit harder to get all the bills paid and still have enough of a cushion, so I threw myself into the coupon world. It has amazed me just how much I can save on items I would normally buy! We now have HUGE stockpiles of almost everything you can imagine, the cabinets are begging forgiveness, and we almost have to tape the freezer closed! On a recent trip, I spent $59.00 and saved $175.00!!! I have also brought our monthly grocery bill for the 3 of us down to about $150 (including diapers and personal items)! It does take a bit of time to clip the coupons (I buy multiple papers, and print tons from various online sites), and longer trips to the store, but it is SO worth it in the end!

I think that catches us up for now! I can't wait to keep the updates coming now that I am back in the world of technology!

Sometimes life gets in the way...In a good way!

2010-01-26T11:22:00.003-05:00

Well, I have already broke my New Years resolution of updating my blog at least 3 times a week...What can I say, sometimes life gets in the way!

Things have been pretty good here! We took an amazing (but freezing) trip to Disney for Toby's birthday. This has honestly been one of my favorite trips! Olivia loved every minute of it as usual, but this time she really knew who all the characters were and was a total ham with them! I think in general the cold/rainy weather kept people away, which was totally fine with us! I am of course now starting to plan our "big" trip for the year for Olivia's birthday! This year she will be 3, so I am definitely planning on taking her to the Boutique for a princess makeover!

We have started potty training full time now! I am so excited and will be jumping for joy when we are finally done buying diapers!

One of my other new obsessions is saving money and couponing and rebating! It is SO addictive! My goal on each shopping trip is to save more money than I spend. I usually do this, unless it is a trip that I need to buy diapers or other necessary, but expensive items. We are saving so much money doing this, that it really does make it easier for me to continue to stay home with Olivia, which is important to all of us. It does take more time and planning to shop, but it honestly is worth it! My sister-in-law and I often shop together and make a bit of a game about it as well as calling each other multiple times a day to update good deals or coupons we find online.

Other than that, there really isn't too much going on around here, we are just enjoying our time together and watching Olivia grow up before our eyes!

Happy Birthday to my hubby...now let's go see Mickey!

2010-01-08T09:37:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to get a quick post up before we leave this afternoon....for DISNEY!!! Today is my hubby's birthday (the big 24) and his request (though he will never admit it) was to go to Disney for a long weekend! I was of course more than happy to oblige! Our plan for this trip, is pretty much not to have one (totally opposite of my usual, super planned trips I know). All that we know is that we will be at MK Saturday night for Spectromagic and Wishes, and at DHS on Sunday night for Fantasmic. We are also going to try and so some new things and tour a few resorts so we can plan future trips. I am so excited for this trip, just some nice (cold-did I mention the highs are in the 30s and 40s?) family time!

I'm off to finish cleaning the house and packing!

From the mouth's of Babes....

2010-01-05T08:43:00.003-05:00

Since we have another upcoming Disney trip (we leave on Friday actually!!!!), Olivia and I were sitting down discussing all of the characters we would see. We had gone through her favorites (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto and Chip). Since she is now more into the princess' we moved on to naming them. This is how the rest of the conversation went:

Me: "Cinderella"
Olivia: "Rella"

Me: "Belle"
Olivia: "Beww"

Me: "Aurora"
Olivia: "Rora"

Me: "Snow White"
Olivia: "Ho White"

Yep, she called a beautiful princess Ho White! After telling this story to a few friends, one of them said "well, she did live with 7 guys"!

Sometimes when Olivia is making me go crazy I just have to sit back and think of the things she does that make me crack up, and now this is definitely one of those things!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T14:52:00.003-05:00

Well, I know I haven't been on in a while (I could blame it on a myriad of things, but let's just say that my blog got pushed to the back burner for a while).

One of my resolutions this year is to really keep up with this blog and update at least 3 times week (as long as my computer is working [I will be getting a new one next month!]).
A quick bit of updating:

It's been so long since I updated that I now have a 2 year old!!! Olivia had a great birthday in a Minnie theme of course (complete with an AMAZING cake made by my mom).
Our holiday season was quite nice. It was pretty low key. Olivia was in her first Christmas show this year! She sang in the pre-k choir to open the Living Christmas Tree show at church, as well as being in the first 3 scenes with her "stage parents". I was a bit nervous how she would act during it all, but she was great (and the cutest kid in the show in my opinion)!
I have become addicted to couponing websites and saving as much money as I can! Toby is even impressed that most of our grocery store trips result in saving more than spending! It is my goal this year to save more than spend on at least 75% of shopping trips...we'll see how it goes!
Toby's birthday is on Friday and he decided (much to my amazement and excitement) to go to Disney World for the weekend so that has been consuming much of my time this past week.

I think that sums up (quite quickly) the past few months! I am looking forward to this new year and everything it has to bring!

Weekend Recap

2009-10-12T10:52:00.003-04:00

It was quite the busy weekend around here.

I should start by saying that last Tuesday (at about 11:00pm) our washer decided that that spin cycle was an optional thing. I went to removed the load of my DH's work clothes (which he so conveniently needed to be washed around 10pm) and..... they were swimming. *I should also mention that our washer decided to do the exact same thing, exactly 1 year ago.* Having no choice (and while saying quite a few "choice" words), I became a human water-extracting machine. After 30 minutes of wringing out 6 shirts, and 6 pairs of pants by hand, I now had to empty the pool of water from the washer....by hand of course. Did I forget to mention that I was now the proud owner of 3 blisters (how did the women in the olden times do it?)? By the time I finished the chore, it was after midnight and I was not a happy camper.

With that story told, fast forward to Saturday. Wake up extra early to go to church for 7:30 (yes 7:30AM!!) mass. Some of my grandmother's coworkers purchase the mass in my great grandmothers name ( she passed away about 7 months ago at the age of 100), so I felt obliged to attend. After mass I headed to dear old moms house to tackle the MOUNTAIN of laundry. I started at about 9:30 and 12 (yes 12) loads later I was finished and headed home around 6:00. I was exhausted and ready for bed by this time, but dinner had to be made, laundry had to be put away, and the house needed to be picked up a bit before I could hit the sack.

Sunday was just as busy. For some reason, Olivia decided to wake up at 4:15 (yes, 4:15AM) and play/talk to herself until 6:15! She finally went back to sleep but in no time it was the usual 7:15 wake up to get ready to work at church from 8:30-12:30. Right after work it was off to brunch at my sister in law's mother in law's (confusing I know...). We went right to work getting things ready for my nieces upcoming, Halloween themed birthday party. Organizing an ENTIRE ROOM of Halloween stuff-check. Decorating the backyard-check. Decorate the front yard-check. Find costumes for DH and myself-check. Finish Olivia's costume-check. After all that, it was back to work at church for evening service. So what did I do at church you ask? Decorate our room for fall of course! After work, I headed home, gave Olivia a bath, put her to bed, took a nice hot shower and curled up with a book!

Now I am sitting here for a nice, calm, laid back week (and a repaired washer). I am also hoping to hear one way or another about the Mom's Panel....the waiting is killing me!!! Hoping everyone has a great week!

Here's a sneak peek at Olivia's costume...100% custom made!:

Back to Disney!!!

2009-10-04T20:54:00.003-04:00

As the title indicates....WE ARE GOING BACK TO DISNEY!!! It just for a quick day trip, but a trip is a trip! Our niece turns 11 tomorrow so we are surprising her for a day at the park of her choice.

The plan is to call her right after she gets up to say Happy Birthday, and then casually ask if she would like to go to Disney for the day! I love doing surprise trips, and cannot wait until Olivia is old enough for me to surprise! I am secretly hoping she will choose DHS because when I go with my hubby he will not ride the good rides: Tower of Terror, RnRC... and she has never been there before so I think she will have a blast! It really will be her choice though...not like any Disney park is bad-it is all a win win situation!

Now the crummy part: I have been waiting almost a month to hear about making it to the next round of the Mom's Panel...and everyone seems to think that tomorrow will be the day the emails will be sent out! I will definitely be going crazy without being able to check my email and the Disboards until we get home tomorrow night!!!!!! I will be crossing my fingers all day, hoping for good news...what would be a better way to top off a Disney day?!

I'm off to finish up some last minute bag packing and then hitting the sack and hoping for a few hours sleep!

2009-10-02T08:35:00.004-04:00

Well, we got back from the most amazing Disney trip yet, late Tuesday night and I am still exhausted!!!! Olivia was AMAZINGLY well behaved and only had one very minor meltdown (if you can even call it that), and she was so into everything we did! I will post a full trip report in the next few days (as soon as I finish unpacking everything.....)!

In other news (yes I know it is hard to believe that there is news in my life that is not related to Disney), Olivia had a follow up appointment at the doctor on Wednesday to make sure her, ear infections, strep throat, sinus infection and bronchitis cleared up after the course of antibiotics. Well, the left ear is still "horribly infected" (to quote the doctor), so she put Olivia on a stronger antibiotic (which of course gives her horrible diarrhea) and says if it isn't cleared up at her two week follow up we will have to start talking about tubes. Ughh. After everything we went through with Olivia being a preemie, I don't know how I will handle a surgery... Then after the surgery talk, she asks what kind of pets we have at home. None. Well then she is allergic to something because her eyes have shiners, she is a bit wheezy, and her nose is a combination of runny and stuffy all at the same time. So now she is also on an allergy medicine. Ughh. On the positive side, the allergy meds seem to be working b/c she is not wheezy and her nose is much better. I am crossing my fingers, toes (and anything else I can cross) that the ear infection will clear up so we don't have to do surgery!

Here is a quick pic from Disney....TONS more to come!

Off to spend some time with THE Mouse...Mickey of course!

2009-09-25T10:38:00.003-04:00

Well, after months of anal planning and week of packing and repacking, we finally leave for Disney today!!!!!

All the suitcases are packed, food items packed neatly in our handy dandy reusable bags and Olivia is dressed in a Minnie shirt and feeling 100% after being super sick last week.

Now all I have to do is wait for Toby to get home from work...hopefully it's a short day for him!

I am SO excited to go and see Olivia's face when she sees her Minnie and Mickey, or when we spin like mad on the teacups (my LEAST favorite ride by far-darn motion sickness!)...I just can't wait!

I'm off for a quick lunch with my mom so Olivia can say bye to her Guma, and then we are (hopefully) off to the World!

A tale of summers past...

2009-09-19T09:35:00.005-04:00

Summer has definitely (and obviously) changed since my college days and becoming a mom. As much as I LOVE being a mom, sometimes I wish I could go back to those carefree summers full of traveling and fun.

I would always take the first session of summer classes so I could get them out of the way and get on to the fun stuff: I spent at least 4 weeks every summer volunteering at camps for kids with Type 1 diabetes.

It all started when I was diagnosed with Type 1 when I was 11. It was August of 1993 and I had lost about 20 pounds in the last 2.5 weeks of summer camp, I was drinking literally gallons of water a day and using the bathroom every 15-20 minutes. My mom knew there was something wrong, so off to the doctor it was. After about 30 seconds he told me I had diabetes and off to the hospital for a week it was. I was totally miserable and in the "why me" phase for a few weeks until I realized that it could be worse-I could have cancer or something that was much worse.

The following spring I was invited to spend a week at our state diabetes camp. I was super excited to be able to spend a week away from mom, and be with other kids who knew exactly what I was feeling. I had an awesome week, and was looking forward to going back. Unfortunately, I wasn't ever able to go back. My brother and I ended up having to spend the whole summer (every summer until I was about 16) in Wisconsin with our dad, so camp was out.

I had always had fond memories of the week I spent at camp that summer, so while looking for volunteer opportunities during my freshman year of college, it occurred to me that I should look into camps. The first one I looked into was of course Florida camp since that is the one I had attended. I also knew some people who volunteered at Camp Kudzu in Georgia, so I sent in my paperwork to them as well.

After a few weeks of phone calls and emails, I was all set to go. I was doing 3 weeks of Florida camp and 1 week of Camp Kudzu. For Florida I was doing the Pee-Wee camp for kids ages 5-8, and 2 of the older kids sessions (for ages 11-14). At Kudzu I was only doing a week, but working with the 8-9 year olds.

That was the best summer of my life! Spending 24 hours a day with the girls was awesome! We did more activities than I could count, and had more fun that I thought was possible. Even though as counselors we only got about 4 hours of sleep a night, I was never tired (until I got home and slept for 20 hours straight)! Seeing camp from the counselor perspective was much different than I imagined. I never knew how much time and effort the counselors put in to making camp so amazing and making sure the campers didn't feel different or that diabetes was running their life.

After that summer, I decided that I would spend my summer volunteering for as long as possible. I did my camps all through college and for the next 3 years after I graduated. Then, in the summer of 2007 I was pregnant with Olivia so my camp days were over. That summer was pretty hard knowing exactly when camp sessions were going on and I was stuck at home. I know that I will definitely go back as soon as Olivia is old enough to go with me (probably when she is 5 and I can go back to Pee-Wee camp). Until then, every now and then during the summer I pull out old scrapbooks and pour over my hundreds of pictures and even dig out the book (yes BOOK-43 pages), I wrote as a college class project that documented just one week of the best summers of my life....

Is it wrong.....

2009-09-18T15:42:00.002-04:00

That the extremely nice worker in the bakery knows Olivia by name and gets excited when we come in (almost daily) to do some shopping and Olivia gets her free cookie?
That when doing the dishes and I come across the ones my husband has not rinsed off (and are now terribly crusty with grossness), I leave them in the sink and wash the rest?
That I take any money found while doing laundry?
That I have let Olivia eat nothing buy orange sherbet and strawberry milk since Monday-yes she is sick & has strep, but still, is it wrong?
That I may have a not so nice "name" for a coworker.....at church!?
That I anally alphabetize all DVD's in the house (that is after categorized them into kids, Toby's wrestling DVD's and general) and get upset when (everyday) Olivia pulls them off the various shelves?
That sometimes I actually find it funny when Toby, makes, umm, "man" noises?

ONE week!!!...and Olivia is sick!

2009-09-18T10:17:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe that I can now say we are leaving for 1 week for Disney!!! Poor Olivia has lost her play area in her room b/c it has been taken over by our suitcases, so now to get back at me she destroys the living room at least 5 times a day! Each day the stack of Disney stuff grows larger and larger. I made my way to the outlet mall today and popped in the Disney Character outlet store there to see if I could come by anything that we "really needed" for the trip. I found Olivia cute little Mickey necklace, a new shirt with the whole gang on it and a pair of PJ's..and my grand total was: $5.26! Gotta love the sales! I did online check-in right at our 10 day mark, so I am hoping to just pop in and out and head right over to Epcot and get the fun started!

Now to the yucky stuff. Poor Olivia is SICK!!! It all started Sunday night when she had a runny nose. I figured it was just because her 2 year molars are getting ready to come in, and she always gets a runny nose with teeth. We were at my mom's house watching the Packers crush the Bears, and she was running around with the dogs not acting sick at all. I took her to the doctor first thing Wednesday morning because she wasn't getting any better-just worse. Verdict from the doctor: double ear infection (one of the worst that she has seen), sinus infection, strep throat (that explains why she only wanted to ear orange sherbet and strawberry milk), and bronchitis!!! The doc said it was this bad because Olivia was such a preemie, her immune system functions at much less than normal (which we have known since she was about 3 months old and they did TONS of tests on her). So we left the office with 2 antibiotic prescriptions, orders to do her nebulizer 3x a day and let her eat whatever she wants until she feels better (even if it is only orange sherbet and strawberry milk).

Two days later, Olivia is feeling much better (except for the fact that now the lovely, antibiotic induced diarrhea has begun)! She has been really good at taking all the meds, and has FINALLY shown an interest in eating "real" food. The doc assured us that she was 99% sure Olivia would be good to go when it is time to head to see The Mouse! Yeah!!!

Mickey's and Minnie's and Disney, Oh my!

2009-09-15T15:24:00.007-04:00

Well, here we are, just 10 days from our Disney vacation!!!! I am unbelievably excited!!!! This trip has been in the works literally since the day we got back from our last "big" trip in February! I am now officially in "Ican'twaitI'mgoingcrazy"mode! My poor husband sure does put up with a lot when it comes to my guilty pleasure. I am now spending most/all of my free time going over our plans, rechecking ADR's, obsessively checking Disney related websites multiple times a day, etc..... I really don't think he understands that all the time and effort I put into our Disney trips is (in part) what makes them so amazing!

I have starting packing. Well, you can't really call it packing. After doing all the laundry last weekend, I pulled out all of Olivia's Disney related clothing and tossed it into her suitcase. When I made one of my (almost daily) trips to Target, I bought a pack of diapers, some Goldfish, and a new stroller fan, and tossed all that in Olivia's suitcase as well. On a shopping trip to Kohl's, I was checking out the clearance rack and came across an adorable pink sundress with the Disney princesses on it! The best part....I only paid $1.80 for the $28.00 dress!!!! By far, my favorite thing that I packed for Olivia is the Minnie dress I made her!! It took me weeks to get the dress just right (and even now, it is nowhere near perfect, but it will work), and my sister-in-law made some adorable Minnie bows to match, and Olivia has cute black Crocs w/ Minnie on them so she will look adorable (if I do say so myself)!

My other Disney "news" is that this year I applied for the Disney World Mom's Panel. This is something I heard about last September (about a week after the application period had ended). This is an AWESOME, online question and answer panel made up of 15 mom's and 1 dad who answer just about any question a person could have about WDW. All someone has to do is email the question, and one of the Mom's/Dad answers it. I am so passionate about Disney and everything it has to offer, I thought I would give it a try and apply! The process seemed easy enough: answer 3 questions.....in 100 words or less!!!!! For those of you who know me, I am quite the talker, so getting my answers into 100 words was quite a challenge!

Last Thursday, I got up when Olivia did, fed her breakfast, then put Dumbo in the DVD player to keep her occupied and out of my lap while I filled out the application. 9:00am came and the questions were posted:

1. In 100 words or less, please tell us about yourself and your family.

2. In 100 words or less, what makes you a Walt Disney World expert and what is your number one tip for families who are visiting the parks for the first time?

3. In 100 words or less, tell us about you. Do you have a special talent or expertise (e.g. write a blog, are a food or wine expert, speak a second language, travel internationally, etc)?

The first two questions were pretty easy, but that third one threw me for a loop! I ended up just writing from the heart, and came up with, what I think are, 3 pretty good answers. Now the waiting begins...I don't know how I will be able to stand it!!!.... Oh yeah, 3 trips to Disney in the next month and a half help!

Quick catch up!

2009-08-18T22:54:00.003-04:00

Well, since it has been over a month since I last posted, I figure I should post a quick update as to what we have been up to.

July seems to have just flown by! I can't even say we did much of anything, just enjoyed each other's company! I did celebrate my birthday on the 24th with my family and a YUMMY homemade banana cake from our resident cake expert-my mom, beautifully decorated of course! I got some nice new kitchen gadgets that I have had my eye on for a while! It is funny how things really do change as you get older. As a kid I was so excited to get a new bike, new doll or the coolest new toy out there. Now a collapsible, silicone, over the sink colander does it for me!

At the end of the month we took a girls only vacation! My mom, Olivia and I set out on the road for Georgia! My best friend and her daughter Abby and her mom (my mom's best friend) moved up to northern Georgia a few years ago, and we try to make it up there about once a year. This would be Olivia's first trip up there, so the long car ride would be interesting! We left on a Wednesday morning at about 7:00 and made it up there right around 5:00 that night. Olivia was totally amazing in the car!!! She looked at books, watched a few DVDs, played with her dolls and did lots of jibber jabbering! We had the best time those 5 days, and I hated to come back home! Olivia and Abby had a super time playing together, even though Abby is 2 years older, and Olivia still asks "where's Abby?" at least once a day. One of the highlights was being able to take Olivia to the Cabbage Patch hospital and see all of the babies (and of course buy her a few things too)! Other than that, we just hung out, shopped and relaxed...it was heavenly! I hated to leave, but it was easier knowing Karen and Abby were coming down to FL in October for some Disney fun!!!

After our vacation, it was back to life as usual. Our September Disney trip is getting closer by the day, so I am of course in full planning/getting excited mode-which I know is driving Toby totally nuts! I can't help it that I am totally obsessed with everything Disney, and spend lots of time checking out various Disney websites daily (well daily when my computer is working). Oh well...more on the Disney trip/Disney stuff next time!

Disney Obsessed...Bring on the madness!

2009-06-30T11:36:00.003-04:00

As I sit here and write about my Disney obsession, Olivia is walking around the house with Minnie ears on, a Minnie doll, and the contents of her clothes basket that contain "Mimmie".....

As most of you know, I am admittedly TOTALLY, COMPLETELY, 100% OBSESSED with Disney and anything to do with going there. I am in full planning mode now for our September trip to "the World"....

I actually started planning this trip THE DAY we got back from our February trip. This time we are staying at Pop Century. I have never stayed here myself, but have toured with friends. I have done so much research I have made some very specific requests: 70s building #6, ground floor, king bed, mini fridge and noted that I would like a late check-out. We are staying for 4 nights (that is all I could get Toby to agree to b/c he is unfortunately not as Disney obsessed as I am and did not want to spend his whole vacation at Disney). We got 4 day park hopper (PH) tickets (that we are going to upgrade to seasonal passes (SP) while we are there), and best of all the dining plan FOR FREE!

I have wanted the seasonal passes for a while now, but we just never had that much money laying around with no other purpose for it. I added the PH tickets since we are paying about $20 weekly for the trip they will be paid for in August, but we couldn't add the SP and pay as we go so we will just upgrade for a few bucks when we get there. We are planning to go back for the holidays to see all the decorations so the SP will work out well, plus we can go back pretty much whenever (except for the busiest time of year-but I don't want to go during the madness anyway)!

Disney has recently instituted the 90 day reservation window, meaning that 90 days from your arrival (and the first 10 days of your stay if you are staying on property) you can make all of your sit down dining Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) up to 90 days ahead of time. The ADR name is a bit deceiving to those who don't do their research. All an ADR means is that when you get there, you will be given priority over the walk-ins. This usually isn't an issue, and I have always found that we were seated quickly with not much of a wait. This also means that you have to plan where you will be and where you will want to eat more than 3 months before you get there! Well, I did do that planning! I started out getting the park hours to decided which park I mainly wanted to visit on which days and thought about where we would like to eat after that. After deciding where we were going to want to eat, we then made backup plans in case our first choices were not available (good thing too). The real madness began when I got up at 5:30am on Sunday morning to begin making reservations online at 6:00am...yes 6:00am! I wanted Teppan Edo (at EPCOT in Japan) (Dinner), Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Cape May Cafe (dinner), Planet Hollywood (lunch) and Whispering Canyon Cafe (dinner). Well, I didn't get exactly what I wanted. Teppan Edo was totally booked so I took Cape May instead. Chef Mickey's was totally booked so I took Cape May character breakfast instead. I did get Planet Hollywood exactly when I wanted, and then got Whispering Canyon (not at the time I wanted or the day, but I took it anyway. Chef Mickey's was the ONE reservation I really wanted!!!! I was on a new quest to get it one way or another. So I was calling the dining number and checking online multiple times a day, but with no luck. So I posted online to a Disney related chat board and a lovely lady didn't want her Chef Mickey, so I am now the lucky owner of a Chef Mickey's ADR for 9:50am on 9/27 (the day I wanted)!!!!

This is only the beginning of the madness for our trip, but I will leave it at this for now.....

2009-06-15T09:22:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a little while since I've posted so I thought I would give a quick update.
Olivia started back with swimming lessons last week. She has been doing them since she was about 6 months old, so in her mind she is an old pro and should be able to do it all on her own (did I mention she is pretty darn independent?). Her instructor thought she should be moved up to the 2 year old class since she has the hang of kicking and moving her arms (now if she could just stay above the water while doing both). She really is quite the little fish-she will even try to swim in the bathtub!
Last week Olivia also got another double ear infection/pink eye diagnosis. This is the 2 time in 3 months, so we are hoping this doesn't continue and lead to tubes. She was not acting like she didn't feel good at all. No fever, no ear pulling, just rubbing her eyes, and waking up with the lovely crusty eyes. The worst part is trying to put drops in her eyes 3 times a day....what a joke! Hopefully we will be over the ear/eye stuff for a LONG time!
I think that is about all going on for now...I will be posting about my new money making idea though....kids crafts/clothing/hair bows.....etc

Boobies!

2009-05-16T08:17:00.002-04:00

A few months ago Toby was sitting on the couch without a shirt on and Olivia climbed up onto the couch to be with her daddy. She was pointed to all kinds of things and as she pointed, Toby would name whatever it was (it was a cute little game they were playing). She started with pillow, couch, blanket, then moved on to leg, arm, head, eye, belly...etc, then she came to...nipple. Toby said nipple like it was nothing and then out of her little mouth, plain as day came "nipple". It was pretty darn funny and now she can clearly say nipple and point to her own (or anyone's for that matter).

About a month after that, she was playing the same game with me. We had named a few body parts and then came to booby. Once again, she repeated "booby". We of course thought this was oh so cute.....we were wrong....

Last week while I was shopping with Olivia, she was on a major booby kick and kept on poking my "booby" and (quite loudly) saying "booooby"! As if this wasn't bad enough, she was trying to lift up my shirt to really get my booby. After I got her to stop that we were ready to check out so we got in line and I picked her up. Now this is where it really went down hill. There was a um, well, larger-type man standing right behind us, so she pointed (well, pretty much touched) his "booby" and proudly yelled "ooh, booby, booby".

The poor man quickly turned about 3 shades of red, and left the line. I turned the same 3 shades of red and tried to apologize to no avail. We were both mortified, and Olivia was quite proud of herself for finding someone else with boobies!

A look back...

2009-05-12T11:39:00.005-04:00

I was just thinking how quickly time flies! My little baby is now 18 monts old! It is our "walk season". We started with the JDRF walk (which I have done almost annually since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just after my 11th birthday) in late April. This year we decided to do another walk that was just as near and dear to our hearts: the March of Dimes walk.

As most of you know, Olivia was born 8 weeks early. I was terribly sick, and was taken by ambulance a hospital an hour away from home that was better suited to take care of my needs. After being there less than 24 hours, my kidney's shut down and that is when they decided that it would be better for both Olivia and I that she be delivered immediately. Within a few hours I was prepped for a c-section since Olivia was breech. I remember being terrified, not caring about my own health, just thinking it was too early for Olivia to come. It was about 9:00pm when they came in to tell me that there was one woman ahead of me and then it was my turn. I told them that I would refuse the surgery until after midnight. You see, my grandpa, who was like my dad to me passed away on November 11, 1999, and if they waited until after midnight, Olivia would be born on November 11, 2007,and in my mind that would keep her safe because grandpa would be her guardian angel looking over her.

My wishes were granted and Olivia was born at 12:55am on November 11, 2007. The best thing was that she came out crying and breathing on her own. Toby was allowed to cut her cord and hold her hand while they were cleaning her off and examining her. She weighed in a 1820 grams (4lbs) and was 16 3/4 inches long. I was only allowed a quick peek before they took her to the NICU. They told Toby that he and my mom could come see her in about 2 hours, they just needed time to get her hooked up to anything she may need and thoroughly evaluate her. In that time, my insides were put back in, I was stapled closed, and taken to recovery.

Exactly 2 hours after her birth Toby and mom went to see her and took her first picture (since Toby forgot to bring the camera into the O.R.). Olivia was doing amazingly well. She was always able to breathe on her own, she was just on CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) to keep her lungs open and clear. When she was about 2 days old she became our little smurf after being put under the blue lights for jaundice. That lasted about 3 days. Then on Friday November 16, we were finally able to hold Olivia!!!Since this post is already getting long, I will try to wrap it up. After a few setbacks (heart murmer, an air bubble in her intestines, a minor infection, 2 spinal taps, and many xrays), Olivia was deemed healthy enough to come home on Monday December 5, 2007 after just 3.5 weeks in the NICU! She weighed 4lbs 8 ounces and was just a tiny little peanut, but we were SO happy to be able to bring her home. After I was released from the hospital a week after Olivia's birth, we made the hour long drive EVERY day to see our little princess, so to be able to bring her home and be able to see her whenever we wanted, and hold her with no tube connected was the most amazing feeling in the world.

We were told that since Olivia was 8 weeks early, we should expect her to be behind developmentally and be smaller than other kids until she is about 3 or so. Apparently Olivia did not hear when the doctors told us this because she is not behind on a single developmental skill! She was walking before her first birthday, and meeting every milestone a "normal" baby should. We could not feel more blessed.

Today she is 18 months old, 22lbs 7 ounces and 30in. We have started potty training, she talks a mile a minute, loves to read books, play outside, swim and she definitely has her daddy's appetite!

When we took her to one of my favorite places, Disney World, I just thought how lucky we were to even be able to take her. There are many babies born just as early and sadly don't make it. This is why we decided to walk for March of Dimes-for our little miracle, and hoping that someday all preemies, will have just as good chance at life as a baby born full term.

Hello, My name is: Erin

2009-05-12T11:11:00.000-04:00

Wow, me, blogging...that is the last thing I would ever do! Some of my friends seem to think that my seemingly boring life is interesting enough to blog about, so I thought I might amuse them for at least a little while (if for no other reason to prove to them that I really am not as exciting as they think I am). So we will see just how long this will last....anyone want to place bets?