Twins

Lately I've been feeling like I live with twins. For those of you who've had toddlers, you probably remember the stage where their language is really developing, and they like to say the same thing over and over again in a very enthusiastic tone. That's the stage the Olivia is in. If she sees her ball while she's eating, she'll say ball over and over again until you acknowledge her, and sometimes keeps going even after you've repeated the word ball. For some strange reason Yale has been in this same stage ever since I met him. He loves to repeat the same word or phrase very loudly, especially while working in the kitchen. I know, some of you are thinking, I should just be happy that he works in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate it, but I also like a few minutes of peace and quiet now and then, and with Yale and Olivia around it is a rare event. The other night Yale was yelling "Dere's Faish in da oven" over and over again. He didn't stop until I started imitating him to demonstrate the ridiculousness of it all. One would think that pointing this out would make him stop or at least cut down. Instead, he thought it was hilarious and now begs me to shout, "Dere's faish in da oven."

Big Sister Boot Camp

It's finally official (well, as official as it can get at this point), it looks like Olivia is going to get a little sister in about 6 weeks. We had a third ultrasound, and the doctor was able to get a good look to determine the gender. It also looks like this baby is going to be on the bigger side, just like Olivia (8 or more pounds). We are planning on another c-section the week of April 17th. The doctor says that based on the complications with Olivia (basically, she got stuck), it would be best to just plan on a c-section. I would love to have the baby with a normal delivery, but I really don't want to have to try to recover from both pushing and surgery. I've been encouraging Olivia to play with her baby doll, Tallulah, that we got her for Christmas. I see this as the closest thing I can do to prepare her for when the baby comes. I bought some infant diapers the other day, so we had to put one on her doll. Then in true toddler spirit, she had to do this over and over and over again. Olivia has been carrying her doll around, rocking her, and giving her lots of hugs. It's kind of funny to watch her be so tender with her doll and then grab her by the head and purposefully fling her to the floor. What really cracks me up is when she first sees Tallulah, she makes this kind of cooing, whimpering sound. It kind of sounds like she saying, "Oh, you sweet little baby." I'm not sure where she got that from, but it sure is funny. Yale and I have decided that Olivia has an exceptionally high EQ (emotional quotient). Of course this doesn't come from informed insights, just from overly proud parents who think their kid is exceptional. I don't know if many toddlers are like this, but she seems particularly caring and considerate. The other day Yale laid on the floor with a pillow. Olivia decided that he needed some help to get comfortable so she handed him her bunny. Then she went all the way upstairs to her room and got him one of her books to read. It was really sweet. She also does things to take care of me. She washes my face, rubs lotion on me, and combs my hair. She is very generous, and always wants to share her food and toys with us, with the cats, and with her stuffed animals. Don't get me wrong, she definitely has her stubborn moments. In fact, we are certain she has entered that "Terrific Twos" stage (better known as the terrible twos, but we trying to stay positive). However, overall it does seem like she is unusually caring. We just hope that carries over to her soon-to-be little sister.

Oh, the Snap is a Phone? That Makes Sense!

Oli's speech has really taken off lately. It seems she is adding a couple of new words to her vocabulary each day. At the moment she seems to be working on words that end with the /k/ sound, such as walk, truck, bike, clock and yuck. Now, not all of the blends (like /tr/) are pronounced clearly, but she's close enough for us to understand her. New items that Olivia has used as a phone: one of the snaps on her onesie that goes between her legs (while she had it on, but it wasn't yet snapped), the buckle at the end of the strap on her highchair, a page of a fold-out book that she tore out, and one of those large plastic connectable beads that have been around for decades. Olivia and I got some serious mom and daughter bonding in last week while Yale was in Switzerland for work. Now, Olivia and I normally spend a lot of time together, but this was pretty nonstop. Thank goodness for Susan who gave me some breaks and watched Liv while I subbed a couple of days. We also spent a couple of days at my sister's house. Her family helps out with Olivia a great deal, so that was also a nice repreive. Liv seemed to really miss Yale. A couple of times we looked at pictures of him just to calm her down. I'm sure it's confusing for a kid her age when a parent is gone for an extended period of time.