Dancing Diva Drama Queen

I usually write my blog entries--in my head--after I go to bed. And that is why most of them don't get posted. By the time I have a few minutes to update the blog, I can't remember what I "wrote." There are so many things that have piled up that I feel overwhelmed at the prospect of catching up. So, I've been making notes this week as I think of things that I've wanted to share. Get ready for a barrage of the cute things Olivia is doing.

Monkey See

• Olivia loves to put a napkin in her lap at meal times. Never mind that the napkin is larger than her lap. She spreads it across her knees and looks so proud of herself.
• Also at the table, Olivia has begun to fold her arms and bow her head, waiting for the prayer.
• A couple weeks ago I saw Olivia open a cupboard, pull out an oven mitt, and put it on her hand. Then she walked over to the oven and tried to open the door. Fortunately, she can't open it yet. I've also been using the convection oven a lot, which is the top oven. She won't be able to reach it for a long time.
• Olivia gives Lamb E. Lulu drinks from her sippy cup and tastes of whatever she happens to be eating when Lamb E. is around.
• Lamb E. also gets her diaper changed several times a day. I hadn't noticed any signs of incontinence, but Olivia seems to think that sometimes Lamb E. needs a diaper. Lamb E. isn't quite ready for a size 4 diaper. It looks more like a body cast. I'm proud of myself that I've been able to keep track of that one diaper. Olivia goes to her room and gets a new one every time. With a little redirection, the original diaper is used, and by the end of the day, there's an unused diaper in every room of the house.
• Yesterday Olivia carried her step stool from her bathroom and put it on the hearth. She then put her one and only doll and a diaper on top of it. It was the perfect height for a changing table. After "changing" Baby's diaper, Olivia pretended to put lotion on Baby's hands. Olivia wants lotion on her own hands after every diaper change.
• I have seen Olivia on more than one occasion drinking out of puddles in the flagstone in the backyard. She learned that from Maxine, not from me.
• Olivia is obsessed with "fixing" her hair. She has seen Brigham put water in his hair so she does the same. Her primary source of water for her coiffure is the bathtub in the master bath. She turns on the water, splashes her hands around in it, and then rubs them in her hair. I've caught her recently using the water in Maxine's dish for this purpose. I'm not so happy about that, even though it's pretty cute. Olivia goes into the pantry--sometimes closing the door behind her--and then comes out slicking her hair back.
  

Olivia's changing table

Gotta Dance

• Olivia starts dancing in anticipation of music.
• She uses a combination of a variation of the sign for music and some dancing to request music. Brigham calls it the "Quasimoto."
• She dances with Baby, holding her by the hands, and giggles.
• When she dances by herself, she often does chaine turns with her arms either in first or high fifth. I did not teach her this. She's a natural.
• Olivia has also been doing forward rolls. I'm already planning her gymnastics career. Or at least some lessons.
• When I sing the "Clean Up" song, Olivia would much rather dance to it--or direct it--than actually help clean up. At least she doesn't put her fingers in her ears like she does when she doesn't like the music.

Tell Me About It

• Olivia talks a lot. We don't understand most of it. We get: hi, bye, moo, more, Max, Dada
• She uses several signs consistently and is even beginning to chain some together. For example, "more, please" or, more often, "please more," which is really cute. Yesterday I shared a bite of turtle (the candy, not the animal) with Olivia. Before she'd even swallowed she signed, "Thank you. More, please."
• It looks like Olivia is going to be a lefty, so I've been teaching her to sign like a lefty.

Don't Get So Emotional

• Olivia has become quite the drama queen lately, letting us know that she has feelings, too. Yesterday she offered me a piece of cereal that she had already slobbered on. I very politely said, "No, thank you." She had a complete meltdown. I caught a glimpse of her face crumpling as she raised her arms to cover her face with her hands. Then she turned and ran away.
• As always, Olivia loves her Lamb E. and friends, and shows that love by hugging them, saying, "ahh" and biting them.
• She shows this same affection for Maxine. Fortunately, she leaves out the biting. She gives Maxine hugs and pats (sometimes we call this hitting), pokes her eyes, plays with her toes, and grabs her tail. There's a fine line between expressing affection and torture.
• In the last week Olivia has mastered the non-slobbery kiss, complete with the smacking sound. She is now kissing EVERYTHING. She kisses her stuffed animals, my cell phone, her reflection in the window (she kissed the really dirty outside), Brigham's iPod, her crayons (when she's not pretending to brush her teeth with them) and books...
• Olivia flirts with salesclerks and cashiers, waving and saying, "hi."
• She also uses that when she's in trouble. When she's done something naughty, she walks up to me, waves, and says, "hi" in her really cute little voice. Sometimes I just can't help smiling. She also claps her hands when she's done something naughty. I find it easier to not smile then.
  

Maxine tolerating loves from Olivia

Stats

• At her 18-month check-up, Olivia was 33 1/2 inches tall (93rd %ile) and weighed 24.9 lbs. (52nd %ile).
• I'm not sure where this fits in, but Olivia eats more yogurt than the guy on Burn Notice.