Sick :(

Olivia is sick! :( This time it is not related to teething (we don't think). She has had a nasty fever (103.2) since Thursday morning. I took her to the doctor, and they did blood work and a urinalysis. Nothing. All they found was an infection. It is not bacterial, so she cannot have antibiotics. We were told to just keep her hydrated and medicated with Motrin/Tylenol. Poor kid. She has been sleeping A LOT. Last night she woke up crying, so we gave her medicine and milk...I think the milk was a bad idea. As soon as she started drinking it, she threw it up all over Eric. He handed her over to me, and she gave me a dose of it, too. Yuck. We got her all cleaned up and gave her more medicine and she went back to sleep. She didn't get up until 10 am! It is only 2:45, and she is on her SECOND nap of today. She is miserable.

On a more positive note...I am getting a helper for my 6th period Science class!! Yahoo! That class is absolutely crazy and I am really excited about getting help! :) Mrs. Roseland...you rock!

Here are some new pictures! Check out the "online photo album" by clicking on the link to the right!

"Uncle JC says I look like a piranha. Check out my new choppers!"

"I just love getting kisses from Daddy!"

"I can make spit bubbles! I am obsessed with bubbles of any kind."

"Touchdown!" Yes, she really was doing the "touchdown" sign while watching the Super Bowl.

"Hi Mommy! I see you!"

One day last week we could not find Olivia anywhere. I was starting to worry. I checked our room, but I didn't go in the bathroom because the door was shut. That should have been my first clue as to where O was. She is always going in rooms and closing the door. Eric found her, and as soon as he did, he was busting up laughing and calling for me. This is what I found:

"Hmm...I wonder why Mommy and Daddy haven't found me yet."

"Maybe I should go find them!"

"Mommy, why are you giving me that disapproving look?

"There is plenty of toilet paper for all of us to play with!"

Bubbles!

That is one of Olivia's new words. :) The conversations usually goes something like this:

Olivia: bubbles!

Eric/Kelly: Bubbles! Where are the bubbles?

Olivia: bubbles! as she runs to the bath tub in our room

Eric/Kelly: Did you find the bubbles?

Olivia: bubbles! as she is pointing at the bubble machine and trying to climb into the tub

Olivia LOVES baths. I think she lives for them. No matter what time it is or what she is doing, as soon as she hears water (of any kind) running, she RUNS to the bathroom and tries to get into the tub. As soon as you put her in, she is in heaven. Last night she was in there for quite some time, and then told me she was all done. She even pulled the stopper up to drain the water. She sat in there until all the water was gone, and still would not get out. She just kept playing in the empty tub. What a stinker.

"All done" is another new set of words for Olivia. She used to just wave her hands together, which was close to the sign for all done. Now she actually (sometimes) says the words all done. It is very cute. Another addition to her vocabulary is hello. We would say, "Olivia, say hi" and she would just wave at people. But lately she has been walking around the house saying "hello?" over and over. Too cute!

In other news...school is ok. Some of the kids are really giving me a run for my money. What does that phrase even mean? Anyway, they are a handful. Most of the problems occur in 6th and 7th periods. Thursday was especially bad...I was headed home in tears. But thanks to our WONDERFUL counselor Jana, I went home smiling. She always knows just what to say to make you feel better. Thanks Jana! I just keep telling myself that I can do it, and that summer isn't that far away! Teaching just isn't the same without Katie! Come back, Katie!

Anything else? Oh yes, Lupe has begun work on the front windowsill AGAIN! Stinkin dog. She is very close to earning her right to becoming an outside dog. Ok, I'm all talk...she'll never be an outside dog. Although, I think she'd like it at this point so she could get away from Olivia. Olivia is a monster to her. She hits her, steps on her, tries to brush her...needless to say Lupe is NOT a fan of Olivia right now. Her new skill of running has left poor Lupe all worn out. :)

I can do it myself

Olivia is getting more and more independent every day.  She is working hard at learning how to use a fork and spoon properly.  This afternoon she "ate" her yogurt all by herself.  She did such a great job "eating" it that she was rewarded with a bath afterward.  :)  She is making new sounds every day and trying to put them together to make real words.  We love her!

Best Friends

Olivia and Lupe=BFF

World's Cutest Niece

I do believe I have the world's cutest niece. Don't you agree?

Mid-January update

This is what Olivia does all day long. We put a barrette in her hair in the morning, and a few minutes later she pulls it out. She will not keep anything in her hair.

Olivia loves to mess up her hair while she is eating. She rubs the food into her hair and then pulls it in all directions. Lovely.

Olivia is having a bad hair day. This is what her hair looks like after putting ketchup in it last night during dinner and then syrup in it this morning during breakfast. Nice, isn't it?

I took apart Olivia's horse because we are going to send it to my niece Addy. I went out to look for a box to put it in, and this is what I found when I returned. She was bouncing up and down laughing and patting the horse. Olivia is just not ready to part with Old Red. :)

Well we are all settled in our home and we are all loving it. Olivia LOVES just wandering around the house going from room to room chasing Lupe and getting into trouble. She used to HATE car rides of any length because she was so bundled up in winter gear that she couldn't even move. A five minute drive to the grocery store was a huge nightmare when we were in Indiana. Going out was not an option on most days because of all the screaming and fussing that would accompany a car ride. Since we have been here the most we have bundled her up is in her lightweight fleece jacket, which she really seems to like because it has a zipper. Eric taught her how to work a zipper so now she just goes around unzipping everything! Back to my story...she loves being in the car now. She just sits in her seat and plays and talks and dances.

Lupe loves being able to run freely around the backyard without having to be on a leash in the freezing cold weather. On the day that we got the first "big snow" in Indiana, Lupe's paws froze. I took her out to potty, and she just stood there. Then she sat down, and then laid down in the snow. I had to pick her up and carry her into the house. It was sad. She was NOT a fan of the cold weather. I am not too sure that Lupe is enjoying Olivia's new skill of walking. It seems that Lupe can never get any rest because as soon as she lays down, Olivia runs to her and throws herself on top of her. Poor Lupe. They pick on each other like real sisters would.

Eric has been staying home with Olivia while he waits for his paperwork to go through. He has been given a start date of January 26. One more week as a stay at home Dad. He has really enjoyed spending time with Olivia, but he says he is definitely ready to go back to work. I am really glad he has been able to be with her, because now he knows exactly what it was like to be at home with her. While it was very fun, it was also a lot of work and very tiring. He is really looking forward to going back to work for ExxonMobil!

As for me, I have enjoyed the last two weeks back at AMS (Atascocita Middle School) teaching 6th grade Math and Science. It was a crazy two weeks, but they were good. It has been hard leaving Olivia each day, but I know she is in good hands. She will stay with my good friend and neighbor Natalie when Eric goes back to work. I'm also happy to report that the "diet" (of watching calories and NOT working out) that I started in September is still going well...27 lbs. and counting!

Since I have been typing, Olivia has learned how to climb up into the front window, has shredded an entire piece of tissue paper, and has emptied her toy box all over the living room floor. Oh the life of a 14 month old...

YEEHAW!

We have made it safely back to TX!  :)