Olivia Layne - 32 months

Goodness gracious how things have changed in the past 3 months! I don't even know if I'll be able remember it all, but I'm going to try. First let me start by saying how amazing you are! You are my total delight. You get funnier and funnier each day. At dinner you love to tell stories. You will tell a story then Daddy will take a turn. Seeing you use your imagination is one of my favorite things. Sometimes your stories make sense and sometimes not at all :) We know for sure you're making something up because you say "and um, and um, my Mom..." You never call me Mom, just Mommy, so that's a cue that it's a story :)

It seems like your memory is above and beyond normal. You remember many, many things about Colorado, Grandma and Grandpa, Nadxieli, your old friends, where stores and other locations are, what someone said 5 minutes ago or 5 weeks ago! It's unreal. For the most part you love playing with Cade. Of course we all know how particular you are, and for a 16 year old boy, following your rules when it comes to dolls is not all that fun ;) You really love to play hide and seek with him, the kind where he hides and when you find him he scares you. You also love to play normal hide and seek, but it seems like you still think that if you put your head against a wall, we won't see you.

Our move to Maine has been so chaotic for you, but overall you have been such a champ. The first couple of weeks in our rental house were tough on you. You had lots more big emotional outbursts than normal, but finally settled into the changes pretty normally. You even got into normal 2 hour naps each day! Then we finally moved into our new "pink house" which is what we started calling it once we made an offer on it, and I don't think you've had a normal nap in3-4 weeks :( There are so many projects going on, so much noise, so much inconsistency, that you aren't able to lay down in your own bed because of all the loud sounds. You've taken some short car or stroller naps, or gone without, which makes for a harder evening. You LOVE your big girl bed, which started out as just a mattress on the floor and now includes the box springs. You picked out Minnie Mouse sheets for it. You love to play with your toys on your bed and you like to be able to get on and off it at all times. I confess I love the fact that you can get out and come into our room in the morning, so that I don't have to come get you, but it's a little tricky getting you to stay in your bed a night. You are great at learning and your independence is awesome. You try things all by yourself "like a big girl" and it's wonderful to watch you succeed. You like to pretend now, which is so cute. "Let's pretend to be fairies." Of course without other kids to play with, that leaves Mommy, Daddy and sometimes Cade left to pretend just the way you want, a LOT. You play by yourself once in a while, but still you are happier playing with us (and telling us exactly how to play! ;)

You are a great eater and it's a good thing you are so active in order to get all of it burned off. For the most part you eat healthy foods. You like pretty much all fruit, brocolli and cheese and cucumbers.  You aren't interested in going potty in the bathroom yet, and that's okay. I'd rather not make it into a battle that's unnecessarily hard! I love listening to you talk. Your vocabulary is amazing and you don't mind talking to strangers. You will order your own food at a restaurant and you will try to tell neighbors or people at the store or library things about your day, your friends, anything. If they start walking away before you can say something you will look at me and say "I didn't get to tell her something." It's cool that you don't seem shy at this point.You have started riding your "own red bike" and want to race the big kids, "your friends" down the street. You also love to push the little shopping cart at your favorite grocery downtown.

Your voice is too precious. I want to bottle it up and keep it little forever. Ls sound like Ws and ais (drain) sound like ee (dreen). You do a hilarious fake laugh that Daddy loves and he'll ask you to do it for you and you oblige. You like to repeat things Daddy says to you. When we're driving home you'll say to me, Daddy is saying "where is MY LIVI!" You still obviously and totally looove daddy and playing with him. He is the best player in the world and you never want him to stop playing. Immediately when he gets done working you tell him to play with you. You tell us you love us and sometimes you say "sorry I were mean to you."  You still say "no" a lot. Sometimes you'll say something to Daddy and if he doesn't hear you I will answer and you'll say "NO! I were telling Daddy." If you're trying to play and Daddy and I are talking to each other you will say "stop talking!" Your favorite things change a lot, but pink remains your favorite color. You love putting on your new clothes from Hannah and basically anything new you get you assume it's from her :)

Sometimes you say you want to go back to Colorado. You mention Nadxieli a lot, not necessarily that you wish you were with her, but things you remember about her. I know all the changes and projects and tensions that have come along with this big life change have affected you, and while I think it's going to be such a great thing for all of us, I hate any negative feelings it's given you. I'm hoping, for all of us, that now that it's September, we'll get into some great routines with the library, school, and other things that will help add stability and contentment to our days and lives.

You do love Bath, though. You love walking downtown and to the library, which is amazing, and to Waterfront park, or different stores. Usually you want to get a treat, like a lollipop at the bank or a piece of chocolate at our realtor, Patty's office. You LOVE going to the beach. Playing in the sand and the edge of the water. No matter where we go you always hope there will be kids there to play with. The innocence in your question, "are there going to be kids there?" the hope in your eyes, almost breaks my heart. The way you ask them if you can play with them, the way you do what they tell you to or the way you just shadow them and try to help. The way some bigger kids ignore you or tell you what to do. I get a glimpse of future years when you may be impressionable, longing to fit in. I sure hope Daddy and I will be able to impress on you the importance of being true to yourself!

There is so much more I have missed about what's going on with you. Your hair is so long! Today you were looking in the mirror at the library (you aren't tall enough to see yourself at our house) and you looked at yourself, then at me and you aid "Mama, do you want to come look at your pretty blue eyes?"  You love wearing a pretty dress and showing Daddy. You want to show Daddy everything and play with Daddy all the time. You climb and jump off of anything. You want to try things again even after you get hurt. You are a good mommy to your babies. You LOVE to help us do things and say "can I help you with that?" You ask"why" a lot. You are totally and completely amazing, little one. The fact that you just keep growing and changing and becoming more you never ceases to amaze me. I truly can't wait to see what this new Maine adventure brings in your life. I think it's going to be awesome. I love you so, so much, my sweet love. xoxo