18 months

Eeeep. Six more months and Liv will be 2. I'm not sure how many other mothers of 18 month olds feel this way...but I'm hoping the "terrible two's" don't get more terrible when Liv actually turns two. She's very...spirited. I am still working on my "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" book, but I've been reading a lot about spirited toddlers. It makes me feel good to know that even though she's a crazy person now, it doesn't mean she will be forever and most spirited kids turn out to be lovely individuals ha.

Liv has her 18 month appointment tomorrow at 3:35. It will also be her first appointment in Calgary. I'll update how it goes and what her stats are after that. I'm very curious as to what she weighs and how tall she is. She hasn't had a doctor's appointment since her 12 month!! That was a long time ago, or at least it seems that way.

Liv continues to be a little ball of energy. The child never stops.ever. She is now usually taking just one long nap a day. Sometimes she has a little "lay down" in the morning. She happily goes in her crib and talks/plays for a half hour or so while I get a little break/shower/do laundry/etc...

Oh yeah...I suppose I should mention she is still taking a bottle. However, she is only taking 3oz at only nap time and bedtime. Pat and I are seriously procrastinating. We keep pushing the date back. Its currently set for next monday...but we will see. Dr. Mackie told me at Liv's 12 month appointment to not worry about weaning until 15-18 months. Well ladies and gentlemen, I've reached my limit. I say 'I' because I really think its more my fear of taking Liv's bottle away than that she isn't ready. I have myself convinced it is going to be a nightmare. I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes and what we do.

I'm not going to list all of the words Liv says anymore. She says too many and I do her an injustice by limiting her vocabulary to the words I can think of off the top of my head. Something that has really improved with Liv and her vocabulary is she is now willingly repeating words we ask her to say. She was being a bit stubborn about it before. She gets very frustrated when she wants something and I have to remind her to tell me what she wants. Her little fits usually sound something like this, "peas, peas, peaaassss, peass!!!!!!!" or like this, "nononononononoononNONONONO! She has also started to grab us by the hand and say "peas" for us to follow her and she'll show us what she wants. Its very sweet to have her come take my hand in her miniature hand.

She has been going to a moovin' and groovin' class with her Grandma Carolyn. She does this on Tuesdays...and much to my surprise, she is very reserved and shy. I wasn't expecting that report at all. It did give me a bit of relief though. I was afraid I was going to hear that she was the class bully.

OH. and last but not least...her by far favorite thing to do lately is, calling everyone and everything "BAD". Lily is bad, Pat is bad, I'm bad, auntie leslie is bad, auntie dani is bad, grandma is bad.....you name it, if they piss liv off...they're bad. Sometimes when she gets mad at me because I take something away from her, she'll hit me and say "BAD!" and I look at her and say "no, you're bad!" haha. Its becoming a slight problem.

I'll make sure to take some pictures tomorrow!!

getting my life in order

I'm a stay at home mom (SAHM). I think thats been made pretty obvious from all my posts. However, I don't think its clear that I am unable to work. Not yet. I am waiting for the canadian immigration office to allow me to. There's no clear cut time this will happen. It's a waiting game.

I am allowed to apply for work...and I have. However, it seems like wherever I apply there is the dreaded check yes or no box that asks "are you legally entitled to work in Canada", and there is not a "no, but let me explain" box to check. Its frustrating.

Its not that I don't enjoy staying home with Liv. I do...its quite the blessing. I can admit that much. But, I am in a new place with no friends of my own. How do I meet people? I feel like I'm not an outgoing enough person to make friends at a play group or somewhere like that. I just can't picture it happening...not saying I'm not willing to.

So I have a few goals set for myself.

First: Start using my gym membership more regularly. Which I have started...and I'm feeling the effort.

Second: Find a class/play area for Liv and I to attend together. I took her swimming yesterday!

Third: Re-style 2 old dresses. I have one dress that I bought for $6 on a target clearance rack and another I got from Dani...I found them and decided I could really make them into something. I need to use my sewing machine and this is a great way to get going.

Fourth: I'd like for Pat and I to start a date night. It would be nice to do something as a couple on a regular basis.

Fifth: Keep up with laundry....there's 3 of us and I feel like I constantly have 2 loads in the basket.

So there it is, It may not sound like much...but for me, it will definitley make the weekdays fly by a quick faster than what they are at the moment.

liv wearing some vintage pearls, which she insisted upon, and a clippie made by me!

oh elmo, you've stolen her heart.

tiny dancer

My mom sent Liv a ballerina outfit...not to be confused with a princess dress, which I mistakenly referred to it as to my mom. So it is an, ahem, ballerina outfit. I obviously took pictures of Liv in it. Pictures where I put my hands up over my head like a ballerina and said "LOOK LIV, LOOK WHAT MOMMY IS DOING!!!" and she quickly followed and I scrambled like a klutz that I am to get the picture. I am talented. The pictures really didn't turn out that great. Liv is cute though and they look vintagey...which Dani informed me wasn't all that great of a thing because usually vintage photos aren't that great because they didn't have the tools we have today....but lets just say I'm trendy...and vintage.

miscellany monday

1. twenty six

I turned twenty six on Sunday. I feel no differently...I never do. I will most likely forget to tell people that I'm 26 for half of the year. I made sure to emphasize to Pat that he's still going to be 29 in May and I'm still a young buck compared to his aging self :). I'm a good wife, what can I say.

2. Melmo

Liv is obsessed with Elmo...referred to her as "melmo". Her uncle ryan and aunt leslie came home from brunch with an elmo hoodie and elmo jammies. Liv is in love and it makes getting dressed a little easier bc she's putting her friend melmo on.

3. early morning wake-up call

Every.single.monday. Liv wakes up around 5am. I put her in bed with us and luckily today she slept for an hour or so and then watched sesame street. But really, how does she know to wake up early every monday when I have high expectations of starting my week out with a trip to the gym.

4. crocpot

I know I mentioned that I asked for a steam mop for my birthday and received it, but I also received a crocpot! I am officially the geekiest person alive when it comes to birthday wishes. I surprisingly don't care though.

in honor of dani and my birthday....here is a picture of us as toddlers. I am the one standing on the left.

mall rats

Its hard to find things to do in the winter. It gets pretty boring and monotonous. Sometimes we spice it up and do something crazy...like going to the mall. We didn't do any shopping but somehow managed to burn 2+ hours of time. I love when we can do something that Liv enjoys and also helps her burn off some steam because god knows how much steam my baby has. I also like to have an excuse to dress my girl up.

sprinting

they have a few play areas in the mall...we like to make an appearance

birthday presents

I have been bugging Pat for over a month now to please please please buy me a shark steam mop for my birthday. I told him my stories of watching them late at night when liv was a newborn and would wake up at 3am. I may be a sucker, but I really really wanted this one. I was willing to settle for a different brand because the shark steam mop runs somewhere around $200.

With my birthday coming up on Sunday, my dream came true today when Pat went to costco.

Bissell steam mop, come to mama!

I already used it. It was ahhmazing and everything I had hoped for. I may be a geek, but seriously, when you have a toddler and slight ocd, the thought of not having to fill a sink of bleach water and using a dirty old mop, just appeals to me.

He also bought me a Sandra Brown book, because he knows I'm a sucker for Sandra Brown. He couldn't understand how someone would want a bissell steam mop for their birthday. I'm going to go lie in bed and read my Sandra Brown book and happily think about my sparkly kitchen floor.

miscellany monday

1. my new camera

So pat got a giftcard to future shop for Christmas. For all of you non-canadians, future shop is a lot like best buy. Well since Pat gave me all of his giftcards, I decided I was buying a camera because my dslr doesn't take video. My first mistake was that I went on boxing day...it was pure mayhem. I was so excited to actually have someone helping me that when the first 2 cameras I picked were sold out...I said yes to the first the salesman suggested bc he mentioned hd video. UMMM I have had a hell of a time downloading any videos on my computer. I won't give you details of the problem, but the panasonic lumix leaves a bit to be desired. Hours later and updates to my previous post....I have it figured out. phew.

2. winter blues

I am sooo sick of winter. So is Liv. I'm used to winter...I've dealt with it my entire life, but winter with a toddler really blows. I am craving a nice long walk to the park to play. We could definitley go for walks and bring her sled....except that its been absolutely freezing. Not really walk weather. I informed pat yesterday that I plan on moving south in our future.

3. speaking of snow

Liv loves to eat it. I have resorted to freezing gogurts because she loves to chew on ice and snow. She is a bit of a freak about the whole thing.

4. wedding goals

I ordered my dress last week. I'll take pictures in it when it comes. We are STILL waiting on the contract from our reception venue. So, my goals for this week are to bug them, book our dj, and possibly work on some more fabric flowers. I would also like to get my guest list going.

Have a great week!