She is just the best. She has such a strong and steady spirit, while still being sweet and snuggly. She has just grown by leaps and bounds over the past few months. And here are some of my favorite things about Olivia lately.
1. She is my good little eater. And she takes eating quite seriously. Her favorite food is Yumm Bowls, which she requests nearly daily. When she finally gets her Yumm Bowls, which is fairly often when we're in town, she doesn't talk or do anything else for about twenty minutes while she very meticulously devours her meal. She is methodical about her eating process and her little look of concentration is priceless.
2. When we asked her what she wanted for her birthday, all she would say was, "Cake and presents." She didn't really even seem to care what the presents were, just that there were some and they were for her.
3. She is always saying the funniest things. The other day in the car I heard her say to her doll, "You're cute! Can I brush your hair?" She already knows that flattery is a good way to get what you want.
4. She is always asking me, "Can I hold you?" She really means that she wants me to hold her, but it's pretty hilarious when we're walking down the stairs and she asks if she can hold me. Or when someone else is holding her and she asks, "Can I hold my mom?"
5. The other day I was running my fingers through her hair while we were cuddling and when I stopped she asked, "Can you pet my head?"
6. She looks ridiculously cute in pigtails. It's not even fair to the rest of the world. It's just the cutest thing you've ever seen in your whole life.
7. When we travel we often end up all sleeping in the same room, the girls in their playpens and me on a couch or Steve and I in the hotel bed, but either way it means an early wake up when the girls see us and want to get going right away. The other day Olivia asked, "Is it wake up time? I'm all done go sleep."
8. And the bouncing. This kid kills me with her bouncing. She is always hopping on her tippy toes everywhere she goes. Around the house. At the zoo. Through the grocery store. Just everywhere. It's ridiculously cute.
9. She can sing so many Disney songs is crazy. As in she actually knows almost all the words to "Tale as Old as Time." If you haven't heard her sing, "Barely even friends then somebody bends un-ex-pect-ed-ly", you are really missing out. And she is always incorporating all the dramatic vocalizations, which is pretty funny in her sweet little voice. "Ever as before. Ever just as sure as the sun will rise. Oh. Oh. OOOOOHHHH!"
10. And she is still singing Christmas songs. And it's March. But she's been mixing them up a little. Her rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" goes a little something like, "We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Good tidings to your and your friends and may all your dreams come true." (There may be a little input from Cinde-lelli in there somewhere).
11. She is such a daddy's girl. She just loves her dad so much. Except on weekends, Steve leaves for work before they get up in the mornings and usually when I go to get her the first thing she says is, "I want my daddy." So do I, baby girl, so do I.
12. She lights up a room whenever she goes in it. I get stopped all the time in the grocery store or wherever because the sweetness is so uncontainable. And she is so outgoing that she has no problem introducing herself to everyone who comes up to her (or that she approaches). They may not really be able to understand her, but she is certainly happy to tell anyone and everyone that she is Olivia and she is two and this is her book or her car or doll or whatever.
12. And she seriously loves Beauty and the Beast. Just now she came up to me and said, "Come on, Mom, we're going watch Beauty and the Beast. Come on, pretty Mom." (Again with the flattery...) And now that I've written it down, maybe I'll just have to go watch some Beauty and the Beast with them.
Livvy bug,
You are my little sunshine. My cuddle bug. You make my day every time you run and hug me. You have such a sweet and caring spirit. You are kind and thoughtful and very polite. You love your sister and your daddy so much.
There are so many things about your personality right now that I hope never go away. I hope you never lose that little bounce in your step. I hope you never lose the interest you have in exploring your world. I hope you never stop delighting in being loved.
In some ways, I would love to hold on to you at this stage forever and never let you grow up. I would very much like to bottle up your sweet voice and adorable singing and never let you get too big to crawl up on my lap and suck your fingers.
But the joy you bring to everyone around you makes me so excited to see you grow up and spread your rays of sunshine. I'm eager to see you learn and be and do whatever it is you set your mind to. It has been a fun two years baby girl, and I'm looking forward to many more.
Love, Mamma
