August 23, 2008 Update

It has been over a month and a half since I posted, so I have added several posts tonight to try to catch up.  I must say, life is a lot busier now that Olivia has become a toddler.  I can barely keep up.  To catch up on the past month...

• We finally took our house off the market.  Our house didn't generate much interest to our disappointment, but putting it on the market was a catalyst to make some much needed changes.  We painted the interior, bought and installed new carpet (wow, what a difference) and completely cleaned out the garage and basement.  We are looking at trying to install a doggie door to make it easier on the pooches and adding some stairs to our deck, although I think that project may have to wait until next spring.  Looks like we will be residents of Hamburg for a little while longer!
• Olivia's vocabulary has continued to expand.  She can say "mama," "dada," "hi dog" (her favorite phrase), and most recently "uh oh" (which is adorable because she says it over and over and over again).  She loves to wave hi and bye, particularly to the dogs.  It is our routine every morning that we must wave bye to them before leaving for daycare or she gets VERY upset.
• Olivia is full of new "tricks" and surprises.  She is really into imitating me these days.  She loves to take the dogs outside to potty.  Typically while we are out there I spend the time "cleaning" up the yard of dog waste (the downside of living in Lexington with a small back yard).  I never really thought about her observing me until one day I handed her an empty "poo" bag to hold when she was being particularly cranky.  As I was picking up the "poo," I turned around and saw that she was pretending to do the same.  It was so funny!  So now she "helps" me everytime we go out. 
• Jeremy and Mom laugh at me because they think that I am making Olivia as uptight as I can be.  Anyone who knows me knows that I have a serious problem with cleanliness.  I am not textbook OCD, but I do like things to be in their place.  So it isn't surprising that Olivia imitates me not only in cleaning up the backyard, but in cleaning up her toys in the bathtub.  Every night she helps me pick up the toys and put them in her bathtub "toybox" before she crawls out of the tub.  It is our little game!
• I am finding out more and more everyday how easy Olivia is as a toddler.  Although I feel exhausted most of the time, she can be very easygoing on pretty much anything.  For instance, when Olivia is ready for naptime or bedtime, she lets you know.  She lays her head in your lap and if you ask her if she is ready for "night, night" she will run towards the stairs up to her bedroom.  If you don't follow immediately, she will wait for you, twirling her hair (you should see the knots that girl can twirl into her hair) and fuss until you get there.  After her bath, she likes to read a book and drink some water, but then she will lay her head on your lap again.  I can lay her in her bed, turn on her crib toy to play classical music, at which point she will smile as you lay a blanket across her and turn over to go to sleep.  It is almost too easy (and makes me very uneasy -- I am scared what the next child will be like!)
• If you look at the pictures below, you will also see that Olivia has taken her first pony ride and made it through her first haircut!  She is growing up TOO fast.