Lila

Well, it seems I don't mention Lila all that often. She's now 13-months-old and just as sweet as can be. She's not walking yet - but, she's a climber and speed crawler. She took one step last week but has shown no interest in making further progress. I guess that's fine with me. It means she's a little bit easier to keep track of...for a little while.

Sometimes, after a hard day with Olivia, I'll get down on myself. All parents wonder where they are going wrong when their child acts out, throws a tantrum, etc. Especially when those events are frequent. However, recently, I really started to notice that Lila is a cuddler. She loves to be held and shrieks with joy when she sees Matt or I put on the Ergo carrier. Just yesterday, after her nap when Olivia was still sleeping, Lila rested her head on my shoulder and wrapped her small arms around me as far as she could. She rested there for quite some time. Lila is like that frequently. Olivia was never like that. While she was a calm baby, good sleeper, and colic-free, she has never been one who liked to be held and smothered with kisses for too long. Now, she's known to even wipe away kisses!

Lila, alone, is teaching me so much. She's taught me to see that Olivia's defiant, strong-willed, independent personality isn't just a nurture thing. She was, simply, born that way. And, while I'm sure nurture plays a part in how independent and strong-willed a child can be, I'm beginning to see that Matt and I play less of a nurture part of it than I thought.

I'm more and more able to see the differences in personalities. At 13-months, Olivia was walking and talking. I think she had 10-15 words at 13-months. Lila has about four words. Lila is a little more laid back and pensive. If she likes someone, she'll reach out to be picked up and held. Olivia wasn't shy, and went to most anyone, but she wasn't interested in being held if she could be on the ground playing. Olivia appears to be becoming a true leader and first-born. She grabs her friend's hands, guides them around the playroom, tells them what to do, what to eat, where to sit, where to push the stroller, what to play with and doesn't accept "no" for an answer. She's the first one to run to a hurt child to tell him/her, "It's okay. You'll be alright. I will help you."

I remember Olivia being very serious at Lila's age. Lila is all smiles, all the time. Olivia still frowns more than she smiles. She takes life very seriously. Lila, it appears (time will really tell), will be just happy to go with the flow. A "whatever" type personality.

I'm learning so much from these two girls! They are such a joy to have. While I don't look forward to the tantrums, I do look forward to each new day with them. It's so exciting to watch them grow. There have been many times when they just bring tears of joy to my eyes.

Olivia

Pretty Olivia Wearing Mommy's Make-up

When I tell Olivia I love her, she'll reply, "I love daddy!" She's always been daddy's girl. Even the long deployment didn't do anything to change that. I really don't mind at all. In fact, I think it's really sweet.

When I ask, "Olivia, who's girl are you?" she'll reply, "I'm daddy's girl and grandpa's girl!"

Grandpa and Olivia Make Sandcastles

Doll Stations

As I mentioned previously several times, Olivia is obsessed with dolls. They are truly her life. She has quite the imagination and takes great care of her dolls. They are absolutely real to her. She's always very concerned about their well-being and will panic if they get shut in a room and she can't get in to take care of them. It's real joy to watch her interact with her dolls hours and hours each day. From top to bottom are: Ming-Lee, Jose, Ellie and Tyrone.

On My Own Again

It's 8:00am on Monday morning. My parents left for the airport at 7:00am. Since then, I've swept and mopped the floors, hung sheets out on the line, threw in a load of laundry, sorted laundry for further loads, made myself breakfast, coffee and started a new post. Where are my kids you ask???

Both girls are still sleeping. It's mornings like this, becoming more and more frequent, that I question having a third child. They are both wonderful nappers, and sleepers (Olivia throws a fit before nap and bed - but, once she's down, she's down). They are starting to play well together and entertain each other without me. I'm becoming very very spoiled..in the morning, that is. Then, I'm faced with a reality check when Olivia strips naked and won't get dressed just as we're walking out the door. Or, Lila, teething, shoves her fingers in her mouth to press on sore gums and makes herself puke all over the clean outfit I just put on her. Or Olivia decides she wants different pj's on just as I cover her up and kiss her goodnight (thus begins a battle of wills).

At any rate, Matt is gone...again. He's out to sea with the Navy until Thursday (he left early Sunday morning). He was in Italy most of last week, came home for barely two days and left again. My parents hardly saw him. I'm trying not to get frustrated that this job keeps him away from his family so much. But, it's hard. I'm just bitter because, while I support my husband, I have a hard time supporting the fact that his duty to country comes before his family. I thought I'd be "over" it by now or used to it. I'm not. It's taking time and a 16-month extended deployment didn't help.

So, it was a good thing I had my parents here this past week because Lila and I both had colds. I used Zicam and fought off the sniffles. But, I had two back-to-back sore throats. Thank goodness for throat spray the local pharmacy has here that you can't get in the US (at least I've never seen it. The pharmacists here can diagnose and prescribe medicine for minor illnesses such as strep throat, pink eye, and ear infections). The stuff didn't numb my throat. I'm not sure what it did, but it got rid of the sore throat in less than 24-hours. I'll have to load up on that stuff before we move back to the US!

Aside from giving both my parents our colds, we had a great time (Olivia will be next, I'm sure). My father took Olivia across the street to the beach every day. They made sand castles, searched for shells and watched our dog run around. She's now obsessed with going to the beach. I'll have to take her now more often. I love the beach. I don't, however, like the sand that inevitably finds its way into my house upon return.

Olivia is becoming quite the hoot. She loves to read. She will read to her dolls (or in the case of the above picture, Grandpa) and recite as much of the book as she remembers. If the battery in my camera wasn't dying, I would have got the above scene on video. She was saying, "Mama, do you love me? Yes, sweetheart, I do. Very much."

Olivia has doll stations all around the house. It makes my house look messy. But, if I move a doll, she gets very upset (I think I've previously posted about this). My mother took some great pictures of her dolls lined up in a row, with towels on them (we try to avoid using paper towels in our house, thus we have a a few dozen white bar-type towels that we use instead and Olivia thinks they make great doll blankets) and when she emails them to me, I'll post them.

Well, Lila is now up. She's had her diaper changed and is eating breakfast. A load of laundry has been put in the dryer and I've topped off my coffee. I should end this post and wake up Olivia so I can get her fed and ready to leave the house for Mums and Tots group by 10:00. That'll be a challenge as 10:00 is an hour away.