Hi...(in a breathy, quiet, southern voice)

(Posted on Sunday, January 24)
I've had two lovely weeks, and I've hung out with some of my great friends and family this week and last. Playgroup was at Alisha and Tyler's house last Thursday, and I gave Jackson multiple kisses, which put a huge smile on his face; he just couldn't get enough. Lucas and I got into our first fight; he hit me on top of my head, and I cried hysterically. It didn't really hurt; I just wanted to make him feel bad. His mommy put him in timeout before he came over and gave me a kiss to say sorry. It's okay, Lucas; I'm sure it is only the first of many arguments, some of which I will undoubtedly start.

The Tuesday before last, Mom and I headed to Grandma's house and had dinner with Grandma, Aunt Stephanie, and Aunt Mallory while Dad went out with his good friend and a soon-to-be father Mr. Monroe - we can't wait, Throwers. It was the first time that I had seen Aunt Stephanie since she got back from New York, and it sounds like she and Uncle Ian had an awesome time, which makes me happy. Aunt Mallory and Mom got to go through a bunch of Aunt Steph's old clothes, about which Mom was super excited. I even got my own little purse from Aunt Stephanie; I love to throw it on my shoulder as I walk to the door and say, "Bye"; however, it doesn't stay on very well, so I have to keep my arm raised. Baxter gave me tons of kisses, and Grandma snuck me some Oreos - thanks, Grandma.

On that following Saturday, I was thrilled to get together with an old friend when Mrs. Joanne, Mr. John, and Parker came over for dinner. Parker is going to become a big sister in March, and I cannot wait to meet little Grayson; Congratulations Louiseau family. I was pumped to show them my own room and new playroom, which I demonstrated by running around the upstairs, falling on the floor, and laughing hysterically; I do like to show off whenever I take anyone upstairs. Parker can crawl now, and we had a ball crawling around the house - yes, I reverted to crawling - and playing with all of my toys. Parker and her parents even brought me a Sit and Spin for Christmas, which was so sweet, and I love it! Parker and I took turns falling off of it and even sat on it together. I haven't quite figured out how to spin it on my own, but I love it when someone else spins me. Opie had a field day giving Parker kisses, and Parker even went to bed in my old Pack and Play so that the grown ups could hang out for awhile. Thank you guys for coming, and thank you so much for my Sit and Spin; I'll try not to end up in the hospital, Mr. John.

On Sunday, Aunt Mallory and her friend, Hillary, came over to go through some clothes from Mom's college glory days before Mom gets rid of them all - I can't wait until I am big enough to get in on the family clothes trade! Anyways, Aunt Mallory kept copying the way that I say hi and bye. She thinks that I sound very southern, and Aunt Stephanie thinks that I sound like Marilyn Monroe; I hope both are compliments. I also got to see my Godfather that Sunday when he came to hang out and play Poker with Dad. It was a nice, lazy Sunday around the house. The following day was MLK Jr.'s birthday, so Dada got to stay home again. I love long weekends just as much as the rents do! In fact, Dad got up with me so that Mom could sleep in on Monday morning, and before he knew it, I had torn up one of my interactive books and somehow pulled the toilet paper from the bathroom, through the closet, through the laundry room, and into the kitchen without breaking the strand. Now, that is talent!

This past Thursday was an insanely hectic day. First, I headed to my 15-month checkup, unbeknownst to me. I was totally fine in the waiting room, and I even tried to play with an older little boy who wanted nothing to do with me and kept telling me that I couldn't touch any of the kiddie chairs. I tried the kill-him-with-kindness-and-smiles approach, but he didn't budge. Things only got worse as I headed back to the exam room. I'm no dummy; I knew exactly what was up! I started screaming the moment one article of clothing came off, and I did not stop until the clothes were back on and we were walking towards the exit. I even sobbed hysterically while Mom was holding me and asking the doctor questions. I hate going to the doctor! Dr. Silverman said that I should be a redhead because I am so strong-willed, but he also said that he thinks being strong-willed is a good thing because strong-willed children tend to be very determined and go further in life - his words, not mine. He was probably just trying to make Mom feel better. He was very impressed by my set of lungs! I tried to rip the stethoscope off of my chest and the magnifier out of my ear. Then the nurse commented on my incredibly strong legs as I made sure that the shot process was all but impossible. I know what I like and what I don't like, and I am not afraid of letting anyone know! My new aspiration is to become a doctor so that I can check myself out and avoid the horrid doctor's office - paging Dr. Olivia. Here are this month's stats on tall, lean moi: I am 31.75 inches tall and in the 85% for height; I weigh 22 lbs. and 8 oz., which drops me down to the 43%; and my head circumference did not move from my 1-year-checkup, so it is still 18 inches, but that drops the percentile down to 44th. Looks like I am on my way to supermodel status - tall and skinny. As the doctor and nurse were leaving the room, I started waving and shouting, "Bye...Bye...Bye" through my ridiculous sobs. I was basically letting them know that it was time for them to go, but they thought it was hilarious - how rude! I left the office scarred once more with hives all over my face. When we got to the car, Mom asked if I wanted to go see Lucas, and I shook my head yes with almost violent force. I was not happy with Mom though! (Side note from Mom: As we drove, Olivia put her head down but looked up at me from underneath her eyelashes; every time she took a bite of her snack, she would say, "Yum" in this almost possessed sounding voice. I really tried not to laugh since I knew that she was demonstrating the extent of her discontent as best she could.) As a way of making up for the grave injustice to which I had just been submitted, Mom took me straight to playgroup. My face was still red and blotchy, but seeing all of my friends helped to brighten my day. Mrs. Allison gave me Thin Mint cookies to ease the pain, and I got to ride Lucas' motorized car. Lucas and I shared our snack and enjoyed each other's company on the stairs away from the craziness; Tyler joined us for a few minutes after he finished his lunch, but he wasn't really feeling the vibe. Thanks to all of my best buddies for making me feel so much better! Grandma even came up to see me on Thursday night to end my day of ups and downs on a high note. I always love seeing Grandma!

By the way, the verbal milestone that the doctor presented for a 15-month-old is roughly 3 - 6 words, and I currently know about 15 words, including Mama, Dada, duck, bath, snack, hi, bye, jui- (for juice), mil- (for milk), turtle (that's how much I like my turtle, Grandad Kendig and Grandma Trish), Pooh (whom I prefer wears underwear now), eye, shoe, sock, ball, uh-oh, button, Steph (as of yesterday), and I am working on Opie. I have even perfected the art of lifting my finger to my lips and telling Opie to, "Shhhh" whenever he barks, which is all the time; I tried this same trick on Mom the other day when she told me, "No", but I don't think she thought it was quite as cute. Anyways, perhaps my verbal skills are better than I thought. My other skills are developing by leaps and bounds as well; I can point to most of my body parts, and I've also learned how to give doggy kisses by sticking my tongue in and out really fast like a dog. I did try to give a random dog at the park a kiss the other day before Mom had to talk to me about the importance of not kissing random dogs.

Yesterday, which was Saturday, Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Ian came up to see me, and they brought really good pizza! Aunt Stephanie never comes empty handed, which is a woman after my own heart, so she brought me a book, some old-fashioned Valentine's Day cards, and a t-shirt from NY that is meant to say 'Je t'aime NY' with a heart for the t'aime. I discovered Uncle Ian's beard, and Uncle Ian taught me how to run into things with my ball popper and say, "Bump", which is so funny. I insisted Aunt Stephanie carry me around everywhere, and she happily obliged. They even brought chocolates from the Chocolaterie near our house. I love chocolate, as you all know; I downed two truffles while doing a little jig. I was even able to cute my way into part of a big peanut butter cup. I tried for the rest of the evening to get a little more, but no one would succumb to my powers of persuasion. Thank you for coming and hanging out Aunt Steph and Uncle Ian, and thank you so much for all of my goodies. You guys always spoil me, which I don't mind in the least.

Some other fun things from the past two weeks include a lovely sunset ride with Lucas. He picked me up in his wagon; I brought the juice and snacks; he brought the blanket, and we enjoyed a nice stroll down to the park. It was very romantic, with the exception of his parents and my Mom going with us, but I guess someone had to pull the wagon. Jackson came over after our walk on Friday, and I showed off my room and playroom, like always. Sorry that I pushed you over when you touched my wall, Jackson, and sorry that I got so angry when you touched my arm and played with the sign on my closet door, and I'm not just sorry because I got timeout. Sharing is becoming a weak point for me, but I am trying to work through it. I spent more time lounging in my toy box this week and a little time in the laundry basket - I was having a hard time separating the clothes from the outside. I've been going to the park on nice days, and I chased down a little 18-month-old boy named Micah the other day while frantically waving and saying, "Hi" as he ran from me; he did share his tennis ball with me at one point but otherwise totally ignored me, and I am not the type of girl to let myself be ignored. I have gone into a little bit of a Mommy mode lately, which has made Dad sad, but before you know it, I'll be a teenager, and Dad will be my hero while Mom is the bane of my existence, so she's gotta get her time in now. I insist on wearing shoes all the time now, even around the house, and I prefer my boots to all others. Two of my current favorite toys include a measuring spoon and a pot lid; I am just too grown up for the hundreds of toys awaiting me in my playroom. I like to stir the pot lid, take a drink, and then give thanks.

All in all, the last two weeks have been great, with the exception of the doctor's visit and a little rain here and there. By the way, the weather in this place is crazy! It snows one weekend and then hits the mid-50s the next week. Anyways, I hope the fun never stops.