It's almost time

He's almost here, yes you heard correctly he!  I'm currently just waiting for new baby Reedhead to be born which should be in the next 4-6 weeks I think.  He could come earlier but I'm hoping not because it would mean a trip to Timmins and we don't have the resources to be able to manage that very easily.  Whatever happens, it's in God's hands and I'm just having to sit back and wait for His direction and timing.  I have gestational diabetes with this one and so I'm having to give myself insulin injections with every meal and at my bedtime snack.  Today it is finally seeming to even out my sugars so I may have found the right combination.  As of 31 weeks, Jr (which is what we will call him until he's born) was weighing 4lbs 7oz so that's a pretty good size for being that young.  Tomorrow I hit 33 weeks which is the first time I was hospitalized with Olivia.  I have my hospital bag packed and the carseat is installed so whatever happens, I hope we are ready for it.  I'm not anticipating needing to be hospitalized this time, my blood pressure is still staying OK, it's not wonderful but not crazy high either.  Yesterday it was 144/73 which is still ok.  My dr increased my medication a bit for the first time this pregnancy just to keep on top of things.  I'm on to weekly visits with her now, on Mondays as well as visits with the diabetes nurse and dietician.  We are very excited to meet the new baby!!

Ok it's been way too long

I realize I haven't updated this blog since February, more than 6 months ago! A lot has happened in that time, more than I could ever write or remember but I will add the highlights anyway. Olivia is quite the chatterbox and really enjoys the Wiggles and Dora the Explorer. In July we went to Thunder Bay to visit family and we had a big birthday party for her and her daddy. Everyone had a great time till Daddy broke the stick for the pinata. Eventually uncle Bry got out the big whacking stick and broke the pinata for the kids. Olivia got so many gifts it was hard to fit them in the car to bring them home. We also visited a farm there and went to a concert at the marina. Mostly we just visited our family and enjoyed their company.

Looking at the fish with Papa

Sharing birthday cake with Daddy

One of the horses at Centennial park

Soon after our trip, Olivia turned 2 years old. We celebrated the actual day with just the three of us and Olivia got a few things to redecorate her room. Well actually, we only redecorated half her room because the other half will be for her new baby brother or sister who is due to arrive in February. Olivia started sleeping in a big girl bed when we got back from Thunder Bay and hasn't had a problem with it at all. I'm so proud of her for transitioning so easily. Now if only she would want to potty train.

A few weeks after her actual birthday we held a barbecue here in the backyard and invited all our church friends. We had a great time but had to move inside due to impending rain. Everyone seemed to enjoy the cake even though it wasn't my best work.

At Olivia's 2 year check up she weighed in at 23.5 pounds and was 33 inches tall which put her in the 25th percentile for each which is just fine with us. She's tiny but mighty.

Although Olivia can throw a mean tantrum she has a really sweet personality. This past week she has been taking care of mommy. I was having a few bad days and she visited me in bed to rub cream on my tummy to help me feel better. She also helped daddy massage my sore shoulder and gave me lots of kisses and hugs. I think she will be a great big sister because she is so helpful. Now if only we can work on the frustration and food pickiness LOL. I'm sure she will grow out of most of it but it can be quite troublesome. .

A hard few weeks

Olivia's language continues to develop at a fairly steady pace and she surprises me sometimes with words I didn't think she knew. Yesterday she said camera while holding the object in question. She also says "momo" when she sees Elmo on the computer or on her diapers. The past few weeks have been very hard on both of us. She's been teething non stop for at least 3 weeks and is sporting 4 new teeth, 2 of which are molars. She must be in a lot of pain at times because she can't seem to calm down. Her sleeping habits are off and she's not the happy girl I'm used to. I'm sure this will end soon, I mean it has to right? Once these teeth are fully through, she'll have 10 out of the 20 she needs. I wonder how many of those will decide to emerge simultaneously? We're going to visit the grandmas and grandpas in a few weeks, I'm sure she'll enjoy that. We'll also be visiting with Auntie Nikki who is in Korea right now but will be back for a few weeks when we're in Thunder Bay. Olivia hasn't seen her Aunt since she was just under five months old. I can't imagine how startling the differences will be to Nikki. Olivia is certainly mischevious. When I asked her to come see me yesterday for a clean diaper, she ran into the kitchen, did a few circuits and then crawled under the kitchen table...I was not impressed. She has her definite tastes and preferences. Today we're going out to lunch with a friend, I hope she will eat what we get her!

Words words words

Lately Olivia's language is increasing at quite a rate. Over Christmas she gained quite a few words and just today added 2 more. She learned girl, pretty, cold and Elly (her grandma's cat). Today she came up with papa for grandpa and car. I find it amazing how fast they learn these words and although they aren't as clear as what you and I would say, the meaning is still there and she understands. She also learned to give Squishy hugs which are hugs that you have to squeeze really hard and grunt with effort LOL. Christmas was good to her, she made out like a bandit and is enjoying her toys at home. She also had her first professional haircut and I think it's really cute. She was happy to visit with all of her family but she was also very glad to be home. We're just getting back into routine today and it's going a bit rough for now. At least mommy is no longer bound by the cast and we can do a bit more. As I type she's fighting with a chair and moving it all over the room and complaining about it although I'm not sure what the problem is. As you can see, the language isn't enough to express her frustration just yet.

Life is a constant source of wonder

Well by request of my friend Claire, I've decided to do an update. It's been awhile since I've said much about my little darling/devil so here we go. She's been sleeping in a bed for the past 3 weeks and most of the time we don't have any issues. She has been challenging naptime though and gets out a few times most days only to be taken back to bed. At night she usually stays put and goes to sleep right away. As of last Monday she had achieved a weight of 21.5 pounds so she is up a pound and a half since the beginning of November when she was weighed by the pediatrician. She's still 29.5 inches tall so her height has not increased at all. Her vocabulary is really increasing. Her latest words are please, uh oh, cracker, cookie, baby and Keri (the name of my friend's dog). She still doesn't call me mom on a regular basis, usually just in the car where she will say it over and over. She loves to chatter to herself while she plays and it sounds like she is telling some pretty wild stories. She now can walk pretty fast when she wants but is still a bit clumsy because she doesn't look where she's going. Her favourite tv show is the Wiggles and she just loves the movie Wall-E. We are looking forward to her second Christmas because this time she knows a bit more about what's going on. She hasn't taken much interest in our little tree but she likes the singing snowmen I have in front of it. I'm eager to see how she reacts to seeing her grandma's and grandpa's after being away from them for so long. I'm sure she'll be tickled pink. She loves all people but especially her family. Today she actually fell asleep on me in bed for about half an hour. It was so sweet being able to hold my baby who isn't a baby at all. However, when I woke up, she had drooled all over me!

Just an ordinary day

I just thought I'd update the blog since it's been nearly a month. Olivia hasn't walked all too much since the last time I posted. Just a few steps here and there. Today she did stand up unassisted in the middle of the room. I can't help but think she will be walking consistently very soon. I've been looking into when she can go into a regular bed and it looks like it could be as soon as 4 months down to road. I'm not rushing it though, we'll play it by ear and see how she is doing in the crib by then. I would like to have her pick out her own bedding or perhaps she'll get it for a gift for Easter or something like that depending on when she transitions. Right now I'm looking at good quality snowsuits as I'm thinking the one I have will still be too large by the time snow falls. We also need to find boots that will fit. Olivia's favourite word right now has to be Up. I'm trying to get her to say Up mama but she refuses to say mama at all. She figures that she knows who I am, I know who I am, why say it? The child development worker Angie is happy with her progress and won't be back until December and then February to do her 18 month assessment which will be more involved. Livvy also enjoys watching the Backyardigans. I think it's the only tv program she's ever paid attention to for more than 10 minutes. Not that I'm complaining that she doesn't watch tv, I think it's great she'd rather entertain herself. Today after she got up in the morning, she was still so tired that she was able to lay in my lap and fall back to sleep for a few minutes. It made me miss the times when she would sleep in my arms for much longer than that. She's also getting big, but never too big for mama's lap. I put her to bed about 45 minutes ago and I can still hear her mischevious laugh. I wonder what she's up to but I'll just leave her to it. She and Ittybit the 2nd are sure to be cooking up some scheme in there.

One small step for man, one giant step for Olivia

Well she did it, she walked! I knew she had the ability in her, all she needed was the confidence to try on her own. In true Reedhead/Wagg style she decided to ever be the showwoman and do it in front of all the teachers at a get together this evening. So holding a tiny green tomato in one hand and a smallish apple in the other, she decided to take her steps. Not one or two, but at least 4 on 3 separate occasions. She even walked on a rocky driveway as if she'd been doing it for ages. A repeat performance wasn't in the cards for at home though, she was tired and hungry and needed to get to bed quickly. I'm hoping tomorrow holds more attempts so I can catch it on video.