I read a "Mom-Tip" once from someone whose child hated having their hands cleaned after meals. This person suggested pouring water on the highchair so that the Clean Hands Hater could play and "wash" their hands simultaneously. Brilliant! We went through this with Olivia so I decided to try it. She loved it. Her hands, however, were no cleaner than when we started, and I had the added bonus of not only cleaning her hands but also removing the now beloved water.

Rating: A+ for creative way to entertain a child; F for cleanliness but also for inducing more tears than the original act would have done...

Recommendation: Sing a song and use baby wipes. Be fast and distract!

Conclusion: POST PARTY

And when we got home, Olivia had so much energy, we had to have ANOTHER dance party in our living room. I've never seen her twirl in so many circles.

Part 2: DANCE PARTY!

If I could add audio to this blog post I would. Although, I'd be torn between the famous musical prelude to 2001: A Space Odyssey and the sweet sounds of DJ Lance Rock's footsteps in the opening scene of Yo Gabba Gabba! Perhaps a combo? Because the Yo Gabba Gabba Live! There's a Party in My City Tour was awwwwwwesooooooommmme!

There's something not-at-all magical about overpriced tickets to a children's concert, but I will say this, WE had a blast. While Olivia certainly enjoyed herself (as seen below, waiting in anticipation of the fantasticness to come), Frank and I had more fun. Even better, we happened to sit in front of one uber-excited mom and her sons. That made the show all the more memorable.

The tour did a nice job incorporating all the favorite aspects of the tv version. Liv danced her diapered tush off, but really, did you expect any different from a mini-me?

And when she couldn't stand anymore, Frank or I held her in our laps so she could sway while simultaneously giving her feet a rest. So, it's a good thing the coordinators made us buy her a seat, huh?! Hey kids! That's sarcasm!

Steel Train was the guest on the "Super Music Friends Show," and sang some rockin' song that I cannot remember. I was a little bummed that The Roots didn't make an appearance, but the Emmy's were that evening, so I guess they get a pass. Ben Franklin did the dancey dance... I think his memory is going in his older age but it was cute. And then there was....

BIZ MARKIE!

He did his usual, Biz' Beat of the Day. Olivia now tries to do the beat of the day, which I am trying desperately to catch on film. It's adorable. Side note: the parents were totally far more enthusiastic for Biz than the kids. You can see them above rushing the stage. He was letting kids come up on stage to do the beat in the mic but if you look closely, you won't see many kids... Just making an observation.

And then it was over. Just like that. We bought the CD, so Liv rocked out the whole ride home. Biz' Beat included.

Yo Gabba Gabba, The Pre-Party!

MUNO! He's tall and friendly! FOOFA! She's pink and happy!

Figured it out yet? I've mentioned it before - Liv's love of the NickJr. TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba! She knows all the character's names, sings the theme song, recognizes and dances to the others songs. There's not an episode we haven't seen or DVRed. She had a birthday party centering around this theme. Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Have you solved the mystery of where I might possibly be going with this?

The next three posts (this one included) will be a 3-part homage to the Yo Gabba Gabba Live! There's a Party in My City Tour. And, might I add, the expensive, all kids over the age of 1 need a ticket, tour. Olivia, when you are old enough to read this, do know that Mommy and Daddy love you very much and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and I'm sure you can't even remember that we didn't buy groceries that week...

The Pre-Party, as I'm calling it, occurred a couple of weeks before the tour and involved Muno and Foofa making an appearance at the Please Touch Museum (seriously, get a membership so I can stop talking about how fantastic that place is). Frank and I figured this would be a test run helping us determine if taking her to the show was really a good idea. Let's be honest, not many 16 month olds can sit through a live show.

Mobbed doesn't even explain the main atrium of the PTM. I stood there with Liv and Mom Mom questioning, really questioning, my decision-making abilities. Then, we saw Muno in all his cardboard cut-out glory. Had I a better camera, I may have had more pictures of Olivia and the joy she exuded standing next to him. Unfortunately, most of the shots taken by my low-tech behemoth were blurry because who in their right mind tries to ask a 16 month old to stand still during a dance party with her heroes. Oh, right, me.

Luckily my camera has a video mode. Girl's got mad skills.

And then, they appeared. In my mind, it occurred in slow motion. Although, in actuality, that might not be far from the truth, considering their "handlers" had to push through what felt like thousands (or hundreds) of small children, not-so-small children, and their not-at-all small but equally as excited adults. This was Olivia's face (thank you, Camera Gods, for getting the focus right).

Foofa. She really is pink and happy, folks. Totally true. Believe me, I've seen it.

After the dance party madness, we stood in line for a photo op with the Pink Goddess herself. While in line, I maaaay have prepped Olivia on what to expect. However, she did answer the questions on her own without me feeding her lines. Scouts honor.

Olivia meets her idol. Mommy unsuccessfully hides her excitement at being in the presence of greatness.

It was at that point that Frank and I knew we had to figure out a way to scrape up the money for tickets (sell the cats? the car?). Check back frequently for parts 2 and 3 or Dance Party and Post-Party as I refer to them.

So Big!

Liv turned 15 months old the day we decided to move EVERYTHING from the "rental property" (as we began dubbing it) to our brand-new-to-us, first home. That being said, there aren't any good pictures, although the picture posted yesterday was taken on July 11th.

The difference between her now and 3 months ago is astonishing! She's walking all over, on the verge of running. She still keeps her hands up for balance, so her run is really a trot. She moves over, around, through, and under obstacles, which can be hilarious. And, as Miss K, her old daycare teacher put it, she is determined! When my Livie Lu sets her mind to something, there is absolutely no stopping her! Case in point: our recent visit to the Please Touch Museum when Olivia discovered the grocery store. She had it in her mind to put all the cans on the shelf in her cart, which she mostly did. However, on each shelf, located behind plexiglass, is the Model Can which is a way for kids and parents to know where to put each item once you're done. Well, Miss Thang started crying when she realized she couldn't get to the Model Cans... Mommy has a long row to hoe with this tiny tot! I'm posting the video (sans meltdown), which was taken 2 days shy of 15 months. Enjoy!

At 15 months, Olivia...

weighs 20 lbs. 12 oz. (although I don't think the measurement was accurate)

is 31 1/4 inches long

wears size 4 diapers

wears 12 months & 18 months clothing (especially if she needs to wear pants!)

eats food (no more baby food!) - favorites are 'nanas, hard-boiled eggs, & yogurt

feeds herself with a spoon... with about 50% accuracy

drinks water and soymilk from a sippy cup (we are graduating to a no-handles sippy cup tomorrow)

plays independently with toys

loves books and balls

loves Yo Gabba Gabba & Elmo

gives high 5s

blows kisses

says hi and bye on her own and when asked

pretends to eat play food, make pretends phone calls & waltzes around with purses on each arm

can touch/show her head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and belly!)

says either by independently asking for or labelng somewhere between 40 and 50 words

most common words: 'nana, Melmo, book, ball, Mommy, Dada, 'nack, wawa, shoe, coocuh (cookie), kack kack (quack quack), roar

counts 1-2, followed by a whole lot of rhythmic babble!

reads books by pointing at the pictures and saying something (real or babble)

will point to large letters and intentionally babble... which sounds a lot like one-two (lol)

understands at least twice that number & follows many 2 step directions

follows routine directions, simple or complex

sings songs with recognizable tones, rhythm & hand motions (loves Row Row!)

can give animal sounds for a cat, dog, lion, monkey, bear, duck, cow, and sheep

All I Want for Christmas...

is my lower front TOOTH! Lost? It's ok, let me fill you in.

On Wednesday, December 9th, Olivia started to get sick (two days before a well-visit - that's why I remember). It was a tiny cough. Nothing to be worried about. At her well-visit, Dr. D. checked her lungs (fine) and determined that it was probably from all the congestion and post-nasal drip (yummy). The following week was filled with a very sick baby who spent two days home from daycare coughing thick, mucousy coughs (I think I posted about that, though not in such tantalizing detail) and another trip to the doctor (again, just a cold). This led to the snow weekend where both Liv and Daddy were sick (I definitely posted about that) and Mommy wished school hadn't closed (I'm being honest - it's MY blog).

Side note: Olivia has been sleeping through the night since she was about 5-6 weeks old. This bliss came to a tragic end the week of Christmas when Olivia decided sleep was not her style. Admittedly, she also had that amazingly hacky cough. There were several days - er, nights - in a row where she was up from about 1am - 4am. This created some super cranky days... for everyone... Ev-Ree-One.

So Frank and I were going back and forth -- teething? Just sick? She's been feeling better (still coughing like the dickens when she wakes up) and sleeping through more of the night, so we assumed it was just a blip. A sickly, hacking blip. Then, last night, Mom Mom found it. Found the poke of her first tooth breaking the gum. And today it was the tiny top ridges of the lower [her] left front tooth. Of course, she's still miserable but all in all much better. Cross your fingers for a full night's sleep!

Since we obviously don't have any pictures of her tooth [yet], I'm posting pictures from Christmas (you know, that minor holiday we just had) which was full of fun and excitement. Olivia did eventually get the hang of opening gifts. She loves her maraccas and drum, courtesy of Santa, and her homemade board book, courtesy of Mommy (there will be a future post about that). Frank videotaped the entire hour long event, which we are going to try to edit and get online somehow. And Ive decided I need a better camera; one that takes good, clear, non-flash photos when other people use it.

Tricks & Treats

Here are some very belated Halloween "treats:"

And some fabulous new "tricks!"

A Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I know you've probably already spent at least $100.00 on my Christmas presents, but all I want is a slightly crumpled sheet of paper towel. Really, don't go to all the trouble of ordering special toys online or tackling the throngs of shoppers at the mall. Paper towels. That's it. I swear I'll be good.

Love,

Olivia

Dear Santa,

Please bring us a refund... and booze.

Love,

Alicia & Frank

Recipe for Success?

Step 1: Rush to Genuardi's on Thanksgiving Day to buy organic produce & ground turkey. This ensures fresh produce and no crowds. Drive like a maniac home. Prep food for cooking. Lie to husband that this won't take that long.

Step 2: Boil apples. Bake sweet potatoes. Steam carrots (darn nitrates!). Saute turkey in water.

Step 3: Let cool (see picture). Oh and shower, get dressed, get the baby dressed, and pack her diaper bag.


Step 4: Puree using food processor and water. Divvy out that day and the next's portions for meals. Freeze extra using only available containers which may or may not be freezer appropriate.

Step 5: Present food to baby using same utensils and bowls as usual. Pretend like it came in a jar. Use enthusiastic tone (e.g. "Yaay, applesauce! Yummy carrots!").

Step 6: Feed baby. Hold breath as you wait for reaction.

Step 7: Stay positive.

Step 8: Keep going. Do not offer jarred food as alternative despite best puppy dog eyes.

Step 9: Be a good sport. And be proud of yourself for feeding your child wholesome, organic Thanksgiving goodness.

**This post brought to you by my neighbor Danielle & wholesomebabyfood.com.**

Highchair Antics

I thought I'd post a video of Olivia in the highchair. We decided to let her hold the spoon... lesson learned!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Olivia rolled over for the very first time on Oct. 20th! Apparently, there was an occurrence at school, which her teacher forgot to tell me about (sigh...). I discovered it later that night when I laid the Livster down for her nap. About 10 minutes in she started wailing, which is odd, so I checked on her. She was laying on her tummy with one leg sticking out the crib slats. Poor thing -- stuck! And obviously frustrated. I managed to get this video later in the evening. It takes her about 2 minutes to do it (note: about 5 seconds after I stopped filming, she fixed her hand and was completely upright). I was worried that the video would be long and boring... thank goodness we have cats.

A Classic

I call this one "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots..." Enjoy!

A Lesson in Shaping

B.F. Skinner would be so proud. (Note: Olivia was just 6 months and 4 days when we filmed this.)

Just Add Food

Here are two videos of Olivia taken during mealtimes. The first is her initial reaction to carrots. Despite the faces, she gobbled them down. The second video is all the "talking" she did -- just like Mom, a little chatterbox! And, yes, I forgot that when I shoot a video on my digital camera, it does not autocorrect the orientation (sorry!).

Must Love Dogs

We've noticed recently Olivia's awareness of other babies and animals. It occurred for the first time on "Cast Off" Day when we saw Caroline and Baby Taylor; she just thought Taylor was a riot! We've seen it also with our two cats. Olivia has been smiling at them and following them visually. I even saw her try to "call" Vito when he wasn't looking at her. Recently, on a trip to Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house, we discovered just how deep this love goes. Enjoy!

Livie's Social Views

We sat down tonight to ask Olivia what she thought of a few current events. Here's what she had to say.

First Topic: Michael Vick -- Bad newz or bird newz?



Second Topic: Universal Healthcare -- Death panel or panel of hope?



Third Topic: Sarah Palin -- 15 minutes are up or future GOP presidential nom?

Where's Livie?

Here are two recent videos of Liv. In one, we are playing a game entitled "Where's Livie?" She's been covering her face with whatever she can grab, and then, pulling it down and looking at whomever she is playing with a big smile. In the other, Mom Mom was making Liv laugh... or was it the other way around? ;-) You may need to turn your volume up. Enjoy!

Olivia and Her Little Furry Friend

I took this quick video while Olivia was playing on her playmat. The first 10 seconds are pretty rocky as I try to adjust how I'm sitting to get a better view. This was when the playmat was on the floor -- before Frank put it in the bassinet level of the pack 'n' play. Of our two cats, Monty has always seen Olivia as more of a toy but this one occassion was actually quite cute.