Vocabulary of an Olivea

Let me preface this by saying I'm not an expert. I read up on things and do some casual research...and when I share things, I am only telling you what I did that worked, or didn't work. That does not mean anyone should feel discouraged or think my way will work for everyone.

That said...people ask me all the time how Liv (now 20 months) got such a good vocabulary. Based on what I've read average for her age is 12-15 spoken words. I'm not trying to brag...but Liv has way surpassed that. Why? I don't know...it could be the things we have done. It could be genes. It could be she is a super genius baby. It could be that I'm a stay at home mom now so I spend a ton of time with her.  Or it could be she is just good with words. Her dad and I are both chatter boxes. I do not know the specifics of why I find her to be so completely amazing...maybe I'm just her mom and therefore, she is amazing to me and to everyone else she is just a normal 20 month old.

But...I will say this...when I was pregnant my doctor told me I had a strong willed baby. When she was born her pediatrician told me she was very strong. She rolled over for the first time at 6 weeks (and yess, I accidentally got it on video). She was crawling at 4.5 months. She was walking at 11 months (I know this is pretty normal). So...I will say even if she is not a genius, I am still a super proud mom.

What can she do...she knows a LOT of animals and their sounds and obscure ones too like a zebra, dolphin, whale. She can count to 20. She can count backwards from 10. She knows her shapes. She knows some of her colors. She can see a number 1-9 and tell you what it is. She can see letters and tell you what those are (I'd say about half of them). She can sing entire songs. She can point to pictures in books and tell you what they are like animals, sun, rain, grass, clouds, etc. She tells me what she needs or wants. She says short sentences. She can count to 10 in Spanish. She knows colors in Spanish. She can sign some things.

So what things did I do that may have encouraged her? I'll tell you what I can remember...and if you have questions, post them up and I will answer. :)

• I talk to her all the time. I talked to her when I was pregnant. I talked to her before she could talk. I talked to her about simple things, big things...when we were in the grocery store I told her what we needed and what we were looking at. I told her what we needed to do that day. I told her that I loved her a million times a day. 

• I read to her. We read to her when I was pregnant. We read to her all the time. We have rule that if she brings us a book, we stop what we are doing and read. Yes...it can be a total pain. But everything else in the world can wait. I want her to love books and love reading and I feel this encourages her rather that making her feel discouraged that I don't have the time. When we read, I ask her about the things on the page. Not just the words in the book. And I always read everything to her, magazines, newspaper articles, things online I was reading. Before she could understand the words, she just needed to hear them.
• I NEVER use baby terms. If she says something to me that is her version of the word, I tell her the correct way to say it and encourage her to try. Like "ba ba"...I would say "here is your bottle. Can you say bottle?" And I would say it slowly. They will say ba ba a thousand times before they say bottle...but they have to hear bottle to know that is the right way.

• I take her places. The zoo, Disneyland, the beach, the park...I just get her out of the house to experience other things. Is is always easy, no. Is it always convenient ..no. But I feel like in order to really learn about the world, she has to experience it.

• I use apps. Yep...I do. There are many free and not free apps that are great for babies. "I hear ewe," is a free app that we have that has animal sounds and non-animal sounds. It teaches the name of the animal and the sound it makes. The fisher-price apps are really good too. Not only do they teach words, letters, numbers, animal...but it helps with their motor skills and hand-eye coordination too (at least in my experience). And I know some parents limit how much time their kid spends on apps...I don't. She doesn't really spend all that much time anyway because she has the attention span of a gold fish. So a few minutes here and there is not a big deal. I'll worry about that when she is older.
• And against all the expert advice out there...she watches age appropriate TV. Baby Einstein was the only thing that I could put on that would occupy her so I could shower in the first few months. Every doctor and expert will tell you that TV is bad. Maybe it is...maybe she would be even smarter without TV, but TV has taught her things that I know I didn't. An example: When she was maybe 7 months old, she was in her crib and I turned the TV on so I could get a few extra minutes of sleep. I heard her saying "rawr" and "grrr." I looked up and Dino Dan was on...she was making dino sounds! Another example: the other day I asked her what color blueberries were. She replied in a very confident "azul," (Spanish for blue). I have not gotten into Spanish with her yet...she learned that from Dora the Explorer. I don't allow junk TV, violence, or things that do not have educational value (aside from the occasional Disney movie).
• We sing. I like to just make up songs sometimes when I am doing chores. I also sing the Nick Jr. songs to her and the old classic kiddie songs. We do the hand signs, we dance, and she is learning. She can sing "Twinkle twinkle little star" on her own. She knows most of the "ABC" song. She knows the "Wheels on the bus," and a few others. Music definitely helps kids learn.
• I explain things to her in simple, but not baby language. For example...she does not have a long attention span...so I will tell her "I need to talk to you. Look at mommy. We have gymnastics tomorrow, and I want you to be on good behavior. Listen. And no tantrums." Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn't. But hey, I try.

I think the bottom line is, do your research. Do what YOU are comfortable doing. Know that your child IS the absolute most important thing in your life and give them the attention they need. I don't hover over Liv 24/7...she has her own play time....she has quiet time before bed. But when she needs me, I am there. Sure there are days when I think, I really want to do this today...and she is not having it. I still try....but sometimes I have to think of at the end of my life what is more important...that I read some celebrity gossip on TMZ, or that I gave my daughter a piggy back ride around the house. When I think in those terms....my choices become much more clear.

Next time I am going to talk about what I do for fitness with her and I. We have exercise time together everyday and we also take a mommy and me gymnastics class. So I will share with you all some of the stuff we do to be active.

Cheers!!!
CC

Shameless Plug

Hello readers!

I know this is totally shameless...but I have put some of Liv's clothes up for sale on ebay. All are in really good condition (I would not sell them if they weren't). Some of them were never worn or only worn once. You know how kids grow before they can wear certain seasons!!! New mom mistake! Now I need to unload these to make room for her current size and the season...and let's face it, being a stay at home mom is not exactly bringing in the cash.

Anyway...I have fall and winter items up. I still have a lot of summer clothes that did not sell, so if you are in the market for some cute stuff let me know and I can send pictures. I have much more that will be going up too. I'm trying to space things out to not over whelm myself. I have sizes Newborn to 9 months so far.

Thanks for allowing me to take a few minutes of your time. Please spread the word! Thank you!

Here is the link to my page: Love My Rose Ebay

Here are some of the items that have not sold...if you see something you like, let me know!

Holiday Shopping..Searching for Deals

My parents always did Christmas big. And I will admit, for Liv's first Christmas, I went WAY overboard. But in my defense, I did get some great deals. This is my first Christmas where I don't have a job, so money is going to be much tighter. I have some tips to share with you for holiday shopping deals and I will update any deals I find along the way.

My biggest tip is to start early...like now! You will find it to be far less stressful, and you will have time to look for deals if you start early.

Have a plan and a budget. Know ahead of time what you want to buy so you know what deals to look for.

Check your Sunday paper, and compare prices. Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart all print ads with prices. Look for the items you want to go on sale. These stores all do coupons and weekly sales where you can buy one, get one free, get super discounts, and get gift cards for buying certain items. Go online to do price comparisons. Target.com also has printable coupons. I saved a ton of money doing this last year.

If you are military, price match at the Exchange! Not only do you get your items tax free, but if you find a lower price somewhere else, they will match it. For example, this week I saw Playskool Let's Rock Elmo at the BX for nearly $70. Target's weekly ad has it on sale for $29.99. Take the ad to the BX and they will match the price and you save on sales tax!

Target Red Card, debit card saves you 5%. I have the debit card (there are no fees and it is linked to your bank account). Additionally, if you make purchases through Target.com you get free shipping.

Lay Away is a good option if you want to make smaller payments each week. Stores like Toys R Us and Wal-Mart do this seasonally and K-Mart does it year round. 

Deals I found this week:

• Playskool Let's Rock Elmo - Target $29.99
• Furby - Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us all have these on sale this week $54
• Little People Disney Princess Songs Palace - Target $39 (Wal-Mart has it on sale for $44.97, and Toys R Us has all Little People on sale buy 2 get 1 free)
• Little Tikes Cozy Tikes Coupes or Roadsters - Toys R Us has these on sale for $20 off

Vacation: Part 2

Week two of our vacation was just as awesome, although sad because we knew we would be going home soon. It seemed like everyone realized this too and at that point it became a scramble.

We took a trip South to San Diego (meaning whales vagina, according to Ron Burgundy...lol guess the movie) with Nick's family. The view outside of the zoo was almost as entertaining. I don't care about anyone's sexual orientation, however, when people are flamboyant about their lifestyle and being a bit ridiculous, I am going to laugh. There is a grassy area around the corner from the zoo where a gentleman wearing shorter shorts that I would ever dare wear in public was prancing around with his friends. Probably a "you had to be there moment," but it had all of us rolling.

Since it was a weekday, the zoo was not crowded at all and it made seeing the animals much more pleasant. I'm only going to post my favorite pics, because there are just too many to share!

Cheetah! This one is actually taking a tinkle, and then it went #2...yup Cheetahs poop the same way house cats do. LOL

 Meer cats. Liv has a stuffed animal meer cat that Grandma Linda bought her at the Safari Park before we moved.

Baby jaguars...cutest thing ever (besides Liv)!

 Have you ever been this close to a Lion? Me either. It was so cool! He even opened his eyes for a moment then went back to sleep. Notice my child is not even close to being afraid.

Panda. They have a new baby panda too, but you can only see the video feed of it. You can see it here Panda Cam

This guy decided that he was going to poop right in front of us (are you sensing a theme yet). I was taking a video when it happened...if you think this is hilarious, you can see it here Hippo Doing It's Hippo Thing

This snake is two headed...it's conjoined twins. Apparently, they have to feed each head separately and block of the head that is not eating so they don't bite each other.

After the zoo, our friend George made us dinner and so kindly let us stay at his house for a couple days while we did all the things we needed to do in that area. We had a nice visit with my grandma. She gave Liv a big Minnie Mouse doll and Liv now sleeps with it every night. We spent time with Nick's family, and Liv had play time with her cousin Ava (who she calls Babe-A). I have tons of cute pics of the two of them, but I don't want to post pics of other people's children here (some people understandably are not comfortable with it...so if you are my family and wondering why I didn't post the pics of the other kids, that's why). We also had dinner with some friends. It was so good to see Melissa and Al. I miss the date nights we used to have! Nick's mom had a BBQ for us with more family and friends. It was a good time.

At the end of the week we went back to my dad and mom's house to finish out our trip. Liv started getting sick though. Slight fever, runny nose, coughing until she threw up...lovely. So a few of our plans were cancelled so that she didn't infect friends and so she could rest up and feel better.

I love this pic of my mom (Terri) reading to Liv. She used to read this to us when we were little.

We did go to the LA County Fair for a very short time. Just long enough for Liv to pet some animals and go on a pony ride. Then we got some deep fried food to go and spent the rest of the day letting her rest.

With Liv rested up, I decided some salty air and water would do her some good. Growing up near the beach I believe there is nothing the sun and salt water can't help cure. So we packed up and headed to Huntington Beach with my mom (Terri), dad, Crystal (my brother's lady) and their three kids.

 She stole my sandwich!

Family photo time...yes, he grew the beard in the two weeks were gone.

 She loved it...my so cal baby!

And then...we left the sunshine and returned to Louisiana. I cried like a baby on the plane. Usually at the end of a trip you are excited to get home to your bed...but I was sad. Sad to leave all the people I know and love. But it was a healing trip. Nick's sister and I made amends, which is good because I truly missed her. I discovered that some people, no matter what you do in life will always judge you and those people are not worth your time. I learned I can disagree with people and still be classy, and that not stooping to someone's level feels good. I learned that my type A personality and need to organize and control situations can be annoying to people. But mostly, I saw how much we are loved and missed, which made coming home that much harder. Sometimes it is easy for me to get bitter sitting out here and thinking if people really cared about us, they would make the effort to see us. But I know that's not the case. We all have things to do in life and places to go. I feel like in a way, I grew up a little. I have always heard certain sayings, but I never believed in them until now. Maybe 33 is my magic number for learning these lessons, or maybe the time away just made me appreciate people and situations more. 

Food Vacation

I was soooo very bad. We ate at all our favorite places...and although we did a LOT of walking, I still gained 5 pounds. But it was worth it! I'm just working extra hard now that I'm back. I may have gotten a few of the days mixed up as to where we were, but you get the idea :)

Pretty much as soon as we got off the plane, we were ready to dig in. For our first lunch we had burritos at Chipotle, and introduced my mom (Terri) to the yumminess. It was so good to have Chipotle! That night my family and some of Nick's Air Force friends met us for dinner at Shakey's pizza. Yes, we can get pizza out here, but not Mojo potatoes!!!

The next day we went to the Arboretum, and what was across the street? The mall...and my how it has grown! When I was little, my mom used to take us to Hot Dog on a Stick there and it was downstairs. There was a pizza place across from it, and one other restaurant. Now there is a huge food court. It may be in a new location, but Hot Dog on a Stick is still there...and soooo sooo good. Why do I love this place? Besides the fact that their food is delicious...the hot dogs are either turkey or veggie, which is great for me since I don't eat beef. And they are fried in soy oil, so lower calorie. And the cheese on a stick is one of my favorites as well.

After lunch we hit up See's candy (another place we don't have here). I got a few of my favorites, and Liv enjoyed a chocolate sucker.

That night, we drove south to meet Nick's family and visited another favorite, Miguel Jr.'s. I ate here so many times when we lived in So Cal, that I was sick of it...but after the 7 month break, it was so good! My favorite is the El Potato burrito with chicken. Mmmmm!

The next day brought more favorites...Pick-Up Stix, some seriously good "chinese" food. If you ever make it there try their Cream Cheese won-tons.

Friday we met up with my sister Sarah and my friend Elisa at the Block in Orange (now called the Outlets), and enjoyed a smoothie from Juice it Up. Later, a couple of our friends met us in Orange County for the International Food Festival. My first indulgence a chicken "street: taco. WOW! I missed authentic tacos! I also had a gyro that was really good too.

Saturday, we were nursing a bit of a hang over. But we managed to make it out for dinner at Thai House Restaurant. There is NO Thai food here. There is a fusion place that is not too bad, but I seriously love Thai food and really missed it!

Sunday we had a pool party at my mom's (Cindy) house. So we had party food.

Monday we headed out to Disneyland. I have a few favorite things at Disneyland...unfortunately I missed out on one of them (the Dole Pineapple Whip). But..even though it was hot out, I had a bowl of clam chowder in New Orleans Square (ironic?). And that night we ate dinner in Downtown Disney at the Rain Forest Cafe.

Tuesday, before heading south again, we got lunch at Panera Bread. That night we had dinner at CPK (California Pizza Kitchen). My favorites there, the Thai Crunch salad (can't get salads like that here) and the Pear Gorgonzola pizza.

Wednesday we went further south to the San Diego Zoo. They have a cafe there, near the elephants, where we like to eat. We spent the next few nights at our friend's house and he graciously made us dinner that night. It was really good too...carne and pollo asada, fresh guacamole... :)

Thursday we went to my grandma's house and had lunch at Red Robin. I missed those juicy turkey burgers and fries! Yum! Then that night we met up with friends for sushi at Nick's favorite sushi place, Hana. You cannot get sushi like that here in LA! Plus, it was really good to see our friends.

Friday, Nick's mom had a BBQ for us...then we headed back to my parents' house.

Unfortunately, Liv got sick, which meant we had to curb some of our plans. Originally, we were going to go to Shakey's pizza to celebrate one of my best friend's son's birthday. But with Liv being sick, I didn't want to get him sick and I didn't want Liv to get too worn out either. After the party, we were going to go to the LA County Fair. Of course my favorite part is the food! We went, only because my dad had already bought the tickets and only for a short time. Long enough for Liv to pet the animals, ride a pony, and then we grabbed some food to go. What did I get? Deep fried veggie plate and deep fried kool-aide. We stopped at In-n-Out for Nick.

Sunday, Liv still had the sniffles (but after some rest was not nearly as cranky)...so we decided some salty air would be good for her. I think the sun and salt water can cure anything. My dad and mom (Terri) packed lunch and snacks and with my brother's lady, Crystal, and their three kids in tow we all went to Huntington Beach. It was a perfect beach day! And on the way home we stopped at another favorite, Wahoo's Fish Tacos. They have some of the BEST shrimp tacos.

Monday I was in a mood....it was time to pack up....My dad took us to dinner at another favorite, North Woods Inn. Their salad (mix the red cabbage and the regular salad) is hands down one of the things I miss about California food the most. Plus, you get to eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. For dessert we met the moms (my mom Cindy and Nick's mom) and siblings at the Cheesecake Factory.

And then....it was time to go home....I don't really have any favorites here. I do like the Long Horn Steak House. But I definitely miss the fresh salads, sushi, and Mexican food in So Cal.

Vacation is Good for the Soul: Part 1

We just returned from a two week vacation back to Southern California....and it was so very needed and appreciated. I have a bunch of thank you cards I need to write. :) And although I hated to leave and cried like a baby on the plane, I feel like I can deal with life out here a little better. I didn't just do things and see people, I actually learned life lessons and things about myself as well. Just like anything else, there were ups and downs, people I wish I could have spent more time with or even could have seen, and things there just was not enough time to do. That said...over all it was a great trip and I am going to focus on the good that came of it.

Look at that smog...gross...but I do miss the mountain landscape!

We went to the LA Arboretum in Arcadia. This was a place I went to many many times as a child. It has changed so much! It really is a beautiful place BUT...I was really disappointed with a couple things. First, it used to be free to go, now it costs $18 per person to go in. Second, more than half the things I went to see (like the rose garden) were not accessible because they were watering with giant sprinklers. Third, there are far less ducks, geese, swans, and peacocks than there used to be. In fact... did not see any swans or geese. I'm still glad I went...but I probably won't be back.

 Mom and baby peacock

A male peacock resting in the shade of a big tree

Standing on a giant snake head

Queen Anne's Cottage 

Fountain from my childhood

The International food festival in Orange is a yearly event. Foods from different regions of the world are featured. It's a very fun event. Lots of food (of course) and some good bands! I had a chicken taco, gyro, danish cookie, and a glass of champagne.  I wanted some more stuff...but it was super crowded and I had a tired baby.

Alien balloon at the food fest

After the food fest, we had a grown ups night out. My mom babysat and a couple of friends and family members came out with us to an old stomping ground, the Canyon Inn in Yorba Linda. I heard this was featured on Bar Rescue, funny to me since it used to always be packed on the weekends. But heading back there is was a very slow night. Maybe because it was country night...maybe it has just lost its luster. Not sure....but we had fun. And for me...it was awesome because I haven't had a night out since before we moved.

We had a pool party. Perfect amount of people. Thanks to everyone who came.

Disneyland! I miss being so close and having a season pass so I can just jet down. We didn't do any grown up rides, just the kiddie ones for Liv. She is finally at an age where she enjoyed it. I think her favorites were Small World and meeting Mickey Mouse. I was also excited that my cousin, Chelsey and her daughter, Stella joined us. :)

 Liv sporting her Figaro shirt...Main Street

Happy 1st anniversary to my sis and brother-in-law!

Nick's tradition honoring his grandma seeing the original movies

My Mom and me at Mickey's Cinema

Cinderella's Castle...always brings out my little princess

Taking a ride through Storybook Land

Nap time

 The turkey that is pardoned by the President

 Liv meets Mickey! The next day she said "I love Mickey Mouse!"

Her other favorite, Small World

 

We went to the new Car's Land in California Adventure and got this traffic cone cup

The dragon, knight, and horse are all made out of legos - Downtown Disney

Beauty and the Beast made of legos

That was our first week...more to come :)

***I hate to have to do this...but there are some bad people out there who steal photos and try to pass them off as their own or use them for malicious purposes. Let me be clear...I am NOT by any means a soft person who would roll over and allow that. If I see my photos are stolen, or used for unauthorized purposes, I will go after that person with everything I have...and trust me, I will make that person's life absolutely miserable. These photos belong to me, and can only be used with my written consent. I will not tolerate any funny business.