Agatha Christie wrote “The first time you do a thing is always exciting.”
Well, this year was very exciting for us as Olivia had many firsts! We kicked off 2022 by celebrating Olivia’s 1st trip around the sun. She may not remember it, but the cupcake stains in her onesie will last forever! In April, Olivia took a plunge into the big world when she started going to Bixby Oaks Children’s Center. After a couple of rough transitional “ramp up” months, she now can’t wait to get out of the car and play. She loves to carry basketballs around the playground, go down the slide on her belly, finger paint, and of course, enjoy snack time!
With daycare comes cooties! Olivia (and consequently us as well), had our fair share of sick days. But by now, Olivia is now quite proficient at getting her temperature taken, using the syringe to take infant Tylenol, and wiping her nose! Besides building our immune systems, we also made a few new friends this year:
1st Gymnastics Class
Starting in March, Olivia gets to tumble and climb at The Little Gym in Lakewood.
Little Gym has definitely helped Olivia gain confidence in walking, climbing, and being social. Every week we learn a new sign and skill.
Her favorite things to do are go across the balance beam, jump on the blow-up bouncer, and throw balls (and chase after them).
1st Word – “I Did”
Starting in July, after a cute burp or fart, a polite “I did” follows!
Soon after “I did,” we started hearing “mama” and “dada”.
Now Olivia is a babbling and signing machine! She says most of her colors, many different foods, and most her family members’ names (we’re still missing Coco and Peanut). For some reason “ow” means “yes,” but “no” means “no.” She knows the word dog, but sounds like a cat in heat when she’s referring to a cat.
We’re also so proud of how many signs Olivia knows and uses every day!
1st Sleepover
In August, Olivia enjoyed a weekend getaway at her grandparent’s house while we went to a friend’s wedding in Camarillo.
This was Olivia’s first overnighter away from us and she handled it like a champ! She enjoyed 3 days of playing, eating, TV time, and goofing off with Momo, Popo, and Bailey.
1st Dentist Visit
Olivia has had 20 of her teeth since she was 13-months old (she now has 23!). Ipso facto, her pediatrician said we should start seeing a dentist earlier than most toddlers.
So in September, we ended up going to Happy Teeth where Olivia surprisingly had a great first visit!
1st Library Card
Since October, Olivia has been the proud owner of her very own Long Beach library card. Every Wednesday we visit the Ruth Back Neighborhood Library to check out new books for the week! Her favorites have been Where’s Spot? and Blue vs Yellow.
On Saturdays Olivia also enjoys going to toddler story time!
1st Speech Therapy Session
In October, Olivia started going to Chatterbox Speech Pathology for delayed expressive speech.
She’s super good at responsive speech, cognition, and using sign language to communicate with us, but struggled a little with expressive speech, so hopefully our friends at Chatterbox can help unlock her little voice!
1st Trip to the Snow
We’re wrapping up 2022 with a very exciting first – Olivia’s first trip to the snow when we visit Gigi in Carson City, Nevada for Christmas!
