Dear Olivia,

You my girl are always keeping me laughing. Whenever I am angry at you, or I am telling you something you don't want to hear, you pretend to be asleep. You turn your head away from me and close your eyes. Every single time. It also happens when people you don't know very well talk to you. It's adorable, and slightly annoying. Especially when I'm trying to have a calm conversation with you!

You are doing really well with potty training. Since your first day you've only had 2 accidents. Both times it was in the morning. I learned I need to put you on the potty right when you wake up or you won't remember to do it! I love having you in underwear. Even with all the negatives. One major one is I think you are scared to have an accident outside our house. So whenever we go out, you go potty all the time. I mean every 15 minutes you want to go sit on the toilet again. It seems to be slowly getting better. But it hasn't been no picnic! :)

Today we went out to Steinaker Reservoir to hang out at the lake for a minute. I guess I should tell you the back story. When we went to California, our first night there, you ended up going underwater longer than was comfortable. Ever since then, understandably, you've been afraid to go in the water. This has been awful considering summer just started! We went to the Roosevelt pool and you were terrified the whole time. I felt awful! You refused to be in the water unless you were clinging to Dad or I. So today, I didn't expect anything different from  you. In the beginning, that's exactly how it was. You wouldn't go near the water without Dad holding you. I don't know what changed, but by the end of the trip, you were jumping all over the water. I think you enjoyed how slowly it got deep. You could walk quite a distance before it hit your chest. You were so proud of yourself. You kept saying, "I can swim!" You loved it and didn't want to leave. :) I am so grateful you are slowly getting braver in the water again! You loved the water before and I really hope you will again!

I love you Miss Olivia Beth!

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

You are in a total princess stage! You love princesses! Especially Anna from Frozen. She is your all time favorite princess right! The other day you were playing that you were Anna and I decided, what the heck, and got out your Halloween costume from last year! You've now worn it for the past 2 days! You love it. You get on your Anna dress and your princess crown, your plastic high heels, purse, and your baby, and you look adorable. :)

For awhile now you love to be called other names. I'll say "Olivia come here!" And you'll say, "No I'm the mamma!" So then I have to call you mamma. Today you weren't Olivia you were Anna! It's so stinking cute! So all day we called you Princess Anna. At one point Dad even added, "Of Arendale!"

I love you my beautiful big girl! In case you were wondering, today is day four with no accidents from you! It seems to be too good to be true! I never thought it would happen with how against it you were! But you've really come around! Thank goodness for bribery! :)

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

You my dear have started doing something amazing! It all started when you stopped telling us no every time we asked if you wanted to go pee on the potty. You see, before this, it was always a fast and stern no from you. You even told daddy you were going to were big kid diapers. I was without hope for sure. I knew from potty training Bently it was pointless to force the issue on you. That would just lead to tears and frustration on both sides. But as of late, you started telling us you wanted to go pee on the potty. It might have helped that I told you only big girls can go to Lagoon. So if you didn't go pee on the potty, no Lagoon for you! Friday night we went to the store and picked out a little potty. You are going through a fears stage and you told us you were scared of the big potty. So we dropped a good amount of cash on a dang little potty! The first day you did.... okay. You had 3 accidents and 4 success. One of those success though was a poop! So that made me happy. But still just over 50 percent success rate wasn't my favorite. Especially because you peed at McDonalds about 2 minutes after I asked if you needed to use the potty. I was ready to give up but decided to give it one more day! The next day was a busy day. We went to the fair for 4 hours and also to the store. You stayed dry the whole time! No accidents! I was so proud of you! Today again you've had no accidents! I am hoping this sticks around! The only bummer part is I constantly have to ask you if you have to go. So far you haven't been consistent in telling me when you need to go! Hopefully that skills is learned with time! OH and I forgot to mention you have stayed dry all 3 nights. We've put a diaper on you, but so far, it hasn't been necessary! :)

I love you my big girl! I can't believe I have two kids in underpants! :)

This is totally off topic but I have to mention is you have a new phrase you say quite often. You will ask, "what funny?" whenever we laugh. It's pretty darn adorable and hilarious! We usually laugh at you asking us what's funny!

I love you miss thang!

Mommy