When Push Comes to Love

These are of Olivia with her new friend Catie, a little girl Beni is watching a couple times a week. O insisted on pushing Catie around in her walker the entire morning. Because Olivia is such a dynamo, we often worry about how she’ll interact with other children. Much to our delight (and relief), Olivia shows her tenderhearted side around little ones. The second pic is of her consoling her newfound pal.

Walk Divine

These mugs are priceless! They make me laugh every time I look at them. The dispirited triumvirate bundled up for their recent trek around the block. Fortunately for my funny bone, the freezing cold preserved their expressions for several minutes after they got back.

Oh-Me

Olivia starts every morning with the same request – she asks for a bowl of oatmeal. Her request is actually more of a proclamation: “Oh-me, oh-me!” She used to sit and eat on the floor while I caught up on a DVR-ed The Daily Show or Pardon the Interruption before work. Realizing that this arrangement was bad form on my part, I’ve since moved her to the kitchen. These days, Olivia reduces her cholesterol level from her highchair in absence of the idiot box.

Fair-y Trade

Olivia insisted on putting on her fairy costume this morning. In return, she helped me give Max his breakfast. Here she’s topping his food with fairy dust.

Beany Baby

There’s a theory that states that a child’s taste buds are shaped by the types of food her mother consumed during the pregnancy. That would certainly account for O’s affinity for bean burritos. These shots are from a recent Taco Bell run.

Fit Foods

The top pic shows Olivia practicing an angry version of yoga. Her temper tantrums usually end with her in the supine position. As you can see, she eventually picks herself up again, especially when propelled by the tantalizing allure of the powdered doughnut.

Lady Godiva Rides Again

An instant classic!

O Screams for Ice Cream

Olivia is back on her ice cream habit. Here are two recent indulgences. She demands seconds and begs for thirds. Our New Year’s resolution? Convincing our daughter that frozen yogurt is “ice cream.”

Happy Family

We’ve noticed that for whatever reason, the phrase “Happy Family” shows up a lot in Chinese restaurants, whether it names the place or a dish (often vegetarian) on its menu. Here Olivia and mama do their best imitation of a Chinese restaurant.

Extreme Close-Up

Olivia shows that although she has not yet grasped basic camera skills, she’ll go cross-eyed and backwards to capture the best shot.

Santa Baby

Our little one must have been good this year – her pile of presents threatened to overtake our tree by Christmas morn. She got a castle set, at least four Elmos, a number of books, and most excitingly, a plastic pony. I was not as fortunate. Aside from all the nice gifts I received, I also got a nasty case of the stomach flu. I spent the entire day wrapped in blankets.

Sweet-Tooth Fairy

Olivia couldn’t resist the pepperminty trips down Candy Cane Lane. She repeatedly raided our stockings and pillaged the candy dish in pursuit of the curved confections.