Baby No More

My sweet baby. While she still enjoys and insists snuggles, she is proving that she is quickly becoming a big girl. Most recently, Livie learned to pump on a swing. She no longer needs me to push her. While that's pretty exciting for this mama who loves to sit on the park bench and socialize, it also reminds me that Olivia is growing up so quickly. Still, we've got those snuggles to fall back on. And she also still ALWAYS wants to be carried. At 36 pounds, that's getting a little rough on this mama's back.
Speaking of wanting to be carried, I refuse most of the time. Sure, she doesn't always have the energy of a normal kid, but we're trying to increase her endurance. If we find the right method, she's fine with that. Walking, no bueno. It's just too boring I guess. Riding her bike, mui bueno. So lately Livie will ride her bike when we take Ella to school. Most of the ride is fine but we're in a pretty hilly area so on those hills Livie can be heard saying to herself, "I think I can, I think I can." And mommy can be hear giggling.
Really, this girl is just full of things that make us giggle. I love this age for that reason. This easter we learned that Livie loves pink pigeons, aka peeps. Also, she is rather picky about what she gets called. I called her a smart pants and quickly corrected, saying, "No! I smarty Livie Lou!" And when she spins, she is busy as apposed to dizzy. When corrected, we got in trouble. Sadly, the "sneakit route" has been corrected and she now calls it the scenic route. Sad day.
And the last one. We were in the car during a nice rain storm. Daddy was doing his usual chatting with mommy and from the back seat we hear, with an exasperated sigh, "Daddy needs to be quiet so I can listen to the rain!" And we all laughed. And then got shushed so we could listen to the rain.
Oh, and one more. Livie has gotten into her head that we will be having three more kids, all girls, and we will be naming them Flower, Rainbow, and Butterfly.
While Olivia makes us giggle frequently, she may also be the cause for my angry wrinkles. The girl is so stubborn. We're trying to give her some more responsibilities around the house now that she's almost four. We've started with having her clean her own room. And it's not going well at all. She refuses. She "But mom!"s all day or "I need help" or "I'm too tired" She has even put herself down for a nap to get out of it a few times. She's been grounded to her room until it's been done (which results in her being in her room all day) she's been grounded from friends (which results in her just not playing with friends) no tv, no this, no that, and still she has maybe cleaned her room by herself once. Every other time Ella jumps in (because she can't stand to see Livie sad unless she caused the sadness) or I break down and just do it, or the worst ever, the garbage sack comes out and she loses what was on her floor. It's a battle that may go on forever...
On the bright side, her health is amazing.