So I peed on a stick.......: The longest day of my life and my teenage glimpse at Olive

So ya yesterday longest day of my life. Blake had an early call time in LA which left me getting up with Olive. Normally no biggie but since I had to get us both out of the house pretty early I had to be careful as she is really smart and will know when you have to be somewhere and just go into full on clingy mode. It's bizarre. We made it fully clothed and clean and I left her with Blake's parents while I shot my job. I only shot for a little over an hour but it was pretty exhausting mostly because the subjects were bla as was the location. Mostly mentally exhausting and physically too. I sweat like a mother fucker when I shoot. I could be in the arctic naked shooting and I would still be sweating balls. Lovely huh?? It's kinda a big joke between a few of my fellow photo friends. We all get like this. I think its the combination of adrenalin, excitement, and a whole lotta nerves. Most people show up to a desk everyday with familiar faces and knowing exactly what to do but as photographers every single day is a new person, location, and always some sort of obstacle. I love it but it's also crazy stressful. Once the shoot was done I got Olive and we went home. Luckily she was an excellent napper so I was able to edit all my photos before she woke up. Olive and I finished the night with a bbq and a nice long bath. Blake didn't get home till pretty late so we were on our own. I have no idea how people do this without help. By the time she went to bed I was just done like completely DONE!

So officially today Olive is 20 months. Just like in the newborn days things can change in a matter of days. Her vocabulary is massive now and everyday she learns new words. I feel like we can communicate now, I mean she can't verbally say everything but it's pretty clear now what she wants. If she can't say it she can mimic is. She still isn't putting two words together on her own except today when we were throwing money in the fountain she kept saying "more please" so I guess that is a start. It's funny to hang out with her and be able to have little conversations. I mostly ask her questions and she says no or k. She rarely says yes it's always k as in ok. She sings along to her music in the car and I'm just amazed at her little mind. Her favorite thing in the entire world is swimming. She talks about it allllll day long and will constantly put her bathing suit on. She has gotten pretty good at putting her clothes on and can put her shoes, bathing suit, and pants on like a champ. She has been able to take them off for months now no problem. The last few days potty training has been amazing. As long as she has her diaper off she tells me when she has to go. Yesterday we only had one accident and the rest were all good. As soon as the diaper goes on she doesn't really tell me anything unless she poops but it's after the fact so I think we probably need a good week of staying home and just being naked. I love that she gets it now so I think it's just a matter of time. Problem is I don't think they make panties that small.
Her personality is the best!! She is so so so expressive and silly and emotional and oh my gosh can she be a little shit head. I have to say most of the time she is really good and really sweet but she has a side to her that is pure crazy. She has learned that she can test me like no other and she loves it. Problem is she doesn't always back down when you get really mad or threaten her with a time out. . I've learned to be patient with this side of her as most things get my pretty annoyed but I know it's just part of her figuring it all out. I think the meltdowns are less and the testing me is more. I don't know which is the lesser evil or if they can compare? She is extremely athletic and coordinated, this is definitely where she excels. She has very little fear and just kinda goes balls out. She is 100% my personality but looks just like Blake. She is a happy and excited kid and I am loving how fun she is at this age and how much she makes me laugh. She is non stop wild women, always on the go and at the end of the day I am beyond exhausted trying to keep up with her. She has her days where she is miss independent and will play by herself happily all day and then other days she acts like the world is ending if I walk in the other room to pee but I think that's a typical toddler, you know totally bipolar. Dinners are still rough and most every night she loses her mind when I start cooking. I have no idea why but it's awful. Today I sat and fed her sunflower seeds and she was pretty excited about that. Other days I can entertain her with ice or cups or water and some days she will happily pull things out of the cupboards but for the most part she isn't thrilled with me when I cook. I get annoyed and frustrated but I know its not forever. One day I will have to beg her to come out of her room to even join us for dinner. I think as she gets older and goes through so many phases that aren't so fun I am really able to know that it's not a forever which calms me and makes me enjoy whatever comes my way.
I could go on forever about all the little Olive things but I'm exhausted and will add in the next few posts.