Olivia's Pick--13 April 2009

Our house guests for the holiday included a lovely, patient, 15-year-old cousin, whom Olivia adores. In fact, when she's around, Olivia has very little use for me!

Over the weekend, this cousin was painting her fingernails pink. As you might imagine, Olivia was thoroughly intrigued and wanted her nails to be pink, too. So, Olivia had her fingernails painted for the first time this weekend, two different shades of pink, one shade for each hand. I have a feeling, however, that it will not be the last.

It was another moment for the memory bank, another small step on the path from baby to little girl. A moment she will surely forget, the memory of her tiny pink fingernails poking out from the sleeves of her Easter dress will stay with me forever.

Olivia's Pick--5 April 2009

We had a festive weekend at our house, complete with a fancy dinner out. It was Olivia's first experience in fine dining (read: not a diner, pizza joint or Mexican restaurant). An early reservation (6:00 PM) coupled with persistent promises of birthday cake to be had as a reward for good behavior made the whole evening rather manageable.

And she couldn't have looked cuter, in her pretty pink sweater dress and black Mary Janes. She even carried a purse--a vintage, ivory, beaded evening bag that was my grandmother's.

It would seem that Olivia has embraced her more elegant side. ("This is a very fancy restaurant" she said as we stepped into the powder room for a potty break.) It was sweet to watch her negotiate this new environment, especially because she did it with such class.

My little one acted just like a little lady (with enough squirm thrown in to make sure you know she's still a kid). She charmed the pants off of the entire staff and made Mama & Papa very proud. Sharing an evening like this with her was the best birthday present this Mama could get.

Olivia's Pick--18 January 2009

It's a strange thing to admit, since I haven't made my home in this part of the country for well over a decade, but I think, based on the big tears she's crying this morning as we finish packing, Olivia's pick this week is Ohio.

I know. Weird, right?

But she's had so much fun here--despite the extremity-numbing cold--that I felt I needed to acknowledge it.

So, here's a very short, incomplete list of some noteworthy Ohio places, institutions or otherwise remarkable locations:

Toledo Museum of Art
Coastal Ohio--Lake Erie
OSU--The state's beloved university (and my baby brother's alma mater)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame--Like Olivia says, "it's rock & roll, sweetheart!"
The Great Lakes Theater Festival

To be sure, Ohio is the butt of many of my jokes. So I'm taking my cue from Olivia this week, and employing a softer approach. I'm embracing my roots, appreciating my history. And I'm starting right away.

Well, as soon as I get back East, anyway.

Olivia's Pick--10 January 2009

Another mid-winter visit to the Midwest to play, bake, read and explore with her extended family is, as Olivia would say, "definitely" her favorite thing going this week. And cousins, well, they're the best of the best, especially when you're a kid. So this week, Olivia's Pick is her cousins and all of the fun time she gets to spend with them.

And I have no doubt she's having a blast because every time I peek in to see how she's doing, she looks at me and says "Go away, Mom."

Olivia's Pick--30 November 2008

Horses. Ponies. And more horses.

What can I say? During our week-long, Midwestern, family-filled, Thanksgiving Odessey we managed to get in a visit to a cousin's farm where they had--you guessed it--horses! Olivia took her very first pony ride on Bonnie, a patient brown and white little pony.

Since then, she's talked of little else and I have a sneaking suspicion that her little, plastic, toy horses at home will simply not measure up to her latest experience.

We might have to start an "Olivia's Pony" fund. In the meantime, maybe I'll pick up a copy of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty.

Olivia's Pick--23 November 2008

This past weekend, Olivia flew on an airplane, something she'd been looking forward to for weeks. She would fly around our living room, arms out, flapping her wings, saying "I'm flying like a plane!"

I'm not the best flyer, and I was afraid that, once faced with a real airplane, she might be nervous, too. I gave her the window seat, while I took the aisle, managing books, snacks, juice and my nerves. As we rumbled down the runway, I swallowed my anxiety, reading to her from a beautifully illustrated children's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

We shot into the air and I concentrated, silently willing the plane to stay in airborne, trying not to vomit or lose consciousness. Next to me, buckled in tight, Olivia still managed to bounce happily in her seat. "I want to fly, Mama! Let's fly!" she shouted.

I couldn't help but laugh."We are flying sweetie, see?" I pointed out the window at the receding earth below as the plane turned at a nauseating angle.

"Oh. OK," she said, pressing her little nose to the window. "This is pretty fun."

I guess we'll have to do this more often. Maybe I'll even learn to enjoy it.

Olivia's Pick--17 August 2008

Apart from my absurdly cute little nephew and his (only slightly less cute) parents, we are separated by hundreds and hundreds of miles from our extended families. Now that we have a family of our own, this is less fun than ever. We are, however, blessed with families who will travel, who will cross oceans and mountains to see us. Okay, to see Olivia.

But that's the point. She's been absolutely reveling in the revolving door of familial house guests we've had this summer, which is really bittersweet. I love to see her loving--and being loved by--her family. I love to see her building relationships that will endure through her life. But it's sad, because each visit comes to an end, one that's not punctuated with "See you next week."And while it's true, all these visits have made me a bit nostalgic for my own childhood summers filled with fun and family, I still think it's true that family is her pick this week. Love and laughter abounds and she is truly, deeply happy.