Not a Toddler Anymore!

How is it that three year's time can go by so quickly, but so slowly at the same time? As I sit here looking at my "not quite a baby anymore, but still a baby to me," Olivia, I can't begin to fathom that as of 7:00 a.m. she was no longer an ornery 2 year old toddler, but an ornery 3 year old child. T.H.R.E.E. It almost makes me sick to my stomach to know that she is already this old, but then again I am glad as well because that means that God has given me three amazing years with this little girl, and hopefully a lifetime more! Now, enough of the sappy stuff. Here's what has been going on with her over the last year, since keeping up the blog has more than been put on the back-burner. I believe that it wasn't too long after her second birthday that she was diagnosed with epilepsy. We had been noticing some strange things with her such as muscle jerks and eye fluttering, and upon having an EEG, I was devastated to get the phone call saying that she has generalized epilepsy. She currently takes two medications, Keppra and Topomax, which seem to be managing the seizures well, and we have only noticed breakthrough seizures once or twice since adding the second medicine about four months ago. One of my main concerns with the epilepsy is whether or not it has caused any delays or such, since we don't know how long the seizures had been going on for, but know that it had at least been 6 months at the time of diagnosis. We hope that she can live as "normal" of a life as possibly with minimal interference from this disease, and have faith in God to help her through it. Potty training. The most dreaded two words in our vocabulary right now. Or should I say, a lack of potty training. And let me make it clear, that it's not for lack of trying. She sits on the toilet every 1.5-2 hours at school and, for the most part, the same here at home; however, some times she wants to sit on it and other time she doesn't. When she doesn't I don't press the issue, but am ready for this diaper phase to be over. If I can get her to sit on it first thing in the morning right after she wakes up she will usually go, but then throughout the day, she won't tell me if she has to go. When I take her to the potty sometimes her pullup/diaper is wet and sometimes dry. We rehearse the "where do we go potty?" phrase and I emphasize keeping her pull-up dry, and she seems to understand the concept that she is supposed to do her stuff in the toilet, but she doesn't initiate it ever. Although I know that all kids do this at their own speed, it does make it difficult knowing that there are two kids who are younger than her in her class at school who are already trained and have transitioned up to my room, and that she seems to be lagging behind. She also struggles with pulling her pants up and down by herself. Maybe this is just Olivia and she needs some extra time to get there, but I instinctually wonder if any of this could be epilepsy-related, as in if there has been a delay that is prolonging the diaper phase. There are many things that Olivia does and does not love right now and here are just the ones I can think of... Olivia LOVES: * Swinging! Almost every time we go outside this is the first thing she wants to do! * Baby dolls. Holding them, rocking them, putting them to bed..... * Looking at books. One of her current favorites is our Disney World Planning 2016 book! She loves to look at all of the characters and rides! * EMMA!!!! Olivia loves to copy Emma and do whatever big sis is doing, which is sometimes good and sometimes not-so-good. * Nutrigrain breakfast bars :P Every morning for breakfast she asks for a "bar." I seriously think she has an obsession! Olivia Dislikes: * Having her hair brushed. Nearly 9 times out of 10 she throws a hissy fit when I brush her hair, even though she still has so little that it only takes about 4 pass-throughs of the brush to get it all! * Having her hair washed. Are we noticing a theme when it comes to her hair?! Washing, similarly to brushing takes about 15 seconds from start to finish, but she fights me every second of it! * Riding in the car. She has gotten really tough to travel with the past few months. I think it is due in part to her new found independence. Every day she is teaching me more about patience, love, and what it means to be a mother. I hope I can raise her to love God, family, and the importance of being herself.