Vivian's New Tricks

If I don't document, then I will forget. She'll be 9 month s in a week!
Vivian started crawling a few weeks ago. Right now she just wants pull up and stand up on everything. Needless to say her forehead has a couple of bruises from her "No Fear" attitude.
She no longer sleeps through the night. Okay maybe once or twice a week.
She refuses baby food and loves to feed herself. She has gotten good use out of her two chompers that she got when she was 6 months old. She even gave me a little nibble on my shoulder last week. Ouch! I still have a bruise.
She laughs a lot and seems to try and mimic words. I say "stinky poops" and she says "puh, puh" or I say more and she mimics "mah, mah" anyway it seems like she is trying.
She LOVES Ava. When they are in their car seats, Vivian reaches her hand out and tries to grab Ava's arm or hand.
Vivian is tall like her sister.
Vivian finally decided to take a bottle. It has been One month. She took one her first 10 weeks of life and then refused. I tried nearly everyday until that magic day. She is still nursing 1 1/2 times a day. It won't be long until she is all done. Luckily she isn't biting me in that area anymore.
She really likes baby Einsteins. Sometimes if I can't settle her down in the night (not sure if it is teeth, gas, or upset tummy) I can put a DVD on and she stops crying.
Vivian's hair is short and sparse, still not enough for a pony tail yet.
She is spunky and silly and pretty easy going.

Cabin Fever

We were invited by a neighbor to spend time at their cabin/cottage up north. It was a wonderful time and perfect weather. This is their little guy who is a year older than Ava, and just a wee bit smaller :) I have more on this post, but I haven't down loaded those pictures yet.

A little post to prove we are still alive. We took a trip to Phoenix AZ over Fathers Day. This is our family before an early morning hike.

Keeping the 2nd Alive.......

So I am thinking my first child was determined to test my every nerve today. Just a few things she did to Child #2. She chewed up a cracker an attempted to give her baby sister a little taste. Vivian just started on rice cereal this week and we have gone OVER and OVER the fact that Child #1 should not EVER feed the baby.
Next naughty scenario .....she gave the baby a little nibble on her finger and I did the politically incorrect thing, and nibbled back.
Hmmmm..........what other naughtiness happened........ Child #1 poured a glass full of water on the baby's head while she happily played on a blanket. Soaking the baby's clothes, blanket, and carpet. YAH! I am amazed that ANY 2nd children make it to their 1st birthdays!

Mexico 2009-Doing Mommy;s Hair

One thing Ava loves to do is hair.........one thing I hate getting done.........my hair! But I let her because she loves it so much. Matt even lets her do his hair with pretty pink bows and all. she would do this for hours if I could stand it. My head is ultra sensitive and my hair is super snarly (sp?). Anyway Ava is spraying my hair with some detangler. Future hairdresser........Maybe!

Mexico 2009-Eastside

Ava building in the sand.
Ava and her cousins.

Grandma wrapped Ava up like a little burrito. Ava was gazing up at a coconut tree and told grandma that she thought their were pineapples in it......so observant.

The kids eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and banana's.

Playing ball with dad in the ocean.

Vivian taking a little nap in her pop up tent.

When the weather is stormy at the north end of the island, you can always head to the east side and it is usually sunny and calm. It was definitely sunnier but still a little windy the day we went over to the east side. The kids loved playing in the sand and the ocean and didn't seem to mind the wind too much. Vivian spent her time hanging out in a shade tent that also kept her out the wind. This tent was a great buy at Target for $14.99 . We used it several times with Ava and the best thing is it folds up like those sun shade things you put in your car.

Mexico 2009-Night Out

We were able to go to dinner, just the two of us, several times while we were in Mexico. The first night we were in town, we went to dinner with Matt's sister and husband to a new restaurant called "Kinta". Incredible atmosphere, fabulous food, great music, and very reasonable prices. So when we were deciding on dinner we would talk about going to other restaurants and always end up at "Kinta". I am still craving that place. I hope they will survive until we go back for Christmas.

Mexico 2009-Princess Bed

Every year when we would visit Cozumel, Matt's family would fantasize about buying a place in our favorite vacation spot. In 2007 Matt's parents and sister took the plunge and bought a beautiful condo on the ocean. Matt's parents and sisters family were gracious enough to let our family stay in their master suite. We all slept well listening to the ocean waves. Ava slept in this blow up princess bed that she got for Christmas and wore her princess jammies (courtesy of my sweet cousin Lacey) that matched her bed. We had to prop pillows on the edge because she would fall off in the night. We are so lucky that Matt's sister and his parents shared their second home with us.

Mexico 2009-Vivian

This is where Vivian did most of her sleeping.
SUPER STAR!

Vivian Sucking on her fingers.

Looking a little greasy from eczema lotion, but happy!

Vivian loved Mexico. She couldn't actually tell me this, but I could tell from how amazing she slept there, and hardly ever cried. This was the the first time she had been in the outdoors without being covered by a blanket. When we stepped off the plane she just kept looking around with wide eyes. We were lucky to get amazing weather. It was never to hot or humid. Her scaly skin didn't need the maintenance it does at home. It was on this trip that I realized that Vivian is a really , really, good baby. (I will say that since we have been home her sleeping is not as good.....maybe she is craving the sound of the ocean waves.) At home Vivian sleeps in her swing, so we were happy that her car seat did the trick.

Mexico 2009-Sand Play

Doesn't Vivian look like a movie star. He caught a fish off the pier and was so excited he gave it a kiss!

The girls playing in sand.

A different morning in the sand.

Every morning the girls would play in sand right after breakfast, while the boys went fishing.

Mexico 2009-Cousins

Eating Banana Splits before bed.
Ava playing the game Sequence with help from her cousins.

Vivian's cousin will be a great babysitter someday. She put Vivian to sleep.

All 4 cousins the last day they were in town.

We always go to Cozumel Mexico every year to break up the winter. We had to get a passport for Vivian before we could go this year. We went for two weeks and Vivian was 12 weeks old and Ava was 2 1/2 when we left. The girls traveled great. Ava was lucky to have her cousins there for part of our trip. She feels like such a big kid when she is with them.

Bumbo Time

Vivian started using her Bumbo when she was 10 weeks old. She has always been a very strong baby. I finally snapped a picture of her in it when she was 12 weeks old. These pictures crack me up because she had these three different faces on in a matter of a few seconds. Ava is always pulling out the different things we have for babies and saying "Let's put Vivian in this toy". It is always her idea first. Because Vivian is so good I'm not always searching for another item to keep her happy for 10 minutes, like I was with miss Ava. Oh yeah this was also the day that Vivian also started grabbing at toys, also Ava's idea. She loves grabbing this little elephant and sucking on his trunk.

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Staying Warm

On a cold day (Feb 23rd) before we headed outside I snapped a couple of pictures. Some thing about Vivian in this hat was cracking me up, but at the same time she looked pretty cute in it. Ava wanted to join the photo shoot too. It didn't last long. Isn't Vivian cute even when she is crying?

Friends for Dinner

The girls ride bikes and look cool in their sunglasses.
Vivian chillin' in the pack n play.

We had some friends over for dinner in mid February. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I am way behind on my blogging. Our friends have two little girls about the same age of ours. The older girls played in the kitchen, tent,bikes, etc... They were super silly, and hit a point where they were laughing about everything. The babies just hung out.

Thumb Sucker??

Vivian started sucking her thumb on February 9th. She sucked a finger on the first day she was born. Ever since then she would drag her fist down her face from her forehead to her mouth trying to get a finger in there. Every once in awhile a finger or thumb would end up in her mouth, but February 9th was the first day she could get her thumb in her mouth consistently.

Just Like Mom in Sooo Many Ways.........

Ava got a cute pink robe for Christmas. When she opened it she said "oh like mama's robe". The other day when she got out of the bath, I wrapped her hair in a towel like I do. She couldn't stop looking in the mirror.

Two Months Old

Long legs that are getting plumper.

I was trying swim suits on Vivian on her two month birthday and snapped a couple of pictures. I think this suit is adorable. The bottoms were a little loose, but it should fit this summer. I can't believe it is size 12 months. Here is the lowdown on Vivian at 2 months.

-13 lbs and 24 inches long at her two month appointment.

-Eats every 3 to 4 hours during the day.

-Sleeps swaddled in her swing and in our room.

-sleeps through the night usually 8 to 10 hours at a time. (I really hope posting this doesn't jinx me!)

-smiles constantly and also coo's quite a bit.

-loves to listen to her music and watch her mobile.

-very content. She doesn't have to be held constantly. In fact enjoys hanging out on a blanket and stretching out and kicking her long legs.

-she has a pretty strong case of eczema. Aquaphor healing ointment has made a world of difference, and we apply it twice a day.

-she's a spitter. We don't even walk into the next room with out a burp cloth.

-She take the gumdrop nuk if she is hungry, but doesn't need it or want it to go to sleep. She is also constantly trying to get her thumb or fingers in her mouth. but isn't consistent with it yet.

-Just starting using her bumbo (or as Ava would call it her "Bum Boat")

We are amazed at how different Vivian is from Ava. I called Ava my "tricky" baby. She needed lots of tricks, we just had to figure them out. So far I'd have to say Vivian is my angel baby. I have to remind myself often that Vivian is in the other room hanging out or she reminds me with a cute little squawk.

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Lotsa Babies!

Ava loves her all of her babies. some of them have names (mostly baby Jon), but they all have titles. There is Naked baby, Loud baby, Baby Sister, Ava doll, Thumb sucker, Little Baby, etc... She feeds them (yes under her shirt), burps them, wraps them, reads to them, and puts them to sleep. And she likes them to have their own blankets (this could have something to do with her major attachment to her own blankie). This day in February she said she was taking her babies for a bus ride and then she put some of them down for a nap on my throw pillows and some inside the cabinet.

Sledding before the snow was all gone.

Matt and Ava did a little sledding before the snow was all gone. they didn't go to far as our yard has a decent size hill from our front yard to our backyard. I of course took pictures from inside the house!

Take my Picture

Vivian at 7 weeks old
Vivian 8 weeks old.

Ava thinks that every time that her and Vivian are together it should be a photo opportunity. Ummmm.....boring. I started just pretending to take a picture. Well Ava caught on and now she wants to see the photo's I took right after I take them. So these are a couple of Randoms.

Well anyway anytime we put Vivian on her play mat Ava wants to snuggle with her. So today she was laying next to Vivian and all the sudden she screamed and burst into tears. I thought she must have3 injured herself in some way. When I asked her what happened she sobbed "Vivian pulled my hair". She could barely catch her breath and her feelings were totally hurt. I on the other hand had to use all my might to keep in a big laugh. I explained that Vivian did not do this on purpose and that she likes the way hair feels and that she has just learned how to grab things, but not how to let go. Ava wanted Vivian in the naughty corner. As I held Ava to calm her down, she was giving Vivian dirty looks. I have the feeling this is only the beginning.........

Doing Push-Ups like Daddy

While we were working on potty training we spent a lot of time in the bathroom. I would let Ava hang out in there hoping she would need to go at some point. Well in her boredom, I found Ava holding onto the towel bar moving her arms closer and then farther. When I asked her what she was doing she said push ups like daddy. Matt does pull ups and push ups in random places and yes sometimes against the wall. Hey it's cheaper than a gym membership :)

Tea Party-Grandma's 75th Birthday

In January Vivian took her first trip on an airplane. We went to Boise for my Grandma's 75th birthday. My Aunt Diane planned an amazing tea party and invited all the girls in the family. I was so lucky to spend time with Sisters, Cousins, Aunts, Nieces,Great Aunt, Second Cousin, and my Mom. These wonderful ladies traveled from across the United States. There were lots of babies and Vivian wasn't even the youngest one. My sister Jessica documented the event with her camera, this is an obvious talent of hers. She was great to take pictures of every one's kids and babies. I can't wait to hang out with these wonderful ladies again. Here is a couple of highlights.

1. My cousin Melissa, who has a baby two months younger than Vivian, introduced me to the only pacifier that Vivian will take (Gumdrop vanilla scented).

2. Hanging out at my Aunt Diane's house. Not only did she host the tea party she also kept everyone fed for the 3-5 days they were in town.

3. My cousins Isaac and Jacob decked out in bow ties and serving at the tea party.

4. Dance party and group karaoke to Mama Mia.

5. Staying up with my Aunt Julie until 3 in the morning reconnecting and reminiscing.

6. Having Rachel and Kyla stay with me in my room.

7. Hanging out with my grandma and spending a night at her house.

8. Telling embarrassing stories. Lost Keys and lost cars......Ha ha hee hee.

9. Enjoying my sweet Vivian. Just the two of us.

10. An amazing husband who watched our two year old while I jetted with our 6 week old. And was genuinely excited for me to spend time with my family. Love Him!

Big Grins and 5 Weeks Old

Yeah I am behind on blogging.......again. We are getting ready to go on a trip, so I thought I would get a few old posts taken care of before I have a whole trip to post. Vivian started smiling when she was 5 weeks old. She is such a happy baby and will smile on demand. Just give her a little eye contact and say her name and wallah, a huge grin.