EASTER 2011

What a beautiful and busy Easter Sunday! We woke early and Dave went on his scavenger hunt for hidden giant eggs around the house. We made a simple breakfast and chatted with our houseguest Stefan, before he left for San Diego. We picked up Mom and Nick on our way to Easter Service at the park. There were 5,000 people there! What a beautiful day! After church we headed back home so I could finish my deviled eggs. I didn't realize how stinky of a project that was. We headed over to my mom's around 1 and enjoyed some Cheesy Chicken (thinking of you Stephanie). Around 3:15 we loaded up in the car and headed over to the Bynum celebration where we sat out of the meal because we were too full. We got home around 6:30 and were exhausted! Puddin and I fell asleep around 7:30. We just can't party like we used to!

Easter Morning Service at the Riverwalk Amphitheatre.

Rivers holding her own parasol during her nap.

With her best baby friend Audrey.

A little angel in her dress made by Oma.

I could smooch those cheeks all day.

Hanging out with Uncle Dude.

5 months!

Time is passing too quickly.

Everyday you change before my eyes.

What a big month this was.

You rolled over! You did it several times within a week and haven't done it again. I think you feel like you've already mastered that trick and now you're over it.

You are giggling! I don't know how to describe the sound but it is pretty deep and sounds like you're trying to cough out a hairball - but it is the sweetest sound I've ever heard.

You still REALLY love your feet and you stick them in your mouth every chance you get.

You went on your first airplane ride to Washington D.C. and were such an angel the whole trip.

We could not have timed it more perfectly because just two days after we got back you started to really struggle with your first tooth.

After a long week, it finally made its way to the surface. 

About two weeks later, it's neighbor came to party but you didn't have as hard a time with it.

You are STILL not sleeping well at night. In fact, I think it got worse. (As I'm writing this a little late we have since started to let you cry in the night rather than get up with you and after only a week you are already sleeping through the night again - either that or I have become really good at tuning you out. Whoopsies)

You have started to go to daycare on Wednesdays because Momma is too busy at work and had to pick up another day.

When she drove away after leaving you with a stranger for the first time it felt like someone was ripping her heart out. She had a pretty bad panic attack and had to call Daddy to calm her down.

You seem to really love the daycare ladies which makes Momma happy.

You are spitting up less and drooling less so sometimes Momma lets you go without a bib so your cute clothes aren't covered.

You went to your first wedding! The music was so loud and you weren't really feeling the protective earmuffs we had for you, so we left at 8:30 and went back to the hotel to have FST (Family Snuggle Time)

I prefer FST to most anything these days.

You think dogs are hilarious and laugh at them more than anything else. Maybe that's because Ralpherson and Bleuie are pretty funny looking dogs.

Mr. Leonard E. Font is your favorite toy and you like to chew on his trunk. (Isn't your daddy clever, L.E.Font)

You are the best. We love you so!

Worst Fear Confirmed

Sometimes I take Puddin Pop to work with me. This is what we look like should you be standing in the doorway to my office. Sometimes I can't take Puddin Pop to work. On these days she stays with her Grandma Moggy or her Oma. On those particular days I am forced to pump at work since I have no little vulture with me. I am always careful to warn the girls I am unavailable for the time being and I even put a sign on my door.....my door that doesn't lock.

Today.....it happened.

One of the older maintenance guys, not paying much attention to my sign, opened the door during the most oppportune of times. I instinctually crouched down (pumps in hand) and just looked at him while saying very eloquently "No no no no no no no no no". It was like slow motion as it registered in his brain and then he said "Oooo sorry" and shut the door. The damage was done. My vanity is lost. Isn't it humiliating enough that I have to walk out of my office twice a day with a bag full of white liquid and stand in the common area to carefully cleanse and dry my lady liquid drainers?
You should see the size of my new sign. Let's hope nobody misses it.

Puddin Pop Goes to Washington

       We are fresh off the plane from our first out of state adventure with Miss Puddin Pop. I might have mentioned that we have been blessed with a very easy baby but that didn't completely dispel the anxiety I felt before we left on our first cross country trip with the little darling. My fears were unfounded and she was truly the most pleasant travel companion of the bunch of us. She was definitely much more well behaved than her mother when we were mid park and the skies opened up on us with a downpour and heavy winds. I pouted my whole way to the metro stop, which was a far walk, and complained that it was the coldest I had ever been. The puddin pop? She just hung out in her moby wrap that was currently around her dad just taking everything in. I had packed virtually everything that currently fits her body as she is known to destroy her outfits from one end or the other sometimes every hour on the hour. At home we would generally have to change her bib every 30 minutes to an hour because it was incessant. In DC? Only a few drops here and there but for the most part we had bibs that lasted us all day and outfits too! It was so easy and fun to have her there. What other 4.5 month old baby can say that have been on top of the Capitol of our nation and looked out over all of Washington DC?  Or dined in the Members Only dining room in the Capitol with the Majority Whip? Or met Barney Frank? Ok...starting to sound a little boastful.

4 months

My four month old Puddin Pop.

You are so big and healthy.

You have yet to be sick (knock on wood).

You are 15 lbs 9 ounces and 26.25 inches long.

You are above the 95th percentile for height...aka you are loooong.

You love to pick up your feet and grab them with your hands.

You rolled over two months ago but have yet to do it again so I'm sure it is coming any day now. (As I'm writing this you are teetering heavily onto your side and your dad is trying to encourage you to go all the way)

You are no longer sleeping through the night which is an adjustment for Momma.

You wake up around 2, then 4 and then again at 6. Bummerpants.

I am pretty sure your gums are doing some serious work at producing teeth.

Poor baby.

You love your Bumbo and like to sit in it and box at the toys hanging on your activity mat.

We like to say Baby Rivers is the Million Dollar Baby.

We also like to call you Baby Gaga and I think that will be your Halloween costume.

You have your Dad wrapped around your little finger. 

He is a big sucker for your little cherub face.

You give your daddy big smiles all the time and then just stare at Momma when she tries to get one out of you.

It is starting to hurt her feelings.

But then you snuggle her a lot and she feels much better.

You LOVE your swing. You chill buns in it for hours at a time.

We just ordered you a jumper and I can't wait to watch you bounce in it. Mostly so I can sing "Bounce, too much booty in the pants"

We are gearing up for our first flight with you. Momma is nervous but you are such a good baby she knows in her heart it will be fine.

You are grabbing everyone's faces which means you are pulling on your Dad's facial hair and Momma thinks it is hilarious.

You are already wearing 9 month clothing because you are so loooong.

You hair is really starting to grow and fill in and it is definitely red.

You are so much fun that Momma is already begging Dad for #2, #3, and #4. 

You have inspired Momma to start sewing and designing again and Daddy says if she becomes a famous children's wear designer that she can create as many siblings for you as she wants.

She is now working very hard towards that goal. ; )

One year ago today Momma stood shaking with a little plastic stick in her hand after she had just learned of your big existence.

What a little miracle you are.

3 Months

My Sweet Rivers Simone

You are three months old.

You are so lovely.

Everyone says what an easy baby you are and your momma agrees.

You hardly fuss as long as you are allowed to be a part of the party - I think the concern I had when I was pregnant with you about worrying about you and your college years because I could already tell you  really like to party, is valid.

You are a very curious baby.

You are able to focus on objects for a very long time like you are dissecting them.

You are a healthy and big baby.

Your dad stepped on the scale with you today and you were 14.8 lbs, I can't wait to see how long you are next month at the doctor's office.

You are really talking a lot and you really like girl talk because your momma is your favorite person to talk to.

You really like watching tv with your dad and he is happy because he finally found a girl who would watch a movie with him since your momma always gets up and wanders around during movies.

You get really excited after you get out of the bath tub but you always get very quiet and still when I massage your feet with baby lotion right afterwards.

You found your hands a few weeks ago and make the cutest slurping sound when you suck on them.

You are very stingy with your smiles and make us work really hard to get one out of you -

but when you do.......oh it melts us.

You cry everytime we put you in your carseat but as soon as we give you a pacifier you are happy.

You REALLY love your pacifiers.

You are really strong and can pretty much stand up as long as we hold your little waist.

You are the BEST sleeper and have been since you were born - it is pretty common for you to sleep from 10 until 7 am........thank you.

I need to clarify, you are the BEST sleeper at night. During the day you hardly sleep at all and I attribute this to your need to party. But you sleep when it counts so thank you.

You love your Mondays with Oma and your Thursdays with Grandma Mogg. I know they treasure that time too.

You have made motherhood so easy and natural for me. It is such a joy to be your momma and to spend the precious moments of your beginning life with you.

A Year of Sudoku

The day was Monday, February 8th and Dave and I were spending a few extra hours in Bakersfield before driving to LA for our honeymoon because we had just learned of our flight's delay. We decided to head over to Borders for some reading material for our trip. I am quite the sudoku fanatic so I immediately headed over to the puzzles section to find a new book. As soon as I saw 365 days of Sudoku, I immediately thought of completing one for everyday of our first year of marriage. Did I really think I would complete it at the time? No. Did I have any idea what memories of the year those pages would eventually hold? No. I am so glad to have completed this project and so glad to have memories of what this wild year has brought us. There are funny anecdotes from our life as newlyweds - from our first married fight, the night Dave locked me out of the house and I was extra mad because my pants were unbuttoned and I was too bloated to button them up, the day we found out we were pregnant, the first time we heard the baby's heartbeat, the day we learned Ralpherson can howl really well and on command, to the delivery of our baby girl and every magical moment in between. Sure, the majority of the book is quite boring and to be quite honest it is mostly a diary of what we had to eat for dinner and what we watched on tv but even that is fun to look back on. In fact, from the diary I realized that I cooked more than Dave gave me credit for. Also, I have a record of exactly how many movies we watched in one year and it was probably about 35. Ridiculous. While all of this has been fun and I will treasure it forever, I cannot tell you how relieved I was as I sat down to complete the final remaining puzzle in the book. I even told my mom the next day how happy I was that the book was over and I didn't have the stress of trying to complete the puzzle everyday. Well, tonight at my birthday dinner I was given a 365 day calendar of sudoku puzzles......ayyy. Here's to year 2.