Life is good on Springwater Lane.... now

I do apologize for my lack of blogging.  It has been a crazy few weeks with a bout of food poisioning (me, not the kids thank God), followed by my knee surgery and a week's worth of the flu.  So blogging has been low on the priority list as we are just trying to survive.  Everyone seems to be back to full health again so that is good and my knee is doing very well.  I hope to be running in a few weeks!

We are settling into our life as a family of 4 with a working Mom.  Our routine is pretty established and both of the kids are okay with it now.  Vivian is loving her babysitter and goes to her without heistation every morning and Adrian is enjoying school and learning so very much.  He is already writing some of his letters and can identify most of them and some numbers.  He even does French class; it is quite amuzing to be sitting at the dinner table and have him bust out in a round of 'Bonjour mes amis, bonjour'.

I had the most lovely experience today that gave me a glimpse of what my future holds, I hope.  Jamie and I were sitting in the living room drinking our morning coffee while both kids played together with their toy kitchen.  It was so peaceful to chat with my husband and laugh with the kids.  Adrian and Vivian are really starting to play together now and it is still a bit strange to witness.  Adrian actually will call her to come play and she comes very eagerly.  Adrian can get a bit too pushy at times but believe me when I say for the most part Vivian can hold her own.  She is a tough cookie.

Speaking of tough cookie, Vivian had her 12 month shots last week.  I was so dreading them as I am not a fan of needles to put it mildly.  We went into the office and immediately heard a baby whaling who did not relent and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as the 12 month needles are some of the worst apparently.  Miss Vivian had 3 needles in different spots and barely made a sound let alone cry... I was in awe!

Here are some random pictures of the past few weeks.... enjoy!

Riding Adrian's bulldozer with her old friend 'didi' on the back

 

Sharing cheerios on the couch.

 

Playing in the park on a sunny Saturday afternoon

 

'Feeding herself' apple sauce and yogurt

 

Very, very proud to be helping Daddy paint the dining room (yes, purple!)

This is how Vivian invites Adrian for a little tickle

And he takes the bait every time!

A Year of Vivian. *sigh*

So this is Vivian's last official teddy bear picture.  It is getting increasingly more difficult to get her to sit still for these so maybe that is a good thing.  So sweet.  I am sorry... but was it just yesterday that I was posting the first picture where she can't even hold her head up?

I had a little panic moment the other day where I thought to myself "I was so busy I totally missed her baby days... she practically raised herself".  I seriously believed that until I remembered that I didn't leave her for more than a few hours her entire first year!  It was just such a great year off on maternity leave (and much more busy with Adrian in the mix) that it was too fast.

Vivian Lee at 12 months is the most delightful little creature God ever made.  She has such a strong but pleasant personality and can quickly let you know exactly what she is thinking with her expressive face, pointing finger and grunts.  She can also shake her head yes and no now (with far more no's than yes' of course).  She just loves to play with toys and with other kids and most of all with her brother whom she adores.  On a good day they can play 'together' (more like in parallel) for an hour without intervention from me.  Oh, and she still love to eat!  I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Vivian weighs about 22lbs now and while she isn't as chubby as she was last summer she is still a rolly polly little thing.  She is cutting 6 teeth at the moment. (Yes, 6!  4 molars and 2 more of the front teeth on the bottom) and it doesn't seem to be bothering her too much.

I will end Vivian's official first year of blog with some gorgeous pictures that my dear friend Sara took on the weekend.  She can always capture the kids like no other...

Vivian - Week 52: Happy 1st Birthday Sweetheart

My baby is one! How did this happen? I am feeling the usual mix of devested and excited at the prospect that she is growing up. I miss my sweet newborn but I can't be sad about it because toddler Vivian is Delightful with a capatil 'D'.


We celebrated two major events last Sunday: Vivian's dedication at church and her first birthday. A big day for the Jonses. Slacker Mommy finally got around to having Vivian dedicated and it was an emotional time for me. I anticipate Vivian being a great addition to our little church as she can already light up a room with her cheerful smile. We packed 2 pews with grandparents and Uncle Jerry which was nice. Vivian was her usual happy self... that was until Pastor Mike tried to take her. She was having none of that.

Then we returned to the house to have a birthday brunch. Vivian ate a giant meal as usual but thankfully she saved room for cake. I always attempt the kid's birthday cakes 'just because' and Vivian's was a number one this year. It wasn't my best work but she isn't picky... she loved it and that is the main part, right? There was no hesitation when she got her cake. She was digging in the icing as we were singing 'Happy Birthday' and as soon as she got her own piece she started shoving it in. She gets her love of cake from me.

Vivian's dedication

Testing out her new chair... a birthday gift from Grammy and Grampy U

"Happy Birthday to Vivian"

She wasn't sure about the ice cream... it is strange to eat it with your fingers I must admit.

Oh boy... she HATED this hat.  If she sees it today it still makes her cry.

Opening presents when she should be sleeping.  A fun but long afternoon.

Vivian - Week 51: Hanging with the girls

Vivian is thriving at her babysitter.  She even has a little back pack that I pack for her everyday with the essentials.... 'didi' and her outdoor clothes.  Her babysitter tells me she just loves playing with the other girls, so much so that I think she may have been bored this weekend when it was just the two of us.  Maybe I am just paranoid. (-:

Vivian has not been sleeping through the night for the past month which is rough now that I am going to work and actually have to use my brain.  But I have found what I think is the source of her problems... she is getting all 4 molars at the same time and her little gums are exploding.  Ouch.  One has broken through already and hopefully the other three will follow soon.  There just isn't a whole lot I can do to help the poor little muffin with this I am afraid.

Working her way to a hair clip... someday.

Riding a bulldozer and cuddling a baby doll... she does it all.

Pointing to Barkley.  I love it when she points... it is her first real communication.

Vivian - Week 50: Baby steps

Big news! Vivian actually took her first steps on Saturday. She has been on the cusp of walking for so long I thought it would never happen but she seems to be increasing in her 'upright' confidence every day. It is so amazing to watch her trying to walk... what a feat! It takes every ounce of her concentration as can be seen in the photos above.

Vivian had her first solo meeting with our babysitter Jennifer this week and did great. She didn't even cry which amazes me as I have never left her with anyone (let alone a stranger to her) for more than an hour or two. There were 3 other little girls but Vivian was by far the youngest and Jennifer laughed when she told me that Vivian knew how to keep up with them with no problems. They all made their way into a little play house and Vivian pushed her way in with no hesitation. I guess the past year of playing with Adrian has paid off!

Not a big fan of her snowsuit. I can't blame her as she is about as wide as she is tall with it on.

Which ones of these is not like the others?