Vivienne: 12 Months

How is it that every time I turn around my baby is another month old?!

I forgot to do this post since I had done a bunch about her birthday but I didn't want to skip her last monthly update!

I will definitely keep doing these kinds of updates but probably will just do one every couple months instead of one per month.

This last month before Viv turned one have been the most full of growing and learning so far.

It's so amazing to see how rapidly such a tiny person can learn so many things so quickly.

There are so many things that Viv picks up on and copies even though she's only seen it done one time.

She will copy things that you say and copy things that other kids do.

She loves to learn and fill up her little brain! 

Lately words are getting easier for her to say and she loves to copy things that you say to her.

She is babbling all day long and sometimes she'll say a few words mixed in with her babbles and I have to do a double-take because I can't believe that she's really forming words!

She says things like "Daddy go?" when Josh leaves for work and looks at me so confused at why he has to leave. 

She says "jugee Mama!" when she wants juice and she runs to the fridge, opens the door and picks what she wants to drink.

She calls her doll Meagan "Mennin" and pretends to change her diaper and change her clothes.

Speaking of her dolls, she is obsessed with her babies.

She has 5 dolls that are her very favorite and she always has at least one in her arms at any given time.

She is the best little mommy too! 

She will put her babies in her swing and rock them while singing them soft little songs.

She brushes their hair and walks them around the house on her scooter.

I just know that she is going to love her baby sister so much! 

We babysat two of my friends little girls last week and one of the girls is only 7 months old -  Viv wanted to hold and rock her in her arms the entire time she was here. It was the most precious thing I've ever seen in my life!

Over the past few weeks Viv's been teething molars like crazy!

Right now she has popped 4 of them out and is discovering how to chew her food with them.

It's been pretty scary though because she's shoving food so far back in her mouth to chew with her new teeth that she's been choking a lot - ugh worst nightmare!

She's still sleeping all through the night from about 9/10pm-10am every night.

I love that she sleeps through the night so well but I just wish that we could easily wean her from co-sleeping before the new baby comes. I'm afraid we're going to be in for some big troubles with our sleeping routines once Penny is born - worse than just having a newborn.

She is still nursing to get to sleep but that's the only time.

We sometimes go all day long without nursing and then only for a few minutes to get to sleep.

I'm so thankful that we made it to the one year mark with breast feeding. 

I know she won't be nursing for much longer and I'm okay with that.

Soon I'll have Penny to nurse and it will be so much easier if Viv isn't anymore.

We've been doing a lot of crafting projects lately now that Viv is older and can concentrate a little better. I have some exciting plans for a new feature coming soon to the blog with lots of hands-on toddler projects! 

Viv loves to be a part of a project or activity.

She loves to help and gets so excited when we include her in even small things like sweeping the floor.

She loves following direction and loves the positive reinforcement that comes along with doing something correctly.

She thrives off of positive energy and I've noticed that on days where I am upbeat and very energetic that we don't have tantrums or any bad attitudes from her. 

We try to keep our home very light and fun.

We always are singing and dancing and acting silly and Viv just beams.

I'm so thankful for Joshua and his fun-loving spirit - between him and I Viv probably thinks we're pretty nuts but I know she loves how silly we are.

Going places anywhere outside the house is still her favorite thing to do.

I really cannot wait until the weather gets warm and we can go back to being outside all the time.

Viv loves when we go anywhere though.

At the mall the other day we gave her a special backpack that she can wear that has a leash (ugh I don't like calling it a leash) attached to it so she can run around but still be close to us. She didn't even know she was wearing it and was so excited that we weren't constantly picking her up and carrying her.

She will pick out a pair of shoes, go to the front door and hit the door and say "go!" when she wants to go somewhere. I always feels bad during the times that we can't really go anywhere and we can't just go outside and play.

We only have 4 weeks until we go to Florida so I'm just counting the days for her sake!

We have a condo right on the beach so we can take her to the beach all day everyday and just let her play until she's tired out!

It's going to be so perfect!

I still can't believe that my first baby is already a year old.

It seems like it was so recent that we were bringing her home from the hospital and now we're preparing to do this whole thing over again with our second daughter!

It's crazy how life works sometimes.

This past year has been the best year of our lives and I can't wait for all of the wonders and adventures that this year is going to bring to our little growing family!

Vivienne: 11 months

I can't wait until we're done doing these monthly photo sets - only one more month to go!

It was fun when she was younger but now she just gets all grumpy and refuses to smile.

She seriously acts just like a teenager sometimes...it's scary. 

Today was one of those days. 

She just pouted, pulled out her pigtails, tried to run away...you know. 

Though soon after Viv's monthly pictures are done with, we'll have another baby to sit in this pink chair for pictures every month!

I'm going to be pretty vague on this month's post.

Viv is still growing and learning new things every day, she amazes us with every new thing.

She runs around like crazy from morning until night.

She never stops being happy and cheerful (unless of course you stick her in a chair for pictures).

She's still sleeping a solid 10 hours every night and we're down to one nap a day from around 1-3 every day.

Sometimes she'll take a 30 minute nap in the evening but we try and keep her awake or else she likes to stay up until midnight. Ugh.

She eats everything in sight.

She'll eat from the time she gets up until she goes to bed at night.

When she wakes up in the morning and scoots off the bed and runs to the kitchen and pulls out whatever she can find from the shelf and just starts stuffing her face.

She's still breastfeeding but mostly just to go to sleep now and sometimes for comfort.

When she nurses for comfort it's usually if she's cranky and only for a few minutes.

I'm hoping that she keeps nursing until the new baby comes so that I don't have to go through having my milk come in again and so I'm used to a baby nursing still.

She talks and babbles, sings and laughs all day long.

I sometimes can't handle how adorable she is! 

Her favorite thing is to dance and sing to music - she's so wild and crazy!

We got her a little keyboard for Christmas and there's a microphone attached to it, so she drags the piano around all over while she sings into the microphone - seriously, it's so cute.

I just can't believe how fast she's growing up and that in one month from now she's going to be a year old! 

We were planning on having a big birthday bash for her with all of her friends and our family but I'm just so tired from Christmas that I think I'm just going to keep things really small. We'll probably just have our immediate family over for cake or something. 

Josh wants to take her out to get a cupcake and to the kid's play museum for her birthday so that will be fun! 

When she's older we'll do big parties with all her friends but for now I think it's more fun just to keep things small and not so chaotic! 

Vivienne: 10 Months

I really can't even believe that my baby is 10 months old already. 

It's hard to even wrap my head around that fact that she is so close to a year old.

These past 10 months have been incredible.

I, as a woman and a mother have learned and grown so much that I sometimes can hardly recognize myself. 

My child, has learned and grown so much that I can't even remember what it was like to have a newborn or baby.

The life of a child is really the most amazing thing in the world (and then of course, being a parent). 

Every day is a new adventure for us and for Viv. 

Watching her grow is the greatest earthly delight. 

Everyday Viv learns new things.

She learns to be more patient and more content with little things and she learns to be more attentive to details.

She knows most everything that we say to her.

"Viv can you give Mama a hug and kiss?" I'll say to her and she will come running and throw her arms around my neck and squeeze me tight and gives me the softest little kiss on the cheek. 

"Viv can you go give this to Daddy?" and she'll take whatever it is I gave her and run it to her Daddy. 

"Viv do you want to go pick out a snack?" and she runs to the snack shelf and picks her goodies.

"Viv who's on the phone?" and she puts her hand up to her ear and says: "Hewwo Mama?"

"Can Mama change your dippy?" and she runs into her room, takes a diaper out of the diaper holder and waits for me to put her on the changing table. 

"Do you want to take a tubbie?" and she runs to the bathroom and gets her bath toys out of the closet and waits at the bathtub for me. 

Whenever we go in the car we put on the radio and she sings and dances in her car seat until she falls asleep.

When we go out to restaurants we order her a kid's meal and she eats the whole thing! Taking her to restaurants is my favorite thing because she loves them so much. She eats and talks the whole time and entertains all the other people there. She's always the main attention everywhere we go. 

She's always the happiest little girl and just so full of sunshine.

At home, she runs around all day long pulling toys out, taking all her books off of her bookshelves, taking clothes out of all our dressers. Her energy is never ending. 

She still takes two naps a day though I'm trying to ease her into just one afternoon nap. 

I follow her around for hours at a time just cleaning up her messes.

She eats all her main meals in her highchair but she likes to carry around her snacks...so there's always food all over and I'm forever sweeping and mopping.

We've been doing a lot of hands-on activities lately like coloring, little easy baby crafts, and baking.

Helping me bake is one of her favorite things to do...she helps pour in all the ingredients and stir.

It's so cute!

We're still co-sleeping and I'll be totally honest about how I feel about it...

I hate it anymore!

I used to absolutely love co-sleeping and having my baby right next to me all night but now that she's getting older it's getting harder. She's still breastfeeding all day and night and she can't go to sleep without nursing. Every nap and every night at bedtime she has to nurse to sleep. It's getting worse though in that she's needing it more and more to stay asleep. She wakes up if she's not nursing and I'm not in bed with her. I wouldn't have such a problem with it but because we're having another baby in 6 months I'm a little worried. 

As soon as we put Viv in her crib she flips out - cries so hard she can't breathe, screams, flails her body - it's  so bad.

So we're going to have to figure out something drastic in the next few months with that. 

Other than that little situation, Viv is so much fun and so full of life (funny, since that's what her name means!) and we're having a blast with her. 

Christmas is only 9 days away and I just cannot wait!

This little girl is going to be so spoiled by her Mama and Daddy and all her grandparents, so that'll be fun!

Vivienne: 9 months

So, Viv turned 9 months old on November 3rd...so as you can see, I am once again, pretty late with this. 

It's getting so much harder to get any pictures of her because as soon as I pull my camera out, she wants to play with it!

Her 9th month was definitely the coolest, by far!

One week after she turned 9 months Viv started walking and running!

She pretty much just woke up one morning and decided that crawling and walking along furniture wasn't fun anymore.

It was so amazing to see her just start walking and running everywhere with no fear!

It's so much fun having a baby that can get around by herself and explore.

Though, it is pretty crazy since she goes into every room and rips things apart...I don't ever get a break!

She is such an adventurer. 

She just loves seeing new things and discovering the world.

Sometimes when we go to the store I let her walk by herself while holding my hand and she thinks it's just the coolest thing.

I don't have her stats for that month on hand but she is doing some serious growing.

She is SO tall - she's as tall or taller than most of her friends who are almost 2 and 3 years old!

She's not super chunky like some babies - she's pretty lean - probably because of her height.

I have a feeling that she's going to be a very tall and skinny girl some day.

The talking...oh my the talking this girl does is crazy!

She just started really making real sounds and putting them together with objects.

Some of her favorite things to say are: 

"Hewo (hello) Mama!" "Dada" "Doggie" "Dis (this) is?" 

She pretends to be on the phone all the time and says "hewo?" all the time and has gibberish conversations with her friends. It' the cutest!

She loves cats but can't say "cat" yet so she makes this funny sound that she only makes when she sees cats... "kees" it sounds like.

Vivienne: 8 Months

Boy am I late on this one!

Viv's already 9 months old but I didn't want to get behind or skip any month updates.
She turned 8 months on October 3rd.

I've decided to keep posting for myself - I love looking back and reading my old posts and having this blog - so, it's going to be a little weird knowing that Josh and myself are the only ones who will read it. I think I may set back to public at some point. Now, with being pregnant, I have so much more to say.

Okay, so here goes. 

Viv's 7th month was so crazy.

We did so many fun activities while the weather was still so warm and beautiful.

Viv learned to stand on her own and takes 2-3 steps.

She knows that crawling is much faster so I'm not sure when she'll decide that walking is fun too.

The weather was still pretty nice and mild through the end of October so we enjoyed many days at my mom's house playing outside with all the animals, going to parks, and going for long walks around town.

Viv absolutely loves being out of the house and going on adventures. She lives for doing new things!

As soon as we start to put her coat and shoes on she starts doing a little dance and squealing!

She really started talking a lot during this month.
She says so many different words and knows what they mean and what we're talking about.
I can't wait to watch her communication skills bloom and develop!
It is so fun watching every new thing that she learns and does!

She is still sleeping through every night and taking 2, 3 hour naps a day.

Though she is in a bad habit of staying up past 9:30/10 every night! Ah!

She is eating like a little adult!

She sometimes will eat more than I do - and I'm pregnant!

Here's an example of what a day of food for her looks like:

Breakfast: A Belgian waffle, handful of strawberries and blueberries, a whole banana, a slice of toast with apple butter, a yogurt and a glass of orange juice.

Lunch: A cheese and egg quesadilla, a bowl of peas, a peach, a clementine, a slice of cheese, a cup of soup, and a glass of milk or juice.

Dinner: a bowl of broccoli and rice, chopped up chicken, a bowl of peas, a slice of cheese, some cucumbers, a bowl of melon, and a glass of juice.

Plus she has multiple snacks during the day - things like raisins, crackers, cookies, avocado slices.

Her stats are:
Height: 34 inches
Weight: 23 pounds

She is such a big girl.
She is so full of life and spunk and I just can't get enough of this sweet baby girl.

Vivienne: 6 Months

I feel like I am always writing these monthly post updates!

Time is going by way too fast.

This one is a little late - we were on vacation for a week and now Viv and I are both dealing with a bad bout of thrush (more on that in a different post). 

This little girl is getting bigger and smarter every day.

Every time I blink she is taller, stronger and so much cuter.

Her personality gets brighter and funnier and I just cannot get enough.

Vivienne Likes:

- feeding herself

- solid foods (even though we're still primarily breastfeeding)

- being in the water

- crawling and discovering

- car rides

- the doggie (they're best friends now!)

- snuggling (it's about time!)

- trying to stand

- long naps

Vivienne Dislikes:

- being away from Mama - the separation anxiety has hit hard

- being contained in her crib or playpen 

that's about it.

but those are two things that can be a pain at times.

Vivienne is constantly on the move these days.

I can hardly keep up with her.

She crawls all through the apartment and is soo speedy!

Yesterday we took our eyes off of her for about 30 seconds and she crawled from the living room into her room and was playing with her toys!

She's trying everything in her power to stand up on her feet.

I think in the next month or so she'll be standing up by herself. 

She pulls herself up on everything to stand - and most of the time ends up falling over because she's still so clumsy.

She chases the dog around and tries to grab her...the dog is loving all the attention.

Solid food is also a favorite around here.

We still primarily breastfeed but she has 3 small meals a day. 

Her favorite things are strawberries, blueberries, bananas, peas, green beans and squash.

I make all her food fresh unless we're away on a trip or a long day - then I just buy her some organic jarred food.

Viv is still sleeping through the night and taking two 2-3 hour naps a day.

Right now, as I mentioned above, we're both dealing with thrush. 

We're both on antibiotics and I'm on a strict diet so I'm hoping it doesn't last long.

It is so terrible.

I hope you all are enjoying the last few weeks of summer!