The last Hurrah in the little Tub

Us at Our Work Xmas Party...

Merry Christmas to All...

We had Christmas in Florida with the Vivster before heading up north for a week. She is such a treat! We love this little kid! Anyways, mommy and daddy got her a new car seat and pjs while santa brought 2 books, 1 little learning puppy, a sing-along dvd (which she absolutely LOVES at daycare), and some game things for the Little Leap Thing that a little elf told santa she'd be getting for Christmas.

Grandma and Grandpa from Crystal Lake and Auntie Olivia sent her some nice things too! Thanks everyone!

As you can see by her outfit (or lack of one) in the pictures, it is still hot in FL. For those of you in the tundra, 80 degrees might sound like heaven right now, but for us...not so much. We're ready for a little brisk, clean, cool air! (Notice I did NOT say COLD air).

Holy Cheeks!

Again, it has been awhile since I've posted. Not being able to post during planning or after school at work is not making it easy.

Thanksgiving was fun! We went to our friends Heather and Casey's house and enjoyed a scrumptous meal, complete with all the fixin's. Afterwards, we played Pirates of the Caribbean LIFE and other fun games....then watched movies. Vivian was a doll---she loves going over there as they have a golden retriever, Bogey, and two friendly cats, Mulligan and Bunker. The funniest thing is that Bogey is completely afraid of Vivian, especially when she lets out her newfound, ear-piercing shriek of joy.

Our volleyball team that we coach is undefeated. Keep your fingers crossed as we play our last regular season game on Thursday and then head into the playoffs. Go Eagles!

We had a Christmas gathering/game night this past Saturday at our house. While we thought it would be relatively low-key so Vivian could go to bed, it turned out that playing Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase got more wild than your average party would. Ah, well, Vivian slept on our comfy new comforter and peacefully slept through all the noise, laughter and banter.

As for Vivian, she turned 7 months old as of yesterday---yikes---time is really flying! She hates laying down when she is not supposed to be sleeping, preferring the sitting up position (or standing, if you are willing to hold her). She is starting to do the butt-scoot, but has no real interest in the whole crawling thing. The look on her face is, "Why crawl if you can walk instead?" Hmm...we'll see about that, little lady!

She is proficient at holding her own bottle if laying down and by herself. If you are holding her, it is hit or miss whether she'll hold it or be lazy! She drinks out of a sippy cup occasionally too. She also enjoys drinking out of mommy's water cup...especially if I have a straw and can give her some through that. I don't think she cares where stuff comes from, as long as she gets to be a part of it!

Babbling has got us in fits of laughter all the time. She sings to herself, especially in the car and at 3:30 in the morning when she should be sleeping. She seems to sing along when music is on and rocks back and forth. Adam thinks she may get his dancing abilities....oh boy....does she want that?!?!?!??! :) We are also convinced that she says "Hi", she has said it 5 times that we know of....but...could just be her working out all of those new consonant sounds like dadadadada. muhmuhmuhmuhmuhmuh.

That's our story. We're headed up to Blaine in a few weeks. Should be good times!

Here's a preview of "Cheeks and Her Christmas Pictures!"

Pictures...

Congratulations to Kathy and Scott on the birth of baby girl, Grace Eleanor, born Nov. 7 and weighing in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. The whole family is doing fine!

Vivian update

The Vivster is doing fine. She's got a cold which caused little ear infections, but mommy's instinct was right and she got checked out by Dr. Dobbins and placed on antibiotics before the infections got too bad. She had a little fever last night and hasn't been sleeping well, but then, who does when you can't breathe through your nose.

Her 6 month checkup was on Nov. 6---sorry, it really has been a long time since I posted...
She weighed in at 17 lbs, 8 oz and is now 27" long. Comparitively, at 6 mos. Adam was 17 lbs 6 oz and 27" long.

She was a little ladybug for Halloween and was just the sweetest little thing. Adam and I went to a Halloween party--I was the Cat in the Hat and Adam was part of the Scooby Doo crew...he was Shaggy. I'll post pics as soon as I get them from Morgan.

Oh, last thing, some friends and I went to the Jimmy Buffett concert in Tampa on Thursday night----WHAT FUN!!!! You can't live in Florida and not see Buffett. It's tradition! I will try to post pics of that as well.

Yikes! Time is Going Fast!

I've updated some via email because I can no longer access blogger from my work internet at all. Dumb.

Anyways, here's the scoop:

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for our friends...Matt continues to improve slowly each day. He is still in trauma ICU, so we cannot see him, but hope he is out by Thanksgiving to a downgraded room so that we can visit. He had his last major surgery (for the time being) on his pelvic bone this week and wasn't breathing on his own so they had to keep him on the ventilator. That is what is keeping him in ICU longer. He has responded to his dad and stepmom so we're all optimistic that he didn't receive any brain damage/memory loss. They were finally able to close the 12 inch incision that was made to re-shift his organs/take out his spleen/stop internal bleeding and repair his lung. It was being hermetically kept open until the swelling of his organs went down.

For those of you reading who are in the dark, our friend Matt got in a head on collision car accident when he was going home from our home 2 weeks ago. He broke his collarbone and leg, shattered his elbow and hip, collapsed a lung, shifted his organs, lost his spleen and had some major internal bleeding. He has gone through 9 surgeries so far...

Adam has recovered from his dislocated shoulder. He still cannot swing a softball bat, but luckily the season is over. His team ended up in 3rd place, which isn't too bad!

Our volleyball team is 2-0....wish the Vikings had a perfect record....it has been another hard season there.

We've been awfully busy lately. Seems like there aren't enough hours in the day.

Halloween Pics

Here's some new pics...

Check it Out!

Hey, check out this book....I've read it and thoroughly enjoyed it...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578567947


Violette Between by
Alison Strobel

5 months...and counting

We simply don't know where the time has gone. Viv is 5 months old already! She is an absolute delight---we love watching her explore and observe the world around her. She is so innocent and full of wonder! Vivian is eager to sit up/stand/MOVE like the big kids and like us. She likes to sit at the dinner table and play with our napkins. Right now, she likes holding objects, but doesn't prefer putting things in her mouth. We're thankful of that right now, because that might limit her colds a little bit. (I'm sure being at daycare will bring on her first cold...hopefully not anywhere in the near future!)

Vivi and I completed our first 5K race together on Saturday morning. We race walked in "Race for the Cure" to raise money to help cure breast cancer. The race was through the Animal Kingdom park which was cool because we got to see the animals along the way. It was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again. I'd like to run it next time. Our teacher group raised over $600 dollars for the cause. The only bummer was getting up at 5:30 in the morning to be at the race by 6:30. Vivian doesn't usually get up until 6:30 and then goes back to bed for awhile after that, so she wore pink pajamas in honor of BC Awareness!

We're excited to get up to Chicago to visit and for the baptism. We'll be at dad and Rose's from Thurs.-Sat. and then at mom's Sat.-Tues. We have to be at the church by 9:30am on Sun. Hopefully everyone has gotten their invitations. If not, hopefully by Mon.

Dang...

Tried to post new pics, but blogger isn't cooperating....maybe tomorrow!

Daycare started on Monday. Vivian loves it, we're having a much harder time....although it helps that she is so smiley everyday when we drop her off and pick her up.

She is so worn out from all the activity all day, that she is knocked out by 8:00/8:15 or so and is sleeping through the night again. This is in addition to TWO, yes, TWO naps that she takes at daycare everyday!

More pics....

What's that smell?


Doesn't my new brown knit hat look cute? Thanks grandma and grandpa! It matches my winter coat perfectly!

Laughin' with mom....

Watching football with daddy....with me around, daddy is a lot calmer during the games! Grandma and Grandpa from Minnesota made sure I have a Vikings outfit to cheer on the best team! I'll have to get a little Twins outfit for next summer....I hope mom and dad take me to some games.

When grandma came to visit, she bought me this really fun balloon. Good thing mommy cut my fingernails because I love to grab on to it!

Carrots, "The Office", and the Best Invention!

I've promised pictures, and pictures you will receive!

Vivian has been busy this past week. Today she tried carrots for the first time and seemed to like them! She has started waking up at night again for food, so we've introduced rice cereal and carrots to hopefully have a little more lasting power.

My mom was here visiting---had a great time and definitely some quality grandma time! I started back to work on Thursday---it went fine, the kids are great, I just missed Vivian terribly all day long. Vivian did a little trial run at daycare last week. She was only there for a couple of hours, but did great and Stephanie (the daycare provider) really enjoys her.

Adam and I bought Viv an early Christmas present....Meg and Joel fondly term it, "The Office", aka Evenflo Exersaucer. It is GREAT! Vivian can spin herself around and play with a gajillion toys. The best part for her is that she can sit up by herself. Apparantly, laying down is for babies!

Lastly, the best invention ever! Some of you know that Vivi HATES riding in the car. We're not sure if it is riding backwards, not being able to see out the windows or what, but we have a solution....sorta. I found a REMOTE CONTROL operated mirror that lights up and plays songs, the whole 9 yards. I can control it from a garage door-like remote in the front seat. This keeps her highly entertained for about a half hour, which makes trips to the mall and Target (and school) much more enjoyable!

Oh, What A Night!!!

It was late (at night) September back in '06....


As most of you know, Adam plays softball on Wed. nights....this weekwas no different...except that he had to go to the ER because he popped his shoulder out. No worries, it is back where it belongs. Unfortunately, it is also in a sling and out of commision for two weeks, at least. Kinda puts a damper on his parenting skills---no lifting! no diaper changing (which I'm sure he's sad about!) No bath-giving...etc...etc...

In Vivi-land, you'll be happy to know that she likes food....so far she has managed to put a piece of prime rib from brunch in her mouth and on Wed. she grabbed my (sugar-free) jello and got a taste....little stinker!

New pictures will be posted this weekend!

4 Month Checkup

Yesterday Vivian had her 4 month checkup....all is well!

Stats:

14 lbs. 14 oz.-----75th percentile
Head is 42 cm---75th percentile
Length is 25 3/4 in.---90th percentile

Daddy's stats when he was 4 months:

13lbs. 7 oz.
26 inches

Developmentally she is right on track (if not a little ahead).
She can hold her bottle now if it is light enough.
She has found her toes and puts them into her mouth (Thanks, Peg, for teaching her this! :)
I gave her a little rice cereal today. The Drs. were on the fence about it but I thought it was rather successful. She gobbled down all of it with little problem (it was VERY soupy). I think I'll continue giving it to her once a day. I'll post pics of her first tastings soon.

I had a Dr's appointment today.
It went well, all things considering. Dr. Napolitano answered a lot of my questions...she is changing my medication from Zoloft to Cymbalta....since there is a withdrawal period I am doing what is called a crossover. I take less of one, more of the other in 7 day increments until I have completely switched meds. Cymbalta deals more with the anxiety, rather than focusing solely on the depression. I also have Ambien CR to help me sleep (even though Viv sleeps through the night, I don't!) She also ordered up another Thyroid test---she thinks it is a continuing cause of the depression.
Otherwise, she cleared me to start working again on Sept. 21, 3 days later than originally expected. Oh....so sad....like I'm really in a hurry to go back....sheah...right.

Quick update...

Viv and I spent another week in Chicago...had another fantastic time! We stayed with the grandparents in Crystal Lake, went to Septemberfest out in Schaumburg with grandma, visited with the great-grandparents, and went to brunch at the fabulous Port Edwards (yum!!) amongst other things!

Vivian is mastering the art of chubbiness. She is so cute with those thighs and cheeks!

She has recently found her toes--I'm sure it won't be too long before the toes find the mouth. She continues rolling and can stay propped up on her tummy for longer periods of time. Laughing has become a daily thing now, but she mostly laughs at daddy. (Who doesn't?!?!)

We will go to the doctor for her 4 month checkup and shots tomorrow morning. Maybe he'll recommend some rice cereal for the big eater!

She's still sleeping!

Viv went to bed last night at 8:30...woke up at 6:00, Adam fed her....went back to sleep.... it is now 8:15 and the little bugger is still sleeping! It would be great except I have a doctor's appt. at 9:00.

She's such a little cutie patootie!

Long Time..No Post...

It's been awhile since the last post. We've been extremely busy lately....

Let's see...Adam started back up at school this month. He says the classes are fairly large and he doesn't like the new start time (8:30 instead of 7:30), but other than that, he likes his job!

Viv and I went to Crystal Lake, IL to visit my dad, Rose, Laura, Olivia and Marc...oh, Lizzy too! We had a great time and enjoyed catching up/reminiscing/shopping/eating/swimming. Yep, Vivian LOVES the water---she kicks and wiggles like crazy in her little floatie and doesn't mind (much) if water gets in her face.

Milestones this month: She likes her nuk a little more now and is starting to eat more at a crack. Smiling is a way of life. She likes TV and peoples' faces. She knows how to blow bubbles and yesterday learned how to spit. No, not spit up, just spit. She thinks it is hilarious. Vivian is growing like a weed....somewhere around 15 lbs and 26 inches long. We'll find out for sure when we go to see the doctor for her 4 month checkup.

Other than that, we're finally settling into somewhat of a routine and I'm really starting to enjoy my mommy status. Adam is an amazing father and husband--I couldn't have gone through these last few months without him....love you, Adam!

XOXO to all! Call/write and let me know what's new with you!

She ROLLS!

The Vivster rolled over! Ahh! So big!

Fun at Gatorland!

If you are a grandma or grandpa....DON'T freak! But.....your little granddaughter sat on a REAL LIVE 8 foot gator today!!

Another Crocodile Hunter in the making?!?!?!

True Love...

When you find true love, your life is complete. All the hard stuff becomes easier, all the fun stuff becomes more fun, food tastes better, nature is prettier and the "mountains" of life seem easier to climb. When you find the love of your life, hold on tight and don't let go!

Congratulations to MY BROTHER and his new FIANCEE as they prepare to exchange marriage vows!

Marc, Adam and I couldn't be happier for you! We're so excited for Melanie and Jacqueline (sp?) to join our family and to get to know them better. When it's right, it's right... and we could hear it in your voice 2,000 miles away---you've never been happier, grinned larger from ear to ear or been more at peace in your life.

God bless you both as you plan your day and begin the wonderful journey of marriage together! We love you!

We're Baaacccck!

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Alaska/Seattle/Vancouver. It was so fun seeing our friends who moved out to Seattle (they also went on the cruise with us). Some other friends and family (John and Peg too...) went as well. My favorite things were seeing Hubbard Glacier and the "To the Summit" excursion in Skagway. We saw a harbor seal, whales, dolphins, mountain goats, a porcupine and an otter. You can view all of the trip pictures on our shutterfly site. (Email me if you don't have that address, but want it!)

Congratulations to Pat, Carol and Josie as they welcomed baby girl Genevieve (Eve) to the world on Monday, July 17 at 9:45 pm. She weighed 7lbs. 5 oz. and is 19.5 inches long! So excited for you and can't wait to meet her!

Vivian is doing well--she's found a voice that does something besides crying and cooing....YELLING! She will randomly yell out...just because she can. She can roll over on her side and back again. She now opens up her hand and sucks on her fingers...what she has yet to realize is that sticking her fingers too far back makes her gag and it is nothing that we have done to her! What a silly girl!

She is officially in all 3-6 month clothes...can't believe we have to pack up the 0-3 mos. already! Daycare is all set up---she'll be in a home daycare with other teachers' kids starting Sept. 25 :(

Hope all are doing well!

If You can Dodge a Wrench...

...You can dodge a ball!

Adam, Kreg, John and Roel's dodgeball team are the ship's champions. They won "gold" medals and everything!

I'm Sailing...Ahoy!

We are sailing along the coast of Alaska right now. It is a bit chilly (60 degrees) and windy because the ship is traveling at a very brisk 23 knots in order to get us to Hubbard Glacier by tomorrow. The food is FANTASTIC--the ship is AMAZING--we're having a great time! I continue to be awed by all of the Earth's wonders.....

Tomorrow-Hubbard Glacier/Glacier Bay
Wed--Skagway
Thurs.--Juneau
Friday--sailing
Sat.--Victoria
Sun--back at port :(

Greetings from Washington!

Hello all! We're here in the BEAUTIFUL Pacific northwest. The weather is great--mid 70s during the day and cool sleeping weather at night. We arrived in Seattle around 3:00pm on Thurs. Vivian was an absolute angel on the flights---2.5 hours to Chicago and then 4 hours to Seattle...whew. Once in the city, we went to the City Center and went up in the Space Needle. It really is a fun city. We had dinner with everyone at a tiny little bistro called Michaelangelos. Yummy! Pike's Fish Market was closed for the day, but we may go next Sunday after we return.

Today, Friday, we all went to see Pirates of the Caribbean for Jeremy's birthday. After that, we went to Deception Pass, which was breathtaking. We had an incredible view of the sound and of Mt. Baker. We continued our journey into Anacortes and onto Washington State Park. We walked down to the beach there where the kids loved exploring. The scenery here is amazing. Just as we were about to leave, we saw a sea lion (seal?--we have to look at the picture more closely) fishing and we also saw a deer and fawn. On the way home, we saw Mt. Rainer---awesome!

Oh, and one more thing....on the flight, I took some incredible pictures of Mt. St. Helen's ABOVE the clouds. Very cool. I'll post when we get back!

You may be subject to some audioblogs with my icky voice....but, I need to remember what we did each day!



Saturday morning we are off to Vancouver...

2 month checkup

Vivian's stats:

weight: 12.5 lbs (80th percentile)
length: 24 in. (95th percentile)
head: 40 cm (80th percentile)

Doc says she is beautiful and healthy and made a good recovery from her rough start, weight wise. He said she's nice and tall (and must take after the husband's side of the family...ha ha). Vivian had her first big round of shots today. I think they hurt me more than her. She got REALLY mad, but settled down fairly quickly. She seems to be in good spirits, so hopefully no major reactions!

She is starting to like her swing a bit more...it went a little fast for her in the beginning so we had to rig some extra weight on it to slow it down. She also likes: Nuks, milk, laying on daddy, going for walks in her stroller, rides in the car (but not stop lights!), her green froggy blanket and her little pink lamb (that appropriately plays Mary Had a Little Lamb).

Viv Wanted to Post on the Blog...

John...Jacob...

Jingleheimer Schmidt....his name is my name too....whenever we go out....the people always shout....John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...dah dah dah dah dah dah dah...

This is Mooshy's new favorite song. Maybe she's just entertained by the way I sing it or how I move her hands to "dance" to the song. Gotta love that it keeps repeating, and repeating.

Her highness's 2 month checkup is on Wednesday. I was laughing as I read Allison's blog and she said her daughter is 16lbs., 26in. I can't wait to hear the "official" word, but Viv is at least 24 in. and 13/14 lbs. already. She healthy, what can we say?

We're not sure what we are doing for the 4th of July. We'd like to go see fireworks, but I'm worried about the noise. So, I'm not sure yet. Sea World does a special Patriotic Shamu show and then they have the orchestra and stuff, so we may go do that for a few hours. Wish there was a BBQ to go to, but everyone is out of town this week....shucks!

Here's a new (and sort of smiling) picture of the Vivster at 2 months (well, almost)!

Changes in latitude, Changes in attitude....

Since we've had so many changes lately with the baby, I decided to do a little something for myself. I had to get my haircut (didn't want to look like a shaggy dog anymore)....while I was there, I decided to COLOR MY HAIR! Lots of fun--it's called "cherry cola" and is a darker, auburn color.

Here's new pics...the white and pink outfit was mine when I was little!

She Likes It!

Ahhhh....the life of a baby!

All of a sudden, the Nuk is great! (Of course, it has to be THIS Nuk, which they were out of at the store the other day.) Vivian has found that not only does she like to suck on it (as long as her tummy is full), but that if she puts her hand up it stays in her mouth better. She is so coordinated! Of course, sometimes she tries to hold it but doesn't quite get it...but we're workin' on it!

Happy Birthday to Meg and Pat---Hope the Twins/Cubs game was fun. We watched the series on TV.

Not much else is going on. I started Her Highness's scrapbook which has been fun! I was comparing pictures and am amazed at how different she looks already. She has a lot of facial expressions, which are so hard to capture with the digital...but I'm working on it! I think her hair is starting to fall out a little. Adam thinks it will come back in blonde, but I'm hoping for the darker hair still. (I guess most babies have the blonde hair though).

We're getting ready for the Alaska cruise, coming up soon... I have NO IDEA what to pack! The weather will probably be in the mid-sixties to mid-seventies which is pretty chilly for us. We've been in 90 degree weather for 3 months now!

Baptism

We will send out invitations as the date gets closer, but we wanted people to be able to plan in advance (in case of travel).

Vivian's baptism will be on Sunday, October 15, 2006 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Schaumburg, IL. I believe it will be at the 9:30 service.

I think this is the same time as NEA, so the kids shouldn't have school that Thurs. or Fri., which might work out for traveling.

Vivian's next Dr. appt. is on Wed., July 5. It is her 2 month checkup and includes the dreaded shots.... As far as we can tell, she weighs about 12 lbs. and is at least 23 inches long. She is on the cusp of growing out of her 0-3 month clothes (especially her sleepers). Today she has a little bit of a stuffy nose, which is making her mad more than anything! We'll give more details after her appointment.....good thing we have LOTS of 3-6 month clothes though!

Things People Don't Like to Talk About

I haven't really done an indepth update in awhile. Lots of stuff has been going on in our lives lately, however. First of all, my brother came to town this weekend and we had a lot of fun catching up. Vivian was enthralled with Uncle Marc and I believe he felt the same way!








As for me, I've been up and down. When we were here in FL after Viv's birth and when we were in MN, I just didn't feel good. I was crying all the time and really not enjoying Vivian at all. In fact, I was convinced that she was a really hard baby who fussed all the time for me. (For everyone else, she was pretty good...but fussed a lot with me). Anyways, when we came back to FL a couple of weeks ago, I went in to my doctor. Sure enough, she diagnosed me with post-partum depression and was very glad that I called/came in right away. SO, here I am, 2.5 weeks later---taking Ativan when I feel anxiety and Zoloft every morning. Unfortunately, that means that I can no longer breastfeed---medicine would go to baby. But, the doctor said that since I was having so many issues with the milk, stopping was probably less stressful for me. Well, she got 5 weeks of the best food in the world, so I'm happy for that. I'm not crying anymore...in fact, Vivian has suddenly become very fun for me. She is starting to smile and loves to cuddle. She doesn't cry all the time with me. Probably just did that because I was so anxious and crying everytime she was with me. I feel a lot better about being a mom and I feel like I am able to handle things and roll with the punches again.

We're looking forward to our Alaska trip---cooler weather, here we come! (Whew!)
We're also looking forward to doing a little sightseeing in Seattle and Vancouver beforehand.

Happy Father's Day!

To all the fathers out there, have a wonderful day and know that your kids love you very much!

New Pics....

Not much new to report...Adam and I are just completely enveloped in trying to figure out parenthood. I guess you never REALLY figure it out, but at least get to a point where you feel you have a good handle on it. I think we've actually figured out a pattern...which is a little helpful.

6:30-8:30am---awake...occasionally dosing off
8:30-10:30---actively awake
10:30-1:30/2---nap...if we're lucky
2:00-5:00---fun time! awake, happy
5:00-8:00---Yikes! Don't make plans. Could be an angel, could be a fussbuster.
8/8:30-2:30am-sleep
2:30-3:15am--awake and very hungry
3:15-6:00am--sleep

Of course, just when we think we have her figured out, she throws us for a loop. But hey, it is a start! (Notice that Little Miss Newborn only takes one nap a day). Maybe that means she'll continue to sleep longer and longer through the night!

Money in the bank!

Yep... we deposited the $0.04 check from the mortgage company.

But, that's not all! I decided to clean out our safe and gather our birth certificates together so that we are somewhat organized for the cruise. We haven't gotten around to getting passports yet but we'll have to for next year when they change Canadian law. Anyways, what do I find at the bottom of the safe???? $100!!! SCORE! Gotta love finding money that you forgot about!

Vivian updates: She smiled....officially...more than once. She proved that she can sleep 5-6 hours at night. She's done it since we were in MN, but we're not holding our breath that this pattern will continue...although we are wishfully thinking that it might. She has perfected the "fake, I want attention" cry. Pathetic. She is very active and alert. Only takes one nap each day for about 3 hours.