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.

Opening the Mail

We had the post office hold our mail while we were in MN. I managed to get through about half the stack so far.

We got the insurance/doctor bill notification. With dread, I open it up...YIKES! Babies cost a lot in those 48 hours! Oh, wait....phew...the insurance covered most of it....

Oh, wait! Here's a refund from Chase Mortgage Co. because of an overage in our escrow. Maybe that will cover the amount we will owe the hospital.... $0.04. Yep. That's right. 4 measly little cents. Why? Why send 4 MEASLY LITTLE CENTS. Gosh. Got my hopes up. Oh well.

Viv is adjusting back to FL life quite well. She is working on eating more at each meal and eating less often. She is down to a feeding before bed, one at night and one in the (very early) morning.

At 1 month, she is very alert, verbal and well adjusted. She seems to be very particular---likes things "just so". I have recently found that she enjoys the swing, even though we think it swings way too fast. She can roll over from her back to her side. She enjoys baths in her tub, but not so much if we give her one in a sink. She is NOT a nuk girl right now, but will take it when she is cuddling before bed sometimes.

It's Been Awhile!

We're back in FL...our trip went well, all things considered. We enjoyed seeing our family and many friends while there....guess that was Edith's plan, bringing us all together.

It is almost 11:00 and I think the little munchkin is awake in her crib....more later!