So Much to Catch Up On!

This month has been swirling by--seems like just yesterday we were in MN for Christmas and now, only 40 days left of school! Yes! Oh, wait...that means that the 1st birthday of the lil' munchkin is fast approaching....1 YEAR! WOW!

Here's her basic update...22 lbs. almost 31 inches...10 months old....doesn't like "people" food, but that could be because she still has no teeth. That's not a bad thing though---the longer it takes for her teeth to come in, the healthier they (cross your fingers here) should be.

Ear infections are a constant problem with her. She's a trooper, but it is still painful. Pew.

Crawling doesn't seem to be her forte, but she seems to want to walk pretty bad. She is good at taking steps (with help, of course) and just got a good pair of Stage 2 Stride Rites...cruisers...

Random picture...

Bathtime funky hairdo.

Scott and Kathy and Little Gracie came to visit in January. I might have mentioned that we had a great time at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures....can't remember.... BUT, Gracie is an absolute doll--she does what I thought little babies were SUPPOSED to do, eat...sleep....poop....occasional gassy smile.... hmm.... wonder how our little kiddo missed the whole sleeping part.

Vivi and Gracie...

Let's see...oh! We're taking plenty of advantage of those free teacher passes to SeaWorld. We went as a family a few weekends ago and then we're going with some friends on Sunday. Vivster likes the penguins, puffins and seals the best. She loved watching the puffins swim around.

More later!

Miscellaneous Update!

Congratulations to our friends Lesley and Cailin as they welcomed baby boy Noah into the world on Feb. 19 @ 11:11 pm. He was actually due to arrive on March 10, but graced us with his 7 lb, 3oz. presence a little early!

Jara, we're so proud that you hopped on the blogger bandwagon.... http://soostfamily.blogspot.com

My friend Alva from high school came to FL to visit (he is in the Marines and is currently on leave from Iraq). We had a fabulous, extravagant dinner and an absolute blast catching up on all the years that have whizzed by (has it really been 13 years already?!?!?!). He stayed with us one night that he was here and enjoyed Vivian and getting to meet Adam. They hit it off well as they immediately launched into deep discussions about the latest/greatest movies.

Our house is officially on the market and our car is officially for sale. For the house, the MLS# is 04749457 if you feel like perusing on realtor.com. Link below might work...

http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=29&locallnk=yes&frm=byzip&mnbed=3&mnbath=2&mnprice=250000&mxprice=275000&js=off&pgnum=3&fid=so&stype=&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=32824&poe=realtor&zp=32824&sbint=&vtsort=&sorttype=&typ=1&x=38&y=6&sid=08195C2F0DEBC&snumxlid=1075969189&lnksrc=00002

Wow! Where Does Time Go?

I can't seem to find the time. For anything. Period.

I realize this as I go to read my friends' blogs and have to read 6 or 7 entries just to catch up. And then, I realize that I have written in WEEKS...so not cool.

Here it is...the lowdown on the Rosenbaums...

Happy 9 month birthday Viv! Talk about time flying by!

Stats:

weight: 21 lbs.

length: 29 in.

That puts her in the 90th percentile for height and 75th for weight and head circumference. Not bad, baby doll, not bad! (For those of you interested, she is 2 lbs. less than Adam was at her age and the same height). She had 2 shots--for some reason, the shots bothered her longer this time...guess the Dora band-aid doesn't work on 9 month olds... :(

She insists on sleeping on her tummy and is a WILD sleeper. More often than not, I go to get her only to find her completely turned around and squished into some imaginably uncomfortable position in the corner of her crib. She also likes to sleep sideways in her crib...only one problem...she doesn't fit that way...so she kicks up her feet on the side--personal recliner, I guess.

Sleeping through the night is a huge problem--We just can't figure out how to get her to sleep through. She wakes up absolutely screaming for food. She eats 8-10 (!!!) ounces at least twice during the night...still. Doesn't seem to matter how much she eats (or what she eats) before bed. She MUST eat every 3 hours. What the heck?!?! If anyone has suggestions, PLEASE SHARE! Thankfully though, she goes right to sleep afterwards.

Crawling and teeth are not in the vocabulary here....she'd much rather stand and the teeth just don't want to come in. Sure, they bother her and every once in awhile we think we've got one...but nope. No dice. Along with the no teeth thing is the "I won't put anything in my mouth that is not my bottle, my spoon or my nuk." Don't little people put EVERYTHING in their mouths? Don't get me wrong, we're happy that she doesn't put toys and random discoveries of mysterious objects on the floor into her mouth, but come on...try a little cheerio or piece of pancake or somethin'! Weird kid... (but in the best possible way, of course)

All in all, she continues to amaze us every day. Meg said in her blog recently that she has come to accept, even enjoy and embrace motherhood. I'm not sure I'm there yet...but look forward to that time. It'll come... Babies are an incredible adjustment to people's lives...many, many good and wonderful things, but when you loved your independence and penchance for going out and having fun, it is hard to find yourself "trapped" at home worrying constantly about the well-being of someone else. For me, it is hard knowing that many of our friends here still have the freedoms that I often long to have back....but then, I see her or pick her up from daycare and she gives such great smiles and big, cuddle-bug hugs and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

In other, non-Vivian news, the house is officially going on the market this week. Good 'ol Clifford from Keller-Williams Realty has earned the job of selling our home. Lord, please let our home sell quickly so that we don't have to get up and make our bed perfectly every morning. Ugh. So bad at that. Anyways, when the house is on the mls site, we'll post the # so you can check it out....in case any of you feel like moving to the much warmer state of Florida.

BTW-I have to do it one more time...IT IS 74 DEGREES HERE WITH A MILD BREEZE AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE! (nevermind that we'll be in the frozen tundra next winter)

In closing, here's a recent picture of the little monster with the much bigger one...can't tell they are related, can you?

She's Ticklish!

Being tickled and "zerbert"ed by daddy---always so much fun!
2nd cousin Laura just loves seeing that smile and hearing that giggle!
Cousins! Audra (9), Olivia (5), Kurtis (7) and Vivian (8 months)

Posting Pictures--Finally!

Some new pictures of the poosh! She's just a little ham these days!

Here's our snow bunny---1st snow!

Mom and Viv enjoying the fresh, crisp air (outside Ron and Kay's new home in MN)

I think Vivian likes her new friends...not sure what they think though...(j/k :)

Let's Play Catch!

Catch up, that is! Happy New Year. Even though we're halfway through January. Seems like it was just turning 2006. Not really sure where that year went.

Anyways, some quick updates on the Rosenbaum family:

1. Vivian is just a little ham. She LOVES, I repeat, LOVES people. Especially little kids. The smaller the better. Laughing and shrieking are a way of life for her now which is usually such a joy to hear---except that Adam and I can no longer have a conversation in the same room with her...she likes to join in with an enthusiastic "AAAHHHH!!!! BLLLAAAAHHH!!!! DDAAADDADADADA!" which then puts us into fits of hysterical laughter.

2. News flash! Vivian MAY have just cut her first tooth today...yep...pretty sure of it...

3. Let's see...she loved Christmas. Something about little ones at Christmastime just brings out the magic of the season. She experienced snow and cold for the first time but didn't seem to enjoy that too much. She looked at us like we were crazy everytime we got her dressed in her big fluffy snowsuit or winter coat.

4. We got to see lots of people in MN...Viv got to visit with her friends Lucy, Eddie, Josie, Eve and the new little one (who's home is currently Tricia's tummy). We had a great (albeit short) time visiting. I think we truly all became parents when I looked around the room and ALL of us were happily singing ring-around-the-rosie...over and over...and over.

5. January put mom and dad back in school and Viv back in daycare. It also brought on bouts of the stomach flu this week.

6. We're trying so hard to put our house up for sale. Not an easy feat with the 8 month old.

Anyways, that's about it! I'll post pictures soon!

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.