Exceptionally Cute

Have you ever had those moments where you are struct with the cuteness of your own child and think they are absolutely the most adorable thing on the face of this earth? Of course you have--if you're a parent.

I've had several of those moments today. Which I find kind of strange because the day started off terrible and only got worse. Vienna woke up earlier than normal, fussed all morning, spilt her orange juice all over the kitchen (and when I mean all over, I mean...on the floor, all over her chair, onto the wall, on the kitchen curtain and somehow managed to even get it on the window.) Peed her pants, fussed some more, and then some more. Nap time couldn't come soon enough today and mommy took advantage of a nap herself. But after nap things didn't improve much and I knew I was getting frustrated, which in turn, only made her more fussy. She told me she had to pee so I put her on the potty, took a deep breath and sat down on the floor facing her, waiting. She just began chatting away as I watched her little face tell me some unknown story about daddy, pat-a-cake, shoes and several other things that I didn't understand. I wish I knew what she was saying. But her face just lit up and she kept watching me for a reaction. I poured my attention into her and watched as she kept jabbering away. I couldn't get over how exceptionally cute she was.

We moved to her room and spent the better part of an hour playing together. I let go of everything I wanted to get done and gave her 100% of my attention. We chased, tickled, played with toys, read books and just had fun. She was so giddy, running around, giggling, smiling with a look of complete happiness on her face...and I thought, "Wow, she is so incredibly and exceptionally cute." Her behavior, her face, her little tip-toe running and her messy hair. So adorable. I love her. She is so much love and joy wrapped in this tiny little body and she just needed some mommy and daughter time to nourish her soul. And it soothed mine too. I think sometimes I just forget what is really important.

18-Month Update

It seems like just yesterday I was holding my fresh, new, squirmy little newborn for the first time...then I blinked and she grew out of her newborn/0-3 month clothes--I remember the packing away of those little outfits to be a bit of an emotional task for me and I wondered how on earth did she possibly grow so fast? Then I blinked again and the next thing I know is she's already 18 months old. 18 months seemed so old a year ago, it used to seem so far away...yet here we are. My baby is not a baby, she's a toddler and I'm still wondering where the time went.

18 months seems like a pretty monumental mark, just like 6 months was when she started sitting up...and when she turned 12 months-old old and got her first taste of birthday cake. So I wanted to jot down all her current stats, likes and personality traits now that she is one-and-a-half. Geeze--saying it that way makes her seem so much older...I think I'll stick with "18 months."

V's 18 months stats:

-Teeth: she has a whopping total of 15...currently working on #16, her last "eye" tooth.

-Vocabulary: I lost count of how many words she knows--she's really starting to randomly repeat words that we say. Her most common words that she uses daily (besides "Mommy" & "Daddy"): "Pa" (potty), "Ball," "'ick" (quick), "tickle," "E" (eat), "Si" (outside), "No," and "thank you." She also tries to count to 3, but it sounds more like "two...two...tee..."

-Signs: I didn't/haven't taught her as many signs as I would've liked...but the ones we've taught her she uses as much (if not more) than her words. My favorite sign that she does is "help." She also uses "please," "potty," "eat," "more," and "all done."

-Percentile stats: I don't know yet...I haven't gotten her in for her check-up yet...

At 18 months Vienna is running, not walking, around everywhere. Climbing everything. Sleeping in toddler bed. Using the potty 95% of the time. Napping for usually 2 hrs in the afternoon. Goes to bed at seven...wakes up between six-seven. Really likes food (eats most of her vegetables). Loves music...and loves to dance. Is still attached to her blankie and is starting to really like a certain little stuffed bunny. She could play on the beach for hours but hates deep water. She particularly likes dirt, pine cones and flowers. She loves running to the window to watch daddy leave for work. She loves trying on shoes...regardless of whose they are. She loves helping with laundry and gets upset if I don't let her throw the clothes in the dryer and press the buttons. She runs to the bathroom if she knows mommy is putting on make-up because she likes to pretend she's putting some on too (oh boy). When she does walk she does so on her tiptoes. She loves to help mama vacuum and unload the dishwasher. She loves animals and likes to copy dogs barking and kitties meowing. She likes to give kisses and lots of hugs. And she loves to snuggle and watch Tangled.

Over the past 18months I have loved getting to know Vienna and the little person that she is, it has been amazing to see her personality blossom. If I've discovered one thing about her, it is that she is very independent. She likes things her way, in her time, and she likes to do things herself. (I wonder where she gets that from?) ;) I'm not quite sure if I would classify it as strong-willed (yet) but definitely independent. She is very transparent (she gets that from daddy) :) and absolutely loves people. She loves to laugh and make people laugh. She is smart and learns fast. She is cautious when it comes to "dangerous" things, but when she figures out how to do something herself then there's no stopping how adventurous she's going to be with it. I can already tell that she doesn't like when someone is upset with her (she gets that from mommy too) if I scold her or give her a time out, you can tell how much it hurts her feelings and it breaks my heart. Good side to that though is that she usually learns her lesson the first time. She's definitely girlie and feminine...right down to the way she walks and her little run. She loves dresses, dolls and dancing and one her favorite things to do is carry around a bag/purse in the crook of her arm and put things in it.

She is such a delightful 18-month-old :)

Big-Girl Bed

As of last week we've officially moved Vienna to a big girl bed. Taking apart her crib today made it final, and made me realize, yet again, how big she's getting.

I didn't particularly want to upgrade her bed so soon, but she was days away from climbing out of her crib so I started keeping my open on craigslist for a bed, because I just really didn't want to spend the money on a brand new one. When I found one that was too cute to pass up, and too good of a deal, I jumped on it and once it was in our house it was hard not to put it together and give it a try. I guess I don't have any patience.

I have to pause for a minute to say how much I like craigslist. I like the fact that I can buy things, like a toddler bed, for less than half of what it costs brand new. People get rid of stuff they don't want and I save money. :) Win. Win.

Anyways. Vienna helped me put the bed together, I was actually surprised at how into it she was, she never left the bed until it was finished...pretending to put screws in and helping me hold things together. She had fun and a part of me thinks she knew that the bed was for her right from the start.

She felt pretty special climbing into her new bed.

I was so nervous about putting her in a big girl bed. Not only for the possibility that she could roll out, but I was afraid she wouldn't stay in it--that she would just go nuts with her new freedom.

To my surprise the first night was uneventful. The first morning however, the minute she got up she was out of bed and by the door, pounding on it to be let out. Naptime was a little bit more of a challenge, but she only got out once. She wasn't too happy about staying in the bed but she learned her lesson after one try and eventually fell asleep. She's stayed in her big girl bed since then. It's been six days and we've had zero issues. Besides that first morning she has stayed in her bed, period--while falling asleep and when she gets up. I'm shocked. I've watched her through the crack in the door and when she gets up in the morning or from naptime she sits up in bed, plays with her stuffed animals and scoots around talking to herself/telling me she's ready to get up...and waits for me to come into the room before trying to get out of bed. Most of the time she just stands up and waits for me to pick her up. I'm honestly very surprised she responded so well and it wasn't more of a battle to get her to stay in bed. Maybe she was just so used to staying in her crib that it wasn't such a hard transition...so in that sense I'm glad I didn't wait until she figured out how to climb out of her crib!

She's such a good girl. :)

Bathtub & Rainy Days

What do you do with your kids on rainy days?

Well. Let me tell you what we did. Vienna asked to play in the bathtub this morning...so I let her, for a really long time. Just to play, that's it.

I tried to tell her she took a bath last night and that we didn't need to take another one this morning, but she kept asking so nicely. First she took all of her toys out of the bathtub and brought them to me...signing "please." Then she took my hand and brought me to the bathtub...signing "please." She tried to take off her clothes, got a little mad that she couldn't, but kept signing "please." Then tried to climb in by herself.

She was pretty irresistible so I filled up the ol' tub with bubbles and let her play. No timeline, no washing routine...just playtime, until she was ready to get out. She LOVED it and had a blast and spent nearly two hours in there.

She's like a fish.

Heck...it's raining outside, what else are we going to do?

Coloring

Have I mentioned how much I love this age? I do. In all the years I've been around children, this age (age 1) until they're about three is my absolute favorite. I love how they discover to do so many new things, hearing their little voice talk....and let's just face it, they're just so stinkin' cute.

As always, I notice Vienna changing nearly weekly. Sometimes in big things, sometimes in small things. Two weeks ago we tackled a big change in potty training (just a quick update: she's doing awesome--we've managed to go through a couple days with 0 accidents, some days are better than others but we're learning and she's doing so good!) This week, it's a small little discovery called coloring. Vienna noticed the box of crayons and coloring pages I'd left out for my nephews over the weekend and she was pretty insistent about playing with them. I was wary just because I knew she only just liked to stick the crayons in her mouth...kids menu's + crayons in restaurants have proven that, and then she'd toss them on the floor and be done. But I set her down on the chair anyway and suddenly she decided she liked to color. Not just one little scribble and we're done, nope--actually interested enough to spend a significant amount of time picking crayons out of the box and scratching them on the paper. We've colored everyday since then, and I admit, it's a nice little distraction.

Yet another discovery in this great big world.

Diapers? No thanks!!!

(DISCLOSURE: the words "pee" and "poo" are used several times in the post below. So if that bothers you...then don't read it.)

______________________________

Do I dare say it? I'm afraid to for fear of jinxing it...but I do believe our 16-month-old little girl is potty trained!!!

Yes, I said it...potty trained! Can you believe it? I hardly can.

A week ago she was in diapers...now she is diaper free (minus sleeping hours.) I am so proud of her!

I've been wanting to test the waters with the whole potty thing--just to see what would happen. I didn't particularly think Vienna was "ready" to potty train--but I wanted to try it just because she's so receptive right now and she's smart enough to do it. Even though she isn't saying sentences yet, she can say a few words and can communicate (quite insistently) what she wants with signs and actions, and she definitely understands what we tell her to do. For the last couple months I've noticed that she's been dryer throughout the day when I change her diaper and has even woken up from naps without wetting her diaper at all. That was probably the only "sign" she showed to potty train. I know she's young and I know some parents would frown on me for even trying so young and without her being "ready," but oh well. I know my kid and I just felt like it was time to try.

So I did and didn't really expect much to come of it. I bought some training underwear and put her in those for a couple days. She was interested in sitting on the potty when I told her to, but it was completely hit or miss if anything actually made it in it. After a couple of days of setting timers and changing countless pairs of pants I knew this method wasn't going to work for her--I was wasting my time. But I wasn't quite ready to drop it yet so I did some reading online and came across the 3 Day Potty Training Method. It made a lot of sense to me and I liked the whole cold turkey approach, but I was leery of its actual success, especially with a child so young.

But I figured, heck, why not? Just try it, it won't hurt anything--and if it doesn't work we'll just go back to diapers and try the whole potty thing again in a couple months. So I did, and I'm totally sold on it.

You can always google it for more details and info...but here's the rundown of the method:

You let your kids run around naked for 3 days!

Well, bottomless, at least.

Okay. So there's more to it than that, but not much. :)

-Day 1: Get up with your child the minute she wakes and let her go bare-bottomed the entire day. Feed her lots of salty snacks and water and watch her for signs that she is going pee/poop. When she starts to go whisk her to the nearest potty, don't scold her for peeing on the floor (if anything use a disappointed voice and say "Pee goes in the potty.") If she gets a hit in the potty, even if it's just a drop, celebrate with a potty dance. Put a diaper on at nap time but go to them the minute they wake up and take their diaper off.

-Day 2: Repeat day 1. Except, go out (for a walk, to the park, etc.) for 1 hr in the afternoon directly after she gets a hit in the potty. This helps them learn to pee on command. Put only a pair of loose fitting pants on her--no undies, no diapers--and bring a portable potty.

Day 3: Repeat day 1, but go out for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon--directly after she pees in the potty.

After the 10-12th hit in the potty the child starts to catch on and supposedly by the end of day 3 something just clicks and they get it. The whole bare-bottomed method is a good way to draw attention to what they're actually doing. Having them wear a pair of pullups, trainers or panties still makes them feel like they're wearing a diaper and will keep them thinking they can just pee in it.

Method sounds easy enough, right?

Ha. Ha.

It was hard. And exhausting. But when is potty training ever easy?

The whole no-pants thing made sense to me, even though it made me cringe. And I liked the cold-turkey approach of taking diapers away. I also liked that this method encourages the child to feel control over their own body, which, after all, is what we're trying to teach them. I also read that it was better to potty train a child younger rather than older as they're more sensitive to the control of holding their pee, as opposed to when they're older that sensitivity is kind of already trained to just go whenever. So...after doing some reading, and skipping the "preparation month prior to the 3-day-training-weekend" I jumped in headfirst the next day.

I closed all the doors to the rooms with carpet (to make cleanup a little easier on myself) and put a potty chair in the living room where we'd spend most of our time. I didn't want to buy multiple potty's because that's just really expensive, so I kind of scooted the one around if we switched rooms.

And then, I watched for Vienna to pee or poop.

Sounds like fun, huh? So. Much. Fun. Waiting for a kid to pee all day long is like a full time job that consists of watching paint dry. Okay--it's a little more fun than that :) after all, we got some good quality playing time in together. But it was a bit more tiring than I anticipated, but it was the first day and I was optimistic. I whisked Vienna to the potty whenever she started to go, which was a lot, and had a stack of towels and disinfectant cleaner that dwindled very rapidly. I didn't expect much, and much didn't happen. Vienna would hardly sit long enough on the potty for me to do a potty dance when she got a drop or two in...but she did like it. The only "real" potty that ever made it in was when she pooped...it's easy to tell just before she goes so I never really had to clean up that stinky mess.

The second day I woke up fairly optimistic again, and got excited when Vienna peed on the floor that morning (I had my back turned on her) and found her trying to sit on the potty...even though the pee puddle was a few feet away. But unfortunately that didn't turn into much. Day 2 was a repeat of day 1--except that I noticed Vienna had favorite spots to pee in. And I came to believe that she knew she was going to pee just before she did...she'd give me a certain look just before she'd pee.

But by the end of day 2 I was ready to give up, I was tired from basically 13 hours of wiping pee up off the floor and off my child. I thought there was no way this was going to work, she was too young...but I didn't want to give up before the 3 days were over so I talked with Andy that night about it and I read some more articles on potty training to give me a little boost to make it through the next day.

Day 3 we woke up and I immediately thought the day was hopeless...(probably because she woke up stinkin' early and I was so burnt out...) But then she took a morning nap that day and woke up with a completely dry diaper. Maybe it was the dry diaper, or maybe it was the fact that I got a nap in too, but I decided I needed to give my all into the last day--even if it turned into nothing. The rest of the day she never initiated to sit on the potty, but I did notice something interesting...she seemed to be holding her pee a bit. For instance, when she'd start to pee and I'd whisk her off to the potty...she'd hold it and then finish peeing in the potty. Day 3 was the first day that I had a substantial amount of pee in the actual potty seat over and over. And when she took a nap that afternoon, she woke up dry again.

My feelings were mixed. I wanted to be done that night, but I really felt like it deserved one more day. Why go through all this effort just to give up? I kept thinking back to when I took her pacifier away--I had kept telling myself that if I gave up now I'd have to start all the way back at the beginning. I felt like she showed potty progress everyday, even if it was minimal, and I wanted to see if anything more came of it while we had the advantage.

Day 4 (I thought this was suppose to be a 3-day potty training?) we hit a milestone. That morning while I was in the kitchen for a minute, Vienna was in the living room and I noticed that it turned suddenly quiet. I peeked around the corner to see what she was doing and found her getting up from the potty seat--trying to pick up the potty bowel herself. She had put herself on the potty and pooped all by herself!!! I was so proud. And so was she, she carried the little bowl to the big potty and dumped it. I wasn't sure if it was a fluke or if she was actually getting it...but it gave me hope and it also gave me an idea that I never really thought of before (not sure why!) The rest of the morning, whenever she would pee (which was half on the floor/half in potty) I would let her carry the bowl to the big toilet and dump it. She thought that was pretty cool and of course she got to play in the sink afterwards to wash her hands. Our 1 hour outing was a venture to a garage sale that morning and I happened to pick up a potty seat for the toilet for $1. I wanted her to try going on the big potty, just to see her response, and so when she woke up from her nap that afternoon (dry again) I put her on the big toilet repeatedly until she finally peed in it. I think she felt pretty special, especially when I let her "wipe" herself (she throws a piece of toilet paper in the toilet between her legs-lol.) That afternoon I kept watching for her to pee and she just wasn't peeing. I kept putting her on the big potty and she wouldn't go. I never made her stay up there, I didn't want her to become scared of it or become something she didn't like to do, but because I kept putting her on it she ended up going twice. That's when I made the correlation that she was holding her pee for a lot longer than the previous days. She was going at least an hour (usually more) without going at all.

That night, after cleaning up a few messes on the floor, I re-evaluated what happened over the last four days and realized that if I stuck her in diapers I was going to ruin her progress. In my opinion, she was far from being potty trained--but it was a possibility now.

Day 5. We woke up at 5:30 am. Bleh. That's WAY too early. Her nighttime diaper was wet, of course, but that morning it took her two hours to go to the bathroom. But when she did she needed to pooped and started running for the bathroom. She passed the potty chair in the living room on the way, did a double take and couldn't decide which one to go to (as poo was coming from her rear end...sorry to be graphic) so I picked her up and whisked her to big potty--a little poo managed to get on the floor. I kept watching her all morning, thinking she was going to pee--but another two hours went by before she peed again...and only when I stuck her on the potty. She didn't have a single accident all morning, she held her pee and when I put her on the potty she would actually try to go--even if she didn't have to. I wouldn't make her sit there, if she wanted down right away, I just put her down. The whole day went by with only 2 accidents (one after lunch when she got really excited about daddy being home, and the second after supper when we simply weren't paying attention to the clock.) She even managed to stay dry during nap and in her carseat on our outing.

I was so excited. And so impressed with my baby. Was this for real? Did I really just wake up on day 5 and have a potty trained little girl? I couldn't believe it.

I didn't want to claim she was potty trained...but now we're on day 7 and I have absolutely no intentions of putting a diaper back on her...I will say that she is potty trained. This morning she managed to pull me to the bathroom twice in which I put her on the potty and she peed. We are working on the sign language for pee and toilet, and I think it's just a matter of time before she pairs the sign with the feeling and will be able to communicate in a way other than pulling me into the bathroom. As long as I'm diligent in watching the clock and putting her on the potty, I think we're pretty much golden. :)

Today was our first trip away from home since pottying, and I was nervous. I expected to change pee soaked pants every couple hours and had no idea how Vienna would respond to peeing in a public place. She was afraid of the toilet at first, which I figured, and so she had an accident. And then she had another accident in a fitting room...which was my fault because I knew it was about time for her to pee and I didn't make it a point to find a bathroom. We finally had success at a restaurant where she seemed to warm up to a strange toilet and peed, the went again after supper. Hopefully that cured her of peeing on a different toilet than the one at home. She stayed dry on the 1-hr car ride there and back and when we got home she even pooped, which she managed to hold all afternoon!

I'm positive in the days, weeks, and months to come there will be accidents, and they might be more abundant on outings, but I'm just really excited that she seems to have got it!!!

I would totally recommend the 3 Day Method (4 days for me) to anyone. It's a long three days and expect to be exhausted, but if it works the 3 days are a better sacrifice than weeks and months of potty training. If you have more than one child you pretty much need your husband/partner to help. The child has to be watched pretty much constantly, and if you have other children (especially babies that need to feed) you don't want to miss a few pees or poops that don't make it in the potty chair. It's a good idea to have someone there anyway, even if you do just have one child, just because it gets to be exhausting and it can become frustrating. It's really hard not to get frustrated, but it's key not to take your frustration out on the kid. They shouldn't be reprimanded for peeing on the floor because they don't know any better and they're trying to learn whats happening with their body. It's an emotional experience for them (as it is for you)...and they're learning how to control their body.

I would actually say that Vienna and I had a special little bonding experience during these last few days, she's such a delight and I couldn't be more thankful and more in love with her than I am now.

Good Eatin'

A common subject I've been encounter lately with people is "weight loss." I suppose it is generally a common subject and always has been, especially amongst woman--I find that most woman typically want to weigh less than they actually do. Lately, I've been running into the subject a lot more than normal...friends, family, even with strangers at the grocery store. There are people everywhere working on losing a few extra unwanted pounds.

So I wanted to share my journey over the last year, because I am one of them I was one of them.

I weighed the most I ever had just before getting pregnant. I was not overweight, but I was about 10lbs heavier than my "normal" weigh-in, and of course any extra body fat is never welcomed. And I could be wrong, but I don't think any woman will say she enjoys seeing the scale go up every month at her doctors visit...even if she is falling madly in love with the baby inside her belly. Seeing numbers on the scale that you've never seen before, regardless of the circumstance, can be depressing.

Obviously pregnancy is not the time to work on losing weigh, so after birthing a tiny little 6lb 10oz. baby (then why did I gain nearly 7x that much?) I was ready to do something about it.

I came to a realization that I didn't want to just lose extra pounds. It wasn't just an issue about the number figure of weight I wanted to lose. I wanted to lead a healthier lifestyle, to actually change the way I was living in the whole world of food and exercise. I didn't just want to work my butt off to lose weight and then go right back into my old habits... I wanted to be healthy, inside and out. I wanted to have energy. I wanted to feel good about myself.

I feel like generally I've always been a fairly healthy eater. I've always been conscious about what I consume, my vegetable intake, my fruit intake, I've always reached for the whole grains and etc. etc. But I've also always really liked my sweets. I still do, I admit it. I like chocolate. A lot.

I started realizing that eating healthy is more than just eating healthy foods. It's eating a balance of different kinds of healthy foods and watching your portions. If I feed my body mostly grainy food all day, mixed with a little protein here or there and possibly throw in a couple of fruits...all healthy, all good choices individually...I'm hungry all day and my sugar craving is constant. Or if I eat nothing but veggies all day long...I am hungry and unsatisfied. But if I eat a balance of protein, grains, good fats, vegetables and fruit from the start of the day onward I am more satisfied and have less (if any) sugar cravings, I have more energy, am more happy and have an easier time making healthy choices all day long.

Throwing in exercise on top of that only helps. Tremendously. Exercising makes you feel happier, it makes you feel more confident and it gives you a drive to make healthy decisions. I truly believe weight loss is a result of healthy diet and exercise, they go hand-in-hand. Sure, you can lose a little weight just by walking a couple miles everyday--and you can lose some just by eating healthy for awhile, but you really see the results when you combine the two together.

And the best part: it becomes habit. It becomes normal. And you feel great.

I don't want to step on any toes, but I'm not a big believer in diets. Only because diets generally don't give your body what it actually needs, are used only for a specific amount of time to achieve a result and then when they're done you're left hanging and you go back into your old routine. I believe in just changing your eating habits--healthy foods and portion control is all you need, mixed with exercise. And WATER. Water is vital.

Not only does eating healthy make you lose weight, but you feel better. You feel so much better. If I go a day without eating a single vegetable, I feel it. If I snack all day on sugary foods my body freaks out and I feel tired, crabby and lazy all day.

I'm not saying that I have a perfect healthy lifestyle, because I don't. Far from it. I can always improve. Improve in my exercise routine and improve in my decisions. I admit there are weeks I lack in the eating department, and I have an incredible love for chocolate. I can practice more self-control when I go out and there is dessert involved, and after supper is the worst time when I get a sugar craving and I'm tempted to indulge when I'm not really hungry.

Sidenote: I'm not saying that it's bad to partake in a little of that sugary goodness every now and then, because it's not. And I don't feel guilty about it about when I do. I'm not going to pass up a nice little chat with friends over a cup of coffee and cookies, or dessert and wine at a friends house. And lets just face it...goodies can sometimes make an occasion just that much sweeter. :)

It's all in moderation.

But back to point:

It has been a little over a year since I started being more conscious of my eating habits and since I started actively exercising. I lost a total of 55 pounds since Vienna was born, I am fifteen pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight and I've officially reached the goal that I set out to reach...which was to make those healthy decisions a lifestyle.

One of my first changes was that I stopped keeping sweets in my house. If they're not there, they don't tempt me. I have a bag of dove chocolates in my cupboard for every now and then when I need a chocolate fix, and that's about it. When I have company over I'll buy things and of course make dessert every now and then, but on a normal day we don't have junk food in our house. Unless you want to classify popcorn and graham crackers as junk food, which you could I guess...they're probably the most unhealthy thing in my cupboard. We typically snack on fresh vegetables, fruit, whole-grain or rye crackers, nuts, cheese, almond butter, peanut butter, granola and yogurt. I eat a green smoothie nearly everyday in place of a meal (usually breakfast), and make sure I get a sufficient amount of protein at every meal. Lunches often times consist of leftovers, salads, or sometimes just some veggies and a plain old peanut butter sandwich because I just really, really, like pb&j. For suppers I always serve of form of protein, vegetable(s) and some sort of grain--I'm not talented in the creative cooking department so I like to follow recipes and try new things. I try to stay away from boxed, canned or frozen foods and I always try to buy fresh produce, whole foods, and natural or organic when possible and according to our budget.

I like food. A lot. I eat probably 5-6 times a day--three meals and at least two snacks. I eat when I'm hungry and try not to overindulge. I get crabby when I don't eat--just ask my husband. My body does not function well on no or little food so I really try to make it a point to give it what it needs. And I drink water all day long. All the time. I rarely, if ever, have anything but water to drink (and a cup of coffee several times a week).

It has become habit for me, which is what I wanted. I really enjoy eating healthy, I enjoy feeding my family healthy food. I want to feel good after I eat, not sick. I want the food I put into my body to help it, not destroy it.

Food is a necessity. And it's such an enjoyable thing, after all, we were blessed with taste buds. And the more healthy you eat the more you enjoy those foods and the less you want the other junk. Many might reply with something like: "But eating healthy doesn't taste good." But I'm here to tell you that it really does. Honestly. It tastes good.

And it feels good.

And it gives good results all around.

Outside

The new thing in our household is playing outside, now that the weather has finally warmed up. The first thing Vienna asks for when she gets up in the morning is to eat. After she eats the next thing she asks insistently for is to go outside.

Sorry babe, it's still a little too chilly to go out to play at eight o'clock in the morning.

So for a couple of hours she constantly brings me her shoes, points to the door, and says "'side" over and over until we eventually head out the door when it's had a chance to warm up a bit.

Her favorite thing to do is to find an object and carry it around with her, everywher. It's something different everyday- a rock, a pinecone, a stick, a different rock...and she likes to hold onto it the entire time we're outside. If she drops it, she makes it a point to pick it up, and when it's time to go inside I basically have to pry it from her little fingers.

She could be out there all day. There's so much to explore and to see, after all, she's never seen or explored it before.

Sometimes I wish I saw things through the eyes of children, just because I want to know the sense of wonderful everything is to them.

Decisions, decisions...

Sigh.

Well, there goes my half-marathon.

Okay, let me explain...after all, it is ultimately the decision I decided to make.

I was just shy of completing week 6 of 10 weeks of training...so I am super close to the "big day." I skipped week 5 long run due to illness, but jumped right back in to week 6 and was on track - then I had an eye appointment and everything changed.

I'm getting Lasik. Yippee!

How does that affect my half-marathon? Well, I'm getting it done this week! And I'm so unbelievably nervous. The doctor informed me that I couldn't run at all for a whole week after the surgery and then I could start running smaller distances after that. He told me that it was not a good idea to run 13.1 miles two weeks after having the surgery - which is what I thought he'd say. I could either decide to forgo the surgery, run my half, and then have the surgery later sometime in late May/early June. Or I could have the surgery now, recover, and run a different half sometime in May or early June.

I chose the latter, and though my explanations really aren't that interesting, here's why:

1. I really disliked the idea of wearing my glasses for the next 1+ month, everyday. Nonetheless, running in them. Silly, I know. But I'm a contact wearer- I hate my glasses, they give me headaches. And I'm suppose to keep contacts out of my eyes until surgery.

2. I had not signed up for the race yet, which was a huge deciding factor - if I'd already paid I would've for sure just run it. But seeing that I wasn't tied down to it, it was an easier decision to make.

3. Also, just last week I was wondering what I was going to do after my half-marathon was over...I want to keep training, but for what? I think I'm addicted to the training part...it keeps me going, the expectation and a schedule to follow keeps me accountable and I was actually kind of getting sad that it was coming to a close.

So, considering I've already run a half I wasn't as disappointed not running the one planned on April 30th. But regardless, I'm still bummed.

But again, I have no one to blame but myself, because I decided to do it this way.

So I think in the meantime, until I've had a sufficient amount of eye-healing-time to be able to push myself running, I'm going to work a little on speed by doing (hopefully) faster shorter runs, and focus more on some strength training - core and arms. That's my goal at least.

And that's my story.

Halfway Goal

I'm halfway through the training for the half-marathon at the end of April. Week 5 of 10 is complete, check.

I'm training 3 weeks longer than I did last year for my first Half, and yet this time around feels like it's going by much quicker - and feels much easier.

Last time I was so nervous about not being able to finish, I took my runs slowly and paced myself easily, I didn't care about time I just wanted to finish. It was a huge challenge for me, I'd never done anything remotely athletic and I was basically building up my body from the bottom - I had little muscle from years of being non-athletic, and having a baby turned whatever sort of muscle I had in my body to mush.

I feel much different this time. I was apprehensive about training again, just because it's such a huge time commitment- well, really its a huge commitment all around. But I jumped in and have been feeling really good. As always, some runs are better than others, and some just downright suck...but the feeling of running is addicting and though I may not look forward to every single run, I look forward to the way I feel after.

I feel different in the fact that my body is stronger, and as a result I'm not as tired after my runs, I feel better during the runs, and I'm able to go faster. I'm still not fast. I'm not sure if I'll ever been one of those 7-minute mile people, but I'm considerably faster than last time. For some reason I'm slower on the treadmill, I think it's the lack of oxygen and air circulation and boredom. But on all my runs outside I've been averaging 9:30-minute miles, which took me by surprise the first couple times. Again, not track-star time, but really good for me and I've been able to push myself harder this time around.

So my ultimate reason for this post is to make my goal for this half-marathon official. The last Half my goal was to finish without walking and I completed in a quicker time than I anticipated. This time around my goal is to complete it in under 2 hrs, without walking. That would be shaving 18mins off my previous time. Think I can do it? Let's hope!

Words

In the last 24-hours Vienna has learned three new words and has been repeating them constantly. Okay, so maybe this isn't an amazing feat, but I'm a proud parent and I think my kid is a genius.

I always thought some of Vienna's first words would be things like "Drink," "Cup" or "Ball" -something along those lines.

Nope. She likes to say words like "Tickle" which she learned several weeks ago and still says all the time. She likes to walk up behind you and pat her hands on your back and say "Tickle, tickle, tickle."

But one of her new words is "Kick it."She started saying it last night when she was playing with her big pink ball. I got a little clipping today of her saying it over and over.

She helped me upload this and kept wanting to watch it again and again, and the whole time she kept repeating "kick it" over and over throughout the whole video...like she was cheering herself on.

Yesterday she also learned how to say "Dance." She keeps pulling the toy on her old baby bouncer that plays music and stomps her feet up and down saying "Dance, dance, dance!" Which in actuality sounds more like "Dats, dats, dats!"

And this morning she started saying "Shake," which sounds more like "thate."

It's so adorable, I can't hear her say them enough.

Sweets update

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last blog post- I feel like it's only been a few days, but in actuality it's been over a month. Sorry about that for those of you that are avid blog readers of mine. If there are any of you. ;)

What's kept me? To be honest, I have no idea. I guess things like busy weekends, being sick, running and small projects at home...just to name a few. Nothing extremely exciting, unfortunately.

I had a few reasons for starting this blog, one of them being a way to document and express things about my kid(s) that I wanted to remember in years to come. And as always there are new things to update about my little sweet girl, she grows like a weed and changes constantly, I can hardly keep up.

1. She's gotten very good about communicating. She's really using the signs she knows, which are: "please," "more," "eat," and she just learned "thank you." She also knows "baby" but that's not a common thing she has the need to communicate. When she wants to eat she tells me so by signing, not screaming, which is awesome. When she wants something she really does a good job communicating it by hand motions and little noises, instead of screaming, which is awesome. Not to say she never screams, because she does, sometimes.

She has started doing this thing that when she wants to go somewhere that she's not allowed to go by herself - like down the stairs - she comes and finds you and takes your hand and brings you there herself. It's so cute that it's nearly impossible to stay no.

2. At fourteen-months she can say: "Mom," "Dad," "Hi," "Tickle," "Bye," "Yay," "Night," & "Hot." She has also started eating with utensils.

3. She has begun trying to climb everything. Onto toys, into baskets...everything. One thing about Vienna that we've noticed as she's growing is that she likes to be sure of herself before really trying to do something that is daring. Like walking; I think she could've walked sooner than she did, she was sturdy and would walk like a pro with the help of a hand, but she wasn't sure of herself to try to take a step on her own - until one day she decided she was ready and then just started walking and never really crawled again. Same with climbing, she's had the ability to do it for awhile but she didn't really start climbing until she was certain that she could do it confidently. And when she gets it, she has no fear. She loves to climb up and down off our bed and up and down the stairs.

4. She is constantly on the go. All the time. She never stops.

5. She has become quite the personality. I love to see her little personality coming to life more and more and it's fun to see the different things that interest her and how she works. She lovesmusic. Loves it. And loves to dance. Nearly every time she hears some sort of beat she starts dancing - which her dance moves seem to change from stomping her feet up and down rapidly to turning in circles or bounces her body up and down. She also loves the piano...we walk into my parents' house and the first thing she goes for is the piano - she loves to play with her uncle.

5. She has also started this new laughing thing where she just walks around and laughs, for no reason. Not like a baby giggle but a downright belly-adult-like-laugh. It's so funny.

6. One thing I've discovered is that she's very transparent. When she's happy, she's happy. When she's mad, she's mad. Etc. And there's not much of an in-between. And there's also not much that can be done to change it. I do have to say that she's a happy little girl most of the time though...and likes to be very expressive about things that entertain her.

7. Vienna, a.k.a. Bina, Beanie-baby, V, Goose, & Sweets.

Best and Worst

I've been thinking a lot lately about the fact that we have to move this Spring. I don't like moving- packing boxes, cleaning, unpacking boxes, cleaning...and so on. I have mixed feelings about moving out of this place, on one hand it's exciting to move somewhere new...on the other hand, this is our home and it's sad to think about not living here anymore. This has been the best and the worst place to live. The worst because we are literally sharing a house with college guys, there is only a door at the top of the stairs that separates their living from ours...and though it is locked from both sides you can imagine that the sound barrier isn't nearly as good as living in a duplex or an apartment. So we've heard our share of things and there has been times where this place has not felt like home and we've just wanted to leave. But on the other hand, it has been the best place because so many other times it has felt so much like home and we have had so much fun here, there have been so many times that we've been so thankful to live here. I searched for months to find a place to live when we moved from Indiana over a year-and-half ago. There wasn't much to choose from, Andy and I couldn't agree on anything until we found this place. It was in our budget and so nice, I instantly fell in love with it. It's a house that we would never be able to afford to buy, but renting out half of it we could afford and we were so thankful to move in. It is spacious, fairly modernized, minutes from town but feels like country living, and is on a lake. I have always dreamed of living on a lake- I mean honestly, if I could describe my dream home, it would be set on a lake. So I will be so sad to leave solely for that reason, but so glad to leave for the sake of our sanities. It's a mixed up situation. :) I'm crossing my fingers that we'll be able to do a month-to-month lease through the summer and the guys move out once school is over and we have the place all to ourselves (we did last summer and it was glorious!) But I seriously doubt that will happen. We definitely won't stay if anyone lives downstairs. I'm fairly positive that we won't live here past May...so that means we need to find a new place to live, *sigh* I guess I should start looking. Well, I won't forget this place and the view...here's a few great sunrises/sunsets I've got to stare at through my living room window.

Maybe if I'm ambitious I'll take some pictures of our house, inside and out, and post them. I'm not making any promises though. :)

Afternoons

The fact that it takes two hours for Vienna to fall asleep for her afternoon nap is getting REALLY old. Cuz that's exactly what I want to do every afternoon is struggle with a crabby and tired little girl trying to tell her that naps are good, they are our friends...and she would feel much better if she'd just relax and give into them.

Ugh. Seriously. It leaves me so exhausted. I'm so tired of it. I really don't know what to do.

Will Vienna ever not have sleep issues? I mean...if it's not one thing its the other. Now that she sleeps through the night she's decided that naps are no good. I don't even know how long this has been going on for...I don't remember when it started. At first I thought it was just her teeth...she's been a teething machine for the past 2+ months. She's currently working on 2 of her molars...but I know when her teeth are bothering her, and this isn't teeth.

I've considered only putting her down for one nap a day...and tried, but that's no good either. She's so tired in the morning, her morning nap is hardly ever an issue...she conks right out usually around 9:00am and sleeps for about an hour, give or take. If I don't lay her down she's done by eleven o'clock and if I stretch it until noon or even 1 (unlikely) she only sleeps for an hour and that's it, and is crabby for the rest of the day.

So we try, and try, and try...for an afternoon nap. Most days she ends up taking it, just after a two hour struggle. She can be so tired before I try laying her down...but as soon as she knows its nap time she fights it. I've tried keeping her up longer and laying her down at a later time...but it's still a fight. I feel like I've tried everything...

Nap time begins with a little cuddling/rocking and song, I usually hold her until she's sleepy and lay her in her crib and will rub her back or face until she falls asleep. This process (in the morning) usually only take 10mins. Its a different story in the afternoon, she fights me the whole time I rock her...if I lay her down and try to rub her back she fights me. I've tried napping with her and laying with her but that's not effective either. I've tried crying...which makes it only worse. It gets to point where I feel like tossing her in her crib and hiding in my room underneath the blankets and crying, or freaking out myself. I'm not proud of the thought...I'm just being honest.

In the end she is usually so exhausted that I rock her (for the umpteenth time) and she passes out. Why can't she just do that in the beginning? She's so tired from the start, is all that middle stuff really necessary? Everyday I go into nap time optimistically and think, okay...I know she's tired, maybe if I just spend extra time in the beginning rocking her, or, laying with her until she's 100% sleeping, or etc. No matter how committed, or how much patience or how invested I am in her during nap time, nothing works.

My body is physically sore from rocking a 20 lb child all afternoon. I'm emotionally spent. And I feel so guilty that we go through this everyday...I feel like I'm scarring her for life or something. My mother told me I fought my naps when I was little...so I should, of all people, understand her. I understand the feeling of not being able to relax, it's difficult for me to sleep for that very reason, turning my mind off enough to rest. I understand the feeling of missing out, she's so go-go-go that I wonder if she thinks she's missing out on what's going on while she's in her room. I understand that...but yet, I don't know what to do about it.

Today, for instance, I tried from 1:45 until 3:45 when she finally fell asleep. In the end I'm resorting to venting my frustrations out on a blog post...

I would given anything for a big, comfy rocking chair.

And a piece of chocolate.

Dear Vienna,

A year ago today I met you for the first time. I will never forget it. I will never forget your birth, grabbing you and holding you to my chest for the first time. Your first moments of life where there, in my embrace, right where you belonged. I had waited so long to meet you and I couldn't even describe how happy I felt or how much love I instantly had for you. You were beautiful. You were perfect.

I had been up for 24+ hours, from start to finish labored naturally for 9 hours through the night and delivered you in water at 7:22 in the morning. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep a wink all day...I couldn't stop staring at you. I couldn't stop cuddling you, you were finally here and I was so incredibly in love.

I will never forget the way you fit perfectly in my arms. I will never forget your baby smell, your soft skin, or the way your lips fell open slightly while you slept. We had some long days and some even longer nights, but I wouldn't trade a single moment with you for anything. I would stare at you at night when I got up to feed you and think about how lucky I was to have you in my life. I am so thankful for you and will be eternally grateful for the privilege of being your mother.

I have loved watching you grow this first year of your life, all of your first moments and things you've conquered. I will always remember the way that you crawled with your one leg straight like you were ready to stand up and start walking, or that day when you took your first steps. I won't forget your little dance moves and how much you loved music. Or how you use to stick all of your fingers in your mouth, or how you'd laugh when you'd look at yourself in the mirror. I'll always remember when you first learned how to give kisses, when you became attached to your blankie and when you learned to say "Mama" for the first time. One of my most favorite things was to see how excited you got whenever you learned to do something new, I am so proud of you.

You are such a sweet girl, so happy and so expressive. I love that about you; how your smile is so contagious and how you light up when you're happy or excited about something. You are beautiful and so full of life and I cannot even begin to describe how much love I have for you in my heart. You are my baby girl, my miracle baby...my love.

Happy Birthday.

Love,

Mommy

Bittersweet

I have a good reason for my lack of blogging, it is called: getting things done that I have put off for months. Things like...finishing Vienna's dresser that has been sitting my room since August...waiting to be sanded and painted. I don't totally love doing that sort of thing, but I must not mind it to an extent because it takes time and effort that I obviously invested. Plus it was free, so maybe that was part of it. I would post pictures but I forgot to take "before" pictures of it, so without a before picture it really wouldn't be very impressive. I'm done, that's all that matters.

Moving on.

I cannot believe that January is closer to ending than it is to beginning, which means we are rapidly approaching the big #1 for Vienna. Pretty exciting. :)

She has changed so much the last two weeks, I can't hardly believe it. Since she has been born there have been a few moments where I've experienced this over-night-change in my daughter, but never this big. Andy came home from work one day and said, "Wow, she seems so much more grown-up all of the sudden." We both noticed how she suddenly became a very obvious little toddler. Everything has changed from the way she looks, talks, interacts and plays...it's so fun to experience and witness, but slightly sad that my baby isn't so much a baby.

A few things that are different: #1. Her blabber is starting to sound like real words, like she's trying to talk in a little voice, not just baby gurgle. Granted, she still makes noises like a little bird, or a parrot, or a bear...but more often she sounds like she is talking, just can't quite pronounce the words yet. So far she can say "Mom(my)" "Dad(dy)" "Hi" and "Bye," clearly.

2. Playing. This was huge. A couple weeks ago she would flitter around the entire house walking from one thing to the next, and on and on...she never stopped, playing with one thing for a few moments, then another, and carrying things around with her. I can't even count how many times in the last two weeks I've noticed her being really quiet in the other room, too quiet...like she's getting into something she's not suppose to. So I peak my head around the corner to find her sitting nicely, playing with toys. Yet, it surprises me every time...like I'm shocked that she isn't sticking her hand in the trash or touching a houseplant or something. Nope. she's playing. Like a sweet little girl. You can see her mind working...like she starting to use her imagination to make toys do things. Its really kind of neat.

Along with her change in playing...she has become fascinated with books. She loves to look at books. She has started bringing us books to read and will sit through several little stories. (Or more often, the same story...on repeat.)

3. I'm not sure what it is about her appearance that has changed, but she just looks different. Could be the way she walks. She's developed the need for speed...she loves to walk super fast- and be chased by daddy. Maybe her hair is longer...or she's just bigger...I don't know. Maybe I think she just looks different because I just brought out her 18mo. clothes, even though most of them are still quite large on her...regardless, she looks older.

4. Another huge thing is herinteraction with us. Initiating to play with certain things, or wanting something. Her little looks that she gives. Playing along with things. It's like you can see it in her face that...she's beginning to get it. She loves to give kisses and give hugs. It's so cute...I tickle/rub her back or her face to put her to sleep and if I stop and she wants me to keep doing it she puts her hand on me and will rub it back and forth. Maybe I'm spoiling her, but I keep doing it...those are some of my favorite moments with her.

Every time she grows I have to say it is bittersweet. It is so awesome to see her develop and to see her learn things and communicate, but it's kind of sad to know that she is never going to be a little baby again.

Celebrating

Is it too late to blog about Christmas? It would seem weird if I didn't mention it. So much preparation for a blur of craziness for a week, and then...it's over. Regardless, it was still great.

Celebrating Christmas was a week long event for us this year. Though crazy, I prefer to stretch the time out with our families like that so we can all actually spend time together, instead of a quick stop here and there inside of day to scarf down some food, say hi and open a present.

We started celebrating Christmas a week beforehand by having Grandpa Paul (Andy's dad) over to our house for a Christmas roast dinner, complete with oozing chocolate cake while we enjoyed the evening chatting and watching a movie.

Then, we journeyed north to Grandma (Andy's mom) and Grandpa Cliff's house to spend a couple days there. Andy and I got to go on a movie date while V spent a little quality time with Grandma. In the morning everyone came over, both of Andy's brother's, their wives and their babies. We made brunch for his family and spent the day chatting with everyone and watching the three grandkids play, and trying to fit in their naps. It was the first time all three grandkids were all together at the same time, it was good to see everyone and of course when there are babies in the room - it's a good time! :) We sat down for a nice meal then opened gifts. The babies drew names (okay, the parents did it for them) and Vienna received some adorable pink cowboy boots, brown flowery shoes and a super cute twirly skirt from her cousin Evan. And of course lots of gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Cliff, her favorite is a girly firetruck that she can push around and ride on. Andy and I also received a lot of generous gifts, and loved the chaos of wrapping paper and boxes thrown all over the living room floor. But the time with family went by far too quickly and I found myself wondering where the day had gone as everyone left that evening. The next day we left earlier than we intended to because we got lots of snow that night and it was continuing all day. Thankfully the roads weren't too bad on the two hour drive home.

So then it was back home for us for a few days. Andy had to work up through Christmas eve and we wanted to spend Christmas morning at our house. Vienna must've known because she got up at 6am on Christmas morning. We exchanged gifts as a family, Vienna had a blast checking out every item, box, bow and piece of wrapping paper, I think she carried around a pair of socks in her mouth for most of the morning. I wasn't sure how she'd react to the present we got her, a little toy piano, I assumed she wouldn't care about the toy itself and like the wrapping paper better. But when she opened it...well, you'll can see for yourself...

After breakfast and a little last minute work Andy had to do, we traveled, once again up north, to Oma and Opa's house (my parents.) Christmas is the one time of year every single member of my immediate family is all together at the same time. Everyone arrived that day, all 19 of us (I have four siblings, 3 of which are married and have kids)...all crammed in one house...for a couple of days. Regardless of how that might sound, I love it. We chit chat, play games, take the kids outside, eat good food, sip on some wine or baileys, and try not to argue. lol. Just kidding, kind of. ;) The morning after we all arrived we woke up and had the kids gift exchange. They draw names and each have a present to open from someone. Then it's breakfast and dinner preparations. I do have to say that Christmas dinner this year was phenomenal. Everything from the turkey, to the sweet potatoe pie, whiskey glazed carrots...right down to the green bean casserole...it was delicious. My brother's comment: "When you make noises while you're eating, you know its good!" Unfortunately I didn't let Vienna indulge in the tasty dinner because when I let her experience thanksgiving, she was up screaming that night with gas pains. So she stuck to more simple food...like sweet potatoes without all the added yumminess (like butter and sugar). She did get to savor the turkeythough.

Anyways, after putting the kids to bed we had an adult gift exchange. For years we have each drawn a name prior to Christmas (parents included) girls draw girl names, boys draw boy names, and then when we exchange them and take turns watching each other open their present. Two things I love about this: first, I love being able to put more thought into the gift I give...and second, I love watching each person open their gift, especially this year - my sister Heidi was pretty excited about what I got her. :) Makes me happy. Andy received a hunting knife (which he is now obsessed with) and a cool sweater from my brother Nathan. And my sister Kayla gave me a string of pearls (which she scored an insanely good deal on) and a super cute shirt.

And then there's one more day, it's tradition - not sure why, but the day after we celebrate Christmas, the "kids" go out. A little shopping for the girls while the guys go to a movie. In the past Oma and Opa have watched the grandkids, but seeing that there are now 8 of them, 3 being babies, we took turns going out...the guys watched the kids while the girls shopped in the morning, then everyone met up for lunch...the girls took the kids home and then it was guys turn for a movie. It was a busy day! Considering my parents live an hour away from town...two hours were spent just driving.

And then the next day it was home.

And to top it off, that week alone Vienna popped in two more teeth. Which involved, but was not limited to, two days of a fever, and three very long sleepless nights.

*sigh* I'm spent. Aren't you?

Successful socks

I never even thought about making my own Christmas stockings until my sister mentioned it a couple weeks ago, and I thought..."ya know, it really can't be that hard." I was in the hunt for a stocking for Vienna anyway and I didn't totally love mine and Andy's current stockings. But I really didn't want to spend a lot of money...

I did a little searching online on "how to" and came across this great 3-part video tutorial. I decided I'd give it a try and took off to the fabric store. That was a nightmare. Screaming child, understaffed store, so many decisions....ugh. Needless-to-say I didn't want to step foot inside that fabric store again for a very long time. But I walked out with some great material and accessories and ideas for my stockings.

I basically followed the video with a few exceptions:

1. I didn't use the adhesive material.

2. I made the outside of my stocking the same length as the inside lining as I wanted to roll my stocking over to create the cuff.

3. I attached the loop to the inside lining instead of the outside.

I'm really no sewing savvy, so trust me when I say this is super easy. If I could figure it out and make alterations of my own, it really can't be that hard. And the best part, it doesn't have to be perfect sewing...or cutting. The first stocking took the longest because I wasn't sure exactly what I was doing, but the second two were a breeze. Seriously, so simple.

I spent $30 for all the supplies...that included thread, all the accessories and the material. I'm super happy with the way they turned out. I love them. The only thing missing is names, I'd still like to add our names to the cuffs, in a non-cheesy-nice-looking-sort-of-way, but I'm not too sure how to do that. So maybe that'll be a project for next year.

Daddy's stocking:

Mommy's stocking (can't decide whether to put a bow on it or keep it off...)

Vienna's stocking

Yep. I'm super happy with the way they turned out!

St. Nick's Day

Growing up in my family, one of the traditions to our holiday season was St. Nick's Day. Most people I've ever mentioned "St. Nick's Day" to have had no idea what I'm talking about. It's a European tradition, I'm honestly not too sure how common it is in the U.S...but my Mom is from Germany and grew up with this tradition and then carried it on into her own family. It's pretty simple really, you put your boot outside the door on December 6th (you can even go as far as leaving your "Christmas wish list" in the boot) and St. Nick comes along (takes the letter) and fills the boot with goodies. I loved it when I was little, going outside and finding your boot filled with candy! What little kid wouldn't love that?

Of course there's more to the story behind why St. Nick's day exists, but that's something a simple google search could answer for you...I'm not going to go into the whole story. But it was fun, and we decided to do St. Nick's Day with Vienna.

"St. Nick" filled V's boot with Gerber Arrowroot cookies (since she's too little for candy & chocolate) and a Christmas bib...

...V discovered the goodies in her boot...

...in which she shoved an entire cookie into her mouth.

Does anyone else celebrate St. Nick's day?

Oh Christmas tree...how lovely are your branches

I love this time of year. I know everybody says that, blah-blah-blah, but I really do. I love snow. I love Christmas music. I love the food. I love picking out gifts for people. Everybody is so happy this time of year most people are so happy this time of year....everything, I love it all.

Last year at this time I was super pregnant and I was thankful for the Holidays to distract me as we anticipated the arrival of our baby - they flew by, to my delight. This year they're flying by again, and I wish I could slow it down. But I think I've come to the conclusion that this time of year will always go by fast. That's just the way it is.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is picking out and decorating a Christmas tree. Growing up we never had a fake tree, we always had real ones. And I refuse to get a fake tree, I just love real ones too much...I love hunting for the perfect tree, cutting it down, bringing it home, smelling that spruce aroma...mmmm.

This Christmas is extra special as it is our first Christmas with a kid. Yes, I have a kid...it still feels weird to say that. The anticipation of the Holidays is so much more exciting with Vienna as part of our family. She's experiencing this all for the first time...it's so fun. Over Thanksgiving weekend we went to the Bentlyville lights display, V loved looking at all the lights. We also got our Christmas tree and brought it home to decorate. (Okay, so mommy and daddy decorated while Vienna napped.) And topped it off with a cup of hot cocoa and some Christmas music. Of course Mom has to document everything with pictures.

(Except Bentlyville....because my camera died right when we got there...) :( boo

Picking out a tree!

Taking it home...this is a classic "Mom, put me to bed" look.

Waking up from nap and seeing the tree for the first time!