Sunday, August 22, 2010

Dear Liv,

If you'd like to hear about Liv's birthday party, or see all the photos from her special day today, click HERE!


Dear Liv,

I am completely and totally in love with you. I've never met a baby quite like you- you're so easy going and fun to be around. While you make your desire to be with me above other people known, you've never really had any 'stranger anxiety'. You'll let pretty much anyone hold you, and you're pretty generous with your smile too. Ever since you were a tiny baby, you have been this way- it melts my heart and you make me so proud.

I feel like because of your easy going attitude, you don't have a really a strong desire to get up and go. You're crawling now, but it's still more of a 'hand-hand-scoot' technique rather than moving one knee at a time. Twice, you've pulled up to stand on things, but you can't get yourself sitting again after that. If we help you to stand up next to something (like the couch) you can hold yourself there for a long time. To be honest, even though you consistently roll over to sleep on your belly now, you never seem to roll over from your back to your belly during the day. If I lay you on a blanket, you stay on your back and kick your legs in the air, chew on your toes, or suck your thumb. I'd say you're a lazy baby, but that sounds rude. You're perfectly wonderful, and totally content. And, I love it.

When I sit you down places, you pop right over to your hands and knees, lay on your belly to play, and then move yourself back to a sitting position without any problem. You do scoot around to explore, but mostly you're pleased as punch to wait for your big sister to bring you a toy or entertain you in some way.

Your thumb. Oh geez, Liv. Don't you want to stop sucking your thumb? You're an addict. I have a hard time deciding if it's something we should be more aggressive about stopping, or let it run it's course. For now, I'm leaving you alone about it. Hopefully you'll get bored of it once you're moving around a little more, and busy exploring.

You're not quite as vocal as your sister was at this age. You say Ma Ma Ma all day long, but other than that, not much. You can say "Hi & Da Da" too. Maybe a few more things, but nothing very consistent.

While I've tried like heck not to neglect you for being second born, we have been slackers with you as far as teaching you sign language is concerned. We've barely done it. Sorry baby. I'll try to do a little more. You can clap on command, wave, and high five (softly) though. :) Also, if I hold out my pointer finger you will hold out yours and touch tip to tip. I really like that.

When you make eye contact with anyone in our family, you light up like a firework and we do the same in return. You've got all of us wrapped around your little finger, and we're loving every minute of it. Today your sister told me- "Mommy- you're the birthday Mommy, I'm the birthday sister, and Liv is the birthday girl!!!" She was so excited for you, and had so much fun celebrating your birthday with our family and friends. Daddy had fun too- I know his heart swelled with happiness when you offered him some of your birthday cake just like your sister did on her first birthday. Thanks for sharing sweet girl!

I almost forgot to add my most favorite thing about you! How you snuggle! Often, you'll just rest your little head on my shoulder and make sweet little "Mhmmm, Mhmmm" noises while you rest on me. With Jillian, I had to wait for her to have a fever before she would snuggle like this! It's such a treat to have a healthy happy baby who's willing to hug me like that! Even if you don't want to snuggle, if I push your head onto me and ask you to, you'll oblige for a few seconds before popping your head up and looking at me as if you're asking, "was that enough, Mommy?"

I love you baby. I can't tell you enough how proud I am to be your Mom. You are our sweet little cupcake. Happy Birthday.

Love,

Mom

P.S. This is IT for Liv's baby blog. I can't believe it. Thursday is going to feel a little vacant now. Don't worry though... If you need your Kules baby fix, just visit us at www.kulesfamily.blogspot.com where I'll continue to keep you updated about the latest happenings in MD!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

52 Weeks Old

I promise, there will be a more mushy post when I close this blog with her birthday photos. So, for now, I'll choke back my emotions about our baby turning one already, and just post the pics for this week.


This week we've been busy! My cousin Heidi has been in town for a visit with her fiance Matt, and little girl Savannah- it's been so much fun letting the girls spend time together. There are only a few pictures of them together, but it's no indication of how much fun/time they have had!

In the PHOTOS THIS WEEK (link), you'll see Liv wearing an adorable yellow headband my Mom made for her, beach photos from a trip we took to Ocean City last weekend, posing with Heidi and family, playing at the park, hangin' out in a baby sling (and eating her toes while doing it), and riding a carousel!

Tomorrow morning we will wake up and wish our little Liv a happy birthday- wow, how time flies!

Thanks for following the journey of her first year with us! If you've enjoyed seeing photos/hearing about her half as much as I have enjoyed sharing them, it's been worth the effort. I'll post once more about her birthday party and the 'birthday photo shoot' I'll do of her, and then we will call this blog a wrap! Wow. If you want to follow the latest on her, and the rest of our family, hop on over to www.kulesfamily.blogspot.com!

Nancy

Thursday, August 12, 2010

51 Weeks Old

Doesn't she look sassy in this photo? It's like she is thinking- yeah... I could crawl away from you now if I wanted to Mom! Haha! Gotta love new found independence!


Something exciting happened today- Liv pulled up to stand all by herself! She was playing on the ground and I cleaned up a toy she was apparently not done with yet. So, she crawled right over to the toy box, grabbed it, and stood up. I tried to get her to recreate this feat (I even 'bribed her' with my laptop on the couch) but so far it's a one time occurrence. More to follow, I'm sure! ;)

If you check out the PICTURES FROM THIS WEEK (link), you'll see our notorious messy eater, opening an early birthday present from Kathy (thanks Kathy!), playing at an awesome dramatic play center in Baltimore, posing outside in a cute Hawaiian dress, Sweet girl with a soccer ball, crawling around accessorized -smile-, playing with Daddy and Jillian, and a very unhappy Liv while I tried to recreate a picture I had taken of Jillian wearing the same cute tank top. Oh well.

Only a little more than a week before our baby turns one- I can't believe it!

Until next week!!!!

Nancy

Friday, August 6, 2010

Crawling Video...

I heard the video from Liv's post this week did not come through via email. If you'd like to see it, you can click HERE to visit the actual blog, and then you should be able to click play on there!

Hope it works!

I just took that video 3 days ago, and she's already gotten better/faster... Sweet girl- she's determined now!!! :)

Nancy

Thursday, August 5, 2010

50 Weeks Old

50. Weeks. Old.

Wow.

This week Liv finally learned how to scoot/crawl!!! Every once in awhile, she will get her knees under her for a good push, but mostly it's an interesting hip pivot technique which is featured in the video I added at the bottom of this post. She's such a sweet girl- now she will "crawl" over to me, put her arms up and say. "Mammmamamam" Aww...

In the PHOTOS THIS WEEK (link) you'll see a few photos of Liv's famous disastrous eating style, and typical after meal rinse in the sink, Liv modeling the back of an adorable outfit, our friend Ashley who was back for another visit, so we enjoyed hanging out with her around the house, and with some local friends. We hosted a play date for our MOMS Club about community helpers (firemen, police...) and a friend brought along her husbands fireman hat- SO Cool! Liv looks SO little under it!!! Despite the heat and humidity, we managed to get some cute photos of Ashley with the girls, and of Liv in the grass. Don't miss my favorite new photo of the girls- a black and white of Jillian kissing Liv and a cute one of sisters in matching pajamas too.

Have a wonderful week!

Nancy

VIDEO: