Sorry so late!

Hope everyone had a very merry christmas. I'm a little slow at getting this posted because we had a very long weekend. We had plans to spend Christmas day at home, then travel to Logan to see Brad's family on Friday and visit my family on Saturday. Instead we stayed home the entire time with a sick baby. Alivia went 48 hours with a fever, made a visit to the doctor's office and eventually a trip to the emergency department. So needless to say, Brad and I have been exhausted. In fact, we actually went to bed last night at 7:30! Alivia's doing much better now, too. The double ear infection that was diagnosed earlier last week wasn't getting any better. We switched her antibiotic and she's doing fine now. As you'll see, Alivia loved opening presents. We spent Christmas eve with my mom and sister, Leslie. Alivia felt well enough Christmas morning to open presents with Brad and me, then Brad's parents came for a short visit on Saturday. Uncle Keith and Aunt Lane were able to spend time here on Sunday, too. Thanks to everyone for coming to us this time. We truly did miss making the trip home. Enjoy the pictures and hope you all have a safe and happy new year!

Happy Birthday!

Friday was Alivia's 1st birthday. Nancy and Angela had a party for her with the kids at daycare. After a little hesitation, you'll see that she enjoyed the cupcake. Thanks to Nancy and Angela for having such a fun celebration! In case you were curious, our neighbor, Terri, made her shirt that says "I am 1 today!" Too cute. :)


We also took Alivia for her 1 year well-baby visit this morning. Despite an 'almost' double ear infection, she did great. She's growing well and appears to be right on target developmentally. The doctor was particularly impressed with her social skills. Who would have thought 6 months ago that anyone would have said that?!? She weighed in at 23 lb. 8 oz (84%) and was 31 inches long (94%). It's so hard to believe it's been a whole year! We're still exhausted, but loving every minute of it! :)

Not too sure...

Yep, this is good!

She loves to be the center of attention. :)

Hooray! It's an Elmo and Friends Purse!

Christmas gifts, too!

A baby doll! She's been feeding the baby and carrying it around everywhere. :)

We're planning a family party after the first of the year. We'll be sure to post lots of pictures when that happens, too. Thanks to all who have already sent gifts. She loves getting surprises.

More!

We've been trying to work with Alivia for the last few months on a few simple signs. Specifically, we do 'more' and 'thank you'. Tonight was the first time she said 'more' all by herself! Check out the video of her eating dinner with Daddy. :o) You'll also get to see her blowing kisses and shaking her head 'yes' as if she understands everything Brad says. Which brings up a whole other story. Scroll down after the video to hear the rest.

After two nights of very little sleep, Brad and I were determined to get some rest last night. Alivia was starting to feel better and her cough was minimal, so Brad decided to lay down the law. :) Alivia woke up around 2am and fussed in her bed for about 30 minutes. Brad checked on her a time or two, then refused to go back. She eventually went back to sleep, but then again awoke at 3:30am. We again let her whine for quite some time, then Brad heard the pacifier hit the floor. Much to my surprise, he got up and went in her room. This was the conversation I heard from my bed...

Brad: "Alivia, this is the last time I'm getting out of bed. If you throw your paci out again, you're going to have to go to sleep without it. Do you understand? You understand?"

Hmm...I'm asking myself if he realizes he's trying to reason with a baby just under a year old, but what can I say when he's the one that got out of bed?! He came back to bed shaking his head with a little laugh under his breath. When he asked Alivia the first time if she understood, she shook her head yes. Then when he asked again, she again shook her head yes. We didn't hear her again until it was time to get up. We've decided it's time to start watching what we say. Even though she's not to the point where she can repeat everything, she's definitely understanding more. It's going to get interesting!

Day Off

Although it wasn't planned, Alivia and I have had a nice day off. She picked up a cold a few days ago and has had trouble sleeping ever since. She'll wake up around 2am coughing and can't go back to sleep. So we get up until she just can't stand to keep her eyes open any longer, then finally go back to bed. We usually get up at 5:05am to get ready for work, so after a few nights in a row, it's pretty exhausting! We decided to stay home today and go to the doctor. They didn't tell us anything new, just a cold that will need to run its course, but at least we know it's not an ear infection or something worse. I'm crossing my fingers tonight will go better.

Alivia has recently started eating more table food. She had green beans last night and really liked her grilled cheese today. She also had a few french fries at Applebees the other night and loved them. Finally a sign that she's mine! :) I had a really cute video, but it's not loading for some reason. If I can get it to work, I'll post it later.

Santa's Little Helper

Last Sunday we decided to put up the Christmas tree. I was dreading it a little, fearing Alivia would constantly want to play with the ornaments or maybe even pull the tree over on top of herself. She's really done a good job! I don't think she's been in the room since we put it up. It helps that it's in the living room and not the family room. We try not to pay much attention to it. She did love the lights when we turned them on, but I really think she liked the box more than anything. I have a feeling that's the way her birthday and Christmas will go, too. There isn't a picture of the finished product because it looks a little pathetic. Brad and I decided this was the last year for the $29.99 tree. :)