Our Little Peach is One {Livvie's 1st Birthday}

Better late than never! This was over 5 months ago, but here is a little recap of Liv's first birthday...

When Livvie was a few months old, I decided on a peach-themed first birthday. Mostly because I found a little peach romper that I loved and thought how cute it would be for her to wear on her birthday. So that set the theme...and then she didn't even end up wearing the romper.

 

 

We kept the party smallish - just family (which always adds up with all of Jason's local family). We served a brunch of casseroles, fruit salad, muffins, scones, and mimosas. Of course I didn't take any pictures of the food, but here is the rest of the party in pictures. 

 

 

The little mason jars above were the favors, which were little peach pies! My sister has made them before as apple pies and suggested the idea using peaches instead. They turned out great!

 

 

 

  

There you have it! Super simple, but it was exactly what I wanted and the perfect way to celebrate our little peach!

A Trash Party {Jack's 3rd Birthday}

Jack turned 3 on September 19th, and since he loves all things trash, it was a  no-brainer that we would have a garbage truck/trash themed party. He not only loves garbage trucks, but also trash cans and actual trash. The highlight of his week is pulling out the trash cans with his dad, then pulling them back in. He insists on doing our neighbors cans as well. And if you dare try to dump the trash into the bin without him, he will throw a full tantrum...

So, that's the backgound info for his party theme. Here are some pictures/highlights from the party:

We had the party at my parent's house, since they have a nice outdoor space. I pulled their trash cans out from for the welcome.

I kept the decor simple, just focusing on the dessert/treats table. I lined the table with newspapers instead of a table cloth and used pin tins and foil pans instead of platters and trays.

 

For treats I had chocolate cookie dough cupcakes and sugar cookie puffs.

 

(Foundant Cupcake Toppers; Puff Toppers) 

 

For favors, I ordered garbage truck cookies from our local bakery.

I also found these cute little trash cans on etsy, which I filled with mini m&m's and tied with a note that said "Thank You, I had loads of fun"

I also got mini robot claws for the kids, which were the closest thing I could find to trash pickers.

 

 

We kept the food simple since it was a 3-5pm party and just had veggies/humus, watermelon, and chips & guac.

And, lastly I love these pictures of Jack while everyone was singing him "Happy Birthday" (Maybe one day I'll remember to face the birthday candle towards the camera...)

  

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jack! 

Dear Olivia, You are One...

I have not posted any updates on Livvie since she was 7 months old...even though I've had them written, I got so behind on uploading/editing the monthly pics. I've pretty much given up on blogging, so I didn't bother to post. But I just started re-reading old posts, and it is so great to have something more formal to look back on. So these are finally getting published. And I'm determined to post about her birthday...and maybe even our summer!
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 Dear Livvie,

Oh sweet baby girl, what a first year we have had with you! I can't believe it has already come and gone.

I have always dreamed of having a daughter and am so thankful that God has blessed me with you to fulfill that longing in my heart.

From the moment we first found out you were on your way, you have kept us on our toes. From uncertainty about your brain's development to concern about you being too small, pregnancy with you was not dull. And then you burst into the world after one push, revealing to us the strength of your lungs...and that for sure hasn't stopped.

The first few months after you were born were quite rough. You wanted to be held ALL the time, cried when you weren't, didn't like sleeping for more than 45 minutes, and you hated the car...screamed anytime we went everywhere. 

I'm convinced you never wanted to be a baby - that you just wanted to be independent and a part of everything that was going on around you. Once you became mobile, you became so much happier. You love to be in the center of all the activity, and you sure don't want to miss a thing! You are so social, love waving at anyone who passes by. I hope you are always so friendly!

You know what you want, and your temper comes out when you don't get what you want. You are feisty and determined and independent, and while you drive your mama a bit crazy at times, I know that you are going to be a strong woman when you grow up.

Livvie, you are fearless and our accident prone child. You have pulled a mug full of hot coffee onto you, toppled into the bathtub countless times, fallen out of your high chair, and bonked your head more times than we can count! But nothing stops you. You recover and go for it all over again...always climbing up on things to get to what you want.

We love your chatty personality, always talking and jabbering, and your love for music and dancing. Anytime you hear music playing, you start you bob your head or sway or bounce or spin in circles.  One of your favorite ways to wind down before bedtime is for me to sing to you. You lay your head on my chest and it makes mama's heart melt. These last few months you have become such a cuddle bug, and mama and dada wouldn't have it any other way.

Liv, we have loved this first year with you. You have won over your daddy in a way I have never seen, and seeing that relationship flourish has been one of my favorite things of your first year. That, and your love for your big brother. I cannot wait to see how these relationships grow...just as I cannot wait to see you grow into the girl and woman God created you to be. We love you, Livvie Lou.

Olivia {12 Months Old}

It is officially here.

My baby girl is 12 months old...a toddler.

I truly can't believe how fast this year has gone (doesn't everybody say it, though).

I remember those first few months and how long the days were with a baby who always needed to be held and a demanding toddler...and now, it's already been a year.

Tears.

I love seeing Livvie become her own person and this stage is so fun, but I also miss the baby days. I think I always will...but seeing Liv's big personality come out is also so special.

Livvie is in full running mode, every where she goes is a run now. But she's not 'wild' or overly energetic...I think she is just trying to keep up with her brother. She is curious, determined, and quite the explorer - testing her limits and climbing on everything.

And throwing everything out of drawers. She's been doing it for awhile now, but it is constant now. She can't wait to find a dresser drawer, a nightstand, a kitchen drawer and empty all of it's contents. And it's not a pull it out and drop it motion...it's a throw it behind me motion. Seriously, this girl. Big personality.

She is constantly jabbering and still loves to 'sing' and dance. I love this about her, probably because I didn't expect to have a child that enjoyed these things.

Temper tantrums have already started - a full throw myself on the ground if I don't get what a want. Yes, at 12 months? Never knew they started this early, but this feisty girl wants her way and doesn't want to back down until she gets it. I suppose this will do her good in life, but in the meantime, I'm terrified.

Liv is still nursing and doesn't seem ready to stop anytime soon - even though this mama is ready for it to be over. I'm trying to enjoy it...it is such a gift...but I've been pregnant or nursing for 3.5 years straight now (I was still nursing Jack when I got pregnant with Liv)...so I'm ready to not be 'growing' somebody in one way or another.

Sleep is pretty consistent, as it has been the past few months. Napping twice/day for about 1.5 hr each (9:30-11 and 2:30-4). Night time is 7/7:30-5:30/6, still waking around 3 or 4. Going to really push the cry it out with that nightly waking though.

 

Here are Liv's stats at 12 Months:

Weight: 18lbs, 5 oz (25th percentile)

Length: 29 inches (40th percentile *might be off)

Head: 17.5 cm (35th percentile)

Clothes: 6-12 month, 9 month, a few 12/12-18 month

Diaper: size 3

Happy 1st Birthday, sweet Livvie Lou!

Olivia {11 Months}

And here we are, one month away from one.

I seriously don't know how we got here.

Fastest 11 months.

I'm fighting the tears as we type this.

I had the same feelings as Jack was leading up to a year old, but then a few days before his first birthday, I found out I was pregnant again. And I think the shock of that, along with knowing I was soon going to have another little baby to snuggle, made his first birthday a lot less emotional.

That will not be the case this year, and grappling with the reality that Liv might be our last baby makes this oh, so hard.

But, let's focus on Livvie's big month, not my emotional breakdown...

Four days after turning 10 months, Livvie started taking a few steps in a row. Each day she added a few more and within the week she was cruising all over the place. At about 10.5 months she was walking more than crawling, and now it is her main form of getting around. It is adorable watching her walk because she is SO tiny, and she wants to run, but has to hold her arms out straight when she does so, and it is just the cutest ever.

We made the move from pureed foods to finger foods this month and that was the magic trick. This girl just wants to feed herself and she loves doing it. Her main food groups are waffles, bananas, turkey, cheese, peas, and sweet potatoes. She also loves her sippy cup (and Jack's even more so).

Liv finally started clapping and waving this month, a milestone that I've been looking forward to so much. She just walks around waving at anything now. And whenever music comes on, she starts clapping. Adorable.

Sweet baby girl got a really bad 3-day fever this month, and it broke this mama's heart to see her feeling so bad. It was up in the 102-103 range for a solid 3 days. But, we got lots of cuddles (along with a few sleepless nights) because of it.

Sleep is back to one walking for the most part (usually between 2-4am). Her morning wake time is between 5-6, and those 5am mornings are so painful. After her middle of the night waking, she will basically sleep for another 3 hours, so I usually know what time she will be waking up based off of what time she wakes in the middle of the night. I am ready for this baby girl to give us some more zzz's.

Livvie continues to be super vocal and basically just walks around the house talking. Her new word this month was Jack, which she pronounces "Jat". She loves her brother so much and has been caught banging on his door when he's sleeping or in time-out :/

When Livvie doesn't get her way or if she wants something, she has no problem screaming about it until something changes. I'm a little worried about what life is going to be like once she hits those terrible two's.

Her birthday party is in full planning mode. Invitations went out this weekend, and I've been spending a lot of time (and money) on etsy. Can't wait to celebrate our little peach!

Olivia {10 Months}

There is something about a baby turning 10 months that seems like a big deal. 

One seems SO close once you get into the month double digits...

I should probably get on planning this 1st birthday. I think I'm avoiding...

 The months seem to be blurring together a bit, and I have to look back on each previous month to see what happened that month vs. this month.

I guess that's why I do these...because if I can't even remember right now what happens month to month, I for sure won't remember in the years to come.

It was a big month for teeth, and all four of Livvie's lateral incisors broke through shortly after turning 9 months. I thought this might improve sleep at night, and it did for the first two weeks of 9 months. The time change did wonders for her, and she even slept until 5am a few times without waking. But these last 2 weeks have been rough, and she has actually been waking twice - around 2am and then again around 4am. Ugh.

Naps are still the same - morning nap around 9:30am-11am and afternoon nap around 2pm-3:30pm. Bedtime still around 7pm and wakes around 6am.

Livvie's personality shows more and more, and she continues to be extremely vocal. She says mama, dada, la-la, bah-bah, nah-nah, yah-yah, hi-ya, and probably more that I can't think of. I took her to my little college reunion lunch the other weekend, and she was probably the loudest one at the table.

She's also a climber and her new thing is crawling up on Jack's pottery barn anything chair, and standing on the arm of the chair while holding onto his crib. She thinks she's so cool when she does it, too...

While so agile...she is so timid about walking. She can stand unassisted now for pretty much any length of time and will pull herself to a stand from the ground without using anything to help her. But she will only take ONE step, and then will fall right to the ground and crawl the rest of the way. We are working on it though, and I think in the next week or two it will finally click. 

She's still a picky eater and prefers to nurse over anything. I'm about to call it quits with the purees because I think she just wants to be a big girl and feed herself. 

 We love you, our Livvie Lou!