7 months

bivi is 7 months old tomorrow.

almost impossible to believe.

let's see...what is bivi up to?

she is loving solid foods!  bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, oats, wheat, pears, apples, she loves them all!  the girl is an eater.  just like her mama!  she makes a loud noise with each bite.  you can tell she's enjoying it!

she loves babbling and still says dada.  she is trying so hard to crawl, but can't seem to figure out that she should move her knees forward.  she always ends up planking or in a downward dog.  maybe we have a future yogi on our hands. 

bivi responds to bivi and vivi, but not vivien!  i think we've stunted our child and not sure when she'll learn her real name.  she still loves baby e.  oh boy.  she can't get enough.  she loves music and when someone sings to her.  she is still such a curious cat and wants to see everything, touch everything and must always be carried facing out.  the girl knows what she wants and will let you know!

we just love her so much.  each day she is excited to see me when i come in her room and the feeling is mutual!  i'm still amazed that we are parents and have been blessed with such a fun and perfect daughter. 

something to say

i'm not sure this is actually part of the english language, but it's bivi's vocabulary.

she's trying so hard to talk and for us to understand.

love it. 

i'm choosing to not be offended.

baby e

baby Einstein is a must around our house.

i don't like her watching much during the day, but when she gets to, she loves it.

i've tried showing her other things.  tried is the key word.  she refuses them.

she always goes back to her baby e.

i thought i was making up her preference in my mind.  then, i noticed a trend.

watch her reaction in the video below.  she does this every time the caterpillar scoots across the screen at the beginning of a dvd.

too cute.

flopper

bivi's latest trick is to flop when she's upset. 

just fall backward and cry.

luckily, we've always been there to catch her.

i'm hoping this is just a teething phase...

tomato sauce!

tired of all the yucky, bland or acidic tomato sauces at the grocery store, i decided to take matters into my own hands and make some.

i stumbled upon a recipe by alton brown.

i like him.

he taught me how to make scrambled eggs.

you roast the tomatoes for a long time and they develop a rich flavor.  yum!

i ended up putting meat in the sauce and wish i hadn't.  the sauce really stands alone.  it would be delish on pizza!

 after two and a half hours of roasting.  onions and herbs are on top.

a quick trip through the food processor and into the sauce pan.

note: the recipe calls for white wine, but i used chicken broth.

tasty!

chillaxen

 apparently she already likes to hang on the couch.

bundled up

the cold weather makes for some cute pics!

since we got on at least one walk a day, i'm so thankful she doesn't mind wearing a hat and mittens!

gma lee and biv

bivi just loved gma lee from the first time she met her!

always smiled for her and loved to laugh with her.

here is a cute video from thanksgiving at their house.

Canadian Thanksgiving

We went to Canada to celebrate Thanksgiving and introduce Bivi to lots of family members she hadn't met yet. 

Although living in Utah puts us much closer to Calgary, it's still a 15 hour drive.

Which we did at night, so Biv would sleep. 

Crazy talk.

Here are a few snaps of the trip!

 gma lee and gpa bill.

 gma peg.

 she was the star of the show and i guess all the attention knocked her out!

 cousin time!

and we took some family pictures while there. 

a lot jammed into 5 days! 

Happenings

I have a lot of pictures to post, if I ever get around to it.

It's on my mind.  With about a million other things.

In the mean time, here is a gluttonous recipe.  I made these tonight.

It might help to promise half of these to a friend before you even make them or else you'll shove them all in your mouth before the cool. I hear that's the bet way to eat them.  Not that I would know...

German Chocolate Cake Cookies

So tasty!  And they freeze well.  Be sure to have some milk on standby!

massage time

Bivi and I went to an infant massage class last night and had so much fun.  She was a little wiggly, but that was only after she realized a video was playing and wanted to check it out.  At one point she began to fall asleep while I was massaging her back.  So cute!

We had massage time today before her bath and she was definitely digging the leg and face stuff.  Big smiles.  With how much she uses her mouth, it must feel great to have someone rub your cheeks!  It's so fun to go and do these things with my trusty little sidekick!

princesses and pumpkins

my niece, ava, turned 4 and we were invited to her party!  it was princess themed and very cute and she was totally in her element.  the girls arrived in their princess best.  bivi even received an invite and although i have no princess regalia for her, my sister loaned us a faux fur stole for the event. 

 be still my heart.

a princess always brings along gpa as her trusty side kick. 

she was asleep before the presents, but that's ok.  wearing faux fur is hard work.

later that afternoon we went to a local pumpkin patch.  the summer like heat was kind of a buzz kill, but it was still fun to have a tractor ride to the patch and eat apple cider donuts.  we bought 8 pounds of yummy apples and i wish i'd gotten more.  they're amazing. 

a long, but fun day!

football time

fall is my favorite season.

i like almost everything about it.

almost.

not a football fan.

however, aaron wanted to go to a byu football game and i, wanting to fully embrace the provo experience, agreed.  i wasn't super excited about it being at 6pm since bivi goes to sleep at 7, but i opted for a sleepy baby instead of waiting until later in the season and going to a game in the snow.  my fears were not unfounded.  the game was WAY too much for her and we left at half time with a screaming child.

but, we snapped a cute picture of her, pre-melt down, in the cheerleader outfit gma got her!

aaron is a little excited to be going.

getting crazy on her chew toy...

fun fall colors

i really enjoy nail polish.  something about a new coat makes me happy.

trivia fact: i always paint my nails before i go on a trip.  the trip is more fun with painted nails.

i stumbled upon this fall opi collection the other day.  it's inspired by the new james bond movie. 

 

i pretty much want every one of the colors. 'the world is not enough' looks so fun!  however, the beauty below caught my eye.

 

it reminds me of an adult version of the glitter wet n wild top coat i had in high school.  opi is releasing the collection in october.  you can bet i'll be in line!

Fun cookies!

I found a recipe for Funfetti Cookies and have been dying to try them.

Funfetti is my jam. I had a funfetti cake every year growing up and usually make one for myself as an adult.

Sprinkles = happiness.

 I finally made them tonight and they are delicious! It is so fun to stir in that many sprinkles.

Make them today!

a must watch

Since I spend half my day held captive while feeding bivi, i watch a lot of things on Netflix.  Combine that with pumping at night and I'm quite the viewer.  Yesterday I started a documentary called tapped and it is a must see if you drink bottled water.

You can watch it here.

 I've never been a fan of bottled water.  It seemed such a waste to constantly go through bottle after bottle, especially when I can get water for free.  This film shows multiple facets of the industry that are shocking. Watch it, especially if you give bottled water to your kids.  I hope to never buy it again.

quick roller

today, in preparation for tonight's big game, i was busy frosting these...

and bivi was happily playing on her mat; occasionally stopping to watch me work.  i went to the sink to do the dishes, then turned to grab a few things off the table and i found this...

apparently she can go from mat to no mat in a few seconds flat.  i wasn't aware she could roll that fast.  looks like i have to actually start watching her now.  great.  thanks a lot, bivi.

raspberry heaven

my sister saw a place online where you could pick raspberries for an amazingly cheap price.  we put our heads together and decided to make jam.  bonus? the farm is super close to her house.  neither one of us had picked raspberries before (slave labor at gma's doesn't count), but we were up for the challenge.

the 'farm' is in this sweet couple's backyard.  they have such an ideal operation.  retired, grow lots of plants and have people come pick the fruit and haul 'em away.  it was charming!

however, i was not ready for the intensity of the berry bushes.  good thing i wore jeans!  you tied buckets around your waste and went to town.  you could eat as many as you wanted while you were picking. 

 they were taller than ava!

 bivi fell asleep while we were picking.  having a baby strapped to your chest takes the difficulty factor up a notch, but we managed!

 my hip bucket.

 weighing the goods.  7 pounds for $21!  crazy talk.

oh, and this cute little dog was the doorbell that let the owners know someone was here.  we pulled up to their house and he comes running out and barks, so they know customers have arrived.

all in all, a great experience.  super cheap and fun for adults and kids!

perfect

passed out after a bottle with dad.

just what i like to see at bedtime.

Musings

My post has no purpose other than to share thoughts swirling around in my head.

My gma passed away in June.  I had flown out so she and bivi could meet one another and she passed away a day after I left.  On bivi's one month birthday.  It is very hard to have her gone, but much better for her.  She is with her husband now and we know that's where she wanted to be.

We have a very small family and my grandparents had a lot of beautiful things, so we have all had the chance to take all that we wanted and we've had to get rid of the rest.  I am a throw it away kind of person, so it has been very interesting to be surprised at how I've reacted to giving things away.  I haven't minded parting with the objects, rather I'm sad at 'giving away the memories'.  I know the memories are always mine, but the thing that triggered it is now gone.

However, I've loved having their things around and being reminded of them in unexpected ways.  The salt and pepper shakers on my table, the painting that hung next to their dinner table that is now in my bedroom, the quilt that bivi and I lay on to look at the trees, the hand embroidered dish towels now in my kitchen, the china set I'll use with my own family one day, the music box my sister has put on her dresser.

I know they are just things, but it is nice to keep my grandparents with me each day.  Little reminders help.

sweetness

running together

bivi and i went running this morning.

my sister is letting us use her baby jogger.  i was wanting to buy one, so i'm very happy to save the money!

i picked out a route that i thought would be moderately difficult.

wrong.

try a lot harder than i thought.  the first half is all up hill and i think i underestimated the difficulty of pushing 20 lbs up a hill.  oh well.  we walked and jogged and got it done. 

bivi was happy the whole time and loved the view.  it is so nice to be able to exercise and not have to depend upon aaron to be home. 

we've got our work cut out for us!

swimming!

too cute.

i've been wanting to take bivi swimming to get her used to water.  we'll start lessons as soon as she can.  i'd rather have my child know how to swim or paddle at an early age in case, heaven forbid, she ends up in a pool without me knowing. 

my worrying could be an additional blog in itself.  i have regular dreams of the most unrealistic things happening to her.  i have no idea where to come up with my nightmares other than to say i get that portion of crazy from my dad.  but, i digress...

we recently received a swimsuit and super cute matching terry cloth dress (thanks, aunt jen and uncle derek!) and a swim diaper (thanks, mom!), so we were all set. 

i snapped this adorable picture with my phone before we hit the pool.

we had a blast.  she was laughing and squealing the whole time.  it was an indoor pool, so it echoed throughout the building and everyone was looking.  she was so amazed that her feet were moving the water.

she fell asleep almost instantly on the way home.  sounds good to me!

sling

she was tired and ready to sleep, so i pulled out the sling.

my thought?  she can sleep and i can finish dinner.

her thought?  uh, no way, lady.  i'm not sleeping in that.  it's my chance to watch.

of course she squirmed and cried until i faced her out and she could see what was going on.  i wasn't the happiest woman ever when aaron got home, but oh well.  dinner was done!

3 months

last week bivi turned 3 months old.

i can't believe it.

it feels like she's been with us forever, but i also can't believe that much time has passed.

i still go crazy thinking about the day she was born, but i'm sure time will eventually mellow me out.  on to bivi!

she is super fun.  a ball of energy.  she loves to move.  whenever in her carseat, she is always moving both arms and legs.  no wonder the girl eats a lot.  now that she knows how to roll, it's all she does.  put her down and she's on her tummy instantly. 

she loves being talked to and anything that involves movement.  dancing, bouncing, walking.  she is one curious cat and always wants to look around.  anywhere we go, i put her in the front carrier and can't get enough.  costco, walks, making dinner, she wants to view it all.  she especially loves trees.  whenever we go under trees she twists her head around to get a better view. 

i'm discovering she loves water.  we went in the pool for the first time the other day (i'll post a picture soon) and she was all about that.  laughing and totally amazed that her feet could make the water move. 

with aaron working and in school, she is my constant companion.  i love her to bits and am so thankful she is part of our family.  we waited so long for her and she is worth the wait! 

cool relief

we moved to some wicked heat.

there is no ac in our apartment. 

finally, after about a week of near death we installed our window ac.  it provides some relief, but it is still pretty nasty.  the only true relief will be fall.

i think bivi has been quietly suffering through the heat.  how do i know this?  everytime she feels a drop in temperature, she's loving life.  yesterday we went to costco and i was worried about taking her in the fridge units.  i shouldn't have been.  she instantly loved it.  cooing and laughing the whole time.

this picture is of her in her favorite spot.  propped up on the couch in front of the window ac.  she'll stay right in the breeze until her hands and ears are freezing.  as you can see from the smile and the steady stream of drool, she's one happy camper. 

bumbo

this was bivi's first time in her bumbo.  she did great.  a little wobbly, but she was feelin' it.  i'm sure sitting up for the first time is a trip! 

blessing

we blessed vivien on july 8th and had family join us in san diego.  we waited 6 weeks to bless and her and i honestly can't imagine doing it any sooner if family comes to town.  love em, but when they all get together it can be a lot!

we went to the beach, balboa park (of course), dinner at a friend's house (thanks, hg and family!), and lots of other stuff. 

vivi got to meet all of her cousins and they got to know her.  they were all great and so nice to the new baby!

it turned out great.  i still can't believe we have a baby.  amazing.

a little help from my friends

I need some baby help.

Ok, here's the info:

She is 3 months and can easily roll from back to stomach.  We are still swaddling her at night.  Without it, she gets a small catnap at best.  However, when she is swaddled she seems like she is frustrated and rolls on to her stomach, then freaks out because she can't get back.  She goes to bed ok at night, but wakes up frequently at night and rolls.

A few weeks ago, she slept 8 hours at night, woke for a quick feeding and went back to sleep for 2 more hours.  I think she's gong through her 3 month growth spurt, so she wants to feed a lot more, but what to do about the rolling?  Try to break her of the swaddle?  Duct tape her to the crib?  Really, I'm open to anything.

Advice would be appreciated!

Oh, and I'll get my act together soon and post some pictures.

Baby olympics

Aaron recently made a video of bivi, called Baby Olympics.

I can't find time to post pictures of her but he makes a movie.

Maybe it's because my sanity is gone by noon, but that is beside the point.

Anywhoo, check it out.  She's a cutie.

recent deliciousness

i've been doing a lot in the kitchen lately.

we blessed bivi two weekends ago and i baked up a storm for family in town.  i should get around to posting pictures of the weekend sometime this century.

stay tuned.

however, on to the important stuff; food.

i made almond joy cookies and they are t-tasty.  will make again and love them again.  they flew off the platter and, when asked, everyone heartily agreed to take some home.  they make a bunch.

peanut butter sheet cake is a nice treat.  since it's a sheet cake, it makes a lot, so take it to a party.  note, the frosting doesn't react well to hot weather.  keep that in mind.

brooke's best bombshell brownies are an amazing alliteration and a decadent dessert.  really, these are crazy good.  i added nuts to cut the sweetness and feel that was the best decision i made all week.  very dense and rich, so share immediately.

and, just so you don't think we only subsist on sugar around here, i made mexican flatbread pizzas last night.  they're the homemade version of taco bell's mexican pizza.  aaron is the skeptic-in-chief in this house and he approved. 

i'm always looking for new recipes, so i thought i would share. 

enjoy!

rolled over

Bivi rolled over for the first time yesterday! Back to front in the morning after breakfast. Since I'm a first time parent, I know I could be wrong, but doesn't that seem a little fast? She's 7 weeks old. It was fun to watch and I can't believe she's getting so big!

run

i received clearance from my dr yesterday, so today was my first post baby run.

it was nice.

early in the morning, cool, sunny, not a lot of people on the road.

there's a lot of room for improvement, but i'm excited i can start working on it!

i can't wait to have my body back!

introducing...

vivien michelle gough.
born 05/22/12 at 12:19am
7lb 9 oz of cute

a lot happened that day and i can't fully put it into words just yet.  maybe in a month.  maybe in many months.  who knows how long it takes to digest sudden events like that.

however, she is here.
she is the light of our lives.
we love her so much and are constantly amazed by her.
bivi is precious and we are thankful for her.

first family photo.

fully cooked?

i'll soon be marching toward 42 weeks and have no signs that my baby wants to vacate the womb.

i'm ready.

aaron's ready.

i've tried lots and lots of things, but no progress.  i'll just apply patience and see what happens.

images from mother's day

per request, aaron drew me a picture for mother's day.  i love his artwork.  i have a binder going and our walls are lined with his framed pieces.  he did a beautiful picture of the san diego temple for me as a valentine's day gift while we were dating.  i knew i was pretty lucky at that point.  i love seeing this pile of all his carefully gathered shavings which represent his hard work. 

he was sick the night before so he didn't go to church that day.  as i was walking in from the car, i smelled delicious chocolate wafting through the courtyard and i thought, 'man, i'd love it if that smell was coming from my house'.  however, knowing aaron's disdain for anything kitchen related, i was sure it wasn't.  wrong.  he was melting dark chocolate (using a double boiler, no less) so he could dip some strawberries for me.  i had to capture the beautiful and delicious results.

                                                 

bow tie

i had a meeting before church the other day, so I wasn't around when aaron got dressed.  he sauntered into church wearing this.  i wasn't even aware he owned a bow tie.  but i love it.  many compliments followed and he has requests to wear it again.  sometimes it's great to have a husband very concerned with fashion, but it's times like these that i realize i need to step up my game.

Mount Helix

About two weeks ago we decided to head to outdoors on a Sunday afternoon and put our new camera to use.  We know about 1/16 of it's functions, but wanted to get the basics down before the baby comes.  One of my 5 outfits that still fits.

Aaron took this lovely aerial shot.  The toes are so long gone.

killer brownies

I have to preface this post with the comment that I know it seems like I'm baking a lot lately. It's because i am. However, most of it doesn't stay in the house. The gluten free peanut butter cookies were for my young women. And this next recipe I gave away 3/4 of the pan. Aaron, the baby, and I are not eating all of this. Just had to let you know. I stumbled upon a new brownie recipe. Brownies are my kryptonite. I love them. This recipe is dark and delicious and quite dense. A little goes a long way, but I rarely eat a little.

saturday service

On Saturday we participated in Mormon helping hands and had a blast. Here is a sample of what we did. We found some pretty interesting stuff in the creek beds, like mattresses, kids play towers, couches, etc... You know, stuff that totally belongs in the ocean anyway. I looked super cute in my yellow vest with a bowling ball underneath, but it was in the name of service!

super good

i was in search of a gluten free recipe and came across some peanut butter cookies that had stellar reviews.

even better, they require only a few ingredients.

the recipe doesn't call for butter and i was immediately skeptical.  what cookie recipe could be tasty without butter? 

i was proven wrong.  these are intense peanut butter cookies.  the smell and taste is all peanut butter.  everyone i shared with loved them.  they come together quickly and easily.  no mixer required!

the best part?  they last for days.  i'm assuming the lack of flour helps keep them fresh.  i made them last saturday and we've been enjoying them all week. 

give them a try!

never ending debate

we can't agree on any names.  

like, none.  

he has some favorites, as do i, but they aren't the same favorites.

before we discuss names, we have to set some ground rules so things stay friendly.  

we don't discuss it often, but today we took the plunge.

since we don't know the sex of the baby, we have to make two sets of names.  while discussing boy names, i mentioned oscar, but immediately took it back.

children chanting 'oscar the gough' on a playground flashed through my mind.  

we laughed pretty hard and slashed through one more name that won't make the cut.

but, our bags are packed and we know how to install the car seat.  that counts for something, right?

practice

yesterday aaron put together the stroller and car seat combo.  he did a great job making sense of how to do all of it. 

 i watched while cleaning the kitchen.  

earlier in the day i practiced how to use our moby carrier and used a large stuffed rabbit to practice taking baby in and out of the carrier.  i think he wanted to do the same with the car seat, so only sock monkey would do.

a little creepy?  sure.

feeding smart water to sock monkey while acting as our baby?  a little more creepy.

but, also cute.