what a weekend

I just got home today from my 3 days in Marquette. I am sooo tired. It was a lot of fun and you'd think that without having Liv I would have caught up on some sleep, but with a bachelorette party and a wedding in the mix, it didn't happen. I was so excited to see Liv today that it didn't even matter how tired I was. I arrived back to the Sault around 4 and immediately headed to Sugar Island, which is where our cabin is located. You have to take a ferry over so it takes some time. Liv was really happy to see me and to be honest, she looked so much older since I saw her 3 days ago! I know its all in my mind, but I could swear her hair was longer and she was trying to "talk" more. I just became a little more aware of how fast she's growing...its a little scary.

I really am too tired to write all about my weekend, so I will do that soon...but I'll leave you with a few pictures from my phone that I've taken since we've been in the Sault visiting.

the never-ending struggle to try and learn how to get on her horsey

Liv and her 80's outfit from auntie ang

accessorizing

Trying out Ang's BOB stroller...Liv really appreciated the bar that served as a foot rest :)

where has the time gone?

I know I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up while I've been back home and I would love to say that I'll do better, but I may be lying...so how about I just promise to try? K. I rolled out of bed at 6am today. Honestly, I haven't done this since a.) I was working and b.) my child used to wake up at the crack of dawn. It feels pretty good though. I'm enjoying a cup of coffee and typing out a blog post while liv is sleeping like an angel downstairs. Its like the world's best kept secret or something. I really didn't wake up just to write a blog post and get some caffeine in me though. I have my medical appointment today for my immigration paperwork. I am going over the international bridge and getting it done in Sault, Ontario because well, I live in a town that can't offer that service to me. Its fine with me though because I plan on ordering a Large, Double Double from Tim Horton's when I'm there (if you haven't tried it, then you can't understand the crack they put in their coffee).

Liv and I have been quite lazy lately. We've done a lot of hanging around the house. But we did venture out yesterday to my friend's cabin. It was sunny but windy. The weather didn't bother liv though. She played for a few hours and then my mom met me halfway and brought liv home for a nap and I went back to play for a few hours :). It was the most fun I've had in awhile...we took a sauna and then ran out into Lake Superior. The waves were huge and we swam for hours. We actually went back and forth to the sauna 3 times, but seriously, the water was so warm we didn't really need to. It was a blast and I kept thinking about how much fun Pat would have. He might tease me about being a hick from a small town, but secretly he would have really enjoyed it.

I am heading to Marquette on Thursday without liv. I have a friend, Krysta's, wedding to attend on Saturday and the bachelorette party is on Thursday. I have known her for about 5 years. I worked with her at the Upfront for years and we enjoyed a few power hours together. We also have daughters that are very close in age. Its going to be like an upfront reunion for me and I'm gonna act like a young girl again haha.

I will leave you with a few random pictures that I have from Dani. She took some of them here and some when Liv and I were visiting Marquette.


oh god, liv was the happiest kid on earth when we let her walk lily around the yard...the tantrum that ensued after we took lily away was another story.

this little wagon usually holds legos, but i dumped it and brought it outside in an attempt to keep liv entertained during our fish fry dinner.

helping mama

she really gets a kicked out of chasing and being chased

taking a ride

uncle mike pulling the parade float (she was blowing kisses and waving to us from here ha)

12 month appointment

We arrived home from our appointment between 11:30am and 12:00pm. Liv immediately went down for a nap because she missed her morning one due to the time of her appointment....and she's still sleeping! I just went to check on her because I am getting bored, but 3+ hours later my baby is still passed out. She got stuck twice today and the nurse informed me before she gave her the MMR, that it stung and she even shouted when she got stuck with hers (thanks lady). Liv was pretty upset, she screams at the top of her lungs and her face get pitch red. Right after the needles were done and I could pick her up, the screaming stopped. She, unfortunately, is like her mother and gets all blotchy so she stayed visibly upset for awhile.

Dr. Mackie said she is doing great and is actually thinning out a little. She said her weight/height is a little closer to the curve this time. He didn't give me her percentages, but here are her stats:

Height: 31 in.
Weight: 27.8 lbs
Head Circ.: 18 in.

Doesn't anyone else feel like once a baby is able to stand they should measure their height on a standing scale like normal people? I ask this because when Liv and I went to the ER, they measured her against the wall and I just thought wow, thats way more accurate than stretching her little leg while she resists with all her might. What do I know though.

In other news, our immigration process is trucking along. I am waiting on a call back about urgent processing for Liv's application so we can get her an Alberta Healthcare card. I also made an appointment to get my medical exam. I'm not exactly thrilled with how much it costs, but we have no choice. I am also going to the police station this week because I also need a background check and some other things (not 100% sure what yet). But, the first step is Pat getting his sponsorship application going, which was done this week, so we have one check on our list and I feel like I've made some progress with everything the last couple days. It seems all so overwhelming if you look at the big picture, but baby steps right?.

have you ever seen a tantrum?

My child was a monster today. Yes, she's teething and yes at this moment I may or may not have taken the leash from her that she was happily holding onto and walking lily around the yard with, but seriously?! She had this look and attitude plastered on her face all day....

where am i today?

I'm over at Diana's blog, Hormonal Imbalances, she has included me in her Friday's Featured Blogger!

If I ran the Circus...

We celebrated liv's birthday - round 2 on Sunday, August 8th. My sister, Dani, and I have been talking about this for months. I chose the circus theme based on the Dr. Seuss book "If I ran the Circus". It turned out great. It exceeded my expectations and the party had a lot of details that I loved. We made most of the decorations and we also made the cupcakes. For food we did a hot dog and braut bar. It was delicious and I may have had a couple helpings :). I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

my mom made this cage, literally out of a big cardboard box. Liv would have destroyed it if we let her.

Dani made us matching pinwheel flowers that were exactly like the decorations...which you will see soon.

bday outfit.

had to have at least one cupcake pic. she's a pro now.

Here are a lot of the decorations and the cupcakes. We also played a video throughout the party. I made one that I posted a few weeks ago, but Dani re-made it and of course it was better ha.

Auntie Dani and Liv

I made cajun peanuts and Dani decorated the cups

my favorite part. The flowers! we stuck them into vintage looking popcorn containers.

the pom poms and banners were made by me.

the guestbook. everyone left a little message for liv!

a day in the life of liv

Usually, when we aren't on vacation and sharing a room, Liv wakes up between 7:30-8:30. This is a fairly new occurence. She started sleeping really well when I changed a few things. The first change was putting her in her crib after I fed her a bottle and she was still awake. No more rocking her to sleep. The second change, which I happen to think is the biggest change is she is in her own room. It really made such a big difference. I was reminded what a big difference it made when I slept in the same room with her a few nights ago. My child talks, cries, and moves A LOT in her sleep. No wonder I felt like a zombie most days!

So, you ask, what is little livi up to these days? Like, I just stated in the above paragraph...she's sleeping much better and is still napping twice a day. Obviously sometimes life doesn't allow for that afternoon nap, and she stays happy, but she doesn't usually sleep as well that night. Which is the total opposite of what you would think happens.

She has a huge personality. And by huge, not only do I mean she's pleasant all the time and happy...no (funny that I used that word), she is very stubborn. If you tell her "no" it usually results in some sort of tantrum. Biting, pinching, throwing her head back, are all common reactions. It can be very frustrating. Especially when you're on a flight and she wants down and there is just no way she can get down. I had a few battle wounds from Liv, the main one being two little scabs above my lip where she pinched me. I was so angry at that point, because my child had been abusing me and pinching my chest for awhile at that point and it took everything inside me not to flip her over and give her a swat on the bum (sorry if you don't agree with that, but she definitley deserved it at that point). I didn't however, in fear of the judging eyes that would be surrounding me.

She does have a temper, but she also has a very happy disposition. She is always smiling...its my favorite trait of hers. It lights up her face and whether its a nice smile or a huge cheeser grin, she has one for everyone. She has been babbling a lot, but now she is doing it at people. She will walk up to you, babble something and walk away...she thinks she makes total sense. quick funny story. When we were on the plane, a little girl handed Liv her half full water bottle. Of course, Liv loved it and looked at the little girl and said "gagablaf;woeinfekdngksd". The little girl on the plane looked at me and said "What did she say?". I responded with "well your guess is as good as mine". Very cute.

Liv has become very steady on her feet. I'm not as much of a nervous wreck when she is walking about anymore. She also has finally decided that blowing kisses is cool and can give a high five with enthusiasm. Peek-a-boo is my favorite because she tries to do it and usually her hands are nowhere near covering her eyes, but usually placed on her forehead or by her ears. Her obsessions are still elmo and yo gabba gabba and I always know I can keep her entertained for a short while with both.

I should probably stop talking about what Liv is eating now, but maybe this will be my last time. She has been on whole milk exclusively for about a week now. She never missed a step when I started making half and half bottles and the same goes for total whole milk. I know its her attachment to her "bubba". I plan on slowly taking away her bubba's, but I'm definitley not ready to take away her nighttime one. Its just so soothing to her and I don't think she would respond well.

This is the longest post of my blogging existence, but I feel like she's doing something new every other day. Pat and I are always talking about how lucky we are and how good Liv is, and its strange to me to think I have a one year old, but I feel very grateful that I have my one year old and she's perfect to me...even when she's pinching and biting me.

Happy Birthday Liv

My baby is 1 year old today. I can't even believe it. I woke up with her at 7am and I thought to myself holy crap, last year, 32 minutes ago, I gave birth to this little moster running around my livingroom. I don't have time to write about all her milestones and such but I'm going to leave you with a video I made for her birthday.