S.O.S.

Steppin' out Saturday....or sunday ha. I dressed up on Saturday for a halloween party so I we stepped out on Sunday, Halloween! Liv, me, Uncle Ryan, and Aunt Leslie all walked to our friend's house and had some pizza and then took all the kiddies trick or treating.

Mama:

Jacket: Marks and Spencers (UK)

Sweater: Gap

Tank: Topshop

Jeans: Bongo London

Boots: Payless

Liv:

Elmo costume: Homemade by me

(I bought the hooded zippy from zellers

and made the fur, eyes, nose, and shoe covers)

Halloween 2010

I am going to fill this post with pictures because I have a ton and I was so happy with how Liv's costume turned out! She wasn't exactly thrilled with her hood, but we made it work.

can't hold still for a pictures...obviously

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!

let's play FAIL

I just found these pictures that we took a few days ago...the day pat got into town, and the day that Liv started feeling like poop. We took her to "let's play". Liv had a blast the other time we went so I thought since she was a little older she would have more fun. It was a complete disaster and Liv had more fun sitting in the highchair sipping on a juice box...

 Liv's attitude about the whole day...she looks a lot like her auntie dani in this pic (baha)

 ehhh, no ball pit???

anddd over it.

worries

Something is wrong with Liv. I'm not sure what yet, but its been going on for a few days. I thought she was feeling warm a few days ago...then came the rash on her belly and chest. Next was the irritability. She is definitley not herself. There is fits over everything...minor turns into major. She keeps hurting herself and after a little investigation (damn you google), I think I've confirmed what we thought earlier which is an ear infection. We are thinking ear infection, because of the fever, irritability, and she has been super clumsy and hurting herself a lot. I hope thats what it is, not because I want her to be sick, but because I just want it figured out. This mama can't take much more.

Pat came home two days ago and Liv was a complete joy terror the whole time. The only thing thats saving me is that she's sleeping well at night still. Thank god, because by the time 7pm rolls around I have been in need of some alone time. However, if Liv is feeling better and everything gets figured out, I'm going to celebrate an adult Halloween tomorrow and Liv is going to go trick or treating on Sunday. I am so so so excited to put her in her homemade elmo costume. I'm pretty proud of it and I think she'll get into it :).

So, wish us luck that we'll figure out what is wrong with Liv tomorrow...oh and that we don't have to wait hours to get in.

pain

I'm in pain. Serious pain. Liv and I were brushing our teeth when Taylor Swift came on the radio. We did what any mother and daughter would do when a mirror and Taylor Swift was available...we danced. Liv was having a great time, and I had a fantastic idea that I would put her on my shoulders. It was all fun and games until I took her off from my shoulders. Shooting pain is exactly the description I would use. I knew as soon as I did it that it wasn't going to just go away. So here I sit, at almost 5pm still in pain and hardly able to move without being completely awkward. I'm hoping that this will feel significantly better by tomorrow. If not, I may need to go see someone. Any advice? I have some advice for myself...next time I have the urge to lug my 30lb child on my shoulders, don't...just don't. ::sigh::

I'm outnumbered

By Canadians!!! The exclamation points are because Liv just got her Citizenship card in the mail! WOOO. This is a great day, because now, even though her mother is an alien...Liv is legally Canadian and can get her Alberta health card :) Its a good day night in the Bateman household.

She is like 7 months old in the picture. She looks like a little baby with a hugeee widows peak. I forgot all about the widows peak she used to sport before she had mile long bangs.

Steppin' Out

I have decided to link up to another blog, Harper's Happenings, who puts on Steppin' Out Saturdays. Its basically to document what you and your little one wore and what not, kind of fun and I don't think it has to be done on a Saturday, which is good because I don't get dressed up every Saturday :).

I didn't participate this week. Next week I will, but I did take pictures of Liv and her outfit was cute enough for the both of us!

 Liv

Top: Thrifted, vintage dress

Bottoms: Gymboree

Shoes: Cherokee brand ($5 from Zellers)

Hair Bow: Etsy (Stephanie Bownanza)

Next week I'll join in on the fun!

cool tricks cool tricks!

I have to share a few things that Liv did yesterday. First of all, she slept until 9am. I was so well rested and we both felt fabulous...however, the little stinker didn't take one nap. I tried and I'm persistent, she did go in her crib twice for about an hour....so I like to think she at least "rested". She started getting impatient though and I could hear her yelling "MAMAAAA! MAMAAAA!". Now, I have been waiting for her to direct the word mama to me for awhile and I've now received what I asked for. She loves to use the word mama to me, mostly for when she's annoyed and wants something RIGHT now. For example: every morning she gets a sippy cup with half water/half juice. Well, mama ran out of juice yesterday, so I filled her sippy with water. Liv is no fool and she wasn't going to stand for it. She started handing me that sippy back and crying and protesting this disgrace. Uncle Ryan quickly told me there was some juice in the freezer so I started whipping some up as fast as I could. Liv was pulling on my leg, crying, and saying mama mama mama until I finished. Geesh kiddo.

Later, we had some friends come over to visit. Liv has a book full of nursery rhymes (humpty dumpty, hickory dickory dock, 5 little monkeys, etc...). She also has a storybook with only the 5 little monkeys rhyme. Kira was reading her the nursery rhyme book and came to the 5 little monkeys rhyme. She got a few monkeys in until Liv wanted down. I figured she was just being her busy self, but then she surprised me and came back into the kitchen with her 5 little monkeys book. It just astonishes me sometimes how she gets things. She knew that was the same story. So much fun.

pretty pretty princess

My mom sent me a package yesterday with a bunch of stuff, including Liv's snow white costume from last year. She thought Liv would like to play dress-up with it, and boy was she right. Our main struggle every day is to get Liv's diaper changed and get her dressed but the tune changed when we were putting on a princess dress. She couldn't have been more patient. Let me remind you with a photo...Liv was 2 months old when she last wore this costume!

I remember that all Liv wanted to do was eat the glitter off of the dress back then. Now, all she wants to do is dance to some Justin Beiber and do some twirls :).

crazy, isnt it?

walks and goodbyes

Pat left early this morning...and I'm not exaggerating when I say it goes by way too fast. I didn't even snap one picture of him and Liv. He is supposed to come back next week so maybe i'll be more on my game. I took Liv for a walk today to make the time pass. We go along the ridge which is right by our house. If we go with Carolyn, we bring Lily and Easton (Ryan's dog), but I can't handle them all by myself...so today it was just Liv, Lily, and I. Its something nice to do before Liv goes down for a nap. I bring her stroller, but I generally let her walk all the way there and then most of the way back. There are benches and walk-outs throughout the ridge, and we stop at the same one every time.

Side note. So, Liv has been sleeping terribly. She's been getting up once, sometimes twice, a night. It was really frustrating me. I had taken her bumper off when I changed her sheets and thought she didn't really need it any longer. I put it on last night because I was getting sick of her sucky falling out of her crib....and she slept through the night. Until 8:30 this morning. Thatta girl. It really made my day. Especially since Pat left this morning.

yippeee

Pat is on his way home!!!! I have a big smile on my face and a vaccuum in one hand, windex in the other. Its been about two weeks since Pat has seen Liv or I so its an exciting day for us. We are hoping that he gets to stay a few days this time, instead of the 1.5 days. So please cross your fingers for us. I will definitley take some pictures while Pat is home...there is a corn maze that I really want to bring Liv to and I was waiting for Pat to visit.

Oh, and my child thinks she's a newborn again. She woke up twice last night. twice. This whole bottle thing is really getting out of hand. But in other positive news, she said something that sounded like 'Dani' today. We skype with auntie Dani most mornings and we always ask Liv  "can you say Daaanniiii?". Sometimes she says 'da', but this time it was a 'Daaaaiiiiiiii'. So cute and Dani was thrilled. I'll update tomorrow with some pictures :).

bottles up

I attempted to take one of Liv's bottles away two days ago. She usually gets one before her nap and then one at bedtime. I was trying to take the naptime "bubba" away...trying is the key word here.

She went down for her first nap with a little cry, but not so bad. I was encouraged by it. Then somewhere between the short nap and bubba free day, my little gremlin completely lost her mind. She has this riding train toy. It is currently sitting next to a side table in the livingroom. She was repeatedly stepping on the train and trying to climb on the table. So every time, I would take her down and carefully place her on the ground because she was throwing herself backwards and I was afraid she'd hurt herself. Each time I pulled her down, her tantrum got worse, until I watched her tantrum turn from her rolling around on the floor and kicking her legs, into her lurching herself forward and wacking her forehead on the coffee table. It was at this point that I gave in and gave her a bubba to calm her down.

Yesterday I decided that she wasn't ready....or better yet, I wasn't ready. Is it really supposed to be that hard??? Maybe every baby is different, but I can't imagine having taken away her bubba at 12 months. So, the last couple of days have been a bit challenging for me to say the least. I really thought I was a patient person. I'm not so sure anymore ha.

I'll leave you with soome pictures from the past week....

 at fish creek park

 running away from mom and towards the water

 throwing a tantrum...see, there's the proof.

 Liv's cousin, Jasper :)

"mommmm you've got to be kidding with this sippy cup"

unbelievable

I was just talking to Pat and I was telling him how I love how Liv is starting to understand what I'm asking her to do. Or, should I say, she is starting to let me know she understands. The examples that I was giving him was I'll say "Liv, go give kisses night night" and she'll walk her little self into the livingroom and give her aunt and uncle kisses. Another thing I always say before naps and bedtime is "go find your blankie" and she will go gather all the blankies she can find (we have a lot of back-ups).

It makes me feel like she's so grown up. Maybe when she can start saying "night night", I'll say this again...but for now I think its crazy that we are in this place already.

How was Liv ever this small??? What, no rolls?

a little nautical dream

The title of this post is what I said this pictures reminded me of when Dani sent it to me. It will be hanging on a wall in my house...when I have a house. Until then, I'm going to post it here and keep it on my desktop so I can stare at it.

love and marriage

I am really disappointed. I should really get over it because its going to be like this for awhile. Pat's job is unpredictable. First thing this morning he told me he would have to head back in a few hours. Next thing you know he was told that they hadn't moved the rig yet so he was staying. We did a little celebratory dance and he headed out to the shop to get some tools to bring with him the next day. I stayed home, put liv for a nap and got ready. I did my hair, because hey my husband was home and I was trying to look pretty. He walked in the door a few hours later with the guy he'd drove with and told me there was a change of plans and he had to leave, right then. Is it really a big deal? no. He should be back next weekend for Thanksgiving (canadian). I don't know why, but I was upset. I've went a whole year with him in Northern Ireland and now he's a measly 5 hours away, whats my problem? I need to suck it up. I will, but today I'm going to feel sorry for myself.

After Pat left, I took Liv for a walk to get lily some dog food and we took a little pit stop at a park on the way back. I thought it was a perfect thing to cheer us up. Its clearly fall in these pictures, but its been really warm. Its very misleading with all the fall colors.