Now if only she would EAT that egg once I cooked it for her!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Enjoying San Francisco
We ventured up to San Francisco twice in December. Once to eat at Gary Danko's with some friends (and may I just say that the lobster risotto is a.maz.ing.)
And once during the day to enjoy a delicious breakfast at Mama's and see the post-impressionist exhibit at the De Young.
I love living close to San Francisco!
And once during the day to enjoy a delicious breakfast at Mama's and see the post-impressionist exhibit at the De Young.Chase and I both love Van Gogh, and enjoyed seeing some of his works, as well as many of the other post-impressionist artists.
Livia was restless in the museum, of course, and it was pretty tricky since we weren't allowed to bring a stroller into the exhibit. She also insisted that I, not Chase, hold her the entire time (and if you think it's easy to carry a wiggly toddler for an hour when you're 5 months pregnant, you must have never tried it).
At one point I moved into another room of the exhibit and she started to completely flip out, saying she didn't want to go that way, she wanted to go back the other way. As I tried to shush her and explain that we had to go a certain way in order to leave the exhibit, it suddenly occured to me that I should ask WHY she wanted to go back the other way. It turns out she had been looking at a painting and wasn't finished admiring it yet.
I kid you not.
Here is her favorite painting (which she still remembers and will describe to you if you ask her)
It's called "The Violet Wave," and I'm still a bit flabbergasted by that whole experience. Once she had gazed at it for a few more minutes I asked if she was done and she said "yep" and went docile as a lamb into the next room.
We played outside by the fountains for a while before driving home, and called it a day!
I love living close to San Francisco!Saturday, December 4, 2010
Hunting for the perfect Christmas tree
When I was growing up there was this little Christmas tree lot filled with live Christmas trees--right in the middle of Long Beach! I have so many fond memories of running around looking for the perfect tree and having my dad cut it down for us. A couple of days ago Chase sent me a link to a coupon for 50% off a live tree from a tree farm in Los Gatos. Was there any question?? Yes! Yes! YES!
So we drove all the way there today and spent a good hour perusing all the trees they had to offer.
Livia was excited beyond all reason, and was a little hard to keep track of amongst all those trees!
This one was Liv's favorite, but it was a little too tall.
So we drove all the way there today and spent a good hour perusing all the trees they had to offer.
Livia was excited beyond all reason, and was a little hard to keep track of amongst all those trees!
This one was Liv's favorite, but it was a little too tall.
The final choice! 
Livia got such a kick out of watching Chase saw it down, and I'm loving the scent of fresh pine that now fills our home. I understand why some people prefer a fake tree, but for me it's just not the same unless it's fresh! We decorated it tonight, and only lost one ornament to our resident toddler. Luckily just a small piece snapped off, so I'll be working some magic with super glue tonight.
I love Christmas trees. Ü
It's finished!
Remember this?
And remember how I said I would finish it by the end of August? Well, that didn't happen. I'm blaming it entirely on morning sickness. Once I felt like a human being again at the end of October, I picked my project back up and finally, on Thursday, I finished it!
Here's a partially done shot, just after I'd finished embroidering all the animals/objects.
A few close-ups
And....ta da!
Definitely not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well! It ended up looking pretty much how I imagined it, which is rare for me. Everything is hand embroidered, including the letters. The only thing I used the sewing machine for was sewing on the squares and backing. And may I say, that that was the least fun part of the entire experience?! I really do prefer needlepoint to sewing with a machine. It may be slower, but it's much less frustrating, and requires virtually NO unpicking! I like detail work. I liked this project. But I'm also liking the fact that it's done!
And remember how I said I would finish it by the end of August? Well, that didn't happen. I'm blaming it entirely on morning sickness. Once I felt like a human being again at the end of October, I picked my project back up and finally, on Thursday, I finished it!Here's a partially done shot, just after I'd finished embroidering all the animals/objects.
A few close-ups
And....ta da!
Definitely not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well! It ended up looking pretty much how I imagined it, which is rare for me. Everything is hand embroidered, including the letters. The only thing I used the sewing machine for was sewing on the squares and backing. And may I say, that that was the least fun part of the entire experience?! I really do prefer needlepoint to sewing with a machine. It may be slower, but it's much less frustrating, and requires virtually NO unpicking! I like detail work. I liked this project. But I'm also liking the fact that it's done!
This and that
Prepare yourself for some rambling...
Christmastime is officially here, and I couldn't be more excited! Little Livvy's really getting into it this year, too. We kicked off the season by attending a Christmas tree lighting at Chase's work.
Gotta love fake snow!
I helped Livia write a letter to Santa. The first thing she asked me to write was "I'm hungry." What the??
But then of course she clarified by asking him to bring her some treats. Oh, okay then. Ü
I honestly think she's more excited about the candy in her stocking than she is about getting any other presents! I did manage to get out of her that she wanted a soccer ball (to be like her aunt emily), a backpack, and boots. (She already has boots, however, and I think was just thinking about them because it was raining that day.) She colored the letter ever so carefully, and was so proud of the finished product!
Other news: Livia is officially day-time potty trained! I am SO glad to cross this off my list of things to accomplish before the new baby arrives! Night-time training will be a longer process I think, but I'm not even going to worry about it right now.
I remembered a story from Thanksgiving...
We were sitting around the table eating Thanksgiving dinner when Livia grabbed some olives off a plate. She took mainly black ones, which she loves, but also grabbed a green one. I wanted to take it away immediately, knowing exactly what kind of reaction she would have to it, but Chase encouraged me to "just let her try it." She was sure it was a grape, and wouldn't listen to anything I said about its being an olive. She left it on her plate for awhile, and I went back to eating my dinner. A couple minutes later, a very panicked Livia was spitting out a green olive into my hand. Shaking and gagging uncontrollably, she fell out of her chair! Can't say I blame her--what would your reaction be if your "grape" ended up tasting like a green olive?? Totally gross! Poor girl! (Though I have to say it was pretty dang funny too. Ü)
Livia update:
Liv's a little chatterbox, and her pronunciation is so good it astounds me. There are still occasions of course when I'm not sure what she's saying, and she mixes things up sometimes (alligator for elevator, or antonio for pinocchio), but pretty much everything she says is perfectly correct (including words like anemone, spaghetti, and Snuffleupagus)! The only thing I can think of that she always says wrong is chapstick, which she pronounces "chasmic." I haven't been correcting her on purpose because I think it's cute. Ü
She knows almost all the letters of the alphabet and can count to 20. Sometimes she'll go past 20, but doesn't always get the order right. She can also recognize several written numbers. We read constantly. I spend a couple hours a day reading to her, and she'll spend another hour or two reading on her own (during quiet time because she rarely naps anymore). She likes to memorize bits and pieces from her books and quote them to me throughout the day. Same with her favorite show, Little Einsteins.
Let's see, what else? She still sleeps in a crib, because she has yet to learn how to climb out. Well, she tried once and fell pretty hard, so hasn't tried since. And that is absolutely fine by me! We'll keep her in there as long as possible, probably up until the baby needs it. She is still a terrible eater, and also still loves her milk with all her might. She has a very strict milk quota during the day, because otherwise she wouldn't eat at all! One of her favorite things to eat is toast, which she insists on buttering herself. When she gets bored she tends to wander over to the fridge and look inside--reminds me of a teenager.
She loves to chew gum, and handles it remarkably well, chewing it for up to an hour, and then always spitting it out in the trash or in my hand. She is starting to dislike brushing her teeth, but we've scared her into letting us brush her teeth anyway by telling her all about cavities, which she has decided she does NOT want.
Some days/moments Livia is incredibly cute and sweet to me. Other times I think I'm going to die from frustration and struggling to hold my temper. She looks so much like Chase, but she acts so much like me! And that I think is why we have SO many power struggles.
Christmastime is officially here, and I couldn't be more excited! Little Livvy's really getting into it this year, too. We kicked off the season by attending a Christmas tree lighting at Chase's work.
Gotta love fake snow!I helped Livia write a letter to Santa. The first thing she asked me to write was "I'm hungry." What the??
But then of course she clarified by asking him to bring her some treats. Oh, okay then. Ü
I honestly think she's more excited about the candy in her stocking than she is about getting any other presents! I did manage to get out of her that she wanted a soccer ball (to be like her aunt emily), a backpack, and boots. (She already has boots, however, and I think was just thinking about them because it was raining that day.) She colored the letter ever so carefully, and was so proud of the finished product!
Other news: Livia is officially day-time potty trained! I am SO glad to cross this off my list of things to accomplish before the new baby arrives! Night-time training will be a longer process I think, but I'm not even going to worry about it right now.
I remembered a story from Thanksgiving...
We were sitting around the table eating Thanksgiving dinner when Livia grabbed some olives off a plate. She took mainly black ones, which she loves, but also grabbed a green one. I wanted to take it away immediately, knowing exactly what kind of reaction she would have to it, but Chase encouraged me to "just let her try it." She was sure it was a grape, and wouldn't listen to anything I said about its being an olive. She left it on her plate for awhile, and I went back to eating my dinner. A couple minutes later, a very panicked Livia was spitting out a green olive into my hand. Shaking and gagging uncontrollably, she fell out of her chair! Can't say I blame her--what would your reaction be if your "grape" ended up tasting like a green olive?? Totally gross! Poor girl! (Though I have to say it was pretty dang funny too. Ü)
Livia update:
Liv's a little chatterbox, and her pronunciation is so good it astounds me. There are still occasions of course when I'm not sure what she's saying, and she mixes things up sometimes (alligator for elevator, or antonio for pinocchio), but pretty much everything she says is perfectly correct (including words like anemone, spaghetti, and Snuffleupagus)! The only thing I can think of that she always says wrong is chapstick, which she pronounces "chasmic." I haven't been correcting her on purpose because I think it's cute. Ü
She knows almost all the letters of the alphabet and can count to 20. Sometimes she'll go past 20, but doesn't always get the order right. She can also recognize several written numbers. We read constantly. I spend a couple hours a day reading to her, and she'll spend another hour or two reading on her own (during quiet time because she rarely naps anymore). She likes to memorize bits and pieces from her books and quote them to me throughout the day. Same with her favorite show, Little Einsteins.
Let's see, what else? She still sleeps in a crib, because she has yet to learn how to climb out. Well, she tried once and fell pretty hard, so hasn't tried since. And that is absolutely fine by me! We'll keep her in there as long as possible, probably up until the baby needs it. She is still a terrible eater, and also still loves her milk with all her might. She has a very strict milk quota during the day, because otherwise she wouldn't eat at all! One of her favorite things to eat is toast, which she insists on buttering herself. When she gets bored she tends to wander over to the fridge and look inside--reminds me of a teenager.
She loves to chew gum, and handles it remarkably well, chewing it for up to an hour, and then always spitting it out in the trash or in my hand. She is starting to dislike brushing her teeth, but we've scared her into letting us brush her teeth anyway by telling her all about cavities, which she has decided she does NOT want.
Some days/moments Livia is incredibly cute and sweet to me. Other times I think I'm going to die from frustration and struggling to hold my temper. She looks so much like Chase, but she acts so much like me! And that I think is why we have SO many power struggles.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Thanksgiving
Every single Thanksgiving that I can remember from childhood was spent at my grandparent's house. I feel so lucky to live in the bay area now too, so we could easily keep up the tradition! My family also drove up from Southern California, so it was a fun, family-filled weekend (though we missed Laura, Austin, and Jon!).
Emily, David, and Livia were practically inseparable, which was fun for me to see (and nice because it meant I could relax and chat!), and our time was filled with lots of visiting, cooking, and laughter.
My personal Thanksgiving is not complete without a visit from Santa. Livia promptly announced that "It's not Santa, it's Uncle David!" which made us smile (and hopefully didn't bother David too much!).
My dad even took time off work to come, which hasn't happened in a long time, so we were all extra excited to see him!
We spent some time playing at the park--another fond memory of mine from Thanksgivings past
Emily, David, and Livia were practically inseparable, which was fun for me to see (and nice because it meant I could relax and chat!), and our time was filled with lots of visiting, cooking, and laughter.
My personal Thanksgiving is not complete without a visit from Santa. Livia promptly announced that "It's not Santa, it's Uncle David!" which made us smile (and hopefully didn't bother David too much!).
My dad even took time off work to come, which hasn't happened in a long time, so we were all extra excited to see him!
We spent some time playing at the park--another fond memory of mine from Thanksgivings past
I didn't take any pictures of the Thanksgiving feast, but we sure enjoyed it!
And just for kicks, here's a belly shot at 19 weeks.
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