Great Great Uncle Chuckles

Alivia finally met her Great Aunt Linda and Great Great Uncle Charles. Or, as he referred to himself, "Uncle Chuckles." It was an incredible experience to see the two interact because I feel like it wasn't that long ago that Uncle Charles was holding my younger brother Kyle.

I feel so blessed to have him in Alivia's life, especially since my grandfather didn't live long enough to meet her. He would be so proud of her and watching Charles "ooh" and "aah" over her is a great reminder of this.

As for Great Aunt Linda, Alivia is in for a real treat. I've already decided my daughter is going to be a girly girl and Linda will take full advantage of this I'm sure. I have a feeling once she's big enough, there will be a Barbie under the Christmas tree every year for Alivia, just as there was for me.

I look forward to celebrating the holidays with Linda, Charles and the rest of the Whites. I have a feeling it will remind me of the childhood holidays I spent with them. What a treat to relive such great memories! Yet another blessing attached to having a child.

6 Month Photo Shoot

Alivia had a blast playing outside with Shawn for her 6 month photo shoot. The 3 month photo shoot was a little rough with a crabby baby, but this time Alivia was such a ham.

One of my favorite photos from this shoot. Looking like such a big girl in her dress.

What a baby aviator in a tutu would look like.

Right after putting a pebble in her mouth, chewing and spitting it out.

This is just ridiculous. Looking like a 90 year old without teeth. Too Funny!

Classic "Squishy" face. There's always at least one per shoot.

Hmmmmm......

Catalog girl.

Krinkle nose

Crooked smile.

Yes, that is a real sucker. I cringed a little, but she loved it.

So sad her time with Shawn was over.

The 4th brings yet another milestone

There is an entry in Livy's baby book for "first time my toes played in the grass," and I thought the 4th of July would be a perfect time to accomplish this.  To my surprise, I set her on Grandma Sprafka's lawn and she stayed upright!  Be it a little wobbly, Livy was able to sit up for a minute or two (until Grandma came out to witness it and Livy got too excited).

She is now able to sit up and play with a toy while I run into the other room.  

The evening of the 4th, Mommy and Daddy went to watch fireworks with friends.  Livy stayed up late and watched the New York City fireworks on TV with Grandma and Grandpa Sprafka.

Proudly displaying Grandma Sprafka's flower arrangement.

Happy First Father's Day, Daddy!

Livy woke up early to do some driveway artwork to surprise Daddy on our way to church. Beforehand she made him breakfast in bed, complete with day old coffee (Neither of us knew how to operate Daddy's coffee maker).

Modeling her "I heart Daddy" Onesie.

With the man of the hour.

So big.

Helping Daddy open his card.

Reading Daddy the finger paint poem she wrote.

Proudly giving Daddy his gift certificate for golf lessons at Troy Burne! An impressive day of surprises from a 5 month old. We're pretty proud.

Splish, Splash....Squish takes a bath!

First bath in the big girl sink!  Livy appreciated this more than a bath in her baby tub because she can splash and wiggle around.  She also enjoyed playing with the water  nozzle.

Sitting up all by herself!  The sink is now definitely a family favorite for bathtime.

Fun and Flirty

We put Livy in her baby carrier facing out for the first time yesterday.  It's hilarious!  She kicks her arms and legs and grabs things that mommy is holding.  We went to a friend's daughter's graduation party and, of course, Livy flirted with EVERYONE there.  Strangers came up to ask how she kept her sunglasses on without any complaints.

I was bummed I never got a picture from the afternoon, but my friend shawn just sent me this one.  Yay!  Drool seeping out of the mouth and tongue sticking out, she's still the most beautiful baby in the world.  I'm still trying to figure out how she has those gorgeous BLUE eyes!

 

The Jumperoo: God's gift to new moms

My girlfriends bought me a motorized swing  for my baby shower and I thought I was set.  Turns out you can't predict what toys will be the baby's favorite.  One of my friends kept telling me to buy a jumperoo, but I kept refusing to bring one more bulky toy into the house.  The friend became so intent on me getting one, that she eventually brought me hers.  The outcome?  Alivia is in love!  Even fighting off a cold right now, she is the happiest baby when she's in this contraption.  She's standing on her own, bouncing around, chatting about her day and then......CRASHES.  One minute the music is going, the next minute she's face down in la la land dreaming about milk and naps.  How great is this?

I have a video on my phone of her struggling to stay awake, but it's pretty poor resolution.  I took another one on our camcorder so I'll see if I can get that uploaded.