Travis Wayne Staley

born September 27, 2010 at 8:05 pm

9 lb 4 oz

20.75 inches

As we get time to share them, please find more pictures at http://kivrinandtravis.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/kivrinandtravis/

Thanks,

Lissa and Daniel and Kivrin

Kivrin tickling the new baby (34 weeks pregnant)

Mountain lion at the zoo who kept licking the glass and basically trying to eat Kivrin, but luckily she thought it was great!

Kivrin watching a bird at the rainforest exhibit at the zoo.

Kivrin riding on Daddy’s shoulders at the zoo

Kivrin trying out her new hula skirt outfit from Gramma Mary

See all the photos on flickr.

Kivrin wore her pretty new 4th of July dress to church on Sunday — a present from Grandma Sandy!

After some troubles trying to go down the slide in her church dress before church on Sunday morning, we took a second trip to the park after church with pants and a tucked-in shirt (a present from Uncle Jim!) with much more sliding success. In fact, Kivrin could climb all the way up the big slide and go down by herself, leaving the three adults to just stand around and cheer her on!

After we let Kivrin watch the last 10 minutes of the World Cup game with us on the television, she was a VERY enthusiastic soccer player at the park the next day. As long as no one kicked the ball away from her. And she seemed to like to pick up the ball and run away from us holding it in a manner more appropriate to football…or possibly keep-away….

Kivrin and Papa were playing babies together — but apparently Kivrin decided that Papa should take a nap too!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and dip in the swimming pool at Pat’s house — Kivrin is even sporting her new swimsuit (a gift from Pat!). She liked splashing everyone else, but didn’t like when she would get splashed herself.

Kivrin showed Nana the correct way to line up all of the babies in a row and cover them with blankets.

Kivrin happily dancing in Papa’s truck. After this, she talked Papa into sitting in the truck with her. Then Mama. Then Dada. Much to the neighbors’ amusement, soon all four of us were sitting together in the back of the truck, hanging out in the shady driveway!

After a very full day of playing and visiting family on the 4th and only a 30 minute nap, we didn’t think Kivrin would be able to stay awake in the car seat long enough to get to any fireworks displays after dark, so we simulated our own display using the PBS fireworks instead!

Gramma Mary knows what toddlers like– We met up with Kivrin’s Gramma at the mall on Monday, and Kivrin was overjoyed! Kivrin woke up from a short nap to discover a dream world of fun all around her– A carousel! A train! Escalators! A pet store! Mac and cheese for lunch! We had a fabulous visit and then we got on the road back to Topeka and had a relatively uneventful drive.

Cooking her animal magnets in one of her favorite pots, plus eating corn on the cob, spaghetti and pizza cheese!

We met Dan’s parents over at the Kansas City Zoo for a fun (hot!) morning of animal watching together. Although we brought the stroller along, it mainly served to hold our “stuff” while we all took turns carrying Kivrin so that she could see the animals.

Grandma carried Kivrin through the bird aviary, and they saw birds flying around them and also swimming in the water.

Grandpa and Kivrin and Mama looked in the water for turtles and fish and ducks.

Kivrin and Grandma watching the giraffes and zebras in the Africa exhibit where we also stopped for a snack!

Kivrin loved to run around this small hut in the Africa exhibit. It was a little bit cooler than outside, but mostly I think she liked running in circles and seeing her daddy play peekaboo through the window.

A lizard was sticking out his tongue at Kivrin, so she started sticking out her tongue back at the lizard–they carried on quite a conversation that way!

Mama pushing Kivrin in the stroller across the bumpy wooded bridge.This was just before Kivrin dumped that water bottle out into her lap, neccesitating the removal of her soaking wet pants for the last bit of our zoo visit!

Kivrin and Dada rode the carousel together on the way out of the zoo. She loved it so much that she fussed when we only let her ride it one time! Whether animals are real or statues, moving or sleeping, toys or wild, Kivrin likes them all.

Some swimming adventures from our two pools at home on a very hot summer Saturday

Kivrin learned at school about ponytails and barrettes and now sometimes wants to play with such lovely pretties at home as well. For about 2 minutes. Then she wants them out of her hair again. She also likes when everyone else (mama, dada, cat, doll, etc.) decorates their hair too.

There was also a video, but it didn’t end well. The Big Kitty will withstand an amazingly long time period of being covered by a baby blanket.  When he reaches his limit though, parental intervention is required. Also, whenever Kivrin sees this cat now, she says “No Bite” very firmly and shakes her finger at him authoritatively. Perhaps all of these things are related…

THANK YOU to Aunt Leigh Anne and Cousin Colin for hosting us for a super-awesome visit!

See all (150 so far!) vacation pics here on flickr.

Kivrin was a WONDERFUL airplane passenger — both our flight to Milwaukee and our flight home again were planned around a noon-ish naptime, and she fell asleep just after takeoff on the way there and just before takeoff on the way home, sleeping in our laps/arms the entire flights both times!

Snuggling on the couch — so much for Lissa’s nap! First Colin joined me for a nice cozy snuggled, then Kivrin decided to jump onboard and Dan played referee at the end of the couch to keep everyone safe…

Kivrin and Mama walking at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center.

Dan and Kivrin pouring sand through a funnel in the toddler area at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum.

Luckily, Kivrin was appeased by leaning down to touch the water of Lake Michigan and didn’t try to go into the water. She definintely liked the “big” water though!

This is one of the happy moments in the shared baths that were characterized by many (valid) complaints from Colin that Kivrin was “splashing him” and “splashing water in his eyes” and “not stopping splashing him.” The louder he complained, the more vigorously she seemed to splash with delight!

Colin sends his water rocket into orbit, or at least 25 feet in the air. Kivrin liked counting down one-two-three-go, and watching the rocket, but when the spray came her way, she wanted to go inside.

Kivrin and Colin in the rocking chairs outside the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. They are resting up BEFORE our hike down to the lake and back up again.

Dan and Colin making a strawberry rhubarb pie together in the kitchen, which we ate with fresh vanilla homemade ice cream.

While Dan and Leigh Anne explored the fabulous world of menswear together, Lissa tried to keep two kiddos happy and well behaved in a department store. Can we say “thank goodness for iphones?”

Colin gives Kivrin a high-five through the glass at his hockey skating lesson.

We also went to a kite festival down at Veteran’s Park by the lake — http://www.giftofwings.com/ and Milwaukee County Zoo and Klode Park and Richards School playgrounds, as well as spending lots of time playing at Aunt Leigh Anne and Colin’s house and in Colin’s bouncy house in the basement play room!

See all (150 so far!) vacation pics here on flickr.

And here are 62 pictures on flickr of the rest of the weekend and some from week before…I’ll blog them here in more detail if/when I get a chance!

Posing for a Mothers Day 2010 picture.

Riding the big cat. No one was sure about this, especially the cat.

Kivrin and Mama practice our party pic pose!

Kivrin recently discovered oranges in a big way!

Kivrin climbed in the basket and just barely fit!

Kivrin and Daddy have a special system for helping with the laundry…..

“These dolls are all sleeping.”

“I put the dolls to bed in a row and covered them up.”

“Mama made me baby doll diapers and wipes and I am using them!”

“Look, these dolls are all sleeping too.”

“Finally a use for my crib. My dolls and I can snuggle together inside.”

“Although to be fair, we’d gone through the naptime routine when I  noticed her diaper.” — an email from Dan while I was working on Sunday. The miracles of modern technology mean that we can keep each other up to date and in the loop with cute toddler happenings and keep each other entertained on long weekend shifts at work too!

Flickr Photos