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The trick is to make work time look like play time.
Carrying laundry and a baby at the same time is a challenge. I’ve tried this option several times, but Kivrin is getting too wiggly for it to work anymore.
Once we get to her room, I put her on her surf board for some belly time while I fold and put away her clothes and blankets. 
I got the surf board on clearance for like $10, because it’s not like Kivrin actually needs a special surfboard on which to practice holding up her head — but sometimes Mommy needs a reminder to play with the baby this way, and the surfboard is more attractive than a post-it-note that says “Belly Time!” which is what I was considering before…
Once she’s tired of being on her belly, she gets fussy, so I flipped her over so she could chill out for a bit while I finished the chores in her room.
As we try to do more work and fun at the computer (like keeping this blog up to date!) we discover new ways to hold a sleeping baby while using the keyboard. In fact, at this very moment, several days after this photo was taken, Kivrin is asleep in my lap taking her afternoon nap while I type.
To finish up the projects I started during maternity leave, I made Kivrin some burp cloths and flannel blankets this week, and then I made some extras to give as gifts and sell at the work craft fair next week. To make a tag for the craft fair ones, I had Dan and Kivrin model the burp cloth and then I took a bunch of pictures, hoping I would get one that was cute. Of course, I got many that were cute! [Note: In the spirit of photorealism, she spit up all over this cloth during the photo session, so we kept an extra one for ourselves!]
Kivrin and I began our last week home together before I go back to work. Of course, I started the week by heading in to work for the afternoon for my favorite book group. (and bringing Kivrin with me for the social time before, to visit with everyone!)
While I don’t like most of the clothes that are designed and marketed for little girls, I am a sucker for putting our daughter in cute outfits that promote things we believe in. So far, these things have been limited to concepts like “peace” and “Illinois” and “reading.” I remember a few year ago when my nephew Colin had an infant shirt that said “I already know more than the President.” I’m glad that Kivrin can opt for something more along the lines of “Change we can believe in”! (although I just checked and the Obama website isn’t even offering their “Change Can Happen” tshirts in a 9-mos size…probably because Kivrin can’t vote until the 2028 presidential elections.)
Kivrin is really getting strong, lifting her head and giving her neck muscles a real workout in her efforts to not miss out on anything going in around her.
Kivrin’s cousin Thomas was baptized at Gloria Dei Lutheran church on Sunday. Dan is one of Thomas’s baptismal sponsors. We enjoyed a nice soup and sandwich luncheon afterwards and there was even some cake!
Kivrin was happy to see her Fogt family in Kansas City, and Grandma Sandy was glad to be able to show off both of her grandchildren to her church and choir friends!
Our friends Carrie and Jenn came over to visit — Kivrin was all decked out in her Saturday football outfit.
Apparently my Christmas cactus thrives on neglect because these are the most beautiful blooms I’ve ever seen on it. Kivrin liked to look at the brightly colored flowers, especially when I made them dance around for her! (Dan said that this year it was a Halloween cactus, but I don’t think if it blooms early it is any less seasonally named…)
We are so lucky that Kivrin doesn’t mind the car seat too much. One of us usually sits in back with her if she is awake, although she isn’t awake for long on most trips longer than 5 minutes, and sometimes she doesn’t make it on the trips less than 5 minutes either. The library, the grocery store, and her child care center are all about 5 minutes away from our house, so she isn’t in the car seat for very long on most trips.
The picture above was taken at 8:30 in the morning, and the picture below was captured at 11:15 the same evening, thus proving that our baby is happy from morning to night….right? (Please ignore the suspicious absence of photography for the intervening 14 hours, I can’t remember, but Kivrin was probably smiling happily every minute of it!)
It’s very difficult to take discreet bathtime photos that would be appropriate to share online, especially if you are trying to bathe a baby at the same time! Kivrin loves the bath tub though- a blue plastic reclined tub that fits over our kitchen sink – especially if I overfill it so that her every movement sends water cascading into the sink, making satisfying splash noises. She also likes to watch the water dripping down on her from the washcloth, so squeezing out the washcloths before we get her out of the bath can take several minutes.
Dan took this cute picture after Kivrin’s bath. She is all snuggled up in her hooded duck towel, which was a present from my cousin Laure!
Mommy survived Kivrin’s first shots today- the baby got stuck three times and she cried louder and more distictively in pain than any time I have ever heard her in her whole life before, including right after her birth.
The pictures were all taken with my phone before the shots — for someone who doesn’t know the meaning of the word innoculation, I thought she looked surprisingly nervous.
We followed our friend Scarlett’s advice and administered some baby Tylenol right before and some comfort nursing right after, so that by the time we left the office, Kivrin was grinning at her favorite nurse again, even though Diane gave her two of the shots a few minutes earlier. Everyone marvelled at her excellent neck/head control and her alertness. She weighed 13 pounds and measured 23 inches long.
Kivrin charmed them all with her “social smile” including a tween with an ankle sprain in the waiting room who was upset to think that such a little baby was sick (and she didn’t feel better when I explained that Kivrin was healthy and just due for her first round of immunizations!)
We don’t have to go back until January for her next round of shots- although we have to play health-insurance-roulette before then to guess whether lower premiums or a lower deductible will be a better deal for us in the coming year. The optimist would pick lower premiums and hope for a safe and healthy year, but the realist is about to send an infant to a child care center…
The nurse put a “hello, kitty” bandaid on each of Kivrin’s thighs to cover up her injection sites. It’s been 12 hours since her shots, and besides taking two long naps today, she hasn’t seemed to be sore or fussy (for which I am VERY grateful!)
November is here and with it comes more family holidays, getting ready to return to work, getting Kivrin ready for her child care center, getting ready for Christmas, trying to write a novel in 30 days — and I thought we were busy before!
I have lots of cute pictures (and video!) from the past week and I’ll get it posted as soon as I can. Kivrin is awake more during the day now, which means I take more pictures, but have less time to share them with you…
This morning we taught Kivrin about elections, beginning with reading about the candidates online and considering our choices. Dan and I went to vote together and just handed the baby off between us so that no one had to vote one-handed. The picture is outside of our polling place – Kivrin is modeling a new outfit from her Gramma Mary.
Besides the beautiful fall leaves and the cheap gas in Missouri, we also enjoyed spending time with family and friends during our weekend trip to Collinsville.
Kivrin loves hanging out with her Papa Staley, and Dan and I appreciated the chance to relax and sleep in a bit while visiting.
Grandma Denise knows just what to do with baby girls-hug them and play with them. She and Grandpa even tricked Kivrin into taking part of a bottle (although using a football game on television might be considered cheating!) Kivrin loved spending the afternoon with Denise before our long car ride back home.
Kivrin was happy to get snuggle time with all of Papa Staley’s family.
Uncle Jim and Aunt Gwen held her when she was sleeping.
Aunt Carol got some smiles – (Uncle Gary held her too, but I didn’t get a picture – will have to get one at Christmas!)
Aunt Gloria brought Kivrin a little Illini teddy bear!
This picture was taken right before Kivrin hit her cousin Allan in the face while flailing around. He didn’t even get upset!
Kivrin Anne 
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