Category Archive

Aunt Leigh Anne has lots of experience with snuggling cute babies, and Kivrin appreciated all of the snuggles they shared during Leigh Anne’s visit. The only question is — did Leigh Anne snuggle Kivrin to sleep? Or was it the other way around?

Up until this point, we were always concerned about our two cats taking an interest in the baby….

now we are starting to pay attention to the interest that Kivrin is taking in the two cats. She doesn’t notice them all of the time (they don’t have flashing lights, rattles, or play music) but when nothing else is going on, her eyes follow them across the room, and if they happen to get close, she does her best to pet them.

I’ve been reading her the book “Touch and Feel Kittens” to practice, although the real kitty fur is much softer, and easier to grab, than the little  fake patch of fur in the book.

Unlike money, babies do in fact grow on trees. (As made evident by this photo.) Alternately, we got camera-happy over Thanksgiving….

Kivrin playing “So Big” with her Grandpa and Grandma while we visited them for Thanksgiving.

Kivrin had lots of fun when her Gramma Mary visited– especially reading and laughing and snuggling together!

Since our friend Kate’s parents live close to Dan’s parents in Kansas City, we were all able to get together on Thanksgiving night.

Kivrin and Avery get reaquainted.

Dan played with Avery and got a preview of the skills Kivrin will be learning in the next few months.

While Kate was holding Kivrin, Addison stopped coloring long enough to get in on the action, and into the picture!

Kivrin loves to sit in this chair in the kitchen and coo and shreik at us while we cook or eat or wash bottles!

All together for Thanksgiving makes for an excellent family portrait opportunity.

Is Leigh Anne really that funny? Yup, Kivrin thinks so!!

What more is there to say?

A few tricks for making cookies with a baby in the house:
1. Let her watch the mixer and the measuring

2. Let her “help” by playing with her own measuring cup.

3. Talk to her as much as possible, teaching her about fractions (measuring) and chemical change (baking) and traditions (grandma’s recipes).

 
4. When the time comes to preheat the oven, make sure there are 2-3 extra adults around to help juggle baby and oven timer and dirty dishes!

Trying to get a good picture to use for Christmas cards can be a challenge — especially trying to get a baby (and the parents) to all smile and look at the camera at the same time. Here are some of the best pictures from our photo shoot/

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at Dan’s parents house in Kansas City.

We took family photos in front of the fireplace.
Kivrin napped most of the meal in this beautiful wooden bassinet.

Kivrin played with her cousin Thomas, who is about 6 months older than her and already crawling and pulling up!

What a word–exersaucer–for such a fun toy! Kivrin loves to be upright now, and the exersaucer helps her bounce around and reach and play. I loved her face in these pictures – perpetually surprised by the toys around her.

Kivrin is already blessed with many toys and clothes, but since several people have asked about it, we put together a Christmas list of things that she would appreciate and enjoy.

For my convenience, most things are on her Amazon wish list (it’s heavy on award-winning toys for toddlers) but by all means please shop locally for these items if you can!

Items not easily listed on Amazon are:

Sears Portrait Studio gift cards for her 6 month and 1 year photos.

If you want to buy her clothing, your guess is as good as ours about clothing sizes. Kivrin weighs 13.5 pounds at age 3 months (end of November). She does not need more clothes in size 6 month, she is wearing those now.

She could wear long-sleeved outfits and sleep-and-plays in size 9 months later this winter and maybe also in size 12 months for next spring. She could also use some size 12 month or larger socks, especially in bright or dark solid colors.

Also, she is a drooler, so cute bibs with animals, flowers, etc. can be worn over other outfits now to prevent multiple clothing changes —  Since these are to wipe drool they should be soft and absorbent!

Or, if you don’t want to shop for “stuff”, you could donate to our new local children’s museum – Kansas Children’s Discovery Center – they are building beginning next Spring.

Mostly what Kivrin wants for Christmas is to visit each and everyone one of you, give you a big smile and some snuggles, and then leave a little drool on your shirt collar as a sign of her love!