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Our house just hasn’t been the same since Kivrin’s Aunt Leigh Anne and cousin Colin went back home to Milwaukee last Sunday. It’s much quieter, for one thing. And much less fun, even though we are just now getting the toys put away five days later!! (I’ve heard this toy takeover happens at Papa Staley’s house too!)
Colin liked to play with our old Fisher Price toys, especially the airplane and the dragon from the castle.
Aunt Leigh Anne has the magic touch when snuggling Kivrin.
Kivrin gave Colin a present – this Halloween puzzle has 24 pieces, and Colin could work it with only a little bit of help from his mommy. He also helped match all of Kivrin’s clean socks, and entertained Kivrin with songs (see the video!) Kivrin hopes that we can visit with Colin again soon!
Improvisational singing with a toddler can lead to hilarious results. On two car rides, Colin, Lissa, Leigh Anne, Dan (and baby Kivrin!) were singing the new song “Organic Farm” from Nerissa Nields “Rock All Day/Rock All Night” album. We had just been to the Topeka zoo though, and Colin has MANY suggestions for additional animals on the farm!
The joys of parenting. Kivrin is still rejecting the bottle and dependant on the silicone shield to nurse. On Monday, while I discussed “Heart of Darkness” with my library book group, Dan watched Kivrin at home for two hours. She wouldn’t take my milk from the bottle and then cried herself to sleep.
On Wednesday we tried again with the bottle before I went to the La Leche League meeting. She’s not taking any milk in either of these photos – for Dan she’s just screaming, and for me, she is smiling and pushing the bottle away. 
The women at La Leche League are so cool and supportive — it’s great to be able to talk with other moms about these challenges. Some suggestions we are going to try include trying different brands of bottles, and trying to feed her while she is sleepy, upright, or even while walking around with her. The nurses at the Breastfeeding Clinic said that she wasn’t going to starve and she would take the bottle if she needed it – they recommended that we offer a bottle every day, although it is hard to try it that often since it is so traumatic for all of us right now. At La Leche, one person shared that her daughter refused to take a bottle at day care and would just eat all night when reunited with mommy – the fasting equivalent of sleeping through the night, but just during the day instead. Another person’s baby wouldn’t take a bottle and went straight to a sippy cup when she was 4 months old. Everyone agrees that Kivrin is getting plenty of nourishment and gaining weight steadily and that we shouldn’t worry too much about it (but it is hard not to worry, of course!!)
Ella (the little cat) will occasionally walk up and sniff Kivrin’s hand, but generally could care less if the baby is awake, moving around, crying, etc.
Ella does seem to like the baby’s stuff though, especially to sit on it, sleep on it, and claim it as her own. I don’t understand why she is trying to sit in the baby’s boppy pillow…but she is definitely a silly little kitten.
The big cat may never forgive us for bringing home this new “pet” that takes all of our attention away from him. The few times he gets close enough to check out Kivrin, she moves her arm or makes a sound, and he runs away. He usually watches us all suspiciously from the kitchen doorway.
Hopefully the cats appreciate the relative peace and quiet of having an infant in the house now, because last weekend they got a preview of what it will be like to have a toddler around, and I think the big cat especially is still recovering from the ordeal!!!
Watch Leigh Anne and Colin read to Lissa and Kivrin.
While Kivrin’s cousin Colin and Aunt Leigh Anne were visiting, we all went to The Toy Store storytime for some singing and stories with Kyler. Colin especially liked to shake his sillies out and play “the freeze.” Kivrin stayed awake the whole time and didn’t cry (or eat) until afterwards, so she obviously loved it as well.
Colin, Kivrin and Lissa walking on the zoo path.
Leigh Anne and Colin admiring an orangutan who can climb a ladder while holding his lunch!
Colin watches the big gorilla.
Colin roars at the lions.
Leigh Anne and Colin get up close to the colorful parrot.
Lissa and Kivrin enjoying the steamy heat of the Tropical Rainforest exhibit.
We all rode the Gage Park mini-train together. Colin was too mesmerized by the train to smile for the camera.
Leigh Anne helped Colin use the cool digger toys at the park — they only got a *little* bit of sand in their shoes!
Motherhood has taught Lissa many things in the past two months. Today’s lesson was that it is indeed possible to nurse your baby on the Gage Park mini-train if that is when she gets frantically hungry. Leigh Anne took this picture of us just because we were proud we had survived that adventure!
From waiting for the hippos to say hello to riding on the mini-train, Colin and his baby cousin Kivrin have a fun morning together at the park, ending with one last trip down the slide.
Kivrin is stuck in giggle mode and very, very happy when she is being entertained by her cousin Colin and by her mommy! (Thanks to Aunt Leigh Anne for capturing these moments on camera!)
Overheard from Aunt Leigh Anne’s phone conversation later in the day: “the baby is the cutest thing in the whole wide world and people laugh at her just to make her smile”
Kivrin enjoys using Colin’s old activity mat to entertain herself…and maybe Colin still enjoys the garish lights, jarring music and dangling toys as well.
Kivrin was 6 weeks old on Saturday! We can’t believe how quickly the time has passed – hopefully we don’t look too much worse for the experience. Earlier today, Dan teased me about forgetting something, and I reminded him that I haven’t had more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a really long time!
Lissa and Kivrin on her 6 week birthday! Kivrin is rapidly outgrowing her 0-3 month clothes and her size 1 diapers. We are trying to keep using the smaller diapers until we run out of them, and we will try to wear some favorite outfits a few more times before we pack them away.
Daniel and Kivrin at the doctor’s office for our 6 week checkup. Kivrin weighed 11 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 22 inches. All of the nurses found a reason to stop by our exam room to admire the baby. The doctor examined Kivrin, talked to her parents, and even took a Polaroid picture of our family to “immortalize us on the wall” of his practice. Kivrin watched her mommy and daddy each bravely get TWO shots — a flu vaccine and a pertussis (whooping cough) booster — but she doesn’t get any immunizations of her own until her next appointment, in a month.
As much as Papa Staley likes to remind us not to talk on the cell phone or text in the car, he has something new to worry about now — we installed a little mirror that lets us see the baby’s face in her rear-facing infant seat by looking in our own rearview mirror. Don’t worry grandpa – we’re keeping our eyes on the road (except at stop lights, of course, and when the baby coughs, or coos, or squeaks, or laughs, or cries….)
Kivrin would get bored doing the same thing all day, so we change her scenery frequently.
Kivrin likes to smile at the underwater creatures that decorate her crib bumper.
Only a little baby would think that sitting up with their hands in the air was a comfortable way to nap…
Kivrin loves to look at the big smiling face in the center of the star, especially when she flails around enough to activate the motion-sensitive lights and sounds on this toy.
Daniel and I have an excellent division of labor while caring for Kivrin. I supply the milk and feed the baby, and he takes care of most of the diaper changing!
Yes, the album is good, but I was referring to the nice people who deliver our mail and bring us fun stuff. Today we got a new CD by our favorite singing sisters – Katryna and Nerissa Nields. (LA and Colin – Kivrin thinks you should check your mailbox for a surprise tonight!)
I’m thinking this might be their best album yet – it includes some of their own classics like Superhero Soup and The Enemy Called Pants, plus their new versions of other familiar songs. For example, they updated “When the Saints Go Marching In” by singing a new verse– “If you can’t play guitar like Arlo and if you can’t write song like Dar, you can listen, you can dance, you can sing sing sing and find heaven wherever you are.”
I’m a little bit in love with it already.
AND, Kivrin got a halloween package from Gramma Mary – I couldn’t resist dressing her up a bit early. Can you identify which 1990’s movie she’s dressed like in this photo?
Kivrin just can’t get enough of the fish mobile that Gramma Mary sent us. It is literally her most favorite thing to do if she is awake. She loves to watch the fish moving in the air above her. Unfortunately, it’s a low-tech toy, powered by mommy or daddy, and she likes it best when the fish are “swimming” around.
Kivrin is enjoying the activity gym more now – last night she played with it for over 30 minutes, much to the surprise of her parents, since we thought she was “winding down for bed” just before…
Kivrin Anne 
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