i wanna hold your hand

Now that Vivian is more alert, Emma Jane loves sitting next to her. Today I put Vivi in the bouncy seat next to Emma Jane who was sitting on the floor watching one of her favorite shows. I walked into the kitchen for a minute and when I peeked back to check on them, this is what I saw! Emma Jane had taken Vivi's hand and was sweetly holding it while she watched her show. As you can see from the last picture, Vivi thought it was pretty sweet, too!

little miss sassy pants

Emma Jane has become a little sassy recently. Okay, okay, if I'm going to be honest, she's been sassy for quite some time now, but her sassiness has become a little outrageous. Here are a few of her favorite sassy sayings...

"NO WAY!"
(this has replaced just plain old NO)

"But I CAN'T do it! I CAN'T!"
(imagine this said with a super whiny voice)

"I don't want to do ANYTHING!"
(when we offer options other than what she really wants to do)

"Just one more!"
(this applies to books, cookies, minutes, or anything that has come to an end)

"Please, please, please!!!"
(thanks to Olivia the Pig, she thinks that a triple please will truly get her anything she wants)

"No thank you!"
(although this doesn't seem like a sassy saying, it is when it's shouted in response to something she is expected to do)

So, do we give in to this sassy behavior? In the words of our Little Miss Sassy Pants, "NO WAY!"

all snug in her bed

This morning Vivi took a short nap in her crib for the first time! We haven't been able to lay her flat on her back because of the reflux so she usually sleeps in her swing. Today I thought I'd try to prop her up on a pillow in her crib to see how she handled it. She seemed comfy and fell asleep quickly. I kept a close eye on her and the nap only lasted about 30 minutes, but it's a start! Paul and I worked on organizing and decorating her nursery this weekend, so I've also included a sneak peek of it. We aren't quite finished, but it's finally starting to look like a nice place for our littlest one to sleep and play.

party girls

We had fun at little Carlie's first birthday party last Saturday. This was Vivi's very first birthday party attendance. As usual, she spent most of the time in the car seat, but Emma Jane made a point to check on her from time to time. Surprisingly, Vivian stayed awake the whole time we were there. She even made a short appearance out of the car seat until hunger set in and the wailing began! The big girls enjoyed yummy pizza for lunch and delicious cupcakes to celebrate this special birthday. They then ran around chasing each other with squeals of delight. I didn't manage to get a picture of the sweet birthday girl, but she was a doll! What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

little diva

I did a little mini photo shoot with Vivi while Emma Jane was in school this morning. Most of the pictures I take of her are when she's in the car seat or in the bouncy seat. Due to her reflux, these are the things that keep her propped up so she spends most of her time in them. Don't worry, she gets held an awful lot, too! She seemed to love being in the spotlight during our photo shoot. Although she didn't give me very many of those big smiles that we regularly see from her, she looked so sweet and happy.

bubbles!

Emma Jane is so proud that she can now blow bubbles all by herself. We've been practicing for a long time now, but she just didn't quite get the idea of "gentle blowing". She was so excited about her bubble-blowing skills that she wanted to teach Vivi. As you can see, Vivi was not at all interested, but Emma Jane was so impressed with herself that she didn't even notice her baby sister was sleeping through the tutorial!

puttin' on the pudge

Our little Viv is finally starting to put some meat on those tiny bones. She is now up to a whopping 13 pounds! The reflux has kept her weight gain to a minimum, but she has been growing just the same. We are thrilled to see some pudge in those sweet cheeks!

i love you more than icecream

Emma Jane and I have been playing the "I love you more than..." game for a few weeks now. I started this by telling her that I love her more than ice cream, something SHE likes a lot! Then I would say, "I love you more than toys" or "I love you more than cookies"...you get the point. Well, she got it, too! All on her own, she started asking me, "Do you love me more than chocolate?" or "Do you love me more than coffee?" She knows that these are things that I do, indeed, like an awful lot! Of course, I could whole-heartedly tell her that YES, I DO love her more than those things. Tonight she totally cracked me up by asking, "Do you love me more than cameras?" and "Do you love me more than washing machines?" and "Do you love me more than vacuums?" These are the things that I use on a daily basis and she obviously thinks that I love using them. Of course, I could HONESTLY say that YES, I love her more than those things. Inevitably, she also asked if I loved her more than daddy. I was waiting for this one. I explained to her that I love daddy, Vivi, and her equally. Surprisingly, she accepted this answer without question. She's a smart girl who definitely knows how much she is loved, but she doesn't mind sharing that love with those she loves too!

spring has sprung

We are enjoying this springy weather and spending a lot of time outside!

bumbo!

Look who's sitting up in the bumbo! Vivi gave it a try for the first time this weekend. She sat up pretty well and seemed to like the new view it provided. Not to be outdone, Emma Jane gave it a try, too. She was not a fan of the bumbo when she was Vivi's age, but she seems to think it's pretty cool now! Emma Jane also thought it was fun that Vivi could sit next to her on the floor while she watched one of her favorite shows. Cute sisters!