Toe-Getter

Grocery Shopping

Now that Vivian is sitting up, we decided to give the shopping buggy a try. She did a super job! Check it out.

Sitting Pretty

Vivian decided to change her schedule on us the past few days. I guess she was working really hard on her newest accomplishment - sitting up by herself! Along with boycotting her naps, this evening we did our regular bedtime routine and after she ate and fell asleep I laid her down in her crib. No more than 5 minutes later she was awake. Not crying but rather playing with her feet, rolling around and trying to scoot from one side to the other. She was happy so we let her be. Not too long had past, maybe 10 minutes, and she was starting to get fussy. So, we went in and picked her up. She greeted us with a big smile. She was definitely not going to sleep. We took her into our room and just hung out on the bed. Derrick had her on his legs and she was just sitting there. He made me nervous because he wasn't holding her and I was worried she would topple over like she does every other time. Nope, she was just chillin', sitting on her daddy's legs. So we put her on the bed by herself and sure enough, she was sitting like a little lady. She was sporting that same smile she had when she rolled over for the first time - so proud of herself! Way to go Vivian!

It's cute how in the video she's looking at us like, "What's the big deal?"

Merry Christmas

We had a successful first Christmas with Vivian. We did have to take a time out for a nap in the middle of opening presents though. :) We got Vivian lots of great interactive toys that she can grow into. She has a few favorites; her flowers that light up and sing, a stuffed dog and a teether in the shape of a hand with rubber fingers. She also got a few new books to read. Luckily I got the cardboard ones because she wants to put everything in her mouth. While I'm reading to her she is trying to eat the pages. Because she got quite a few toys we had to invest in cubby shelves to organize her goodies. Overall it was a wonderful Christmas. Derrick and I both got some great gifts from each other as well. Hope your holiday was as special!

We opened our stockings first. Vivian got books, bubbles and bibs!

Vivian and Daddy putting Vivian's first ornament on the tree!

Vivian opening her first present. She really just wanted to put it in her mouth. She wasn't that interested in ripping the paper.

Vivian's first present - light up and singing flowers.

Nap Time!

Happy Baby again!

Christmas Dinner - rack of lamb, roasted acorn squash and asparagus all on the grill. Delicious!

New Twist on an Old Tradition - Christmas Eve Dinner

In my family we have a Christmas Eve tradition where we go to Grandma's and order pizza. We have done this for as long as I can remember. Grandma always makes Christmas dinner and to save her time and energy we order pizza. Well, when Derrick and I got married we decided to put a new twist on it. On Christmas Eve we have Create-Your-Own Pizza Night. Derrick's pizza is always a little more adventurous than mine topped with things such as anchovies. I like to stay with a more traditional pizza. I get crazy with the salami though (I am not a fan of pepperoni).

The finished product. Yum!

Sitting Pretty.....Almost

Vivian is still working on sitting up by herself. She does a pretty good job for about 5 seconds or so and then she falls to one side or decides she wants to roll over starting from the sitting position and glides down to the floor onto her belly.

Vivian practices in the Boppy.

Until she sees me with the camera and wants to eat it. :)
She even practices in the bathtub.

She will not lay back anymore. She just hangs out.

Vivian Met Santa

Vivian met Santa today! She did a great job. She took to him right away. He was a very sweet and gentle Santa although not better than the one I remember as a kid (wink wink dad).

Our first Christmas as a family of three!

Vivian practicing sitting up again.

Go Team!

Today we went to an Army/Navy football party hosted by the Naval Academy Alumni of Las Vegas. We had a great time cheering on Navy who won 27 to 21.

Second Opinion

Well we went to the second orthopedic this week. He told us just about the opposite that the first orthopedic told us. He believes that with basic stretches and tummy time Vivian's neck will even itself out. I can agree with that since the physical therapist was just going to do stretches anyway. We have also seen an improvement from birth to now and all we have done is tummy time and massages. The neck, however, was not my biggest concern. What about her hips. The orthopedic did a full body x-ray of Vivian's spine, something the other did not. He wanted to see how the whole spine lined up jot just isolated areas (neck and hip). He said everything looked great. He attributes the tilt in her stance to a tight hip-flexer muscles. He showed us that when she is laying down on her back, her right leg straightens all the way but her left leg is a little tight. He recommended just stretching out the muscle daily.

So, because our opinions were quite different. We decided to not go with either extreme - do everything or do nothing. We are going to continue with stretches, tummy time and massages for the next 2 months. At her 6 month check-up we will reevaluate. Based on the results we will take the next step.

Stylish?

This is what happens when Daddy dresses me....

That's ok, I can still play. I just look silly doing it. :)

First Night Out

Derrick and I went out last night alone for the first time since Vivian arrived. Derrick bought me a new 50s inspired dress for the occasion. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the back of it. Our big adventure alone was to Derrick's office holiday party. I put Vivian to bed before we left. She still has little cold and has been waking more often at night so I was even more nervous. Of course I was constantly checking my phone for messages or missed calls. We had a great time mingling, eating and dancing. We were out about 4 hours. When we got home Vivian was asleep int he babysitters arms. That meant she woke up. But that's ok, the babysitter was able to handle it. Overall it was a great night and next time we go out I might look at my phone 1 or 2 less times. :-)

Cheers to the holiday season!

4 months old

Vivian's third month was very busy with traveling and entertaining guests. But that didn't stop her from growing. At her 4 month check up the doctor said great things. She is gaining weight (13 pounds 5 ounces) which means she is getting enough nourishment from my milk and we don't have to supplement with formula. She is now standing just over 2 feet tall at 24.25 inches. Other than the little cold she had last week she is perfectly healthy and doing great. The doctor did notice that she was teething, which we knew already since she has been drooling like crazy and chewing on anything she can get in her mouth. Here's a round up of her best 3-month moments.





















Now that she has mastered rolling over and drooling, Vivian is working on sitting up by herself, getting her feet into her mouth, putting the pacifier in her mouth and reaching for people and things. Her sense of humor is developing more as well. We have tons of laughs every day! Wishing everyone a great month 4!

Hip Bone's Connected to Your Thigh Bone

So here's the skinny on our little angel. Vivian was born with a tilted neck. Being first-time parents we just figured she wasn't strong enough to hold her head up, not knowing that it should still be straight and in an upright position. At our last pediatrician appointment he had mentioned the tilt in her neck and told us just to give her a neck massage to loosen and lengthen the muscle on the side that was tight and short. After not seeing much improvement over the next month or so, we decided to look into it a little further. We made an appointment with an orthopedic. She was diagnosed with torticollis and hip dysplasia.

What is torticollis?
Torticollis is the fancy way of saying tilted or wry neck. Vivian's head tilts to the right and she looks up and to the left. This is caused by the muscle going from behind her right ear across her neck to her collar bone being tight or short. Torticollis is most often found in first born children and girls. It most likely developed in the womb by the way she was positioned. Because the muscles in the body help to form the placement of the bones, if it is not corrected then she will have the tilt her whole life. Also, the way the muscle is pulling it is also pulling the plates in her head to be mis-shapend. So one side of her head is more rounded than the other.

How are we going to fix it?
Vivian will have to go to physical therapy once a week to do stretches. The physical therapist will also give us homework stretches and exercises to do at home. From what I saw the orthopedic do, it is going to be a little uncomfortable and painful for Vivian until she gets used to it. Although the physical therapy has been proven to be highly successful in this type of condition, if improvement is not seen within the next 5 months, Vivian will have to wear a neck and head brace. Worse case scenario would be surgery.

What about the hip dysplasia?
With torticollis there comes the chance of hip dysplasia. Hips are supposed to be at a 20 degree angle inside the socket. After measuring the angle on Vivian's x-ray, the orthopedic determined that her hips are at a 30 degree angle. Much to large to not do anything about. If left uncorrected, Vivian could develop a hip-click, the hip can eventually dislocate or even disintegrate because the hip would not be positioned correctly in the socket.

How are we going to fix it?
Vivian will be fitted for a hip brace that must be worn 8-10 hours a night while she's sleeping. The brace will hold her hips and legs in an open position. It will have to be worn for about a year. If after a year it is not corrected then surgery will be necessary.

We have a second opinion appointment with an orthopedic next week. If the diagnosis and recommendations are the same then physical therapy begins next week and she begins wearing the hip brace. It will be a challenge at first I'm sure as the three of us get into a new routine. Check back for updates. Feel free to ask any questions.

Lots of Slime

Not only is Vivian drooling a ton she also has her first cold which is causing a lot of boogies to be running down her face. Yucko!

Florida Visit

Vivian and I got home last night from a two week stay in Florida. We were there to help out my mom after her surgery. Mom is recovering well! She also got to meet all of her aunts and most of her cousins. Unfortunately she was so out of her comfort zone that she was a bit cranky with seeing everyone at once. Hopefully we'll snag some happy pictures next time we see everyone. While we were there Vivian did some growing. Of course the biggest milestone was rolling over. Check out the video:

Atlantic Ocean

During our visit with my mom, we took Vivian to the beach for the first time. She touched the sand, squinted at the sun, wore sunscreen and felt the water. The touching the water part was cute, funny and sad for us and scary for her. The water was not exactly swimming temperature - there was nobody in the water. Me, mom and Grandma Elaine put our feet in the water and it was pretty cold. Well, I thought Vivian's little feet would be able to handle it just the same as ours. Boy was I wrong. As the water came up the beach, I put her tiny feet on the sand so the water would just skim over them. She had no initial reaction and then about 3 seconds later she let out this horrified scream. She was so scared. It took about 10 minutes to calm her down. Poor little thing. We'll have to give it another try when the water is more like her bath water - warm.

Touching the Atlantic Ocean for the First Time

4 Generations of Wonderful Women