Lovin' Life

Need I say more??

SNOW DAY!!

Last Thursday we got about 5-6" of snow here and let's just say, it turned into a pretty perfect snow day!! Although Liv was a bit to small to get out in the snow, we enjoyed a super fun and cozy day inside with our friends, Matt, Ashley, and Kuyper. They came over and tried out Kuyp's new snow suit in the snow and we had an amazing lunch together, a yummy pumpkin pie that I enjoyed making, some great movies, then some warm soup and another dessert for supper, compliments of the Brandts.

Liv loved time with who we affectionately refer to as Uncle Matt and Aunt Ash...and Kuyp too...they're getting to know each other! Livy seems to get comfy really quick on Uncle Matt, as you can see :)

What an awesome, fun day with good food and good friends!

Cloth Diapers

I'm loving my cloth diapers!!! Aren't they cute?! Although I do look a bit fearful in my blue one, no worries, I'm just not sure what to think about the camera yet...

City Coffeehouse!!

So excited about our first trip to City Coffeehouse with Liv! It was so yum and so awesome! It was a beautiful snowy morning in STL, and Liv slept cozy and comfy the entire time while we enjoyed amazing breakfast crepes.
This was a bit of a milestone for us because for some reason, ever since we lived in STL we have talked about how awesome it will be when we can bring our little baby there with us one day! Maybe because we would see other couples bring their tiny babies in and it seemed like a fun thing to do! I don't know...nonetheless, it was great!

Learning to Mimic

It is amazing how quickly babies learn, especially as newborns! I notice something new everyday that she is learning or progressing in. The latest is her mimicking our facial expressions, such as sticking our tongue out or making an 'O' shape out of our mouths. You can see her doing a little mimicking of Damein in this video. It's so fun!

Stretch it Out!

One of our favorite things to watch Livy do is stretch when she gets up in the morning or from a nap...she LOVES stretching. We let her go at it, and she takes advantage! So sweet! Damein says she takes after me on this because I love to do lots of stretching when I first wake up in the morning :)

Naptime

Here is a cute video of Livy napping. I'm loving my Flip video camera I got for Christmas! I wanted something very quick, simple, and easy to use for those moments you have to be super quick to capture! There's a really funny part when Livy throws herself to the side and before I can help her get realigned, she throws herself back in position! Never a dull moment!

Smiling for Daddy!

Livy loves smiling at her Daddy! Damein is so good at getting her to smile, and even laugh! Looks like she has dimples---I know you are excited Mema! This smiling episode started with Damein cleaning spit up off Livy's face:)

1 month!!

Can you believe it?! I'm already 1 month old! I must say I'm getting pretty attached to this interesting new home I've had the last 4 wks. Although I was warm and cuddly inside mommy, it's much better to be cuddled by mommy and daddy and have their arms around me. I like the sounds and smells, and I especially get mesmerized by faces. Watching mommy and daddy make faces at me is so fun!! Sometimes I try to make them back, but I'm still learning:)
Here are some highlight pictures from my first month, including my first stroller ride outside! There was a day nice enough in January (62 degrees!) for us to take a walk outside!

My 1 month visit stats are as follows:
12 lbs. 4 oz. (94th percentile)
22" long (81st percentile)

Happy New Year!

Just before New Year's the Schitters came to visit, and Livy got to meet her Uncle Cameron and Uncle Kody for the first time. She had a good time getting lots of love from everyone, and they loved giving it! I was bummed because my camera battery was dead most of the time they were here, but I was able to squeeze in a couple of pics!

My First Trip to Church!

Here are a few pics from my first trip to church! They say purple is a good color for me, so I decided to sport what is most flattering! :) My daddy preached, and I gave him a good loud cry when he first started, just to make sure he would acknowledge me:) But then mommy fed me, so I was happy again. Daddy did a great job, I can't wait for him to teach me more about Jesus. He already tells me a lot about him. Mommy sings songs with me about him too. I think I'm going to like church.

Christmas Night-Livy meets Family!

My parents, brother, and nephew Lucas came up to visit us for Christmas, arriving Christmas night. This was such a treat for us since we didn't travel anywhere for Christmas! Plus, this was the first time for Livy to meet Papa (my daddy), Uncle Jacob and cousin Lucas. I included some pics here of everyone's first face to face introduction, it was so sweet!!
We opened presents together and spent the next few days visiting and allowing Livy to get to know everyone! She had a great time and so did we! It truly completed a blessed and enjoyable Christmas!

Livy's First Christmas

Livy's first Christmas was a white one! We had a few inches of snow to complete our first Christmas as a family with our sweet new addition! It was a bit different since we stayed at home and didn't travel...we definitely missed our typical family gatherings and traditions! However, our quiet and WHITE Christmas in St. Louis turned out to be very special.
To start off the morning, Damein took care of Livy while I took a shower! It's the small things that have meant so much after having a baby, b/c I don't always have a chance to squeeze that in everyday!
I made the biscuits when I first got up and popped them in the oven, so that Damein could finish making breakfast while I showered. Once I got downstairs, he had the fire going, Christmas music playing, and the yummy smells of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and biscuits and gravy filling the air! This has become our traditional Christmas breakfast at home, which usually occurs in mid-December before we leave to visit family.

Livy had already had breakfast and took a nice long nap in her bouncy seat that we set up on top of the dining table while we ate breakfast. After breakfast, Damein and I tore into our stockings and presents for each other...while Livy continued to sleep!

One long-standing tradition in my family around Christmas is making gingerbread at my Grandmother's house. We always accompany this tradition by reading "The Gingerbears 1st Christmas"...an entertaining story about a family who made gingerbread bears who came to life and discreetly helped the family get ready for Christmas. It's a super cute book, which is now out of print. Damein managed to find and purchase a copy of it for me as a gift last Christmas, so he read it to Livy for the first time after we opened presents, while I made gingerbread!! YUM! I even made some gingerbears too in the spirit of the book! (Livy was still sleeping!)