Chubby Cheeked Beauty

Adventures in Unconsciousness

On the night of Thanksgiving, we got home around 7 pm.  The kids had not yet had their baths and we were running a bit behind on our evening routine.  Vivienne climbed up into the learning tower (kind of like a high step stool with a railing), and I was singing a song to her and tickling her.  She doubled over giggling, and she fell through the railing onto the hard tile floor of the kitchen. 

Vivienne immediately did the breath-holding thing that toddlers do right before they let out a loud cry (usually when they're frightened or hurt suddenly).  I immediately picked her up and carried her to the couch.  Meanwhile, her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out.  She was sitting on the couch like a rag doll with her arms and legs splayed.  She was only unconscious for about a second (literally about 1 second), and then she woke up and started screaming.  It scared me to death, and I cried along with her.  She was inconsolable and skipped her bath because she just wanted to snuggle and suck her thumb.  Luckily, before we put them to bed, she had gotten back to her old self and was talking, counting, etc.

During this time, I was debating as to whether or not we needed to take her to the ER.  Of course, we're not particularly cautious parents (well, I guess I'm not?), so we didn't even call the doctor.  The next day, she seemed fine as well.  We had Evelyn's 4-month visit that next day, so I asked the pediatrician whether we should have taken her to the hospital.  She said that because she fell less than 3 feet and she was walking normally and not speaking Mandarin, we were ok.

Here's to hoping she never hits her head and starts speaking another language!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving, we went to Grandma's house.  She pulled out all the stops, including Oreo turkeys (so cute!).

Our centerpieces for the meal were the little pine cone turkeys that the kids made - one for each of them.

Viv's Turkey

Miles' Turkey

But before the meal, we spent some time outside, climbing the fence, picking the holly berries, enjoying the sunshine and throwing the frisbee for Mindy.

Dinner was delicious - turkey, dressing, gravy, fruit salad, sweet potatoes, mac 'n cheese (the kids' favorite), green beans, broccoli and cranberry sauce... not to mention the cheesecake, carrot cake and pumpkin pie.  We left their house feeling very, very full.

After dinner and naps, we decorated Grandma and Grandad's tree.  I think this was the first time that Miles and Vivienne could really participate in the decorating.  They really had a blast.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We're thankful for having such amazing grandparents right down the street!

Evelyn is 4 Months!

Our baby girl is 1/3 of a year old already.  Evelyn had her monthly birthday just a few days ago, and we took her to the pediatrician yesterday for her 4-month appointment.  She is growing strong and weighing in at 15 lbs.  It always surprises me to see her in outfits that Vivienne wore when she was much older.  Evelyn is basically ahead a size, and Vivienne was always behind a size.  Here are Evie's stats:

• Height:  25.50 in (89%)
• Weight: 15 lb (68%)
• HC: 16.25 (71%)

Evelyn's little personality certainly is blossoming.  She smiles and coos and laughs the sweetest baby laugh.  She loves to kick her legs and make her bouncy seat rock.  She likes to smile at friends and strangers alike.

Evelyn has had quite a few developments this month.  She has learned to hold her hands together.  She can easily hold onto small objects that we give her.  She doesn't yet pass them from one hand to another.   She very clearly sees things that are very far away - such a contrast to the newborn that couldn't see past about 12 inches.

She still eats about every 3 hours or so.  At night, she usually only eats once.  But over the past week, she was eating about 3 times per night.  It was making me really tired during the day, but now we seem to be back to our once-nightly rendezvous.

Her hair is really starting to grow back in.  I'm very glad to see that.  I'm looking forward to hopefully braiding it someday if she will let me.  She has this extra long strip around the bottom of her head.  That should develop into a nice mullet after a few months.

People often comment about what a beautiful complexion she has.  She has olive skin, like her great grandmother (my maternal grandmother).

Happy birthday, baby girl!

Little Man

My kids have never had their hair cut at a salon.  Vivienne has basically never had her hair cut at all (except for a few bang trims early on).  I have cut Miles' hair for quite some time now. 

I started cutting Jason's hair a few years, and I found it to be pretty easy to trim.  He hasn't been to a real barber or salon in years.  But Miles has beautiful, shiny, straight, thick hair - a very different texture from his dad's hair.  I really love his hair.  I don't always do a great cut, but it has never been too embarrassingly awful.

Let's just say this last cut was a bit rough.

Ok, so it was REALLY rough.

Well, with a little help from Elmo and his sister by his side, I gave Miles his first short haircut.

Looking more like his handsome daddy every day.  Love you, buddy.

Jessi's Birthday Cake

For my mom's birthday, we made her a 4-layer chocolate cake from scratch.  Our neighbor, Jessi, also had a recent birthday, so I decided to try to make another one.  They both came out great.  And I think you could probably say that Vivienne also enjoyed the experience.

2-Year-Old Teething

I'm just going to be honest here.  About a week ago, we brushed the kids' teeth for the first time in about a month.  (Hey, they lose these teeth anyway, right?  No big deal.)  Well, when I was doing this, I noticed that Miles had some big molars coming in on the bottom.  I have no idea whether they're coming in on the top, too.

Anyway, I guess that explains some of the fussiness and the extreme drooling that has been happening around here.