Lots of Updates

Okay, so I really need to get better about updating my blog. A lot of things have happened since February.

We ended up getting new carpet, which turned out to be the best investment ever! Our house looks brighter and newer and we don't feel congested all the time. I don't have to vacuum 3 times a week anymore either, which is a huge benefit.

We also remodeled our master bathroom. This was a much larger undertaking that we original thought due to very extensive mold growth on 2 of the walls. Chris and I did all the demo work (okay, mostly me because Chris was at work all day), including taking out the tile floor, cabinets, sheetrock, and moldy insulation. We found that the outside wall didn't have a vapor barrier on it and the wrong sheetrock was used for a moist environment. Our contractor did an absolutely amazing job and we're very, very pleased with the end result. We have two new vanities, a new tub, new tiled shower and semi-frameless door, two new mirrors, new toilet, new light fixtures, new exhaust fan (that was a bit of a complicated process to figure out how to install and vent), new door knobs, new paint, and a new beautiful tile floor. We love it!

We haven't traveled at all, although I finally made it down to FL again -- 6 months after I planned on going back down. It was a very productive week, but the drive absolutely sucks (all 10 hours of it) and it's very expensive (hotels are ridiculous, especially around graduation) to stay there, so I probably won't be back down for awhile.

We are planning a major trip to Pittsburgh in July -- our first vacation since last September. I'll be there for 2 weeks and Vivian and Chris will be there for a week.

We've been dealing with a lot of illnesses lately. Vivian has had a couple of ear infections since January. She also got pinkeye, which was passed on to me and then onto Chris. I ended up getting a sinus infection (again!) and finally took my antibiotics to get rid of it.

In March, Vivian started going to school FT. I started working then doing some usability consulting work, so the work is pretty sporadic. I worked for 3 weeks and then was off for 3 weeks and now I've been back on for 3 weeks and should be wrapping up everything by the end of this week. The biggest problem is that when I'm moderating studies (running participants), I don't get a break AT ALL. No lunch break, no snack break, no potty break, nothing. I typically run 4-5 participants back-to-back. This current study had 3 or 4 people a day, 2 hour sessions each. It's a paycheck, but it's definitely not what I want to be doing for the rest of my life (or even this year).

Vivian is doing really well, other than being sick. She went to the dentist yesterday (her 3rd visit, but first real cleaning) and had NO CAVITIES again! No surprise to us -- she loves to brush her teeth every night and we don't give her candy, sweets, juice, or any of the other typical toddler crap. Oh..and she's getting all 4 of her 2-year molars at the same time. So, all 20 teeth will soon be in.

I can't believe she's almost 2 1/2. She's such a big girl. She's really starting to use her imagination. The other day she found some cardboard and was making chairs and houses for Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Grover. She also likes to put them in her school bus and drive them around the playroom. Apparently "North Carolina" is under the table and "Pittsburgh" is near her couch. She loves to dance and run around naked yelling "naked butts." The weather is now in the 90s, so she loves to splash around in her water table. She still likes playdough and art projects and is doing extremely well at school. She recognizes a lot of letters and numbers and can spell Vivian. She's also fully potty and pooped trained! :) Way to go kiddo!!! Mommy and Daddy are soo proud!

Chris and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on April 15th. What a crazy 3 years it's been. We've had a few more date nights. Hockey season ended a long time ago (poor Canes), but we've still been going to Broadway shows. Last week we saw Chris Botti play with the NC Symphony. He's such an amazing trumpeter! Tonight we're going to see Spamalot. After that, we have no dates planned. Guess we'll need to get something on the calendar.

I'll try to be better about updating the blog. Just have so much going on. With work, I'm not able to work on anything school related which has been really difficult. I hate going to FL and gaining all this momentum so I can come home and lose it all because I have to go back to work. I'm hoping my schedule will get better soon!

Here are some pics of Vivian to enjoy!

Vivian playing with a 1-month-old kid at Celebrity Dairy.


Wearing Daddy's hat


The Easter Bunny brought me Bunny Snacks (and books)!


Touching a chinchilla at Yash's 3rd BD party at the Durham Museum of Life and Science



Touching a bearded lizard


Posing for the camera -- 29 months

The Last 4 1/2 Months

I can't believe it's been 4 1/2 months since I last posted something. Let me try to remember all that has happened. After our trip to GA, I headed back to FL for a few more days, while Chris and Vivian went back home. A couple of weeks later we went to the NC State Fair and I ended up picking up some nasty illness, which I'm still suffering from 3 1/2 months later! We think it was the flu, then it became a sinus infection which didn't completely go away, and then I got hit again about a month ago and am still suffering. :( Unfortunately, Vivian and Chris were not immune to the illnesses. Vivian is currently on her 2nd antibiotic over the past couple of weeks. She had a sinus infection and now has an ear infection. She is also getting a 2-year molar, so we've had a lot of sleepless nights (almost every single night for several weeks).

I started a short-term PT contract in October, which was to last only 6 weeks. It ended up lasting 3 months and turned into a 40-hour + a week job. I finally had to quit before the contract was officially over (after they renewed it 2 or 3 times). Between me being sick and working all hours (including Christmas Day and New Years), I decided the job wasn't worth it at all.

I wasn't able to travel back to FL in October or to CA to present at a conference because I was sick. Unfortunately during this time, my Papa (my last living grandparent) passed away.

We took Vivian trick-or-treating around the neighbourhood this year. She dressed up as Emily Elizabeth from Clifford the Big Red Dog. My child LOVES Clifford. I think we own almost every Clifford book.

We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. Our friend Tim came over and spent time with Vivian.

Vivian's 2nd birthday party was a lot of fun. We invited her preschool class and a couple of her other friends. A few of our friends came too. The kids enjoyed eating snacks (and gluten-free cupcakes) and playing in the playroom. I can't believe I survived a house of 7 2-year-olds!

Christmas came and went fairly quickly. Vivian got a few new things -- books, play fruits/veggies for her kitchen, and a tricycle from Santa!! We also got a White Christmas! First time in 60+ years that it has snowed on Christmas in NC! Vivian loved playing in the snow.

Chris's brother, Sam, came to visit us over New Year's. We were able to go to a Hurricanes hockey game. It was a lot of fun.

Chris started a new job at the beginning of January and we ramped up Vivian to go to preschool everyday from 9-3, so I could have a few hours each day to work on my dissertation. She's still doing really well at school. She forms complicated thoughts now and loves to sing and dance. She can count to 13 and say her ABCs. She can recognize a few letters. Her favourite activities are playing the piano, doing puzzles, playing with her kitchen, and reading books. She loves hockey games (and anything hockey related) and the Steelers! She's also pretty much potty-trained at school and is getting really good about telling us she needs to go at home.

I'm hoping to head back down to FL as soon as I can rid the sinus infection, cough, etc. I have had an apartment down there since December but haven't been able to go down because I've been so sick.

Overall, we're doing just okay. It's been a really rough few months and I'm eager to have a healthy household again!

We're getting new carpet this week, which I really think has been contributing to the illnesses. It's an old, nasty carpet that has definitely seen the end of its life after 5 kids and an old dog. I can vacuum 2-3 times a week and stuff still comes up! Probably doesn't help that I have a severe dust allergy! :(

I'll leave you with a few pics of Ms Vivian!

Hiding behind the otters at the Georgia Aquarium


Sitting with the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch


Ready to go Trick or Treating


Eating the snow flakes


Dressed up to go see Santa!


Playing with her kitchen dishes. She's eating a fruit salad.


Enjoying the 6" of snow on Christmas Day!

Life at Home and Away

I've been splitting my time between NC and FL, working on my dissertation research, which has been difficult. Of the 6 weeks that Vivian has been in preschool, I've been home for 3 1/2 weeks. It's been pretty rough. I went down to FL for the first week of classes. I met several professors, including the professor whose class I'm using for my study. I got a lot done, so it was very productive. I was trying to make up for the 4 months of NO progress.

I'm currently in GA for the weekend, although I've been away for 9 days now and won't be home for another 6 days! :( Thankfully, Chris and Vivian are driving down to meet me for the weekend...so at least I can see my family (other than using Skype every night for storytime). Vivian currently says "mommy laptop." She sees me on Chris's laptop. Chris says she's doing really well adjusting to me not being there, which I'm grateful for...but I still have severe mommy guilt. I HATE FL..HATE IT, but I need to go down a few more times to collect more data.

When I'm home, we've started exploring our own backyard now that the weather is getting slightly cooler. Okay, so it's still been in the 90s, but that's better than it has been. We went to the Duke Gardens, which are absolutely beautiful, and to the Duke Chapel. We've enjoyed exploring various parks in the area. We also took a trip to the NC Zoo! Vivian had a great time looking at all of the animals. We paid another visit to Marbles, the children's museum, which was a total zoo with a lot of older kids running around -- so we didn't stay long. We also went to the NC Museum of History, which was pretty interesting. There was also an old classic car show that day, so we walked around the capitol area of downtown Raleigh. We also went to the Durham Museum of Life and Science, but didn't stay long because the event wasn't that great and it started to rain outside so we couldn't go see the animals. We took Vivian to the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) to see where our season tickets would be. We all really enjoyed walking around on stage and backstage.

One of Vivian's favourite activities is going to the RDU observation deck and playground. She likes to watch the planes take-off and land. She also (finally) likes playing in the sand!!

Vivian is really thriving at preschool, which we knew she would. She looks forward to going twice a week for a few hours each day. We went to Vivian's back-to-school night where we met with her teacher and talked about Vivian's progress.

We decided to sign her up for The Little Gym again this semester. She always says "have fun Little Gym" and "shake bells." She likes to tell me about her day! :)

Vivian is doing really well overall. Her vocabulary is pretty amazing, as she says over 200 words now and can tell you what the books titles are by looking at the cover. She loves reading Clifford books. We have almost the entire collection!

I'm hoping to take some pics of Vivian this weekend! We're going to the gluten-free vendor fair tomorrow (YEAH!!!!) and then to the aquarium on Sunday!

First Day of Preschool

Vivian started preschool this morning. After touring the school 5 months and talking to the director 6 months ago, we were so eager to finally send her to school. She's probably the youngest child in her class because they start accepting kiddos at 20 months. She's in the early preschool classroom (20 months to 3 years).

We dropped her off with a smile and we picked her up with a smile. Her teachers said she did great. We'll see how the drop-off goes on Thursday.

Oh..and what did mommy and daddy do after we dropped her off -- went to Target! It was really weird to run an errand and not have Vivian with us. Of course, we came home after that and started working.

Here's a first day of school picture taken before we left this morning:

There's something new in the bathroom.....

It's a POTTY CHAIR!



I bought it at a consignment sale several weeks ago and finally cleaned it up and put it into the bathroom. Vivian saw it when she woke up from her nap and immediately knew what it was. I took off her diaper and she sat on the toilet........and PEED!!!!! Not bad for the first time on the potty!!!

Now we need to come up with a plan! :)

We're still here!

I know I haven't provided a life update in a couple of months. We FINALLY closed on our house, a month after we were supposed to close. It was a very difficult process and even up until the day we did close, we weren't 100% sure we were going to close. Thankfully, the sellers were wonderful to work with and they allowed us to rent the house from them for a month while we worked on securing funding.

Other than trying to close on the house, we haven't done much else. I have to laugh at this, but it's really true. We haven't gone anywhere or really gotten into a routine yet. We've been trying to find sitters/nannies but haven't had much luck. We really miss our sitter that we had when Vivian was an infant.

We did have to buy a new car -- a Honda Pilot (like everyone else, it seems). Vivian's very excited about the Honda Pilot. She keeps looking out the window and saying "Honda Pilot" all the time. Chris's Audi was finally put to rest after it leaked oil in the driveway.

Vivian and I are just getting over colds and have been out of commission for almost a week, so hopefully we'll be back to 100% next week.

We switched ped's offices and just met her new pediatrician yesterday. She was awesome! We really liked her and her daughter is in Vivian's class at preschool!

Vivian is enjoying going to the Y and to The Little Gym. Who knew that gymnastics for toddlers would be so much fun?! She is starting preschool in about a week-and-a-half. I'm really looking forward to it!!! She's going to have so much fun there. We went to orientation a couple of weeks ago. Vivian didn't want to leave! I'm excited for her to learn about composting, recycling, gardening, and living a healthy life, in addition to meeting friends and learning about different topics.

Vivian is also enjoying her new playroom! Her climber, kitchen, PBK table and chairs, some books, alphabet/# mat, and smaller toys are up in the bonus room. Her couch, some more books, and picnic table are downstairs. Her PBK chair and house are in her bedroom. We also recently bought her a wagon and she's having a great time being pulled around the cul-de-sac and down to the greenway.

Vivian finally has enough hair for pigtails!!!!






I've been having a difficult time adjusting to life back in NC. I'm going to be going back to FL in a couple of weeks. My plan is to go back once a month for a week. My hope was to go to FL for the semester and to take Vivian with me, but it's just not really feasible, so this is the compromise. If I need to go down more often (just not move there), then I can do that too.

I hope to keep more up-to-date with the blog. It's just been a really rough 3 months!

Toys

Someone asked me the other day what kinds of toys Vivian really enjoyed when she was an infant - early toddler. So, here's the list:

Fisher Price Baby's First Blocks - Basically a shape sorter with a bucket. It started with just mouthing the shapes and now she can put the shapes in the appropriate holes. She still loves it.

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Fun with Friends Musical Table - Vivian was introduced to this when she was a tiny baby at our sitter's house. When we moved to FL, we had to get one. She still plays with it everyday. It's great because you can take the 4 legs off and sit it on the floor, then add 2 legs back on when she sits up. Then you can add the 4 legs when she stands up and becomes a cruiser.

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn House - Vivian rec'd this for her first Christmas when she was 12 months old and she still plays with it.

You'll notice a theme here. I'm allllll about toys that aren't just a novelty and that actually "teach" the kids something.

Books - Vivian has always had books and likes to read them everyday.

Stacking cups/blocks - These are great and are transportable everywhere! Get them and you'll thank me on a long road trip!

MEGA Bloks - Vivian likes to build things....and so does daddy! :)

Now that Vivian is older, she really enjoys puzzles (Melissa and Doug puzzles that have sounds), colouring, stickers, books, stuffed animals, her play kitchen, her chairs and tables (all different sizes), balls, and bubbles. She loves her Kangaroo Climber, which takes up a lot of room but it's great when the weather is rainy/too hot and we can't go to the playground.