She could join the circus...

Thanks for the circus pictures, Mitch! Thanks for planting the circus seed, Danni! Who knows? It may end up being a legitimate talent?

My Lil Pollock

The other day Viv and I painted -- well more like Vivi rolled herself around in the paint, and ATE the paint, while I chased after her trying to keep the cleanup to a minimum. We've painted before but this time I really let her get down in it...YES it was hard for me. I had to stifle my inner neat freak big time! It was amazing how much she loved getting dirty and how she actually took her little hands and tried to make her own shapes. At one point she took her little paint soaked hands, clapped them really hard, and then ran her fingers through the paint splatter to make a little design from it that kind of looked like a heart. A heart! She's a genius, no really, she is.

My beautiful girl

Here is my beautiful baby, getting so big. Five weeks until her 1st birthday. Lots and lots of decisions going on around the Weathers household. I will be forthcoming in no time, but for now I'd like to just marvel at my little almost 1 year old. We've been super busy making plans, and we've also been gone -- we took our first overnight without Vivienne this past Saturday. It was lovely, and beyond relaxing, and what do you know? Mitch and I STILL have a million things to talk about when baby isn't around! I'll post soon with all the details. Hope everyone had as lovely a weekend as I did.

To sleep, or not to sleep?

This is what Viv was doing yesterday INSTEAD of napping. Making music on the side of her crib, and playing with strings. I've been in a video kind of mood lately, can you tell? Thanks for the footage Mitch!

Practice makes perfect

Outtakes (10 month portrait)

Month: 10

I asked Mitch to take a 10 month portrait for me yesterday, and this is what he came up with. Naked, and trust me when I say this is the only photo in which she is sitting nicely. But that look in her eye, up to no good, that one! Thanks, Babe.

Dearest Vivienne James,

Here we are in the middle of your 10th month, and I am just getting around to writing you a note. Better late than never is my motto these days. It takes me at least 3 times longer than it took before you came into the world, to do just about ANYTHING. This month is really a good month for you, Tootie. You're teething, but nothing major. You are through the horrors of sleep training, and you sleep like a champ, putting yourself down around 7 and usually not waking until 6am -- even when you are teething (truly the best thing we ever did for you). Even when we travel now, which has been a lot lately, you sleep much better. You've been able to spend lots of time with family and even went swimming in the hot hot Sacramento sun. You LOVE blueberries, so much so that your butt is actually STAINED blue. It really is. It's all you'll eat.

I should mention that you are hilarious these days. Sometimes, you are down right scary. Like today when we went to the library for Storytime, and I had to leave early because the teacher kept having to stop the story and STARE at me like "Get control of your baby lady!" I mean, what's wrong with screaming at the top of your lungs the word "DADADADADADADADAAA!"? And every time she would speak up a little, you would get louder as if competing with her. You only made 2 babies cry by crawling up to them and mauling their backs and stealing their books (all in the spirit of love, of course). I am really not exaggerating when I say that you think the world is your playground. I love this about you. Even if I have to spend my entire time at playgroups crawling around behind you, taking you off of the laps of strangers that you have crawled up to. As if to let them know they can hold you now, and PLEASE read me this story!

You are really starting to walk now with our hands or with your push cart. I fight back tears every time I think of you turning one. It is so close. I typically end an evening by coming out of your room after I've laid you down and proclaim to your Daddy, "It's like a countdown to the end of infancy!" as I wipe away tears. I'm not even going to tell you what he says back to me but there is MAJOR eye rolling involved.

Viv, you fit into our family so perfectly that it's hard to even remember a life before you. And your Daddy and I did a lot of living together before you came along! Every time you smile or chuckle I get this heavy, elated feeling at the pit of my stomach. People tell me this is what love feels like. But it feels deeper than that.

Happy 10 months, Pookie. You are so special, and so loved.

xxx
Mommy