movin' and groovin'

stay tuned for a new web address for this here blog. since it's no longer *just* the isa show, we thought it only appropriate to rename the blog to reflect both kiddos. but don't fret, all the old posts and pictures and videos will still be there, just under a new name. new year, new baby, new blog... wow. stay tuned.

sledding!

here is a slideshow from the weekend's sledding adventure. as cold as it's been this december, it's been a rather slim month for snow. so when it started falling christmas night, we were all excited to get out and play!

gerd baby, gerd.

sylvi has GERD. this would explain the spitting up, gagging, arching, crying, not sleeping, and so on. we just got back from the pediatrician with prescription Zantac, which we are hoping will work.

STOREWIDE SALE!

Time to clear out some merchandise... Mountain Aven Baby STOREWIDE SALE! Won't last long, don't miss out!

Forced out of Business? Thanks CPSIA.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled baby blog for some sad news regarding the state of Mountain Aven Baby and tens of thousand of other small businesses. Chances are, most of you have not heard of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that is to take affect February 10. Well, time to read up and pick up a phone (or pen!). This piece of legislation is intended to protect children in the United States from the harmful affects of cheaply made toys and clothing. Remember the lead scare of 2007? Right. Well, unfortunately the law is very poorly written (intentionally or unintentionally, depending on your viewpoint) and will make it illegal for businesses like mine to operate. This law states that any product intended for children under twelve be thoroughly tested for harmful by-products like lead and phthalates. This includes handmade clothing. Not surprisingly, this legislation was sponsored by some of the largest toy retailers-- Wal Mart and Target, who only stand to gain. The largest toy makers are likely the only ones who can bear the cost of such testing without raising their prices significantly. Go figure.

So what's the future of small businesses like mine? That's not entirely clear, though it doesn't look good. But it's not too late to have a say! PLEASE CLICK HERE or on the "Save Handmade" link to the left for more information about the law itself and what you can do to stop it!

sylvi says:

this is the life. they practically fight over who gets to snuggle me!

ATT

all terrain triking.

Happy One Month Sylvi!

HAPPY ONE MONTH SYLVI!

It's hard to belive it's actually been a month. Too fast, too fast. But it's true... a month ago today, sylvi was born! She has changed so much already and seems to continue to change even more by the day. She hardly looks like the same baby in some of those photos.

So how's it going, everyone is wondering? Well, pretty good actually. We are definately in the trial and error stage of "what can mommy eat" and what will Sylvi's belly tolerate. Her sleep seemed to take a nosedive about a week ago, so the good ole Elimination Diet was revisited (we went through the same thing with Isa). And while Christmas is no time to cut out so many foods (ok, almost everything), it had to be done. It seems like Sylvi is quite glad about it too! Last night she slept like a dream... going from being awake and uncomfortable nearly ALL night, to sleeping like a log and only waking waking up once. Miracle of miracles. We also decided to try her sleeping in the carseat, so as to be reclined and not lying flat. I think this was a big factor as well, being that she seems to have reflux too. While I am sure that this post will jinx us, I have to say that we are very relieved to be on the way to figuring out her sensitive stomach... this insanely bland starvation diet may just pay off afterall!

So there you have it, Syvli at four weeks old. Happy One Month Miss Syvli, we love you.

the christmas wrap-up

phew. christmas was a whirlwind around these parts! but a very fun whirlwind. isa treated all of us by sleeping in until 9am. then we started opening gifts, and opening, and opening... and we still have one more round to do today! need less to say, isa came away with quite the stash this year.

after all the morning's excitement, nanny treated everyone to a fabulous dinner. this year was really special for lots of reasons, but especially because we had three grandparents and several good friends to spend it with! the schneiders arrived mid-afternoon and got in some good baby time before it was time to eat. after the food was put away there was still alot of good time to be had. sylvi was content to hang out, isa was thrilled with having three grandparents to dote on her, and mommy and daddy enjoyed talking and laughing with friends... a beautiful christmas all around.

for bub and queen

'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... isa was showing off her best holiday dance moves with elmo! as promised, here is the goose and her Christmas gift from papa bubba and queen. as you can see, she's pretty entertained so far! although the jury is still out on what might be her favorite feature, she thoroughly enjoys knocking him over (or body slamming him, actually) only to hear him ask to be picked up again! she sends a very big thank you and a special holiday hug and kiss to you both!

p.s. sorry it's a little dark, but you get the point :0)

the view from here

this is the view i get for a large chunk of the day... sylvi in my lap, in the recliner. it's usually before, after, or during nursing. being that she likes to eat so much, we spend alot of time here. so it seemed only appropriate to get a shot from this vantage point.

speaking of sylvi, it's hard to believe she will be a month old in a few days! as cliche as it is, time really does fly. she is starting to look less like a squishy newborn and more like an infant. her little cheeks and thighs are starting to get chunky and she is stretching out her arms and legs and looking around like never before. and she keeps smiling too, which is always nice. when her stomach isn't hurting, she is just about as content as can be. to be fair though, even with the most wicked of gas, she is still a really happy baby, all things considered.

gingerbread live

Here it is in action. Luckily she made it through half of the construction before she realized it was all edible. Next year Nanny has promised to get Isa's help with a life-size Santa cake.

little julia...

... just keeps baking! the kitchen craftiness continues. today: sugar cookies.

the gingerbread house

no doubt, the gingerbread house was a HUGE hit this afternoon. hours of entertainment. followed by hours of sugar high! luckily isa didn't really discover the candy aspect until the near end, though she still managed her fair share of decoration eating before it was all said and done. there is hopefully a very cute video to come. stay tuned!

the weekend rundown

sylvi at three weeks.

isa at three weeks.

here's the quick and dirty:

nanny is potting training isa... woohoo!

sylvi is apparently not the napper we thought she may be... boohoo!

there is alot of "who does she look like?" game going on around here. this leads us to the flashback, two days late... while sylvi and isa don't look as similar as they did at birth, you gotta admit, they look pretty darn similar in these two photos. am i wrong?

yeah, yeah...

we're quite aware that we missed flashback friday and that there are probably some people wishing for more photos. well... patience, patience. we've been a tired bunch lately. with a teething toddler (who took her first nap in about a week today! yippee!) and a new baby with a stomachache who seems to be most in pain in the middle of the night... well, we just haven't had the energy for updates. but stay tuned, there WILL be more to come. hopefully soon.

sylvi says:

whoa.

sweet sylvi

... and her Sprout Pouch. as you can see, someone's little cheeks are starting to fill out! she passed her two week well-baby visit with flying colors and she's made it back to her birth weight, plus an ounce. she now weighs 7lbs even and is starting to fit into her 0-3mo clothes. in general she is still a mellow little creature, though she seems to be following in her sister's footsteps with a sensitive stomach. looks like i might be on the road to the ole elimination diet once again. bummer. good thing she's so dang cute though eh?

decking the halls...

good thing there's alot of decorating to be done! with it being so cold out, we have been hard pressed to find things to keep the toddler busy, busy, busy. after making playdough, going to art class, a short and cold trip to the park, baking cookies, reading books, and watching christmas videos... we moved on to tree decorating. this afternoon we made some decorations to fill in between the ornaments and lights-- isa was quite proud of her construction paper garland! of course with a two year old's attention span, the project was short lived, but that just means we'll do more tomorrow and eventually we'll have a loooooong strand for the tree!

ruh roh!

it appears that isa may have officially entered her big sister "rough patch," as she landed herself in time out THREE times at the sitter's house this morning. apparently she was being a little instigator and hitting her friends as well. this is definately a first. when she got home, i asked her if she had been in time out and she said, "yeah!" and then when i asked her why, she told me that she was "in twouble!" ruh roh.

first bath

sylvi got her first soak in the tub this evening, at two weeks old. and she LOVED it. there wasn't even the slightest hesitation or flinch, just instant relaxation. looks like we have another little fish on our hands.

flashback!

okay, okay the top picture is a flashback to this morning, but whatever! still a flashback! the bottom picture of isa and daddy does indeed go way back though... all the way to december of 2006, when isa was just a few months old.

the girls

we're still getting used to phrases like "the girls" or "our kids" and what not... you know, now that there are TWO of them! isa is continuing to warm up to her roll as big sister and has become quite the helper. she's usually pretty good at predicting what sylvi might needs too, which makes her even more useful! whether it be pacifier or wipes or diaper, isa can be called upon to help when need be.

funny face

we are constantly amused with sylvi's faces. as we've mentioned before, she smiles ALOT in her sleep-- but she also likes to entertain us while awake as well!

grandparents = cookies

if new sister = presents, then grandparents = cookies. here are some fun shots of isa and nanny baking up some of daddy's favorite cookies. yum.