Bummer

So I had my bubble burst last week. I did a search for 'Vienna' on Amazon just to make sure the girls' list was searchable, and lo and behold, there were pages (and pages) of the name Vienna.

Here I thought I was being original by naming her after the city (of Virgina and Austria).

In Eric's words, 'Hello, the (European) city has been around for thousands of years'. Still....I've never heard of anyone named Vienna before. Well, at least it's not a common name!

On the upside, I did find our niece's wishlist under Deterding/Virginia. Lotus (speaking of unique names) was born the day after Anna, so her bday was also last weekend. Perfect timing!

Pics of the day

We were planning on taking the girls to the pool today, but Eric had to be on call for work. So we took them along for a couple of quick errands and hung out in the back yard instead. Lazy summer days are nice.

Happy 3rd Bday Anna!

Do ya think she's having a BLAST?!

Anna even got her own reserved parking spot and princess throne. It was def her special celebration day.

Party photos at the house of bounce. The kids couldnt get enough of slipping and sliding--- the loud rock-n-roll music couldnt drown out the shrieks of glee.

Even the parents dove in and challenges thrown down at the obstacle course. Who can resist a challenge?

Pssst, Eric had to put some heat pads on his back this morning---me thinks he may have bounced too hard. Fun times!

SAVE the Date

since the kitchen is being remodelled---ETC in three weeks, we decided to move the girls' 1st bday party back a month.

save the date for saturday, August 4th at 11-2PM. the theme will be Beach Splash Party- BYOT (towel).

ONE already?! hope to see you there!

PS, in case you need gift ideas, the girls have a wish list on Amazon, under Vienna and Laurel Deterding. This should also cut back on any duplicate gifts and necessary returns. Of course, please dont feel obligated or limited, the girls have soooo much already!

Father's Day Recap

for eric's first father's day, he got a niffty blue shirt and a book. the 'dangerous book for boys' is a father's guide to teach his son, all that a boy needs to know.

i know eric will have a ball showing the girls how to identify a fossil or a bug, age of a tree, recite famous battles---you get the idea. the girls will learn how to build a lean-to AND host grand tea parties for the stuffed animals!

one of eric's fav pastime is hiking---we even got engaged on a nature trail in finger lakes, ny. so for his day, we headed out for a morning hike at hidden pond nature ctr in springfield.

you'll see from the pics, we started out backpacking the kids. i actually wore vienna in a ergo on my side (much much more comfy than a bjorn). but once we saw the paved trail, out came the stroller---yes, we're out of shape.

hidden pond boasts of a one-acre pond. no longer fit for swimming since it's completely covered by algae. thou, there were a couple of families fishing. and with miles of of pristine trails, it's quite lovely.

i forget how peaceful hiking is. and how clean the air can be. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

the nature center is a small room filled with tanks of pond life---toads, turtles, and so on. kids can even touch and hold a snake. loads of fun for curious eyes and free for the parents!

the slide show has a couple of pics of eric's dad with the girls. he & his boys havent celebrated their father's (fishing) day yet, since he's out of town this weekend.

and thou we saw my dad at lindsey's party yesterday, i (of course) totally forgot to click a pic of him with the girls.

to all the wonderful men in our lives, happy father's day!

Happy 1st Birthday Lindsey!

Look at that sweet face.

The three amigo cousins

took some pics at home after the party, since we were all gussed up. just me and my girls. sadly, they were all outtakes. the bloopers made me smile, so i had to share (-:

Oh what a night

Vienna was a tad fussy last night. She woke up, crying a couple times. We rocked her back to sleep; then around 1AM, she would wake up every few minutes.

We tried the baby motrin and orajel, guessing it must be teething. We tried the swing. She used to love the swing, letting it lull her back to sleep, but now she fights being strapped in.

We even let her sleep with me, thinking she might be comforted (co-sleeping is a very rare 'treat' around here since momma needs/likes her space) but nope, she just tossed and turned, whimpering.

She was like this about a month ago and only after the bottle did she settle down--they both stopped taking the bottle throughout the night when they hit 12lbs (at 3-4mos), which is enough sustainable body fat, instead they have their paci & bears for comfort.
So by 2AM, gave her the bottle and she drank 6oz on the first gulp. Then out like a light and not a peep after.

And this morning, she drank her regular 7AM, 7oz breakfast bottle. Chalk it up to a growth spurt!

Pic of the day

Overall wear. Cute as buttons.

They're really starting to look less and less baby doll-ish (and more like our mini-me's :-)

Less than 4 short mos ago.

PS. I updated the 'Bedhead' entry w/Vienna's pic after waking up.

11 months and counting!

I was inspired over at twinkies, to complete a similar 11mo developmental cklist for the girls.

The list is referenced from the 'What to Expect the First Year' book. Hmmmm, where did I leave that book.

Looks like they're right on track!

BTW, Laurel lost alittle weight this month. She went from the high to low 18lbs. Still our jabba-love, chunk monkey.

Vienna is up to 16lb 5oz, gained basically half a pound. Our efforts to beef her up may be working!

Once a skater...

Eric was the athlete in the day. MVP of jr soccer, jr high wrestler and rad skate boarder (dude, that's considered a sport now).

Nowadays, he barely fits in a decent game of golf.

The video is him teaching the girls to skate board. Never too young to learn....




Here he has them dressed for some smack-down wrestling.

Kidding again, they're in wet suits for swimming lessons. Oh, i almost forgot, he's one 'helluva diver' too. The girls have no idea what's in store for them...

Something about Laurel...

Since I havent posted a video in awhile, here's a compliation video (edited down to 3min). This one is for Laurel. Stay tuned for more.

It's HOT out!

bed head

taken right after her 10AM nap. there's a 80s rock star in the house (-:

Vienna is still asleep, she's always been a better napper. But it's Laurel who sleeps like a log at night.

yup, they are finally on a nap schedule. over the 3day wkend, i wanted to see if they would sleep at set times instead of here and there.

now, they go down at 10AM and 2:30PM (day starts at 7AM). no more naps after 4PM, otherwise it starts to interfere with their night sleep. eventually, they should taper off to one long nap---they'll be ONE next month!

it's def nice, we can actually plan around their schedule. and gramma(s) knows when it's a good time to visit.

Updated on 6/10: Vienna's do this morning. Good morning rooster head!