Kevin Dresses Vivian Part II

Unfortunately Kevin's orange pants were in the wash.

"Hey Viv, let's wear our blue T-shirts today!"

Lazy Afternoon

Here's Viv in a few of her favorite places to chill. She just loves the mobile Dad made her. Sometimes while laying on her back she moves her head vigorously from side to side and as a result she's now sporting a rather large bald patch on the back of her noggin. We've been propping her up with pillows as a means of damage control and in hopes of encouraging her to use her neck muscles more.

Wake Up!!!!

I recorded this a few weeks after Vivian was born. My mother wanted something new to see of her grand-daughter since she lives so far awaaaaaay.
Nap time is getting easier as Viv gets older, but sometimes I can't get her to nap when I need her to. Because I work at home, it's difficult at times to integrate her into my schedule. And then there are times when I cannot wait for Viv to finish her nap so we can hang out together.

Shopping with Viv

Here's a new video of some of our lame attempts at shopping with Vivian. Myryah and I are not the biggest fans of shopping, but it doesn't seem as bad when Vivian's around. Hope this helps you get in the "holiday" spirit!

Daddy's Little Girl

Vivian is getting more acquainted with the sound of her voice – she babbles and coos and smiles a lot more. She's recently discovered that the things attached to the ends of her arms also belong to her. She holds her arms up when laying on her back and wiggles her fingers like she's playing air piano.

Bathtime!

Kevin is torturing me by emailing cute photos of all the fun he's having with Viv while I'm at work. First one of her kicking her legs underneath the mobile he made for her, then this shot of her just after a bath.

Vivian's cousin, William Thomas Karban

When we got the call on November 3rd that Patty’s youngest boy William died suddenly in his sleep, we took the next flight to see them. I’ve never seen Myryah so grief-stricken. We didn’t know what to do or what to say. Like everyone else in the family, we just wanted to be with the Karbans.

I was so impressed with the amount of love and compassion expressed by everyone who came to pay their respects. I kept thinking, what a close-knit community Bill, Patty and their kids have found in their part of South Bend, IN. I feel so proud and lucky to be a part of their family.

During the week after William’s passing, I witnessed so many emotions shared among the family and visitors. Lots of stories were told and there were many happy moments. We were glad to help out with the kids, run errands or do whatever little thing that we could do to help out. Most of the time we just hung out. We took lots of walks.

I almost left my camera behind because we were so rushed to leave home. A part of me thought it may be inappropriate to take pictures at such a sad time. We agreed that it would, at the very least, be an opportunity to get some shots of Vivian with her mother’s side of the family. I got lots of great shots; here are just a few.

One day we were poring over a box of pictures of Willie T. Myryah noticed a photograph from Patty, Bill and Willie’s recent visit to San Francisco, just after Vivian’s birth. It was a shot of me holding my video camera over Vivian and William as they napped. Before this we were afraid that we had neglected to take any video of William. So, as soon as we got home we checked the tapes and found just a few minutes of him during their brief visit… video of Willie T.

Vivian's First Halloween

Vivian dressed up as a (killer) rabbit for her first Halloween. We rescued a big stuffed rabbit from a local thrift shop which happed to be just about Vivian's body size. We paid $1.50 for it! Got home and pulled all the stuffing out of it and tried to slip Viv into the bunny hide but it was a little too snug, so we cut it into a 3-piece. This was actually better than planned because the middle piece works as a very stylish "shrug" (def: A woman's short jacket or sweater open down the front).
(photos)

Back to Work

I had my 6-week postpartum check up this morning and the doctor gave me the OK to return to work. I was back in the office by noon and in a meeting watching a powerpoint presentation five minutes later...

Being away from Vivian for 11 hours a day is going to take some getting used to. So will pumping my breastmilk in a locked conference room under fluorescent lighting. Kevin sent me my first Vivian screensaver.

First Bar Outing

Vivian had a swell time at Kevin's art reception at the Brickhouse last night. Lots of friends and some family (it was my mom and dad's last night in town) stopped by to check out Kevin's large, drippy paintings and a few of his portraits. They look fantastic in their new home for the month. Although Vivian wasn't legally or physically able to order a drink, she enjoyed Mom's Fat Tire Ale flavored breast milk later that night.

I don't have photos of the event, but here's a shot of one of Kevin's paintings hanging in our living room/Kevin's studio.

Viv Meets Gram and Gramps Shea

Vivian enjoyed being spoiled by her maternal grandma and grandpa. It made me so happy to see Vivian cuddled up in my parents' arms!

Viv Meets Cousin Will

We had a super relaxing visit with my sister Patty, brother-in-law Bill and 3-month-old nephew William Karban. Patty and Bill were just what the doctor ordered. They cooked up some delicious meals (that frittata was hearty!) and were all around great company.

Above: Patty, Bill and William during a walk along Land's End.

Below: Me and Kevin in the same spot on our wedding day, earlier this year.

Shots of Viv and Family

Here's a gallery of shots of Viv and Family before and after the birth. My mother, Patricia (Nay-nay to Vivian and her other grandkids) arrived a week before Myryah's due date. It turns out that Vivian was 10 days late and we had to induce.

On the bright side, Mom was able to be there to witness the birth of Vivian. This was Mom's first opportunity at this, even though my sisters Kay, Pamela and Amanda have all been there/done that. As soon as Mom learned that Myryah was pregnant she told me that her one wish was to be with us for the birth of her grandchild. I had no problem with that, but I wanted to leave it up to Myryah. Mom was such a big help and added a higher level of comfort thanks to her experience.

If you're interested, you can watch a video we put together. It's a bit on the long side... more or less an experiment with our new video camera (thanks, Tom and Vera!!!) and iMovie. Great for friends and family but not really for public consumption.

Introducing...