Alivia's Birthday Party Day! - October 30, 2010

On the day of Alivia's actual birthday party we made sure to start the day off right! Pancakes from McDonald's were an easy choice because they're quick...and we still had so much else to do to get ready for the party. After we picked up the big cake and the baby cake and all of the food we had ordered, we also needed balloons. Its great that Giant carries the Disney Princess Mylar balloons - they were a nice added touch. I ended up ordering all of the matching supplies online, and because Disney products are made by Hallmark, everything came out looking great! Very professional (and you know that is what you are aiming for at a one year old's party :) ) Alivia ran around all day in a dress which looked to be a combination princess / ballerina costume. There was one cupcake on the top of the dress, and even though she was overwhelmed by all the people and activities, she looked absolutely adorable. All biased aside! She even had matching ballet slippers and a tiara. Like I said, her dress was half-ballet and half-princess. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and luckily we all survived the almost-two-hours that it took to open all of her presents! Alivia was definitely a trooper that day, and she barely seemed tired at 11pm when all of the guests left and started their journeys back up to Pennsylvania.   On the day of Alivia's actual birthday party we made sure to start the day off right! Pancakes from McDonald's were an easy choice because they're quick...and we still had so much else to do to get ready for the party. After we picked up the big cake and the baby cake and all of the food we had ordered, we also needed balloons. Its great that Giant carries the Disney Princess Mylar balloons - they were a nice added touch. I ended up ordering all of the matching supplies online, and because Disney products are made by Hallmark, everything came out looking great! Very professional (and you know that is what you are aiming for at a one year old's party :) ) Alivia ran around all day in a dress which looked to be a combination princess / ballerina costume. There was one cupcake on the top of the dress, and even though she was overwhelmed by all the people and activities, she looked absolutely adorable. All biased aside! She even had matching ballet slippers and a tiara. Like I said, her dress was half-ballet and half-princess. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and luckily we all survived the almost-two-hours that it took to open all of her presents! Alivia was definitely a trooper that day, and she barely seemed tired at 11pm when all of the guests left and started their journeys back up to Pennsylvania.

Let's get this party started!!!

Whew! Opening presents is a lot of work!!!

Alivia's 1st Birthday! - October 29, 2010

Hello again! We have been so busy recently, that I have not had time to post any new entries to Alivia's blog. But, a lot has happened while we were away! First, Alivia had a very special birthday breakfast on Friday, October 29th. Not only did she have her usual three silver dollar pancakes, but we were surprised to find out that the pancakes were completely covered with fresh strawberries! Alivia was literally sooo happy that she jumped out of her car seat, as to allow herself full access to all of the beautiful & delicious strawberries covering her pancakes. My mom (her Grammy) met us at the Cafe to celebrate, and she brought Alivia her first birthday present ever; a ducky stuffed animal which sings ducky songs and says the alphabet. Alivia was barely impressed. She dropped the duck right onto the floor after holding it for two minutes, tops. She wanted to dive back into those bright red strawberries! And who can blame her? After she snatched up each one, she showed little interest in the actual pancakes. So my mom - wanting to please Alivia on her birthday - ordered her a big bowl of just strawberries. Once they were delivered to us, she ate maybe two or three more, and then she starting "feeding the floor." You know - the floor does get hungry sometimes, too. I suppose its just a coincidence that it usually tends to occur right about the same time as when Alivia's tummy gets filled. Our next adventure took us to the store Tuesday Morning, but we came out very disappointed, carrying only Christmas wrapping paper. (I also found a maid costume, for umm, Halloween.) We said good bye to Grammy, and after many kisses we headed to Target where I went on a mad search for 12 Month girls' clothing. Leggings are definitely the "in" thing this year, but one would think that other options would have been available, as well. No such luck. I found tables full of leggings! And shirts connected to leggings! And leggings hanging up! And leggings laying down! Target was being taken over by leggings. So now, Alivia owns about ten pairs of leggings!!! I also picked out sleepers, and sweaters, and socks, and I found many cute pairs of jeans. And finally, when I was at my whit's end, I called Bob. "Come help me put back some of the clothes before I buy everything in Target that comes in a size 12 Months!" He drove right over. I expected him to stop the insanity I was creating! But, instead, he fell prey to the fact that it was our only baby's birthday. "Buy her whatever she wants," was followed by trips up and down every toy aisle in the store. At least her clothes were priced reasonably! Any toy Alivia touched, Bob put in the cart. I must have been dreaming. Not my Bob. My Bob says things like "Carrie, she'll never even remember her first birthday," or "I'm sure your mom will buy her plenty of presents from Nordstrom." But not today! Today, Alivia got whatever she touched...a cart completely packed full of clothes and toys. For a one year old. Too bad she will never even recall truly being a princess for the day.

Pick or Treat - At the Pumpkin Farm!

On Saturday morning, I rolled over in our bed and asked my hubby if we could take our Halloween baby to a Pumpkin Patch. He was quite happy with the idea, and so we decided to make it an extended family affair. I'm so glad that we did! You see, Bob's family lives in York, PA which is not far from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border. His mom knew of the cutest little farm to go visit. So; have baby - will travel! We also found out from my dad who is local to Annapolis, that there was a farm located right near Bob's job... But family is important to us both - so off to PA we went! We met Meredith, Bob's sister, and his Mom just outside of Shrewsbury around 2PM at the pumpkin farm. It is funny, looking back just three short days ago... We took TONS, and I mean TONS, of pictures! But we didn't pick a pumpkin, go on a hay ride, or even play in the corn maze (yes, it is a play on words!) However, we absolutely had a BLAST!!! His is a family that loves spending time with each other, and with my Alivia. She was the belle of the ball, as usual, even if she was dressed only in Levi's jeans and a onezie which read, "Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch." Oh and she was! Auntie Mer had worn a big black-beaded necklace which caught Alivia's eye, and she immediately borrowed her Aunt's jewelry! It really added to her outfit; making her stand out just a bit more than she normally does because of the crazy hairstyles I usually give her, and because she has her daddy's beautifully breath-taking deep-sea blue eyes! She stood on hay bails and we took at least fifty (50) pictures! She ate a-just-picked apple, and enjoyed munching on the skin and juice way better than on a teething ring! I really preferred this apple over her chewing on her crib!!! We also tasted fudge and drank warm apple cider. Alivia ordered a whole bottle full of the stuff. Apparently, my little pumpkin REALLY likes apples! All in all, we had a fantastic day :) As we were leaving, I noticed a large box full of pumpkins and gourds which had a "sold" sign on it. I put Alivia in the box, just for fun, and naturally, she tried to climb out of it. This created a perfect photo opportunity. She may be a Halloween/Pumpkin baby - but she is definitely NOT sold!

Bob's Grandfather had a successful surgery! And therefore, I am back to writing again! Thank you God for hearing our many prayers... For now though; I'd really like to focus on my Women's Fiction Novel, but I need to set up the conflict (Chapter 3) and I'm totally psych-ing myself out for some unknown reason. I guess because I don't really know how to set up a convincing crime scene (probably for good reasons!), and I haven't read enough of my "true crime" book yet to pick up on the morbidity that needs to be present in the language and tone. I watch Law & Order more than is probably healthy, and now I pick the plot to shreds. But, I can't just sit down and write out my own damn plot! (And yes. I'm aware that I just mimicked Shakespeare's Lady MacBeth!) Ahhh! I'm just scared. That's it, plain and simple. This week has been so stressful, for so many reasons and I'm doubting myself. Enough about my doubts! The book ain't gonna write itself...

This Is Only Half of My Face...

And kind of a silly picture! But - what do you think? Does my bestest baby look at all like her mommy?

I didn't think so...

Projects! Projects! Projects!

Last week, I was on the phone with my sister-in-law, Meredith, who I definitely consider more of a friend than an "in-law." I knew that she had taken a picture of herself with one of my pink extensions in her hair, and I called her to ask if I could post the picture to my BCA blog. Here it is below, instead.

While we were talking, I started telling Meredith about my current projects... First and foremost -- of course! I am loving and caring for my darling little Alivia Marie. I'm learning so much about child development, and I really do enjoy managing the blog which I have dedicated to her! Additionally, I have been writing a Women's Fiction Novel which has a sub-genre: Crime. With all of the detective shows that, because of their popularity, have been taking over television lately; I believe this is the perfect subject matter for a new author. I am also working on a fun project, which is just for myself. I have gone through the last four or five Glamour Magazines and I'm creating a sort of "fashion guide." I've divided my guide into three sections: 1) make-up, 2) clothing, and 3) body/exercise/health suggestions. I've also made a point to read the non-fiction articles contained in the magazines which feature women who have survived a major tragedy within their lives. I'm interested in their tone and the type of language each woman uses to describe these awful life events. I think this detail may help me write my novel in a more realistic manner. I'm also reading two books: 'Time of My Life,' by Allison Winn Scotch, and 'A Date with Death,' by Michele R. McPhee. Lastly, I've been brainstorming on a business development project for one of Bob's colleagues. All of this keeps me quite busy! Especially since I have vowed to take Alivia for pancakes at least once a week :) We also spend a good amount of time dancing and playing patty-cake (with her feet, funny enough)! Since her birthday party is in two weeks, I've added event/party planning to my resume! I typically make dinner for my darling husband, and his work clothes are usually both clean and folded... And they say that "stay-at-home" moms have it easy!? Actually, I just LOVE watching my baby and taking on projects; I only hope that when it comes time to look for a job again, that my projects will be recognized as important to any future employers!

If You Follow This Blog...

...Please know that I won't be writing this week. Bob's Grandfather is in the hospital having a procedure done. We are all praying for you Pa! Of course, any and all prayers and support for the family would be very much appreciated.

~ Carrie

What's a girl to do?

I'm kind of superstitious even though I know that as a Christian, and especially as a practicing Catholic, that I shouldn't be... But the weirdest thing happens sometimes regarding my marriage, and I'm almost too scared to write about it! Whenever I go on and on and on about how wonderful my husband is; either on facebook or on this blog, etc., we always end up getting into some kind of stupid disagreement about nonsense. For instance, a few posts back you probably noticed that I posted pictures of roses that were simply gorgeous! Two dozen for my birthday? -- "Wow! that's so sweet, baby. Thank you so much." Fifteen roses a week later that literally looked like red velvet, just because? "Oh my! I'm so loved!" Now, wouldn't it figure that we would end up having an argument just days later, while the roses were still very fresh from the florist? Uhh! So, last night I was surprised with FOUR DOZEN ROSES from Bob, "just because it's Wednesday," my hubby tells me! Ahhhh!!! What's a girl to do?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

When Abby came to visit yesterday (please see the entry below), she mentioned to me that she & her mom are getting pink hair extensions put in to support Breast Cancer Awareness. That is actually pretty common for women to do these days in the month of October. Two years ago, I was telling Abby, I used to snap in pink hair extensions on any random Friday night just to go out with my friends! So maybe I was a bit wild!?! On one particular night, I had scheduled a first date with my now husband, Bob, but we ended up canceling it. Well, what a good thing; you see, my husband does NOT believe in pink hair at any time, for any reason, and he is entitled to his opinion. On the other hand, I'm sure he did plenty of things when he was single that I would not have approved. But we are married now and our daughter, Alivia, will turn One-year-old at the end of this month (October). So, let's just let the past stay there. Although, I will say that my mom bought me a pink breast cancer support long-sleeve thermal shirt last year, and I wore it into the hospital while I was actually in labor. I wrote a previous blog about how Alivia was born at the end of this particular month because she is a true Scorpio, and now I am writing this... Once she is old enough, Alivia will be taught to support breast cancer research. Even if Bob doesn't like pink hair! :)

Abby Came to Visit !

Miss Abby came to visit Alivia and I today! We felt very lucky because she is only home from Florida for one week -- and we know she wants to go see Uncle Scott at Towson U! Have fun tonight, Abby :) We sure had fun today! Looking forward to seeing you around Christmas time. And we will definitely miss you at Alivia's birthday party. Be safe down there!

Annapolis Mall with Alivia - and Dinner at Chick-fil-A

This past Saturday, Alivia and I went to the Annapolis mall. Bob was in PA visiting with his family (cutting down trees, and taking care of other odd jobs for his Grand Pa). It was super busy there because  Nordstrom was holding their annual cosmetic show. I'm truly sorry that I missed it :( However, Alivia and I had a very nice time... We perused the stores and just enjoyed the day together! I LOVE being out with Alivia - many older women will stop and tell me how "pretty" or "beautiful" she is! Of course, I always give a big smile to these women and say, "Oh, thank you so much! I'm told she looks just like her dad!" And then I laugh. This is then usually followed by Alivia saying "da-da-da-da." I think that somehow she knows that she looks exactly like Bob! Again, I laugh! She ended up falling asleep while we were in Bath & Body Works. I noticed that women still walked by, staring at her. She's looks very sweet when she sleeps! That reminds me of my grandfather who used to tell me that I was a good girl - but that I was, "best when I was sleeping." I guess that is true of all children! Alivia woke up screaming and I offered her a cookie that I had bought earlier. I mean, what else are you gonna do? :) I'm getting a lot better at this "mom" role, and I know she wants a treat and a bottle immediately when she awakens from her nap! Maybe she shouldn't be so spoiled, but she is! However, she is still a very pleasant little girl; smiling and laughing all of the time! She doesn't ever act like a brat, so I give her cookies and milk for her little snacks. She really enjoys biscotti cookies from the Starbucks inside of Barnes & Noble! Sometimes, when she is really good (or really cranky!) I give her the tiniest sips of green tea. She has such fancy tastes for an 11-month old!!! I think she gets it from my mom who eats mostly organic from Whole Foods. Because of this, Alivia gets to enjoy organic yogurt bars and organic blueberry puff treats! In other words, she does pretty well in the "eating" department. Although recently, she has become quite accustomed to chicken & fries (definitely NOT organic!). By the end of the night on Saturday, around 8PM, Alivia wanted her chicken & fries! We went to Chick-fil-A and she decided that "feeding the floor," was way more important than actually feeding herself. Even though we had not seen Bob in over 24 hours, Alivia suddenly started screaming "da-da-da." I really hope that you enjoy the attached video. This is typical of dinner with my baby!

(I'll attach & post the video as soon as I can figure out how to uncompress it!)

True Love in the Family...

Today is your average Monday, but, sometimes it is just nice to say "I love you." With all of the stress consuming our lives these days - it it especially important to remember those who we feel such strong emotions toward... Now, I don't mean to be sappy! I just want to (as they say) remember to stop and smell the roses once in awhile!!! I can't promise Bob and Alivia that I will relax and suddenly become a calm, chilled out woman; but I can promise them both that I will give it my all to always appreciate the love that they give to me. And to the rest of my family -

Scott & Abby, Bob & Alivia, Mom & Dad - I LOVE YOU!

Ordering Birthday Supplies, a Sleepy Baby, and Wendy Williams' - "Say It Like You Mean It"

I was busy ordering "Disney Princess" Birthday Supplies when alas! I heard a little wimper followed by a real cry (tears included!). I went into Alivia's room and immediately handed her a bottle - because she is just a bit spoiled, as I may have mentioned before! I always walk in with my camera, because I never know if she will be in the mood for a quick picture... She never is, but that doesn't stop me from trying!

Not the best photo, but it's accurate at least - she's pretty sleepy, drinking a bottle, and I'm just happy to be hugging my little baby! I took her into the living room to "show" her the Disney Princess birthday supplies I'm ordering for her - and again, she hides from the camera. She doesn't care about my pictures, her birthday supplies, or this blog most of all! What does she care about? ...."Say it like you mean it, come on and shout it out... how you doing?" She LOVES the Wendy Williams' Show theme song.

She's just a baby!!!

Alivia hates my pictures, but she's so darn cute that I can't resist taking them! This past Saturday was her big photo shoot day, and Grammy (my Mom) went with us. I was hopeful that she could pull some magic bunnies out of her "bonnet" - haha. Right now, Alivia is laying on the floor in a cute little jean dress with pink flowers on it, drinking her juice. This presents a perfect photograph opportunity for me. Well, - it did! Someone in our apartment hallway just made the smallest peep, and Alivia's astute ears picked up the sound. "Ah, da?" she asks, looking at the front door waiting for her daddy to come home. "No. No," I tell her. And she quickly becomes fascinated with my furry pink slippers. "Da-da will be home soon," I say in a language that I am quite sure sounds a bit like gibberish to her.  She's back down on the floor again now, presenting me with another excellent photo opportunity if only the camera phone didn't have this ridiculous three-second delay between the time you hit the camera button and the time it actually takes the picture. Damn phone... "Hell-wo," she says when she sees me pick up my phone, this time without the threat of the camera flash. "Hell-wo," I say back to her. "How are you?" I ask her. "Ah da-da-da-da-da" is followed by a scream for no reason that is apparent to me. She's carrying around Bob's hat and sniffing it: something that she does with all of his things when he's not home. "Da-da-da-da-da," she repeats five times that I count, until the fake cries come, and then the real tears. She obviously really wants Bob to come home - and she is not the only one!  We are planning to go back to finish the photo shoot next Saturday. The photographer actually told my mom & I to come back when Alivia was "in a better mood." Poor little Alivia! She gets hungry and tired, and she enjoys walking off the "photo stage." She's just a baby!!!

I'm Head Over Heels in Love with Alivia's Daddy!

My husband bought me two dozen roses for my 33rd birthday AND a diamond tennis bracelet. Tuesday, out of nowhere - he came home with 15 perfect red roses. Now please note; I am not bragging. I just want Bob's family to read this and know what a wonderful husband he is! Everyone already knows how incredible he is with Alivia. But how wonderful is he to me? Simply the best! I love you, Bob!

To the folks who made the movie "Knocked Up" - Thank you!

"Everything she sees, she says she wants. Everything she wants, I know she gets! That's my daughter in the water. Everything she owns I bought her... Everything she owns. That's my daughter in the water. Everything she knows I taught her... Everything she knows.

Everything I say, she takes to heart. Every thing she takes, she takes apart! That's my daughter in the water, everytime she fell I caught her... Everytime she fell. That's my daughter in the water, I lost everytime I fought her... Yeah, I lost every time!

That's my daughter in the water, Who'd have ever thought her? Who'd have ever thought?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVam-fshUgw&feature=related

Alivia, I love you!!!\

I Don't Know Much About Astrology, But...

Alivia has suddenly become just a little camera shy! I mentioned this to our waitress last week while we were ordering pancakes. And she mentioned to me, that this camera shyness will only get worse. Needless to say, I have been trying to capture a few candid shots of Alivia today, and I may be climbing Mount Everest soon, because that would seriously be easier to do. Normally, I would just assume this is a phase, and figure that she will just grow out of it soon... Maybe she will LOVE having her picture taken next month? You know how babies change their minds. However, we have a VERY important photo shoot scheduled for this weekend - it's not everyday that your baby turns One Year Old or dresses up as a Ladybug for Halloween. And, I have big dreams for these pictures: giving them to relatives, posting them online; facebook and her blog, sending them into Gerber ;) and now, I'm worried!!! Its not only that she doesn't want to be photographed, she actually shrills when I get near her with just my camera phone. I gave up for today because she is a LOUD little girl! Don't let the chubby cheeks and light blue eyes fool you; Alivia is a strong-minded soon-to-be-toddler, and her strong mind tells her not to cooperate with any attempts of photographing. Perfect timing, Alivia! We all knew that she was stubborn when she literally layed ON HER FACE during her 3D ultrasound just one year ago! I guess Alivia will be photographed when Alivia WANTS to be photographed. I can say this for the little girl at least - she isn't a doormat! I knew she held off being born those few extra days for a specific reason! Alivia is not a Libra. Alivia is a Scorpio through and through. Google "Scorpio." There's a picture of Alivia there. I'm kidding, of course. But here are two pictures of Alivia to enjoy. (Taken without her approval.)

Law & Order While Alivia Sleeps? I HOPE SO!!!

She isn't sick - and she's not cold! The purple lips are from grape Italian Ice, and if she's up until 11PM, the person who fed her this delicious treat will have to watch her and the Phillies at the same time. There is a new Law & Order on tonight! Yay for Mommy :)

Slacking on the Job

To all of the millions of fans who follow Alivia's blog, I'd like to issue a public apology. You see, Alivia has needed some rest and relaxation from all of her newly found stardom, and she decided it would be best if she spent a few days at the spa. I promise, as her personal agent, that the Alivia Marie Ernest blog will be up and running in full force by tomorrow, 9/30/2009. Please take note: today marks one month before Alivia's 1st birthday. Oddly enough, last year at this time I was very immersed in the planning of an event which earned the small firm where I was working, over $65,000. Our CEO, who was as proud as a peacock regarding the success of the event which "I" (as in me alone, just myself, no one else, etc.) planned, never offered me a compliment. Yeah, so... That stings. A lot. Needless to say, I'm now a stay-at-home-mom working on this blog... among other projects. So, if "I'm slacking on the job" of writing the Alivia blog... it is merely just desserts.

Target and Pancakes with Alivia (Finally! Just not in that order.)

On Thursday, Alivia and I had an extremely busy day. I will have to post most of the pictures that I took that day the next time I write in (there are just too many, and I'm sneaking in this blog entry while Bob is out picking up dinner - Vietnamese soup (Pho)  - which I LOVE!!!). We started out by visiting the doctor for me. 10AM. So fun. I just needed a quick physical and some blood work to make sure everything has returned to normal since giving birth to my little angel last year :) She really is...




Then, we drove across the street and finally had breakfast together! Alivia had one pancake, an orange slice, and some apple juice. I barely touched my breakfast because I was busy feeding her, and she was tired - and grumpy. Just for fun, I let her take a look at the menu. I thought it might make a cute picture! At least it isn't upside down...

I guess she chose pancakes! But someone's eyes were too big for their stomachs!!!

Later, when we got to Target - where we went to purchase Formula at a price that doesn't break the bank (well, it is really only a few dollars cheaper than Giant, but Target is right down the street and Alivia needed some Gerber Puffs and winter clothing, too) - we found an empty shelf. I SWEAR I circled the baby section aisles at least five times in total disbelief! I'm talking ZERO Similac powder! What do you even do when you have a baby that has a sensitive stomach, can't take milk, soy, or lactose products, and only likes the taste of Similac??? I guess you um, panic... and then you frantically call your husband! Ahhhh! "There's no Similac." " Ar ya sore you jus don't see it?" my darling husband asks while at work, recovering from dental surgery. I sent him a picture of the baby formula aisle. Check it out.



I found out later, via the Internet, that the poor Similac Company "supposedly," had beetles found near some of their powder product. From what I read, 99.8% of the Similac was NOT affected by these beetles, and a few pediatricians on BabyCenter.com even said that beetles would cause only a mild stomach upset, anyway. Now, I'm not a proponent of beetles, or any bugs for that matter. I pretty much despise all insects - except for the beautiful lady bugs, of course! But, this Similac problem has been a HUGE inconvenience for two weeks now. My baby likes Similac. I mean, she LOVES her Similac!!! And I can't find it! I guess, once it comes back from never-never land, my husband and I (new parents, of course), should keep one big container of Similac on reserve at all times. With my luck, Alivia Marie will fall in love with Cow's milk, which she can start drinking in 25 days - on her first birthday. She has already been eating plenty of foods containing milk, so if we switched now, it probably would not even phase her. Let's see: $29.00 for a container of Similac Sensitive RS, or $4.00 for a gallon of milk... You do the math!

Bees in Scott's bonnet and Desitin in Alivia's... mouth???

When my brother Scott entered high school in 2006, my mom explained to him that the only acceptable grades were "bees in his bonnet." Four years later, Scott and I still joke about her strange phrasing to describe the grade "B". Since he entered college a month ago, I haven't heard a word regarding his grades. Today, however, I received a call from him. He had earned an 88 on an English paper! I teased him, of course... saying that I always did better than that in English. (This is the same boy, who, in third grade used the vocabulary word "luxury," in the following way: "I luxury that ring.") To my surprise, today, Scott shot right back at me with: "I'll accept bees in my bonnet." "Touché," I thought to myself. Just then, I saw my baby Alivia grab the Desitin and immediately open it with her bottom teeth. (How ironic - wasn't I just boasting about her teeth earlier today???) I quickly snatched it away from her! But I wondered, "what's so great eating about Desitin?" Babies. Ha! They always want what they cannot have.

Ladies and Gentlemen... We have a sixth tooth!

I love Alivia more than you can measure, but I have to admit; I don't exactly think that writing about the eruption of her right lateral incisor (I think I got that right!) is the most interesting of subjects for blog followers to read...! But, maybe I need to stop second guessing myself? Yesterday - my first official day of writing content - had me second-guessing whether or not writing about the spelling of my Alivia's name was "blog-worthy." I can't do this to myself everyday obviously, so if the content doesn't interest you, please just kindly skip it. And, in the same way, I'll keep striving to write about more interesting things than teeth. I promise. We already know that Alivia uses her crib as a teething ring (many varieties of frozen teething rings have been offered to her, and yet rejected in the past), so I think we shall leave it at that. Alivia has a new (sixth) tooth! Yay! That explains the cold she had for almost two weeks and the sleep that Auntie Meredith missed during that time period (We love you Aunt Mer!).

Law & Order While Alivia Sleeps...

Dun dun. Every day at 1pm while my baby naps, I try to watch Law & Order - SVU. Although I changed the spelling by one letter, I named my ALIVIA after one of the main characters on the show, Detective Olivia Benson. The other main detective, Elliott Stabler, "sweetly" refers to his partner of 12+ years as "Liv." My plan is to do the same with my baby! Right now, Alivia Marie Ernest goes by the following names: Piv, Pivie, Pivlet, "the Piv," and "Dibs/Dibbers (by my dad ???). Her name is NOTAllie/Ali now, and it never will be. I like the nickname Liv so much, that I actually considered naming her Olive, just so people wouldn't get confused. Have you seen Little Miss Sunshine? Or, maybe you have heard of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler's daughter, Liv Tyler? Regardless - my little daughter's name is Alivia, spelled with an A not an O. This may seem like strange blog post content, but the point is simple. My baby has a unique name! Her nursery wall doesnt lie!!! Dun dun.

Pancakes with Alivia

Before Alivia was born, Bob and I used to go to eat breakfast at a local coffee shop on Saturday mornings called Grumps Cafe, Annapolis. I really looked forward to our breakfast, their Eggs Benedict is to die for - but more importantly, I just liked having alone time with my husband. While truth be told, Bob was not the biggest fan of eating at what he considered to be such a fu-fu place (it's so not!), I usually had to beg him to take me. Picture this: me, eight months pregnant, begging for breakfast on Saturday morning, um, around noon-ish. I was literally ready to eat the entire apartment! He was a good sport and took me about half of the time. The other half of the time he offered up some lame excuse like, "it's too expensive," or "you don't get enough food for what you pay." Like I said; lame. Neither was true. The cafe - if you can even call it that - is an order your food then sit down - type of place. There is paint splattered (on purpose) all over the walls, chairs, and tables, and the "servers" literally wear their pajamas. Two adults can eat (including drinks) for about $30. These days I go to Grumps Cafe with Alivia. She never says "no."

Since they don't wait on you like a traditional restaurant, you receive an order number which is issued to you on a child's toy. This place is very cute and the food is great. Alivia literally LOVES their pancakes. Stay tuned. I'll be posting more pictures tomorrow. If the weather holds up, she & I will be walking (me) and riding in the stroller (Alivia) to Grumps Cafe.

Check out their website: http://www.grumpscafe.com/