Early recruitment

I guess we know which team she'll be rooting for.

Happy Boxing Day

Vivian's first Christmas was very special.  Santa visited and gave her lots of cool presents and she got more time to bond with her extended family.  She survived the Huston family opening extravaganza with batting an eye (literally, she slept through it).  

Big Bear and Little Bear

Vivian loves hanging out with her big cousins - Olive and Bear. And, her bear suit (thanks Aunt Molly) has been awfully necessary on this trip.

Portland Visit

We survived the 10-hour drive to Portland (only slightly more adventurous than usual with the 3-month old in tow). We've been having a fabulous time hanging out with Grandma, Pops, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Dog Cousins. Cousin Olivia babysat so Julian and I could have a night out on the town. Vivian has been learning all about cold and wet weather as that is all she's had since she's been here. And, a nice bonus is that all this family time has been helping break her of her Mommy attachment!

The Awesome Anchorage Aunt

We were lucky enough to have Aunt Becky visit us all the way from Alaska this weekend.  We loved showing her around to some of our favorite San Francisco spots and when Vivian wasn't busy showing off her lung power (aka crying), she liked charming her with her smiles.  Not only did we show Aunt Becky the sights, since little Ms. Vivian suddenly outgrew her basinette, we put Aunt Becky right to work helping us build her crib. 

Big Brother

Probably the most popular question we get (other than whether we are getting any sleep) is -  how is Hooper adjusting to our new addition?   Although he might try and convince you otherwise, we think he's doing all right.  He is certainly not complaining about me being home all day every day, having visitors around so he gets even more company, and getting to go on tons and tons of walks.  He is pretty curious about her though and likes to give her lots of good, up-close and personal, sniffs. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind his curiosity and is pretty interested in checking him out.  Plus, it doesn't hurt that they currently share a favorite activity:  napping.    

Stark Raving

The Stark family Thanksgiving adventures were pretty awesome.  Vivian got to meet her NY family and every single one of them was able to get her to smile.  Even better, Molly was able to get her to sleep!  We all went up to the Russian River where we read endless amounts of little Pookie stories, hiked under the gorgeous Redwoods, had a picnic with leftovers and took lots of naps.  We were also charmed by Asa's mischevious smile (well, everyone except Hooper) and Louis' sweetness.  Oh, and did I mention that we ate really, really well?