Chillin' with Poppy

My parents helped us out a lot this Jan. and Feb. In total they were here just over a month. That may seem like a long time to some of you but it was a blessing for us. We really needed them. My mom actually came down to visit while Jason was gone on training and then she stayed to help me get ready for the move. On her way home she got stopped by the ice storm about the same time my car died for good. This was three days before the actual move. A day later my mother was back with my dad in tow. They were such a big help!

For instance in this picture, Z is working on teething (still). All she wanted to do is watch Cinderella and sit with Poppy. All he wanted to do was read his paper and sit with Ziva. It was so cute. They were inseparable.

"Ousssiid"

That's Ziva for outside. She loves being outside. Any time she passes a window or door she asks to go "ousssiiid." These pictures are from sometime during the first weeks of February. Can you believe it? We love the South and it's warm weather.

Zoom Zoom

Over Christmas Ziva had so much fun playing with her cousin's car that her daddy had to go get her one. This wonderful and inexpensive Wal-mart toy has brought hours upon hours of fun into Z's life. She loves it. At first she would just play around it, then with it and now she is playing on it. As usually she didn't perform for the camera like mommy wanted her to but you can get the point.

Kicked Back

If any of you know Jason you must recognize this form of relaxation.

To help pass the time while Ziva was working on teething (all her back teeth at once...oh no, I'm serious) she got to watch Cinderella. I don't know why but only this DVD will help calm the major fussy teething child. To help her get more comfortable I brought in her little chair and Z didn't waste anytime getting comfy. Granted I'm not too thrilled with the belly showing but she still is a small child. I just can't get over how she is so much like her daddy when it comes to relaxing.

Recycling is Good for the Planet

And it gives baby a new thing to get into.

Note: Z's hair is so crazy right now. Once again I was proud and the Lord, in all His wisdom, had to fix that. I just knew that if I started early that I would get Ziva to allow all hair accessories to stay in her hair. I actually can hear the echos of myself telling this theory to other mothers. Alas, I was very wrong. I can't keep anything in Ziva's hair. She continuously takes them out. Many may ask, why I insist on putting stuff in hair and I answer...Have you seen her hair?!? It has nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with her being able to see. She runs around looking all crazy, pulling out the barrette and then "putting" it back by placing it on top of her hair, then it falls out and she fusses with her hair till it sticks out everywhere. Oh well, hopefully she'll grow out of this soon.

How Does Momma's Little Piggy Eat?

We have no idea where Ziva gets her eating habits. Where does she get this tendency to pig out?!? What started out as impressive has turned out to be mind boggling. Ziva started "early" feeding herself. She mastered the "pinch" movement and went to town with cereal snacks. So I moved on to other foods that she could feed herself. It all worked out well. I was so proud of my well coordinated baby. Until...

Until sometime after her first birthday, her dainty "pinching" eating style evolved into a "frat boy, vacuum, eating contest, shoveling, haven't been fed in weeks" style. So when I was ready to set my physically "advanced" child on her own during meals, the Lord unleashed his humility machine in the form of my child, the mini caveman. Ziva would actually shove fists full of food into her move, not stopping to chew. She would do it in world record speeds. It was crazy.

Feeling like we were moving backwards, we had to start regulation how much food was on Z's tray. I would place one piece of green bean. She would grab it and shove it in her mouth. I would wait. She would fuss, mouth full, for more. I would place another piece...on and on like this. Thankfully, my mother was here to help with this process. She seemed to enjoy taking it one bite at a time.

In this video we had been working with Z for sometime and felt she had made it back to being able to hold a "bigger" piece. We still had a while to work on it. It has been almost a month since this video and she is doing better now.

The Frosty

I apparently have no control over Nanny. Z gets to do what ever she wants when Nanny is in town, even a frosty. It was Ziva's first experience with any kind of shake/frosty item. Of course she loved it. She wouldn't be a Brown if she didn't. Now anytime she sees a to go cup with a straw she assumes is a shake and throws a fit to have some. Nothing like having a 13 month old screaming in the back of the car for a drink of your diet DP (which she will not get).

Busted Lip

I busted Ziva's lip in February. Not on purpose. I picked her up and placed her behind me and stood her a little rough. In my mind she had better balance. In reality she didn't. She dove face first into the kitchen floor. It was so traumatic for us both. What made it ever more "awesome" is that Nanny was there watching it all. To answer your questions, no, she did not hesitate when she got on to me for not being more careful.

Bridge Over Southern Water

As a last hurrah of sorts I wanted to capture my "last" trip over the Talmadge Bridge. It is the bridge that I crossed many times during my trips from SC to Savannah, GA and back. For years I have been terrified of this bridge. I admired it from afar but hated crossing it. It seems though that in the recent months my fears have subsided though I do have to admit I am still quite curious to what the work crews are working on. Anyway, I wanted to capture and share the experience, via the view, of crossing over to SC from GA the back way. Please note that I just held the camera up and snapped pictures. I did not endanger myself or my child while taking these pictures. I really said all that for my mother's benefit. Love ya mom.

Here we are going up. It really is close to a roller coaster climb. A Silver Dollar City roller coaster not a 6 Flags one.

Here is the eastern view of the Savannah River. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge basically divides downtown Savannah (east of bridge) and the ports (west of bridge). Did you know that Savannah is the largest single terminal container port on the U.S. eastern seaboard?

Savannah doesn't have a typical skyline like most cities. There is a restriction on how high buildings can be built. One or two were built tall before the restriction. Mostly it is a rather tame skyline that you can't see but from the bridge. I love it. I like all the steeples.

Here is one of the HUGE cargo ships that come up the Savannah River from the Atlantic to the ports. They are bigger than many of the buildings on River Street. It is very surreal. I love the juxtaposition of the modern (ships) with old (buildings).

And Ziva sleeps through it all.

My Big Girl

These pictures are from a visit to Z's doctor. Usually she clings to me and has nothing to do with the waiting room or play area. This time she wanted down and played. Then she wanted to sit at the table. You could tell that she really enjoyed a table her size. It is so fun watching her learn and enjoy new things.

Pickles Make Us Laugh

I have no real explanation for this video except that it is Ziva's first pickle and she thought it was funny. Oh...please ignore the mess in the back ground. This video was taken while we were moving out of our old place which had yucky carpet. Which by the way is why I kept Z fenced in a certain area.

Ziva's First Train

Apparently trains are funny. I got stopped by a light and a train was running parallel to our car...on train tracks. Ziva loved it. She giggled at it the whole time we were stopped.

After Dinner Entertainment

Ziva's "lighter" side has begun to show. It is still hard to make her laugh but she loves making us laugh which finally makes her laugh. Below is her after dinner show, "the spoon biting dance." She sticks the spoon or fork in her mouth and shakes her head back and forth. She thinks it is so funny. And it is. I just can't get her to perform for video.

Sunny with a High of 72

While most of you were freezing, watching limbs fall off trees and losing electricity, we were enjoying the warm weather. (Note: It is so cold here right now as I type this. It is not suppose to be this cold in the south!) Ziva and I couldn't help ourselves. We loaded up and headed to the park. Since she was walking at the time I couldn't wait to see what she would try to do or get into to...She spent the whole time sorting pin needles. Of course I took a ton of pictures just in case I caught anything earth shattering...I didn't. Still Z had fun. Really can I complain? My child just sat there quietly while I got to sit and restfully watch.

It's Been a While

We're back! Actually we've not been that far from home in the past month. We have just been real busy. Things seem to be falling into place now, especially the stack of unopened boxes I still have to get to.

When I'm not tending to my sweet toddler (that's right, no longer a baby) I have been working on putting this house together. I have been working on it night and day. In addition to that I am the unofficial office assistant to Jason. I do have to admit, I've been sleeping with the boss. Yeah, I just said that. I have also been helping with the townhouses in SC (the ones we were living in and managing for free rent). The Lord brought a couple (to take over management) that I believe is going to work out wonderfully.

Jason has been doing great. He tells me he really likes his job. He gets to wear scrubs everyday so what's not to like. Of course the plethora of boutique ties he has acquired is a bit useless but at least they're real pretty. Jason has been working his tail off. I am so impressed with his dedication. His territory is the lower HALF of GA. Wow! A lot of driving. A lot of work. It seems to be the season for that in his life but we are okay with it. This job is such a blessing. WE would love to share how much in detail. Just ask.

Z is Z. Of course the rest of the posts will be about her so really there is no need to talk about her here.

All and all we are good. Though we fell behind on our posts, we did keep up with you all out there in blog land.