Honorary Family

Our wonderful couple (Leslie and Adam) the live above us invited us to Leslie's family Christmas party this last Saturday. She said that they were going to decorate gingerbread houses, play some games, eat some food and have fun. It was a truly wonderful afternoon. Everyone treated us like we were part of the family, it was nice to have that feeling. We arrived there and got introduced to everyone - not that we remembered every one's name right away. Then we found out that they had put a train together for Cynthia to decorate, ever though mom did all the decorating and Cynthia did all the candy eating.

Here is Ben and Cynthia with the finished train. Cynthia kept trying to eat the candy.

The front of the train.

The back of the train.

After decorating trains, we joined some people in the living room where Cynthia got to play around and show off her cute-ness!

Cynthia playing with the 'shopping' toys.

Cynthia sliding down Leslie's legs.

Practicing my poses for my modeling career.
She has a plastic carrot in her month.

Cynthia climbed onto Leslie's lap and helped her play Nintendo DS.

Then Cynthia discovered a little horse. So mom put her on its back. Cynthia new what to do. She started to move her hips and legs as though she were riding a horse.

Another angle of Cynthia on the horse.

We tried to video the 'horse riding' talent of Cynthia's but she stopped the movement when we started to video.

The we went down stairs to play some games and everyone opened presents. Look how excited Cynthia is.

Then Cynthia got introduced to the puppy. At first she liked it, but then she started to freak out. She loved the cats.

It was a very fun Saturday. Thank you Leslie for letting us spend it with you and your family!

You Would Think We Have A Dog!

Cynthia loves the big window that we have in out living room. She is always trying to get up there and look out of it and play on the glass. Last night there was a blizzard outside, so we turned off all the lights, climbed onto the back of the couch and looked out the window. When we were done at the window, we had marks all over the window from Cynthia's hands and mouth. Here are some pictures of her at the window.

This was earlier in the month, but look at the happy face.

Check the hand prints out.

This is last night. Cynthia started on the back of the couch with Ben and I, then she climbed onto the window sill, then to try and act like nothing had changed, she would only sit like that, she would not stand up.

Playing on the window. This is between her banging the window moments.

Cynthia enjoyed putting her tongue on the cold glass. She is playing with the window with her tongue. Now I have a dirty window and you would think that it was the doggies nose that left all the marks, but we know better!

Christmas!

I would like to start by saying that I have the best family ever! I got international phone calls from my mom, dad and aunt. That was just the best present that I could get from them. It is always wonderful to chat to my family at home. Next, Layne played Santa and brought presents when he came up from Provo for the day. Layne gave Ben and I one book each. So we have some fun reading to do now. Shared and Britney sent some presents down with Britney's family at Thanksgiving for us, we got them as well. Cynthia opened her first present. It was funny. I had to show her what to do to get her interested. She made the wrapping paper make a noise and then played with it a little, then something else would catch her eye and off she would go. Once she figured out that she could tear it, it become a little more interesting and by the time she opened up the second present (which were letters) she was having fun. She really enjoys playing her her name.

Shared and Britney also sent us a gift card to Applebees and baby-sitting money so Ben and I can go out. I have to say that they are the best!

Cynthia made a new friend that day as well. She played with Layne the whole time and was sad to see him leave. She would bring her toys to him, she would try to climb onto his lap, eat his food. She would follow him around the place. He would go to the kitchen and she would be right on his tail. He went to the bathroom and she followed him. When he opened the door to leave the bathroom there she sat, at the foot of the door, waiting for him. She held his hand and showed him around the place. It was just the cutest thing ever. I have never seen her get so close to someone so quickly like that. She had to warm up to him first, but once that first meeting was over they were best buds.

Cynthia opening her first present, not sure what it was all about.

We found clothes inside. She had fun trying to pick the size sicker off.

The fun begins, she got her name!

Playing with the wrapping.

Cynthia's name, if you could not guess :) Britney is amazing!

Cynthia showing Layne something.

Layne and Cynthia, look at how happy Cynthia is with Layne.

This picture is for Mom and Dad back home. This is the most current picture of him.

Playing with the balloon.

I would like to thank my wonderful family for making our Christmas so wonderful! I love you guys so much! I am lucky to have such a great family who takes care of Ben, Cynthia and I!

Bribery and Training

Cynthia gave me an early Christmas present on Christmas Eve. She decided that she was going to walk. She walked about 6 steps to Ben who was waiting for her outside the bathroom. It was the cutest little thing ever. So the next day, we tried to get her to do it again. Sadly she would not. So out came the bribery tools - Graham Crackers! This was the best video we could get of her walking towards the cracker. The time before this, which we never recorded, she walked from Ben to me without any problems, opened her mouth and took the cracker out of my hands. Cynthia is not a little more mobile than she was before. We don't have anything to worry about with her getting into things, because she does already.



We had to give her tunnel vision so we sat in our little hallway and blocked the entrance.

I Love My Graham Crackers!

Cynthia absolutely adores her crackers and this season of Ben's birthday (his cake to be exact) we found out that Cynthia loves Graham crackers over her Ritz. Watch her excitement.

mix this

Today Cynthia felt like helping cook, so we got her a wooden spoon, a bowl, and some fruit. We used citrus fruits because they can take a beating better then others. Any way here is a little clip of her going at it.

Allergy: Egg or Egg White?

I have always suspected that Cynthia might have an allergy to eggs, just like her Daddy and Uncle. So that made me a little scared to let her have the flu shot. When I was pregnant I felt as though Cynthia would only arrive into our lives sometime in February and not when she was due - January 29. January 19 Ben made me a wonderful bacon and egg breakfast - the first egg that I had eaten while being pregnant. I was sick that whole weekend. That egg did not settle well in my tummy and a few days later my water breaks and Cynthia arrives. At her last appointment she had her first flu shot. The nurse, doctor and Ben assured me that the first exposure to something that might be an allergy was minor. So I agreed to the flu shot. She had this huge, nasty bruise on her leg for weeks after the shot. We never thought about connecting it to the shot at all. Then last night we fed her something new. Garden veggies with whole grain pasta. She was easting it like a pro, then Ben noticed a rash like redness starting in the corner of her mouth, he asked if it had been there before feeding. It hadn't. It slowly spread around the bottom lip. I read the ingredient label and the last two words on the list: Egg White. We washed her mouth off, gave her some fruit that she loves and a graham cracker, along with some Motrin, to try and help dilute the egg white in her tummy and stop an allergic reaction. So my question is, can Cynthia have an egg white allergy or does that just fall under the category of egg?

She woke up this morning with her little round rash like red spot but it slowly went away throughout the day.

This picture does not show you her red mouth very well, but if you look at the bottom of her lip on the right side, you will notice a round red spot.