LOL!

I figured out how to get my little Niva to laugh! Today, I just wiggled my tongue in and out of my mouth while making a funny noise (I'm sure everyone knows this move, but I can demonstrate this to you in person if you wish) and my baby got the giggles....it was so cute! I know there are some people out there who think my claims are "urban legends" (T-Fu!) but if it happens at least 3 times in a row, I don't think it's a fluke! Here is a slow-mo sequence of how it went down:

Mommy's a comedienne! Wahehehe!

And here's a bonus picture for Niva's diehard fans:

      Thanks for my pretty outfit, Gammy and Gampy! (and T-Fu for picking it out)

Leaps and Bounds

Lil Eggs and Bakey is only 7 weeks and 4 days old and she is growing up so quickly! I'm not sure how much she weighs now but we will find out at her next appointment on September 9th. The last time we went to the doctor 2 weeks ago, she was 10 lbs, 13 oz. and measured 23 inches--2 inches (aka about 10%) taller than when she was born!

Help! This thing is closing in on me!

And she has graduated to the 6 month gungees (undershirts)...these 0-3 month gungees just aren't cutting it anymore!

Check out my big boohreenh (tummy) yall!

I wonder how often I will have to buy new clothes...guess we will be saving these for Niva's future sibling!

Tisha Fufu's Coming to Town!

This is the tune Niva was singing Friday morning as her Favorite Houston Auntie was coming up to Austin to visit her. We had lots of fun with T-Fu...here are some of the highlights:

We went to Niva's favorite yogurt shop Tutti Frutti:

Ok Niva, let me teach you how to get the perfect ratio of toppings to yogurt...

We had storytime:

T-Fu, do the voices!!

Meanwhile, our own Poky Puppy enjoyed the story of her ancestors:

Man, that Poky Little Puppy is my hero!

And we also took a walk around the neighborhood:

What a great weekend with Tisha Fufu, can't wait to play with her again!

Daily Update for Daddy

Today, Niva's Daddy has taken a business trip to New Orleans. Baby Sunshine wants to make sure he gets a dose of her daily cuteness while he is away so here is a rundown of all the fun things we did today...


                       I took lots of naps...                                                                      

I got an olive oil massage and a bath...

Had some tummy time on my new playmat...

And then, Momo and I went for a walk this evening...

These trees are so interesting!

Of course, Mom also made me the doughnuts all day too...such a busy day! We miss you--see you Saturday!

Niva and Leo's Playdate

Today, Niva had her first playdate with her friend Leo. It lasted about 15 minutes as Niva got a little grumpy. Here's a glimpse of what happened today:

Niva: "Get me out of this stupid car seat!!"
Leo: "Yo Niva, be cool. Sheesh!"


This was Lil Sunshine when we got home:

But Ma, I just wanted to show Leo my pretty dress!

Hooray for my first playdate! 

Niva's Newest Trick

My Lil Eggs & Bakey can now smile in response to my smile! I can't tell you how much this fills my heart with joy and rays of sunshine (rays of Niva!)...

I said, "Let me see your Baby Smile!" and this is what I got!  Lucky me!

Wow! These Lil Lambs are the bomb!

Couldn't decide which one was cuter so here they both are...

These smiles are just the best part of my day...I hope she remembers this trick when she's a teenager!

First Day of School

Today, both students performed as expected. I stepped away from our G.T. student Niva's crib for a minute and when I got back, this is what I found:

Valedictorian Niva J. Bonzek

That's right-- at age 6 weeks and 4 days, Niva grabbed this toy on her own! This is NOT staged! I took about 10 pictures of this...I don't think my camera will be getting much rest for the next 18 years.

In the mean time, our Behavior Modification student Momo was up to mischief under Niva's crib:

Salutatorian Momo P. Bonzek

Good job at school today, students! Keep it up!

Class of 2010-2011

Tomorrow is the first day of school and it is weird that I will not be going back with my Del Valle crew this fall. After teaching in the classroom setting for 9 years, I will be teaching a different kind of class this year. I only have 2 students and here they are getting prepared for class:

Niva, the G.T. student

Momo, the Behavior Modification student

I got some pretty cute students, huh? After teaching classes of 30 7th graders, this will be a breeze!

Goodbye Roomie

For the past 4 weeks, I have been sleeping in the nursery with Niva because I wanted to be there as soon as she needed me. (Tisha Fufu slept in the nursery the first 2 weeks while I listened in with the baby monitor.) Since Niva has been doing so well with her sleeping, I'm back in the Big Room with Kraig and Momo. It kind of doesn't seem fair that 3 of us are in one room and 1 little baby is in a room by herself... but our doors are about 6 feet away from each other and hopefully, this will set her up for good sleeping habits in the future. And of course, the baby monitor right by my ear lets me know exactly when it's "time to make the doughnuts!"

Peace out, Ma! Don't let the door hit ya!

Niva's 1st New Friend!

Today, Niva met her first real friend in this world besides Mommy and Daddy. His name is Leo Brazos Bodden and he is soooo cute! They don't know it yet but they are going to be great pals. Here they are checking each other out:

Okay, so Niva's turning her nose up and Leo is turning the other way but they will soon warm up to each other. One day, Niva will say to him, "Hey dude, I knew you when you were 5 hours old!" Hooray for the Boddens...here's to many play dates to come!

Gray Hairs

So, my new hangout (besides the nursery) is the pediatrician's office. Thank goodness that they are a 5 minute drive away from the house because we have been there about 10 times (at least) in the 6 weeks that Niva's been alive. Today, I was worried about some rashes on her chest and her booty. Luckily, it was nothing serious and the doc gave us some quick fixes. Is this the beginning of a lifetime of worrying? I guess that's what being a parent is about....

Booboo Monster

Ever heard of something called cluster feedings? That's when babies go through a growth spurt and eat continuously all day. I just experienced that today. I fed the child about 15 times each time lasting a minimum of 30 minutes....the booboos are exhausted! She has finally stopped crying and I have laid her down to sleep. Niva, please keep up your reputation of sleeping through the night (except for your 2 midnight snacks of course). I'm scared to embark upon tonight! :S

Ma, I'm hungry!! Make me some meatloaf!

Post note to Future Niva: After I put you down at 11, you only woke up for snack #1 at 3:40am! Your reputation still upholds and as always, you are the best daughter in the world!

Baby Sunshine

After keeping Niva's name a secret for so many months, one may wonder how we came up with the name Niva Josephine. First of all, I love the meaning of her name-- in Newari, Niva means sunshine. Niva is also the name of my mom's younger sister who holds many characteristics that I wish for Niva to become someday-- smart, nice, funny, and beautiful. Finally, her name is short and sweet...as opposed to the other girl names I liked (that got vetoed)-- Leilani, Meilani, Anoushka...big names for a little girl! As for her middle name, we gave her the name Josephine after Kraig's Grandpa Joseph who is a great man that we hope will get to meet our Niva someday. Joseph is also Kraig's middle name so we are keeping it in the family. Together, the name Niva Josephine Bonzek just seemed to flow...as in Dr. Niva J. Bonzek? Niva Josephine Bonzek, Ph.D.? No pressure Niva, but maybe one day!

Guess what my favorite song is that my Mommy sings 50 times a day?

Bebe's 1st Blog...

Our good friends Karen and Ken Bodden have given me the idea of updating the world on the life and times of our lil munchbunch...for those who want to know about all the TMI of Niva's life, you will find it here. Hopefully, one day she will look back and say, "I did THAT???" starting with this little story right here: last night during the 1am feeding, all is going well and Niva's chomping away at her midnight snack. All of a sudden, I feel some kind of stickiness on my hand-- seems to be coming out of her diaper. I smelled the stickiness and yup, sure enough it's exactly what you think. Niva Darling somehow managed to poop on my dress and the pillowcase she was laying on. I'm not exactly sure about the physics of how it happened when I checked the inside of the diaper but all you can do is laugh and change clothes. I love my sweetie, poop and all! Stay tuned for more adventures...