The Mixed-Up Adventures of the Merry Mederich's.

It was such a merry Christmas for the Justin Mederich's this year. Last year was nice too, but honestly I'm so thankful to be where we are now as opposed to where we were then. A year ago during the holidays we had a baby that wouldn't sleep, we weren't living in our own home, we had recently moved to the frigid north, and I had just started my new job. Were we blessed at that time?  Absolutely!  Did life feel easy? Absolutely not. This Christmas was different and better in so many ways! We have a happy and spunky toddler who lights up the room by day, and typically sleeps quite well at night. We are close enough to family that we can celebrate with both sides and enjoy our time together without having to think about driving 10 hours to get home. Via is getting to the age where she remembers her grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and that makes the time spent with them that much more fun. And she is also way more into toys and presents than she was last year...

I can't believe that my little Via turns one today. I won't feel like she is really one until 7:16 p.m., the time she was born. I've been having a few flashbacks today to the beautiful horror endured in the delivery room. So worth it! It seems like pregnancy, labor, and delivery lasted forever; however, once Via was born time has been rushing, rushing, rushing. I often forget that I'm pregnant because I'm so busy watching my first baby learn and grow and change so fast. Sylvia Lynne Mederich has been given many nicknames. One of the first nicknames her daddy gave her once she entered the world is Little Duck. She had a cute head of hair when we met her, and it swooped in the back resembling a duck tail. Via hasn't always loved bath time, but she turned a corner around four months and began to enjoy bath time as well as the rubber ducks she got to play with during the sudsy fun. When she hit the 1/2 year mark I began to think about her first birthday party, a...

Every single blog seems to start the same way.....it's been too long.  A lot has happened in  less than a month. The biggest news, is that Via is going to be a big sister. Our due date is May 12, 2014, and we couldn't be happier. This news has caused us to take a step back and count our blessings as we plan for a new and different future. Among our many blessings, a few that we count daily are as follows: Justin's ability to stay home with our little girl. The flexibility of my job. Our church family, and the friendships that are growing on that front. Via is a happy, healthy, growing girl. Living in a home we love that is not 10 hours away from most of our family. The freedom to enjoy nightly family devotions. As we think about the changes that will come with having two kids, we are praying about a few things: That Justin will be able to find a good job in a field that he loves - either ministry or non-profit. Continued health in both our children. Wis...

I don't know how it happens, but it has been over two months since I last blogged.  Summer has been fun and busy and it's hard to believe it's now drawing to a close.  Today I am wearing a long sleeve shirt and a fleece.  There will still be some hot days, but the dog days of summer seem to be over. Via is changing every single day.  She is getting so mobile.  She is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything, and thinks that her walking skills are better than they actually are.  She has gotten to the place where sometimes she will let go of whatever piece of furniture she is holding onto and take off toward whatever she wants.  Sometimes it goes better than others.  The other day she clobbered the dog.  Mila still wonders why we brought this baby home.  Via's vocabulary seems to be taking shape.  A lot of the time she says momma and dada and she seems to know who/what she is talking about.  In addition to what sounds like...

What a wonderful time of life.  It's summer in Minnesota and I'm living the dream with my sweet little family. Via Update: Via is 8 months and 10 days.   On May 11, when we were visiting Branson, Via woke up with her first tooth.  Janae was holding her and I was giving her a sip of water and we both heard her little tooth clink on the glass.  Exactly one week later her second bottom tooth broke through.  Fast forward to last night.....Baby had so much trouble going to sleep.  She cried and cried.  Finally we gave her some baby tylenol and Justin rocked her to sleep.  She definitely needed the extra snuggles, because she woke up this morning with two top teeth!  When we weighed her at home two weeks ago she was 19 pounds.  Chunkster for sure.  No crawling yet, but lots of creeping.  She walks very well with assistance and is working on pulling up.  If we stand her next to something she holds on and will even walk a bit w...

Via is seven months today.  She can sit very well.  She is becoming quite the roly poly baby.  Some time in the last 4-6 weeks she has become a thumb sucker and it is super adorable.  She has also started sleeping on her tummy.  As soon as we lay her down in the crib on her back she flips right over before falling asleep.  During the day we hear a constant song as she sings out, "Da da da da.  Ay yi yi.  Theh theh theh."  The "thehs" are more of a whisper and sometimes she also whispers a sort of "s" sound.  She's definitely the cutest baby on the block and now that it's warm out and we are meeting the neighbors she is constantly being showered with compliments.  Right now her favorite food is peaches, and she kind of giggles the whole time she is eating them.  She is working on mastering the pincer grasp and loves to feed herself puffs.  They almost always make it to her mouth, but Mila has established a good spot under h...

I can hardly believe that little Via is already 6 months old!  This week her Aunt Sissy bought her a couple of treats to celebrate her half birthday.  We are going to give the new mesh teether a try tonight.  This week she tried peas and liked them.  I feel like a cruel mama because I hate peas, but I figure she doesn't have to know that.  Here is a picture of Via as a newborn and Via as a 6 month old.  have I mentioned that time flies? Yesterday Via and I went on a bit of an adventure with Rachel and Lucy, Renee and Audrey, and Mom and Dad.  We met in the morning and made the trek to Baxter, Minnesota to go visit Grandma June.  This was Via's first time meeting any of her great grandparents, and it was pretty sweet.  Gram made the most delicious lunch for us and we visited with her for about 4 hours before heading home.  It was a long day for the kiddos, but well worth the trip.  This summer we are going to...