Her first word: "Ba-ba" (Bottle)
Yesterday morning, for the first time, Danika reached for her bottle and said "Ba-Ba." I thought maybe I was imagining it, so I repeated it and held the bottle in front of her...she reached again and said it more clearly. I can't believe it...her first word! If there was any doubt, it was erased by the incredible progression over the last 24 hours. She went from mumbling it yesterday morning, to saying it very, very clearly last night...to practically begging for it this morning as she loudly called for it from the floor while I mixed it in the kitchen this morning. :) I have a feeling we are in for quite the experience as she figures more words out. She is really close to saying "Da-da" & "Ma-Ma", so we will see who is first! :)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wheels, Hair and the Porch
Two members of our family are sporting new 'dos...and for a change I'm not one of them. :) Doug got brave and let me cut his hair at home this week for the very first time. It was so much fun! It's a little shorter than I intended, but not much. It's pretty close to the way I pictured it. I told him I'll get better with practice. :) You'll have to tell me what you think. I've been bugging him to shave off that beard. But...he is fighting me on it, so we made a compromise...he trimmed it down to a well-groomed goatee. I can live with that for now. Although, I will say, I think it makes him look sinister. :) Danika seems fine with it...as long as he's not wearing a baseball cap.
Doug continues to work on the back porch. As with most home improvement projects, it has turned out to be a much bigger project than we anticipated. It turns out the support beams are all rotten underneath. So....it's going to be a lot of work. Here are a few pictures of the process as it went from one small hole to assess the damage, to the entire floor being ripped out so Doug can put new support beams in.
Doug was excited on Wednesday...he started taking a small engine repair class here in Millcreek. They offer the class every year and he has always wanted to take it, but it is always on Wednesday nights...and in the past we always had church that night. But...at this particular point in our lives, our Wednesday nights are free...and so for 10 weeks Doug is taking this class. He thinks it will be pretty cool.
My "sinister hubby with his new haircut.
Danika is the other "new 'do"....her hair is FINALLY long enough for her very first hair bow! I was so pumped I ran out and bought six. They actually stay in, and for the most part, she hasn't figured out they are there yet, so she doesn't pull on them. It's pretty fun.Danika with her new hair ribbon...and looking a little tired.
Daddy and Danika playing together.
Danika has a special little friend named Trinity who will turn 2 years old next week. I haven't asked her parents yet, but when I remember to do that, and if they give the okay, I'll post a couple of cute pictures of them together. Trinity and her parents have been very, very generous to Danika with clothing, toys, baby swings, carriers, and all sorts of fun stuff. We can't possibly thank them enough for all the things they have given us. Most of Danika's cute little things were once Trinity's...the generosity of her family has been one of God's special blessings to us over the last year and a half...there are so many things that Danika has that just would not have been possible without thier kindness. A few nights ago they came to visit and brought Danika a very special toy to borrow for a while. It is the coolest walker I've ever seen. It is made up of multiple inflatable rings, and the rollers on the bottom go in any direction. Danika LOVES it! She is running all over the place in it and just bounces off everything. She's been terrorizing the cats with it and thinks it is way too cool to be this mobile. Prior to this, her favorite toy was her jeep...also a gift from Trinity and family. She still likes it...she thinks it is great to sit in it and beep the horn with her nose. :) Up till now it has been a huge hit...but last night the rainbow walker took the lead as Danika's new favorite object. She loves it because she can navigate in any direction she wants really quick and easy...mommy loves it because it bounces off the walls and furniture without leaving marks. :) It has been the most entertaining thing in our house the last few days!Doug continues to work on the back porch. As with most home improvement projects, it has turned out to be a much bigger project than we anticipated. It turns out the support beams are all rotten underneath. So....it's going to be a lot of work. Here are a few pictures of the process as it went from one small hole to assess the damage, to the entire floor being ripped out so Doug can put new support beams in.
Doug was excited on Wednesday...he started taking a small engine repair class here in Millcreek. They offer the class every year and he has always wanted to take it, but it is always on Wednesday nights...and in the past we always had church that night. But...at this particular point in our lives, our Wednesday nights are free...and so for 10 weeks Doug is taking this class. He thinks it will be pretty cool.
And last but not least...just a few pictures to entertain you.
The other day, Doug was getting Danika dressed out in the living room while I got myself ready in the bedroom. Danika is quite a fighter when it comes to changing diapers and dressing her...she is just way too busy to hold still long enough for you to finish the job properly. So, from the living room amid a whole lot of squawking and happy babbling, I hear Doug firmly saying "Hold still...no....don't crawl away....come back here....keep that foot down....no....not that leg....wait....come one....aaahhh!" I couldn't help but laugh from the other room. And then a very defeated Doug brought this mermaid creature in to me and left her on the bed. :) Apparently, she wasn't very cooperative when it came to using both leg holes.
Danika's favorite "toy" (while she loves the new walker) would still have to be the cats. She thinks they are the coolest thing EVER. So...anytime she has a "close encounter" and can actually touch them, she squeals with delight. 
As you can see....there might be a good reason the cats don't let her get close enough to touch them very often. :) (In case you can't tell...I managed to actually capture the moment when Danika poked Sam in the eye.)
And here's my little "Shorty-McNorty" as Doug so lovingly calls her, sitting in the kitchen. This was taken right before the other cat unwittingly walked around the corner into Danika's reach and then ran for his life towards the basement.
Last but not least....Mom...this info is for you. Danika crawled for REAL for the first time on Friday night. It was only a few steps...but she did it! And today, she crawled some more. So...she is figuring it out slowly but surely. And she pulls herself up on everything now...the chairs, the couch, Doug's legs...anything she can get a good grip on she wants to climb and stand up. And...she claps. Doug claps and says "Patty cake, patty cake..." and she imitates him. It's pretty cool. Tooth #5 and #6 are almost all the way through. And she "dances" now too. When I turn on the radio and sit in front her and move my shoulders, she moves her right shoulder up and down to imitate me. It just cracks me up...not both shoulders....only one. :)
So...that's life in the Bierer household this week. Smile and have a great day!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
She's in the crib!
It's been an exciting day today! We got the bumper put in Danika's crib, so she is sleeping in it for the very first time as I write this. :) It is so stinking cute.
We also discovered last night that Danika is not a fan of baseball caps. Doug came home from work wearing his usual work hat, and when he went to kiss Danika she started to whimper and almost cry. It took quite a while for her to warm up to him, even after he ditched the hat. This morning after Doug fed her breakfast, he got ready to go to Lowe's for supplies and as he walked past, all of a sudden she went from laughing and playing to very serious and a little whimpering. I looked at him and realized he had the hat on again. Apparently it wasn't just a fluke...she was NOT impressed with the Dad version that wears that hat.
I hope I'm not boring some of you...if I am I apologize. But, my mom reads this blog, so some of these details are for her. :) Danika started sitting up a lot more this week. And, she has gotten even more fond of crossing her feet. She has been like this for a while...but it still just cracks me up. Anytime you hold her, sit her in a chair, put her in a stroller...basically anything except when she crawls, she feels it is necessary to cross her feet. So...this is what we see all the time.
And last, but not least, Doug started working on our back porch this week. The crib is finished, so on to the next project. Since we bought this house, we have been putting off dealing with the back porch. I really enjoyed the screened in porch...until our cats ripped all the screens out. And then it started to rot. Doug finally informed me that if we don't fix it before snow comes this winter, it will fall off the house before spring. Yikes! I guess he is serious. So...now we have to do something about it. I will keep you posted as we work on it. Here is today's picture. :)
We also discovered last night that Danika is not a fan of baseball caps. Doug came home from work wearing his usual work hat, and when he went to kiss Danika she started to whimper and almost cry. It took quite a while for her to warm up to him, even after he ditched the hat. This morning after Doug fed her breakfast, he got ready to go to Lowe's for supplies and as he walked past, all of a sudden she went from laughing and playing to very serious and a little whimpering. I looked at him and realized he had the hat on again. Apparently it wasn't just a fluke...she was NOT impressed with the Dad version that wears that hat.
I hope I'm not boring some of you...if I am I apologize. But, my mom reads this blog, so some of these details are for her. :) Danika started sitting up a lot more this week. And, she has gotten even more fond of crossing her feet. She has been like this for a while...but it still just cracks me up. Anytime you hold her, sit her in a chair, put her in a stroller...basically anything except when she crawls, she feels it is necessary to cross her feet. So...this is what we see all the time.
And last, but not least, Doug started working on our back porch this week. The crib is finished, so on to the next project. Since we bought this house, we have been putting off dealing with the back porch. I really enjoyed the screened in porch...until our cats ripped all the screens out. And then it started to rot. Doug finally informed me that if we don't fix it before snow comes this winter, it will fall off the house before spring. Yikes! I guess he is serious. So...now we have to do something about it. I will keep you posted as we work on it. Here is today's picture. :)
Love you all!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
"Tub" Time
Bath time has become a whole lot more exciting lately. :) Danika is a little too active and squirmy for the tub. She has way too much room to move. So, lately, we have been having bath time in the kitchen sink. :) She loves it! It is the perfect size for her.
So, being me, I had to capture it on film. Here are pictures from bathtime two days ago. You can see all four teeth in the picture where she is laughing. :)
So, being me, I had to capture it on film. Here are pictures from bathtime two days ago. You can see all four teeth in the picture where she is laughing. :)
The Crib
My husband amazes me. Last October when I was pregnant with Danika, we went to BabiesRUs to look at cribs...and Doug just looked at me and said, "I can build that." I thought he was joking for a second, and then realized he wasn't. He looked at the cribs on display, I got him a picture of one of my favorites and he went to work. It has been so fun to see him working away out in the garage on this beautiful gift for our daughter.
So....here we are. This weekend was the great final assembly of the crib. The timing is actually perfect. Danika is so tiny that it was only 2 months ago we took her out of the bassinet in our bedroom. For the last two months she has been sleeping in a PackNPlay in the living room. She made that adjustment well, and we are finally ready to move her upstairs to her own room. I helped him carry the pieces up the stairs to Danika's nursery (which thus far has only been used for storage) and he put it together. It is BEAUTIFUL! He did such a great job!!!! It looks exactly like the picture...and it is even more fun because he built it himself just for her. I just thought you might like to see it!
This is Doug working trying to assemble the final project.
It is possible that my picture taking, the cat sitting in the chair, and Danika crawling under his hands were slowing him down just a bit. :)
I wanted to get some pictures without any bedding so you could see all the detail in the crib.
I love it!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
My Minivan Man
You know someone REALLY loves you when they are willing to do something that they hate just because it is important to you. 
In my world, that would be the purchase of the minivan. About a month ago we bought a used Honda Odyssey minivan in the exotic color of gold/tan. I LOVE my van. It is comfortable, it is easy to travel in with all of Danika's stuff, and my parents and sister can fit in it with us when we are together. It gets decent gas mileage and did I mention I love it??!? It is so practical and made so much sense for our family.But, let's just say Doug was less than eager to become the proud new owner of a minivan. To be honest...he was beyond freaked out. He wanted no part of owning a minivan. I believe multiple conversations included the words "over my dead body"....But, I really wanted it. And I am the one who would drive it every day. And I convinced
him how much sense it made and how much better it would be for us than the little tiny '96 Accord we were driving...and I may have threatened that if he didn't get a minivan, I would take over driving when we are together and make him sit in the passenger seat with his knees against the dash for hours at a time because the car seat was too big for the backseat. So...because he loves me (and because the threats were scaring him)...we bought a minivan.
The "mommy-mobile" is what we call it here. Our first week with it, Doug had to take Danika to the grocery store with him...he came home and looked depressed. I asked what was up..."I was done shopping and had Danika strapped into her carseat and I was loading the groceries...and I realized what I looked like. I was just another typical looking Dad with the family minivan at the grocery store. It was kind of depressing."
I told him he would survive. :) But in all seriousness...it's things like this that remind me how much I love this man. Every day, from the little things to the big things, he makes me laugh and he reminds me just how lucky I am. After a few weeks of rolling his eyes, and adjusting to the lack of coolness that now surrounds his life...Doug/my husband/Danika's Dad/owner of the minivan has adjusted to the new mode of transportation we are now seen in on a daily basis. The first trip home to my parents house in Ohio as well as our first vacation trip sealed the deal as the van proved to be more than worth the lack of coolness for the ability to fit all our crap in our vehicle and still be able to move.
Fortunately, Doug doesn't have a facebook account, so I can ramble about him as much as I want...odds are he won't ever read this. But, if you see him in the the Gold Mommy-Mobile sometime around Erie, before you taunt him for how "cool" he looks, remember...he is driving it because he loves his wife. :)
In my world, that would be the purchase of the minivan. About a month ago we bought a used Honda Odyssey minivan in the exotic color of gold/tan. I LOVE my van. It is comfortable, it is easy to travel in with all of Danika's stuff, and my parents and sister can fit in it with us when we are together. It gets decent gas mileage and did I mention I love it??!? It is so practical and made so much sense for our family.But, let's just say Doug was less than eager to become the proud new owner of a minivan. To be honest...he was beyond freaked out. He wanted no part of owning a minivan. I believe multiple conversations included the words "over my dead body"....But, I really wanted it. And I am the one who would drive it every day. And I convinced
him how much sense it made and how much better it would be for us than the little tiny '96 Accord we were driving...and I may have threatened that if he didn't get a minivan, I would take over driving when we are together and make him sit in the passenger seat with his knees against the dash for hours at a time because the car seat was too big for the backseat. So...because he loves me (and because the threats were scaring him)...we bought a minivan.The "mommy-mobile" is what we call it here. Our first week with it, Doug had to take Danika to the grocery store with him...he came home and looked depressed. I asked what was up..."I was done shopping and had Danika strapped into her carseat and I was loading the groceries...and I realized what I looked like. I was just another typical looking Dad with the family minivan at the grocery store. It was kind of depressing."
I told him he would survive. :) But in all seriousness...it's things like this that remind me how much I love this man. Every day, from the little things to the big things, he makes me laugh and he reminds me just how lucky I am. After a few weeks of rolling his eyes, and adjusting to the lack of coolness that now surrounds his life...Doug/my husband/Danika's Dad/owner of the minivan has adjusted to the new mode of transportation we are now seen in on a daily basis. The first trip home to my parents house in Ohio as well as our first vacation trip sealed the deal as the van proved to be more than worth the lack of coolness for the ability to fit all our crap in our vehicle and still be able to move.
Fortunately, Doug doesn't have a facebook account, so I can ramble about him as much as I want...odds are he won't ever read this. But, if you see him in the the Gold Mommy-Mobile sometime around Erie, before you taunt him for how "cool" he looks, remember...he is driving it because he loves his wife. :)
Update on Us - July 2007
Originally posted on Facebook July 31, 2007 
Doug and I have had all sorts of crazy changes over the last several months, so this seems like a good place to keep you all updated. Obviously, having a baby was kind of a big one. :)
Danika Kay was born December 29, 2006 and so far this whole parenting thing has been one fun ride. She is just a blast...even if she has no respect for her parents need to sleep.
Not long after Danika was born, while still on maternity leave, I was offered this great promotion that now allows me to work from an office at home. I love what I do...it is practically a job that was made for me. Nobody really dreams of working for a state-funded highway safety grant when they grow up...but as weird as it sounds, it is perfect for me. I've been in the field for 5 years...but my new promotion basically got rid of the crappy parts of the job and now I get nothing but the best parts of the job with an awesome boss just to add icing to the cake. I get to learn new things all the time, I am constantly being challenged...I work with the media, law enforcement, government officials...you
name it. One day I might be wearing a suit and holding meetings for all the District Judges in a county, the next I could be dressed in high-vis yellow-green standing next to a roadway at 2am helping with a DUI checkpoint...the next I might be judging teenagers who participate in a closed course driving competition..and then another day I might be on a live interview with the local TV station about the increased speed enforcement we are funding for our local police department to reduce aggressive driving. It is the best parts of everything college trained me for... people skills, poise, professionalism, organization, computer skills...I really, really love what I do. It is a great feeling to say that. I am responsible for 15 counties in my new position and travel frequently, but it is awesome. The only bummer is that even thought I work at home, Danika still had to go to daycare. I can't get anything done if she is home with me....and it kind of kills the professionalism thing when you are trying to negotiate with a police chief and there is a baby crying into the receiver. :) But since I work from home and daycare is only 1 mile away, I normally go up for my lunch and feed her myself...that makes it seem like we aren't really apart that long.
Danika goes to daycare at Bethel Christian School and we are extremely grateful for the wonderful people who take such great care of her there. They seriously love on her more than I could if I had her home. I feel so safe with her there...I love all the workers and couldn't ask for a better situation.
Our biggest life change has to do with Doug. In April Doug announced that he was resigning from the Associate Pastor position at Bethel Baptist Church. Lots of reasons...but most of all, he really needed a change. He is currently working with his Dad remodeling houses. So far, he loves the increased physical activity and the satisfaction of building things with his hands. Doug is wired for physical work...sitting behind a desk, as meaningful and wonderful as his job was...really was killing him. I see such a change even in the few months he has been away from it....it's like he is relaxing for the first time in 4+years. I'm so proud of him for making the change...I know it was a hard decision and he was very afraid of letting people down. But it was the right choice...and not a doubt in either of our minds that it was the one God wanted us to make this year.
With Doug’s resignation we felt that we needed to leave the church entirely and find a new church home so that we would not hinder the process of Bethel finding a new associate, or be an obstacle to that person once hired. We pray that God brings the perfect fit for an Associate Pastor to Bethel. So…as I write this, we are looking for a new church home. That's been a wild ride too! We started at Bethel the week after we got married...we love the people there and that has been our "family" ever since we came to Erie. It was so emotional to leave. But at the same time...we have tried to communicate how much we love them all and want to stay in touch...and I believe we can do that. As we have been visiting churches, it has been amazing seeing how many wonderful churches are out there and it has been an incredible encouragement. Everyweek we have worshipped with a different body of christians who just love Jesus and want to share that love with us...if that doesn't just make you feel better about the community you live in, I don't know what will. With all the churches we have been in, it gives you a much, much better appreciation of what God is doing in Erie, not just at Bethel Baptist Church. We have really enjoyed the search and hope to settle into a new "family" this fall.
Whew! Talk about a lot of change in a few short months! We sometimes still feel like our world is spinning, but things are starting to calm down and we are settling in to all our new roles. We appreciate your many prayers and encouragement as we have entered this new phase of our lives. Thanks. So, with that...I guess I'll end this long update. Just wanted to give you all a feel for where we are at.
Talk to you soon!
Doug and I have had all sorts of crazy changes over the last several months, so this seems like a good place to keep you all updated. Obviously, having a baby was kind of a big one. :)
Danika Kay was born December 29, 2006 and so far this whole parenting thing has been one fun ride. She is just a blast...even if she has no respect for her parents need to sleep.
Not long after Danika was born, while still on maternity leave, I was offered this great promotion that now allows me to work from an office at home. I love what I do...it is practically a job that was made for me. Nobody really dreams of working for a state-funded highway safety grant when they grow up...but as weird as it sounds, it is perfect for me. I've been in the field for 5 years...but my new promotion basically got rid of the crappy parts of the job and now I get nothing but the best parts of the job with an awesome boss just to add icing to the cake. I get to learn new things all the time, I am constantly being challenged...I work with the media, law enforcement, government officials...you
name it. One day I might be wearing a suit and holding meetings for all the District Judges in a county, the next I could be dressed in high-vis yellow-green standing next to a roadway at 2am helping with a DUI checkpoint...the next I might be judging teenagers who participate in a closed course driving competition..and then another day I might be on a live interview with the local TV station about the increased speed enforcement we are funding for our local police department to reduce aggressive driving. It is the best parts of everything college trained me for... people skills, poise, professionalism, organization, computer skills...I really, really love what I do. It is a great feeling to say that. I am responsible for 15 counties in my new position and travel frequently, but it is awesome. The only bummer is that even thought I work at home, Danika still had to go to daycare. I can't get anything done if she is home with me....and it kind of kills the professionalism thing when you are trying to negotiate with a police chief and there is a baby crying into the receiver. :) But since I work from home and daycare is only 1 mile away, I normally go up for my lunch and feed her myself...that makes it seem like we aren't really apart that long.
Danika goes to daycare at Bethel Christian School and we are extremely grateful for the wonderful people who take such great care of her there. They seriously love on her more than I could if I had her home. I feel so safe with her there...I love all the workers and couldn't ask for a better situation.
Our biggest life change has to do with Doug. In April Doug announced that he was resigning from the Associate Pastor position at Bethel Baptist Church. Lots of reasons...but most of all, he really needed a change. He is currently working with his Dad remodeling houses. So far, he loves the increased physical activity and the satisfaction of building things with his hands. Doug is wired for physical work...sitting behind a desk, as meaningful and wonderful as his job was...really was killing him. I see such a change even in the few months he has been away from it....it's like he is relaxing for the first time in 4+years. I'm so proud of him for making the change...I know it was a hard decision and he was very afraid of letting people down. But it was the right choice...and not a doubt in either of our minds that it was the one God wanted us to make this year.With Doug’s resignation we felt that we needed to leave the church entirely and find a new church home so that we would not hinder the process of Bethel finding a new associate, or be an obstacle to that person once hired. We pray that God brings the perfect fit for an Associate Pastor to Bethel. So…as I write this, we are looking for a new church home. That's been a wild ride too! We started at Bethel the week after we got married...we love the people there and that has been our "family" ever since we came to Erie. It was so emotional to leave. But at the same time...we have tried to communicate how much we love them all and want to stay in touch...and I believe we can do that. As we have been visiting churches, it has been amazing seeing how many wonderful churches are out there and it has been an incredible encouragement. Everyweek we have worshipped with a different body of christians who just love Jesus and want to share that love with us...if that doesn't just make you feel better about the community you live in, I don't know what will. With all the churches we have been in, it gives you a much, much better appreciation of what God is doing in Erie, not just at Bethel Baptist Church. We have really enjoyed the search and hope to settle into a new "family" this fall.
Whew! Talk about a lot of change in a few short months! We sometimes still feel like our world is spinning, but things are starting to calm down and we are settling in to all our new roles. We appreciate your many prayers and encouragement as we have entered this new phase of our lives. Thanks. So, with that...I guess I'll end this long update. Just wanted to give you all a feel for where we are at.
Talk to you soon!
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