Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hello?

This is something new that she started doing. She has always liked the phone, but now she talks to "someone", then passes the phone to me and waits for me to say hello. Then, she wants the phone back and we go back and forth. Twice has happened that I hear a voice in the other side and it turns out Arianna dialed someone's phone number! In this picture, she is using our old phone, and she likes to talk to "the back" of the phone, and she is very busy gossiping...





She managed to go up on the sofa! (and she was very proud of herself). Yep, Arianna can pull herself up, now it will be nice when she can come down as well. So, I have to keep an extra eye when she climbs up because she is like a kitty: Go up - fast and easy - Go down - not really - :)









I can help you with all the paperwork! She is in a stage where she likes to put things in and out, so she loves the box where we keep some receipts and such... Good thing is that she cannot take them out because we have so much in there is kind of stuck. Maybe she will be an accountant...



We came home from the store and this bunny was a few feet from where I park the car. I thought it was going to run once I got out of the car, but it stayed (about 3 steps from where I was). I took Arianna out of the car and the bunny was still there looking at us. Arianna looked back and was quite for a bit, so I took this picture and then Arianna got excited so the bunny run under the fence and into the backyard!

Hot Dog --- Yummy!

Arianna is going from eating Gerber food to "adult" food. I am trying different kinds of meats, and decided to try my luck with a hot dog. I had given her a hot dog (Oscar Mayer) before and she was not very thrilled with it. I bought the Hebrew National and Mike grilled them for me. Then I asked her if she liked it and you will see her answer! Her nose is a bit shiny because I put Vaseline to help with the dryness after cleaning her poor nose so many times. :( She still has a runny nose, but at least she is eating. Drinking is the problem. I was hoping she will like whole milk, but she does not like it as much. I may have to go back to mixing formula with milk. We'll see. She does eat eggs, cheese, and many kinds of fruits and veggies. If you have an idea in what to give her in terms of protein (or anything else) and/or an easy recipe, I will appreciate it.

James Concert


On September 25, we went to see James at the Vic. It was a nice repertoire (except that they did not play my favorite song - Protect me) and Mike really enjoyed the concert. I like James, but Mike is the fan. Before the concert, we stopped to eat at a restaurant that is closed by. It had food from the Middle East and I ordered the Mediterranean combo (three different meats- lamb, ground beef, steak), Mike had a chicken plate, and Ann and Barry had a falafel sandwich with fries. I tried the Baklava dessert (it was good, but the one at the Greek restaurant that we go to is better) and Mike had a good brownie.
The one thing I really liked was the opening act for James. Her name is Amy MacDonald. She is from Scotland and had a great voice. Her debut album is called This is the life. I am never good at describing the type of music (I will leave that to Ann and Barry), but it is kind of folky-rock. Mike and I liked it and bought the download version at amazon.
My sister babysat for me and I was glad that Arianna did great. Thank you.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Update

We went to the doctor today for Arianna's one year check up. She is doing well :) Her weight is 21.5 lbs and 30 in. length. She was very attentive to what the doctor was doing and she demonstrated some of her cognitive abilities and walking, so the doctor was happy about that. No fever, which meant she got her shots. No reaction so far. We are hoping for a restful night, but she is seriously teething #9 and #10 teeth. So, we'll see. Anyway, I am happy that the fever is gone, and that the cold is going away; teething in the other hand is going to take awhile. I tell you one thing, she is a pit fire when she is not a happy camper, but we love her so much!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Sickness...

I was happy that Arianna was not very sick on her birthday party, but she got a bit worse on Sunday and we took her to the doctor today. It is a cold. Probably one of many to come, but we were worry because last cold (she was about 6 months) we had to use a nebulizer to help her out. So, the doctor checked her lungs, ears, throat, so far so good. Hopefully, it is just a normal cold. I hate to see my baby sick.
Mike is getting better, and I am trying to duck the cold. On Wed., we are going back because she was supposed to get her vaccines. The doctor said that if she does not have a fever, they will give her the shots. If not, we will re-schedule for that, but they will check her again. I am not looking forward to that at all :( It hurts me more than the baby...

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Arianna's First Birthday Party

The day finally arrived and everyone came when we were almost ready :) The tables were set up on the driveway and we put balloons around the fence. We had chinese food and later we ordered some pizzas. There were different fruits to choose from, chips and ice cream as well. (Thanks to Rosalva for bringing ice cream to the party).
I was concerned that Arianna was going to be cranky because she was getting a mild cold, but she was a trooper and enjoyed her party.













She was enjoying a beautiful moment with her Aunt Tiffany (purple blouse). She started to like pens, crayons, etc. and she received a nice set of crayons. I think we will try them during the week and see what art she comes out with. (Thanks to Glenn for his art sheet of Super Why for Arianna. It is hanging on our fridge). She was also with my sister Alma (brown blouse) and Arianna was talking to her. She loves jewelry and my guess is that she liked my sister's medallion.
Arianna is getting better with people, but she still wants mostly mommy and daddy. So, it was nice that she stayed with Tiffany and Alma for a bit. Small steps I guess.



Arianna really liked this little girl in the picture. Her name is Arianna like my baby (spelled the same way too). My mom had to keep my Arianna from touching her head - of the other Arianna.
So cute. As I said in the comment above, Arianna is getting better with other people and I was happy that she likes her grandma Minerva. I was able to enjoy some Chinese food in the meantime.







First pinata! She was more interested in the pinata before it was hanging than when it was her turn to hit it. She also wanted to walk on the side street (more than the pinata), but the children had a blast. Especially when they could not kill the dinosaur and the monkey, and when the candy went flying around.




You can see the nice peach dress that we got her for her party. It has a kitty on the bottom since she loves her kitties that were in our room during the party. As you can see, the kids were hitting the pinata, but she was eager to practice how to walk.





Arianna's cake was awesome. I did not know how it was going to turn out (I ordered at Jewel), but I was really happy with the design and the taste. I was going to order from a specialty cake, but I did not think the amount they were charging was fair. So, I tried my nearest Jewel and I was looking for a zoo theme, but they did not have it so I went for Winnie the Pooh. It was just adorable. It had fresh strawberries in one side and fudge in the other one and had whipping cream (a bit of buttercream around the picture). Yummy!



Everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" and Mike was doing daddy duty. One because the wind was picking up and two because there was a boy that blew up the candle before. I mean, who can resist cake?! Arianna seems intrigue by the singing?







Arianna is eating some of her cake thanks to her grandma! I was cutting the cake for our guests, and grandma fed her some delicious cake and gave her a lollipop. That was her first lollipop ever! Well, this child has a sweet tooth. It is daddy and mommy's fault. Before I was pregnant I never liked brownies, but during my pregnancy I craved brownies badly. I am so glad that she loves grandma Marie and grandpa Ron (although she seems a bit more scared of guys, except for daddy).

















Thank you to all our friends that made it to the party. Debbie, Valana, Kyra and Tiffiney. Myrna, Albert and kids (Mady, Amanda, Arianna). Paulina, Amparito and Manuel (?) Rosalva with Adali and Natalie. Tiffiney and Bob (with us in the picture). It was so nice to share this moment with you! I can see some people enjoying some cake and having fun :)




































We were opening presents as fast as we could because Arianna was very tired already. She received lots of clothes (very needed it since she is growing), some nice toys and gift cards. Thank you all for your gifts.
I want to say thank you to Tiffiney for taking the time to make a blanket for Arianna. She will definitely use it in the winter time!




And finally thanks to all our families for making this day a memory to remember...








Here is Uncle David, Aunt Tiffany and cousin Glenn.















Aunt Ann and Barry!













Uncle Tony, Aunt Alma and her cousins: Scarlett, Phoenix, Logan and Raven!















Uncle Carlos, Aunt Ely, cousin Santana and Angelo.


















Grandma Minerva (holding Santana)














Grandma Marie and Grandpa Ron (This picture was taken in another event, unfortunately I did not have a picture where both were together (and visible). But the point is that we love them and we are happy that they are in our lives. :(


And finally, Uncle Ron and Aunt Evelyn that were with us in spirit since they could not be with us because of the distance. We love you too!

And so it ends the first party of our baby girl. I hope you enjoyed as much as we did. To all, thank you!

The day before Arianna's Big Day

For Arianna's party I decided to do something especial (at least in my mind) and I crocheted 12 stuffed toys for the kids that were coming and I put them in their party bags. (The animals were done by two books that Mike got for me.) Which one do you like? Arianna's favorite was the elephant, so I am going to make one for her. Unfortunately, there were some kids (about 4) that I did not know they were coming so I have extra bags done, but no toy.


Arianna learned pretty quickly how to use his new car. I am sure she will love a horse, but at least she knows how to ride her car now! She liked that the seat goes up and down and you can put stuff in the container. She did this for about an hour. In the coaster - Out the coaster. What is it with children and a coaster?








The day before her party, I went to buy some last minute stuff and found this crown. She does not like anything in her hair, but I liked her reaction on this picture. Like she is saying "Oh no, why mommy keeps trying to put stuff in my hair?" Or maybe she is thinking if I was a queen, I will have so much to fix in this world. :)




Around 9 pm, we decided to catch the last hour of the HOT ROD and Classic Car Show sponsored by our village. I don't know much about cars, but they had some beautiful and awesome cars. I have to say that the ambiance is quite different in the world of muscle and classic cars, but it was nice to see. My favorite car was a hand built car. It looked from the 60's with a copper/chocolate color and a beautiful beige interior. I know it was an old Ford, but I don't remember the make. Another car that I liked was a pink/beige color from the 60's. It reminded me of the first installment of Back to the Future. Ari liked to see the cars and all the children that were around us. It was a nice way to end the day. Kudos to Mike for going , even though he was feeling a bit under the weather.

Arianna's Big Day (on her real birthday)

We gave her a nice bath and got ready to eat at Aurelio's Pizza. She ate some pasta and chicken soup, but the chocolate chip cookie was the winner. We went after the lunch crowd and before the dinner people came in, so it was very peaceful and the waitress and the hostess were talking and playing with her. They also brought extra cookies because we told them it was her birthday. When we left the restaurant, we were very full!










Then we went to Babies R us to buy some baby stuff that we needed it and we bought her some clothes (including what she was going to wear for her party). Then,we headed to Target and she picked the ball that you see in the picture. She loves "BALL" so much that it is one of her first words. She says"Ba" or sometimes "Bal". We bought her an electronic book that sings some nurseries and a Little people blocks!


Then we headed to see grandma and grandpa! Here she is opening her present from them. It was her first car and a nice outfit. In the video, you will see Arianna trying to use the car as a horse (well, it did not have the wheels yet, so she could not go anywhere), but later on she realized that she could move. She was able to go back and forth and she liked it. Thank you.


Happy Birthday Uncle Tony who said goodbye to the 20's! Now, I hope you enjoyed it and that you liked the shirts and ties that I helped to pick (literally) at the store! Love your niece!

Not looking back anymore


We flipped forward her car seat on her birthday! She was very curious about her "new" surroundings. She loved to look around. She obviously has a better look of the outside, and she can see me when I am driving. I was worried that she may not like the change, but she enjoys it a lot! Another thing to remind you that your baby is growing very fast!

Wicked!


For my sister's 30th Birthday!, we went to see WICKED at the Ford's theater. We took our nieces, Raven and Scarlett, and in this picture they were confused. Why is our aunt making us stop in the middle of the street with all these people around? When we were inside the theater, Raven thought we were just looking around like a museum, but I told her "you silly girl, we are watching the play". So, she was very excited then.
I wished Arianna was a little older, but she stayed in our house with her grandparents. (Thanks for babysitting)

Arianna and her favorite book


As you may know, Arianna loves books. I found this one at a second hand store for kids, and bought it for 35 cents. It is an Einstein's book and plays five different songs (including her favorite from Beethoven's Ode to Joy) and twinkle twinkle song as well. We read this book about 3-4 times easily per day. The other day I was busy in the kitchen when I heard that she was singing and realized she could not wait for me and decided to read and sing to herself. :)

One cat in a box and another with no hair.

This is Betsy and she has been in our family for almost seven years! She was born on September 22 and tomorrow will be her 7 birthday, just like Bobo! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BETSY !!!
We used to buy lots of kitty toys, but they played very little with them; as they like more "our toys" or now the baby toys. Like this box that we use to put Arianna's mini toys. She waits for her to take all the toys out then she jumps and takes a nap!





This is our Misty. She was adopted about 5 years ago from a shelter organization when we used to live in Montgomery. We had to shave her since she had a lot of knots and she does not like to be brush very well. So, I thought it was a cute picture. Her hair is coming back quickly.