Happy Birthday Aunt Evelyn!

I just want to wish you a very happy 40th birthday! Love, Arianna. :)

Chicken Soup!

I finally tried to do a chicken soup from scratch. I know it may seem like an easy thing to do, but I have never been very good in the kitchen and I am finally teaching myself because I want Arianna to eat something better than frozen food (or my very small repertoire)! So, I bought a whole - cut up chicken, some chicken stock, and lots of vegetables (zucchini, potatoes, carrots, chayote, cabbage {I forgot corn this time}, and tomato paste) and used the following herbs: thyme, oregano, marjoram, salt, pepper, bay leaves and fresh cilantro). Let it cook for about 2 hours. Then, once in the bowl add a few drops of lime and one chipotle pepper...turn out much better than I expected :) So, now off to try another chicken recipe... [I FORGOT TO SAY THAT I ADDED MINI ELBOW MACARONI AS WELL ":) ]

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.

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!