Bed Head!

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, when E woke up with a particularly stunning case of bed head. Plus, she was just so happy! These pictures always brighten my day!

11 Months! Time is Flying By!

I can hardly believe that E is already 11 months old! We are furiously planning for her first birthday extravaganza, but are happy to savor every day with the sweetest girl we know. I hope I can still call her my baby after she turns one, cause I am not ready for her to be a little girl yet.

Baby Girl, at 11 Months you:

We went camping at Lake Cachuma, just the three of us with the dogs.

You love to hang out around the dogs' crates.

You had a great time at the Camarillo Air Show, you weren't even scared when the fighter jet flew over at the beginning of the show, even though your Daddy scrambled to cover your ears before every pass.

You shared your first Popsicle with Daddy during a particularly rough Sunday afternoon of teething.

We put away your infant carrier car seat and moved you to the convertible car seat that you will use until you don't need a car seat anymore...in about 8 years!

During a quick trip to the pediatrician, you weighed in at 19 lbs. 6 oz. Still a little peanut.

You have become a big help with the dishes, especially when you climb on the dishwasher.

Laughlin 2011

For the past three years we have taken a summer trip to Laughlin with some wonderful friends. We always go with the K family, which includes one of my best friends A, her boyfriend P and their son. Also along on this trip are both of A's sisters and their families and her parents. We have been very lucky to be adopted by this family and have many great memories with them over the past few years. Each year the trip is a little bit different; the first year we were invited, A and her sister we both pregnant, last year I was pregnant and this year we had three beautiful babies to keep us entertained.

This year, we went in the very beginning of June and decided to take our chances camping at Park Moabi in Needles, Calif. The site has full hook-ups for the trailers so that we could crank the air conditioning to combat the 105 degree temperature. Our campsite was backed up to the river and had it's own private beach. Each morning we set up camp on the shoreline and enjoyed the day playing the in the pool with the kids, wading in the water and riding the jet skis.

This early in the summer, the water in the Colorado River can still be pretty cold. We would fill up the kids pools early in the morning so that the sun would warm up the water for the kiddos. J and I weren't sure what E was going to think of the river water, but she loved it!

Here are some pics from the trip:

First Time in the River

Taking a Bath in the Trailer

E's First Boat Ride

We spend about half of each year looking forward to this vacation. It is the perfect time to unwind and spend some quality time together as a family. This year was really special, as we got to make some great memories with E and look forward to spend more time there together.

9 Months, Just a Little Late ;)

I know this post is long overdue, but things have been a little crazy around our house. J and I are trying to keep up with endless workloads, projects around the house and our lovely little E. Never the less, I wanted to make sure I recorded this milestone.

Baby E at 9 Months:

You are 17 lbs. 10 oz. (28th percentile)

You are 28" tall.

You are crawling at full speed, sometimes J and I can't keep up!

You are standing in your crib, which led to a few challenging bedtimes. We dropped the crib mattress to the lowest setting and all was well with the world again.

You gave you Daddy the best Father's Day present, you said Dada! I think J may have gotten a little teary-eyed.

You are started pulling yourself on the side of the bathtub.

You are pulling yourself up on furniture and flat surfaces. This skill comes in handy when you want to watch the dogs through the sliding glass door.

You are holding your own bottle, but haven't figured out how gravity works yet.

You are walking along objects and have started gauging distance between objects. You can almost see her brain trying to figure out if she can make it from the ottoman to the couch without taking a dive.

You have become an expert at peek-a-boo, you pull things over your head and then pull them down quickly expecting a reaction from whoever is watching. You also started using the ottoman and couch to squat down and pop back up. So cute!

Thank you E for all of the bright spots that you bring to my day. You smile and giggle can melt away all the ugliness of a bad day. It's a pretty amazing feeling.

Double Digits!

Today my dearest daughter is 10 months old. We have hit the double digits! It is a really surreal feeling that E has been in my arms longer than she was in my belly. This milestone has really made me reflect on my pregnancy and what a special time that was for J and I. I know that our next pregnancy will not be the same as the first one. All of the quiet time that you have with a first pregnancy will be virtually non-existent with a little whippersnapper running around. Remember those semi-comatose naps at 5 in the afternoon? Never again, but I am sure it will be worth it, eventually.

Baby E, at 10 months:

You cut three more teeth, you now have four top teeth and two bottom teeth.

You have started standing up in the bathtub.

You had your first real fever of 102.5 degrees, which didn't make for a fun night, but we got through it.

After mastering standing up in the bathtub, you now take full advantage of every inch. She is pulling herself up on the faucet, checking out the knobs, splashing and swimming around like a real fish.

She has started sharing her bottle, toys and food. She will put something to her mouth and then extend it to your mouth.

She went on her first hike in the wire-frame backpack carrier with Daddy, she loved every minute of it. She was so tired, but willed herself to stay awake until the moment she got home.

She has started laughing much more freely. She recently had a complete giggle fit watching me play with our dog Sadie.

She has started using a walker to scoot around the house. She is pretty steady on her feet, but sometimes walks on her knees while pushing it around. Silly girl.

You have figured out how to go up stairs, but you can only make it down one.

E went on her first airplane ride. Our family flew to Chicago to attend my cousin's wedding.

And the biggest accomplishment of this month...E said Mama!! I love hearing her repeat this as she crawls around the house, but it's especially heartwarming when she does it as she is pulling herself up on my leg.

Sadie Waiting for a Treat

Helping with the Dishes

First Strawberries!

Our sweet girl is growing everyday. She is still the happiest, most lovable baby that I know, but I might be biased. I can hardly believe it's time to start planning her first birthday party!

We've Gone Mobile!

I hope each of you are enjoying your summer so far. I have a feeling that Jason and I are going to spend a lot of our summer chasing after this sweet little girl. It's been just a week since those first wobbly moves, and she is crawling all over the place today! Now if she wants to get to something or someone, she just goes for it!

E's First Easter

I realize that Easter was in April so this post may seem irrelevant, but I wanted to include it because we made some great memories as a family.

View From Our Trailer

Some of you may know that we do an annual trip to the desert with our friends A and P for Easter every year. Last year I was pregnant and baby J was only a few months old. Our third annual trip included a few more families and BABY E! It is really fun to see this trip evolve each year. I wonder what this trip will look like in five years.

Happy Little Camper!

We didn't have the greatest weather for this trip, but you never know what you're gonna get when it comes to camping in the desert. A and I had been checking and rechecking the weather forecast throughout the week and were pretty excited to see temperatures of 85 degrees and up in our future. Here I am packing tank tops and shorts to work on my tan, and it ends up being the windiest trip we have taken. All of the wind killed any chance of enjoying the weather. E and I ended up camping out in the trailer for most of the weekend.

All in all, it was a great trip. I was able to spend some time with great friends and get to know some new friends. The guys went on some great rides, and as always, we devoured some amazing food. I mean, what's camping without the food, right?

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Wow Mama! The Easter Bunny Found Us in the Desert?!

Digging Into Her First Easter Basket

Jumpy Jumper

Sadie Doing What She Does Best

Jersey on Her Perch

H and I at Camp

Eight is Gonna Be Great!

Today, June 11th,  my sweet, sweet girl is eight months old! I am so excited because I know this summer is going to bring a ton of fun changes for her - crawling, talking and walking! We might be doomed with all this mobility, but we are going to have fun while we're at it!

E has been really busy this month:

She took her first face-first dive in the bathtub, but wasn't the least bit upset.

She rolled from her back to her belly.

She spent her first night in a hotel in Sacramento the night before Aunt S graduated from college.

She attended (and behaved) at college graduation ceremonies for Aunt S and Uncle T.

She ate dinner in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time.

She fits into six month clothes.

She started rolling onto her stomach and side while sleeping.

She took her first family vacation to the Colorado River, outside of Laughlin, Nev.

She took her first boat ride, I think she liked it, but she definitely HATED the life jacket.

She cut her first tooth.

You love being held, but are also very comfortable playing independently.

Most miraculous of all, she took her first wobbly crawling 'steps' on Skype with Nana and Grandpa. I still can't get over the fact that they witnessed such a thrilling moment with us! It was second best to having them in the living room with us.

We are loving E more and more everyday. J commented the other day how much he loves seeing her personality develop. She is still the happiest baby on the planet, smiling all the time. But she is developing a sense of humor and a profound sense of curiosity, which means we have to be one step ahead as she becomes more mobile.

Holy Seven Months!!

I can hardly believe that E is already seven months old! When I talk to other parents, each of them says 'Oh that was my favorite age!' for just about every month that E goes through. I can honestly say that I have loved every stage so far. Of course there have been hard days, but a single sweet smile makes you forget all the gas, teething, waking up, carrot bubbles at the dinner table and super poops.

Baby E, at 7 months you:

Are eating all of your solid food meals in a highchair and get very excited when we buckle you in because you know food is on its way!

You started eating breakfast every day.

You have been on your first camping trip to the desert in Ridgecrest, Calif. for Easter with four other families.

You can sit up on your own for extended periods of time and have started to play on your own.

You are practicing your pincer grip and are able to feed yourself some foods.

You moved from your sweet little baby tub to the regular bathtub. I think you kind of love it! Even when you face plant in the water trying to grab the drain because little girls love sparkly things.

You started taking naps in a crib at daycare after a two month stint in a swing.

You have moved up to wearing 3-6 month clothes. It was a little sad packing up all your 3 month clothes, but I know there will be plenty more cute ensembles to come.

You took your first trip to the zoo on Mother's Day.

First Dinner at the Table

Another highlight this month was her first dip in the hot tub. Here is a video that confirms that my daughter is developing into a fish.

I am looking forward to what this next month will bring. I see mobility in E's near future am hoping to capture some great moments on film.

My Very First Mother's Day Weekend

I am pretty sure that our Mother's Day celebration lasted the entire weekend, and for that I am one lucky Mama!

To honor my very first Mother' Day, J started the celebration early. Anyone that knows Jason probably knows that he has trouble keeping happy secrets. As soon as I walked in the door on Friday afternoon, J took E's carrier out of my arms. I thought he was just going to release her from 'favorite' five-point seating restraint, but they reappeared with a little white box tucked into the carrier with her. J and E were so thoughtful to get me an iPad 2! We have been waiting for the right time to buy one, but I am so glad that we were able to get it before a couple of the long drives we are planning to do in the near future.

After feeding our girl her first breakfast in her highchair, I spent the early part of Saturday taking care of some errands with my little sweetie while her Daddy did some house projects. After all of the running around, J gave me a break so that I could spend the evening with a lovely group of girls celebrating the bridal shower of a great friend. Some of us Mamas may have stayed later that the rest of the guests to avoid interrupting Daddy's bedtime routine (or hearing the line, 'You do such a better job').

Watching the penguins swim and jump!

We woke up to a beautiful day on Sunday, so we headed up to Santa Barbara. After eating a quick breakfast at home to avoid the crazy crowds that were surely infiltrating all of the local breakfast joints, we hopped in the car to start one of my all-time favorite drives: Thousand Oaks to Santa Barbara. For anyone that hasn't experienced this pleasurable ride, it is 90 percent oceanfront and absolutely gorgeous. We enjoyed a great day at the zoo. It was fascinating to watch E check out all of the animals, sounds and smells at the zoo. I know that trips to the zoo will be more and more fun as she grows and her level of comprehension expands.

As the daughter of a fierce and resilient mother, I have had every reason to celebrate Mother's Day. But this year different. I have a beautiful daughter that allows me be part of this celebrated day. I love being a mom more than I could have imagined, and not just because I have the cutest girl in the world, but because I get to nurture that little life and have an amazing partner in J. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, laugh at the mistakes and remember that we can only try to do our best by E every day. Plus at this age she won't remember if we screw up anyway.

Happy Half-Birthday Little E!

Today, April 11th, my sweet baby girl is six months old! I can hardly believe how quickly this time has gone by and all of the things she has accomplished during this phase! I can't wait to see what the next six months will hold. I would be lying if I said I haven't already started brainstorming birthday party themes!

Baby E at six months you:

You weigh in at 12 lbs. 11 oz. - 24th percentile for your age.
You are 26 inches long - 60th percentile for 6 months old.

Continue to be a chatterbox, your sweet voice can be heard throughout the house and you are becoming more vocal with people besides your Mama and Daddy.

You sleep 10-12 hours each night when teething doesn't get in the way.

You STILL fit into 3 month-size clothes, except for pajamas.
You are purposefully blowing bubbles, sometimes even with food in your mouth.
You started sitting up frog-style, and can now sit for a short time unsupported normally.
You had your first non-family babysitter so Mama and Daddy could go on a dinner date.
You have finally graduated to Size 2 diapers
You love playing in your jumperoo and have recently figured out the effects of stomping your feet on the ground.
You ate your first meal in your highchair at the table with Mama and Daddy, you were very pleased with yourself.

Fun with Avocado

We love watching E grow. She is constantly interested in the world around her. I love the sweet moments when she gently lays her hand on my face. And her Daddy longs for a moment of calm in her very alert state, when she snuggles him or is content laying on his chest.

We have a very busy month ahead and are looking forward to exploring with our sweet six-month old beauty.

Very Sleepy After a Long Day

Underwood Family Farms

In an effort to keep Family Fun Day going, we took E to Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark after running some errands last Saturday.

If you are in the area and have kids, it is a great place to take them. UFF operates a pumpkin patch in the fall, but have great activities year-round. There are lots of farm animals for the kids to see and feed. They have a small petting zoo where kids can help groom the animals and an animal show a few times a day during the weekends. They offer wagon rides around the agricultural fields, where you can actually pick your own produce. Admission is $5 per adult, $3 for kids over 2, and free for kids under 2.

I think E enjoyed seeing all of the animals. I especially like the little baby goats that were smaller than our dogs.

One sheep in particular made loud noises when we approached her pen. E wasn't sure at first, but seemed very interested once she realized the sheep was not going to harm her.

Each pen has PVC pipe attached that is a vehicle for feeding the animals carrots or feed. Some of the animals understand the system so well that as soon as you approach, they begin banging their hooves on the pipe. It's funny and sad at the same time.

I am glad that the sun came out for a couple so we could enjoy this experience with Little E. We will definitely  be heading back to Underwood Family Farms as E gets older, if for nothing else than the delicious strawberries we picked up at the produce stand.