I know I haven't been blogging for a while but I just have to take a ten minute break from work and blog about a huge milestone in my baby girl's life.
Ariela turned one yesterday. Big One! I can hardly believe it and honestly I am still in denial. I look at her and I can't believe that she's been in our lives for a whole year (or is it just a year?). I can't believe a year ago we brought our little baby home and started our new life as a family of three. What a year it has been? It was full of laughter, joy, tears, surprises, worry, fear, and just pure love.
We brought home a tiny little baby who needed us, who relied on us, and trusted us to take care of her.
She was hungry - we gave her food
She cried - we comforted her
She cried some more - we changed her diapers, massaged her stomach to relieve her of the stomach pain
She woke up at night - we kept her company
She smiled - we yelled "omg, she just smiled at me!"
She laughed - we laughed right with her, and sometimes at her :)
She played with her toys - we got down on the floor and played with her
Months went by and out little baby is turning into a toddler with her own personality and a little attitude :)
She communicates/screams if she wants something - she laughs if we get what she wants
She loves feeding herself with a spoon - she grabs the spoon and brings it to her mouth sideways. Some food actually makes it inside her mouth, but majority is on the floor. Yet, she is so proud of her new skills that she gives the spoon right back to me to fill it up with some more food.
She loves attention - we can't leave her alone to play. We need to be right there with her.
She loves to walk - sometimes still holding my hand, but the majority of the time she walks independentaly (note started walking on November 3rd at 11.5 months).
She loves playing with her socks and shoes - I think she has more shoes then me at this point. She constantly tries to put them on, even if she already has a pair on her.
She tried sweets for the first time yesterday - got a piece of the cake to try and loved it. Her reaction was priceless. There was a 10 second pause after she got a bite of the cake and then dived in with her face into the cake!
She still doesn't have teeth - getting a little worried, but the doc said assured me it is normal and we should see the first one by 15 month the latest.
She is a joy to be around with - she puts a smile on our faces, she makes us laugh, she makes us giggle like little kids, she makes us feel younger, and finally she makes us experience love that we never knew existed.
I didn't get to say a toast yesterday when family came over (I did wisper it to her when she was falling asleep). So here it goes:
Dear A,
Thank you for being a part of my life! Thank you for being you! Thank you for totally changing my life and making it so much better! Thank you for all the fun times the last year has brought (let's just have less of the sleepless nights)!
I wish you health and happiness. I hope you'll get to accomplish everything you want in your life (we'll help you at that, I promise!). I hope you'll know the meaning of friendship and will have honest and true people surrounding you. I hope you and I will have a close relationship in the years to come. I can list so much more things I am hoping for but I'll stop right here.
There are no words to explain my love to you. I think I rely on you as much as you rely on me nowdays. Here is to lots of more year of fun, joy, tears, milestones, and love! Cheers!
You'll always be my baby girl!
With lots of love,
Mom
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Potty Training Progress
Per my mom's instructions, who is watching miss A right now, I am writing this moment down. Miss A peed in the potty for the first time today at 3pm. You go girl!!!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time for Another Update
Well, Miss A is almost 11 months....pause...I keep starring at number 11 for a while in disbelief. It is hard to explain but I'll try. I feel like she is part of our lives for years now but at the same time I feel like she is still so little. Everyday I look at her and I say "wow, just look at her, she is so big now" and then five minutes later i say "she is still so little". Now, I am not a psycho. I just can't make up my mind. Let's see what makes her a big, cute baby:
1. She started to finally pull herself up at about 10.5 months. Whenever she was next to the couch or her crib, she would pull herself up, then look at me and have that look that says "i am pretty proud of myself. See ma, I don't need your help anymore".
2. She has been walking along the couch and holding on to it for about 3 weeks now.
3. She is been eating more and more food from our plates. The kid is not big on eating but will definitely stick some food into her mouth when everyone is having diner. It doesn't matter if she is hungry or not, she'll keep you company at diner :)
4. She mastered the skill of drinking from her sippy cup. She is been drinking water from it for over a month now. So what did her mama do? She bought a few more cute sippy cups for her :)
5. She understand us and tries to communicate back. For now she just babbles but can also say yum, ma ma, mamamama. I don't think she knows the meaning of that word, but it still puts a smile on my face every time.
6. She started clapping a few days ago and has been practicing every hour :)
She claps and then she giggles. Again she is very proud of her new skills and wants to show it off.
7. When she is done drinking her milk, she'll take the cap and put it on the bottle. That is our clue now that she is done.
8. She tries to put on her socks and shoes by herself. She is not quite there yet, but I can see a progress everyday.
What still makes her my little baby:
1. She still doesn't have any teeth. Surprising, yes. Shocking, yes. She is been teething for a while now but so far we can't see any white sparkle in her mouth.
2. She still wakes up at night and cries. I think it is because of #1.
3. She likes to be carried when we are in the store. She is not a big fan of sitting in the cart. My back and hands are killing me when we go grocery/clothes shopping.
4. She still loves her pacifier. It definitely helps her to fall asleep and she is depending on it.
This is all I can think of now.
P.S. Note to self, keep blogging. I won't remember all the little details of her babyhood.
1. She started to finally pull herself up at about 10.5 months. Whenever she was next to the couch or her crib, she would pull herself up, then look at me and have that look that says "i am pretty proud of myself. See ma, I don't need your help anymore".
2. She has been walking along the couch and holding on to it for about 3 weeks now.
3. She is been eating more and more food from our plates. The kid is not big on eating but will definitely stick some food into her mouth when everyone is having diner. It doesn't matter if she is hungry or not, she'll keep you company at diner :)
4. She mastered the skill of drinking from her sippy cup. She is been drinking water from it for over a month now. So what did her mama do? She bought a few more cute sippy cups for her :)
5. She understand us and tries to communicate back. For now she just babbles but can also say yum, ma ma, mamamama. I don't think she knows the meaning of that word, but it still puts a smile on my face every time.
6. She started clapping a few days ago and has been practicing every hour :)
She claps and then she giggles. Again she is very proud of her new skills and wants to show it off.
7. When she is done drinking her milk, she'll take the cap and put it on the bottle. That is our clue now that she is done.
8. She tries to put on her socks and shoes by herself. She is not quite there yet, but I can see a progress everyday.
What still makes her my little baby:
1. She still doesn't have any teeth. Surprising, yes. Shocking, yes. She is been teething for a while now but so far we can't see any white sparkle in her mouth.
2. She still wakes up at night and cries. I think it is because of #1.
3. She likes to be carried when we are in the store. She is not a big fan of sitting in the cart. My back and hands are killing me when we go grocery/clothes shopping.
4. She still loves her pacifier. It definitely helps her to fall asleep and she is depending on it.
This is all I can think of now.
P.S. Note to self, keep blogging. I won't remember all the little details of her babyhood.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thing I don't Want to Forget
I've seen a lot of people write this post. It is my turn now because I for sure won't remember all the cute little things our baby girl is up to:
1. For the last 2-3 weeks she is been practicing grabbing toys and giving them to me or Mr. V. She stands next to the couch, grabs a toy then turns and gives it to me. And on to the next one... Then she'll drop the toy on purpose and will bend over to get it and that will happen 10 more times. Mr. V and I joke that she'll be working in a cafeteria when she grows up if she won't stop this getting/giving thing.
2. She's been getting up from the sitting position when she holds on to something. Before she got up with our help and for the last few days she did it on her own.
3. She says mum, yum, mamama. I love hearing her little words!
4. She doesn't want just any food, she wants food from our plate. She doesn't want any special treatment/diet just as long as she gets a bite of our food she'll eat, otherwise, forget it.
5. We are still not crawling at this stage. I keep hearing that some babies just skip this stage. Maybe she'll be one of them.
6. We still don't have any teeth, but she is teething alright. Everything goes into her mouth. Her chin and tops are always wet. She cries at night but we can hear that is not just a typical cry. I can feel that she is in pain so we give her baby orajel once in a while.
7. For the last couple of days, she's been getting from a sitting position to all fours.
8. She walks when we hold her arms. Althoug sometimes she steps on her foot and sometimes she waddles from side to side. She looks like a little drunk person and/or a penguin.
9. She loves her activity center where she runs in circles. I have to say she is super fast. We play a catch game and she is always right behind me. She also loves her walker. It gives the opportunity to follow us around the house and be independent.
I love, love, love watching her learn new things. It seems like a light bulb lights up when she figures stuff out. And I can see/feel her proud smile. But I can't believe she is growing up so fast and soon she'll be walking on her own and won't need my help.
1. For the last 2-3 weeks she is been practicing grabbing toys and giving them to me or Mr. V. She stands next to the couch, grabs a toy then turns and gives it to me. And on to the next one... Then she'll drop the toy on purpose and will bend over to get it and that will happen 10 more times. Mr. V and I joke that she'll be working in a cafeteria when she grows up if she won't stop this getting/giving thing.
2. She's been getting up from the sitting position when she holds on to something. Before she got up with our help and for the last few days she did it on her own.
3. She says mum, yum, mamama. I love hearing her little words!
4. She doesn't want just any food, she wants food from our plate. She doesn't want any special treatment/diet just as long as she gets a bite of our food she'll eat, otherwise, forget it.
5. We are still not crawling at this stage. I keep hearing that some babies just skip this stage. Maybe she'll be one of them.
6. We still don't have any teeth, but she is teething alright. Everything goes into her mouth. Her chin and tops are always wet. She cries at night but we can hear that is not just a typical cry. I can feel that she is in pain so we give her baby orajel once in a while.
7. For the last couple of days, she's been getting from a sitting position to all fours.
8. She walks when we hold her arms. Althoug sometimes she steps on her foot and sometimes she waddles from side to side. She looks like a little drunk person and/or a penguin.
9. She loves her activity center where she runs in circles. I have to say she is super fast. We play a catch game and she is always right behind me. She also loves her walker. It gives the opportunity to follow us around the house and be independent.
I love, love, love watching her learn new things. It seems like a light bulb lights up when she figures stuff out. And I can see/feel her proud smile. But I can't believe she is growing up so fast and soon she'll be walking on her own and won't need my help.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Little Self Esteem Boost
As I was walking toward the kitchen, one of my co-workers (guy) turned around and said "I can't believe you had a baby. You look so thin!".
I seriously wanted to hug and kiss him but the company policy on sexual harrassment was right there in from of my eyes along with other Hot Line and HR numbers.
He also used his hands when he said "thin". He sort of showed the rails or so it seems to me. Now it also got me thinking..... I hope he didn't mean that I look like a stick. I mean my boobs are actually bigger (thanks to breastfeeding" and I do have a butt. There is no way that I look like the "rails gesture". I've been hiding my baby belly too, so nobody is been able to see it. I am starting to do some exercises at home to get ready for our upcoming family vacation. I better be in good shape for that!!!
I seriously wanted to hug and kiss him but the company policy on sexual harrassment was right there in from of my eyes along with other Hot Line and HR numbers.
He also used his hands when he said "thin". He sort of showed the rails or so it seems to me. Now it also got me thinking..... I hope he didn't mean that I look like a stick. I mean my boobs are actually bigger (thanks to breastfeeding" and I do have a butt. There is no way that I look like the "rails gesture". I've been hiding my baby belly too, so nobody is been able to see it. I am starting to do some exercises at home to get ready for our upcoming family vacation. I better be in good shape for that!!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thank Yous In Our House
I've noticed that we are a lot more thankful in our V house lately. Here are a few of them for the record:
1. Thank you for taking care of A in the morning and letting me sleep for another hour
2. Thank you for feeding A at 4 or 6am
3. Thank you for keeping an eye on A and letting me use a restroom
4. Thank you for diner
5. Thank you for getting me a fork
6. Thank you for getting up and getting the remote
7. Thank you for placing your plate into the sink (double thank you points for washing the dishes)
8. Thank you for buying new windshields
9. Thank you for helping me get A to sleep when she refuses
10. Thank you for poopy diaper (that is for you miss A, after scaring mommy for not going for 3 days straight)
11. Thank you miss A for not crying and letting me make diner
12. Thank you miss A for your smile and giggles
That is all I remember from last week... I hope we'll continue to be thankful and appreciate everything we do for each other.
1. Thank you for taking care of A in the morning and letting me sleep for another hour
2. Thank you for feeding A at 4 or 6am
3. Thank you for keeping an eye on A and letting me use a restroom
4. Thank you for diner
5. Thank you for getting me a fork
6. Thank you for getting up and getting the remote
7. Thank you for placing your plate into the sink (double thank you points for washing the dishes)
8. Thank you for buying new windshields
9. Thank you for helping me get A to sleep when she refuses
10. Thank you for poopy diaper (that is for you miss A, after scaring mommy for not going for 3 days straight)
11. Thank you miss A for not crying and letting me make diner
12. Thank you miss A for your smile and giggles
That is all I remember from last week... I hope we'll continue to be thankful and appreciate everything we do for each other.
Swimming
Yesterday, we had our first swim class and Ariela did great. There were two other babies in the class who were a bit older and more "experienced". We did some exercises in the water with a teacher and had some free time to play. It was hard to read my girl's face. Did she like it or not? She seemed a bit at lost first. After all it was a new environment for her. Then all of a sudden she would smile and make other parents and the teacher smile. She also got a few compliments from the teacher
I felt so unprepared at the end of the class. I didn't take the body wash, so A and I smelled like chlorine until we got home. Mental note for next time!
Mr. V took some pics of us. His words were "it looked like you were having more fun then Ariela". Duh...I tried to be happy for her, so that she wouldn't be afraid and would enjoy this new experience.
We'll go for another three weeks and will decide if it is something we want to continue doing :)
I felt so unprepared at the end of the class. I didn't take the body wash, so A and I smelled like chlorine until we got home. Mental note for next time!
Mr. V took some pics of us. His words were "it looked like you were having more fun then Ariela". Duh...I tried to be happy for her, so that she wouldn't be afraid and would enjoy this new experience.
We'll go for another three weeks and will decide if it is something we want to continue doing :)
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