Finally...Christmas Pictures!

First Steps

Yup, the little Miss took her first solo steps last night! I couldn't believe it! She walked from me to her new activity table all by herself! She was a bit wobbly and had her arms up in the air trying to balance herself but she did it! It took all of my strength to NOT yell out with joy...I didn't want to scare her! She tried a couple more times and fell...once pretty hard up against the activity table. Guess she's going to need a bit more practice...next time I'll be sure to have the video camera with me!

What an amazing day! She got so many fun toys! This Christmas was really special...made even more special because of her. Merry First Christmas, Love Bug!

Merry Christmas!

Sarah's Daycare Christmas Photo

She's Santa's little Helper!

Sarah's New Toy...Pool

So daycare has this cool toy pool (or as I like to call it the toy "pit") that Sarah loves to play in. Grandma Keenan came up with a "great" idea for us to create our own toy pool just for Sarah here at home. So, Chris went to Target and actually found a wading pool (yes, I was secretly hoping that he would not find one until the spring) brought it home, blew it up and filled it with all of the soft toys he could find - all of this done while I was working upstairs. This is what I saw when I came downstairs...



It's HUGE!! We put Sarah in it this morning and well...she didn't enjoy it as much as we thought she would but..she was able to get out of it without hurting herself! Hooray!

Sarah and her BFF Megan

Megan is about 2 weeks younger than Sarah and they're best friends! She's so sweet and they are so cute together!

Our Weekend in the Bay Area

What a busy weekend! I think we were moving pretty much non-stop for 2 days straight! But, we had a fantastic time seeing old friends which helps make this time of year so special. Miss Sarah had a fun time (as you can see in the pictures)! Between playing with Miss Amelia, having fun at The Little Gym for Marie's birthday party and opening her first Christmas presents at the Tellez Holiday brunch, she's a little tired! We had such a great time...thanks everyone!

Just because...

I think she looks so cute...I can't help but post this picture!

Sarah at School

It looks like Sarah's having a lot of fun at school!

Here's a picture (of a picture) of her painting and her artwork!

And I love this picture (of a picture) of her!

Amazing Pictures of our Love Bug!

Sarah Having Fun at School

Sarah LOVES playing in the tunnel at school probably almost as much as I love watching her crawl through it! Miss Jill was telling me that last week, Sarah and Madyson wanted to go through the tunnel at the same time...and they got stuck! All she could hear was them both grunting trying to get un-stuck!

Sarah Having Fun on the Way to School

So last week I was driving Sarah to school. Normally she jabbers the whole way and we kind of talk back and forth. This particular morning she was quiet and I figured she had fallen asleep. We get to school and I open the back door to get her out and much to my surprise, she is NOT asleep but she had picked up the box of Kleenex that we'd left back there and had been pulling out tissues, one by one and tossing them around. She had managed to pull about 3/4 of the tissues out of the box during the 15 minute drive!! I couldn't believe my eyes! There was Kleenex everywhere! And she thought it was hysterical!

Too bad my camera wasn't working...it would have been a priceless picture!

Sarah and Santa

What a great day! We went to South Coast Plaza with Lori, Brian, Amelia, Lori's mom Linda and Tony, to have Sarah's picture taken with Santa! She was a little nervous but didn't cry - she does look a bit nervous though!

Downtown Disney

We went to Downtown Disney Saturday afternoon to visit some friends who were visiting from the Bay Area. We had so much fun! It was GREAT seeing the Lefevre family! We had a nice dinner and spent a nice time catching up!

I must admit...we went a little overboard while shopping...there were a few things the little miss needed on her first Disney trip...the requisite Disney ears and Disney baby (in addition to the Christmas ornaments, caramel kettle corn and sweets Chris and I bought)!!

It was so much fun watching her look at everything!

She was a little tuckered out and slept the whole drive home...

Aunt Sher Bear requested that SHE be the first one to take the Sarah to Disneyland, so Sheri is coming down in a few weeks and we're all going together! We can't wait!!

So tired...

We tried so hard to get Sarah to tak a nap on Saturday. Normally she'll go down for a little bit after her cereal and fruit for breakfast but no...she was NOT interested in sleeping (see post below - "helping" fold the sheets!). Then all of sudden, the room was quiet...We couldn't believe she fell asleep in that position!

Helping Mommy Fold the Sheets

When Sarah Doesn't Like Her Dinner...

So Sarah has a new way of telling me she doesn't like something when she's eating...she spits it out and I don't mean "dribble" out of her mouth, down her chin, spitting it out...I mean full force, projectile spitting it out! I have NO IDEA where she learned this or how she figured this out but I am going to have to start wearing a bib (or old t-shirts) when I feed her! All of my clothes are now covered with little dots of her food...and not all of them come out in the laundry! I repeatedly tell her "No" (with a stern voice) and have even tried the same "Don't You Dare" stare I give the dogs (which DOES work on them!)...both to no avail. In the meantime, I guess I'll fish out my full size apron and wear that while feeding her...

My Love Bug is 8 Months Old!

I can't believe it...my little one is now 8 months old! Where as the time gone? She gets more and more amazing everyday! I just love watching her explore...the child NEVER stops moving, she's like a shark! She's SO stubborn! When she gets an idea in her head to do something, NOTHING will stop her! (hmmm...wonder where she got that from?!) And she's so happy! She never stops smiling...and her laugh just cracks us up! She has the best sense of humor! Whether she's "exploring" the downstairs (while crawling on all 4's), watching me sing and dance for her or playing with Riley and Murphy and THEIR toys (her toys just aren't enough fun anymore)...she always has a smile on her face! I couldn't ask for anything more! Our daughter is happy and content...exactly what we wanted for our little miracle.

Since she's turned 8 months old, we got to start her on yogurt! Hooray! We gave her Yo Baby Blueberry and while she hasn't yet finished the container, she's had some at each meal she really seems to like it!

We also had to start putting shoes on her...doesn't sound like a big deal but it can be for little ones who haven't worn them before. She had 4 accident reports at school...slipping and falling while she's standing up and she bumps her head. So...we decided to put some shoes on her to give her some traction while she's "cruising" around daycare and so far so good! No more falls!

She also sounds like she's getting another cold (as I type this, I can hear her snoring and sniffling in her crib)...she's been "bug free" for a few weeks (even though I have managed to finally get rid of pink eye (twice), tonisillits, an ear infection and a sinus infection), so I guess it was "time" - especially since I saw one of her "classmates" getting her temp checked on Wednesday and then she was "out" on Thursday. Ahhh...the joys of having a child in daycare!

Here's a current pic of the little Miss (and yes, that's my foot)!

What I've Learned in the Past Week...

1. How to crawl on all 4's - still "commando" crawling a little bit - it's easier on the laminate floors
2. How to pull myself up to a stand EVERYWHERE!! The door...the couch...the baby gate...the bean bag
3. How to get into a sitting position from crawling! This was a big step!!!
4. "DaaaaaDaaaaa" and "MaaaaaMaaaaa"

AND, I've got my 3rd tooth coming in!!!

Whew...what a busy week!

Sarah and the Zipper

Sarah discovered the zipper on our big bean bag this weekend and just HAD to get that in her mouth! She tried so hard!

Happy Halloween!

Sarah had her first Halloween!! Here is a picture of her in her Halloween outfit at school on Friday.

We went to a Harvest Festival on Saturday for the Jr League and she got to wear the Ewok costume that Amelia wore last year...well...she wore it for about 5 minutes...took us longer to get it ON her than it did for her to get it off!

Sleepy Girl...

All that toy pit diving really tires out a girl!!

Update to "Look What I Can Do"

Well, she's figured out how to get herself OUT of the toy pit...the hard way. Apparently the first time she did it she basically (in the words of Miss Jessica) LAUNCHED herself out of it, head first...yeah...we have the red mark on the forehead and incident report from Kindercare to prove it! But...she's been able to get in and out of it since without hurting herself! Yay Sarah!

"Look at What I Can Do!"

So she's pulled herself up to a stand a few of times in the last couple of weeks but just in her crib or on me while I'm on the floor with her...until Wednesday...she has decided that she wants to hang out with Madyson and Olivia (who are "walkers') at school and they like to play in the soft toy pit and the only way Sarah can get into it is to stand up and "dive" in (the first time with a little push on the tush by Bryce!). Now she's become quite the expert at pulling herself up to a stand and...she can also "cruise" while holding on to something! Not what I expected from my 7&1/2 month old!!!

And due to the generosity of others, we have enough Halloween outfits and onesies to last a full week, so I just HAD to start dressing Sarah up today!

Sarah's Pics

Sarah at the Pumpkin Patch

Sarah Feeding Herself Dinner

well...attempting to anyway!! She actually did a pretty good job!! Good thing it was thick rice cereal and not runny carrots or guava (her new fave)!

Sarah and Her Dr Appointment

So the little miss had a follow-up doctor appointment this morning for this last ear infection. Good news! No more ear infection! We were concerned because she's been tugging at her left ear...the doctor said that it can be 1) teething, 2) exploring or 3) she's pissed about something! Nice...huh? She has some dry skin on her face that we need to put some Aveeno lotion on - we thought she might be allergic to the chicken we've started her on. She's also grown 1 inch and gained about 6 ounces from her 6 months check-up on September 23rd!

Sarah and Her Visitors

So my mom and my cousin Sherry came out to visit this past week for a few days. Mom hasn't seen Sarah in a couple of months and Sherry had yet to meet her! They arrived Tuesday and doted on Sarah the entire time they were here! On Wednesday, they spent the whole day together! Just shopping, going out for lunch...Sarah didn't nap once! Too afraid she'd miss out on something, I guess!! They even got to see her "school" and meet her favorite teachers!

Here's a video of mom and Sarah:





And here's a picture of Grandma Sherry and Sarah:








Mom took Sarah out into the yard with her while she did some work on Saturday morning...guess she thought Sarah would be a little cold...and bored?

Sarah and Riley

Sarah has discovered some new toys...well new to her. They actually belong to Riley and Murphy! We knew this would happen eventually...that they'd be "sharing" toys. How are we supposed to prevent it? They're all on the floor together and they do all play together...anyway, here are a couple of videos with Sarah and Riley "sharing" toys! Enjoy!

Sarah and Her Hat

I went shopping tonight to find something "Fall" for Sarah to wear for her "photo shoot" this weekend. Old Navy had NOTHING...except Sarah's 1 pink sock that I noticed she was missing when I put her in the car so I headed over to Babies R Us. I found the cutest outfit and it had a matching hat! So of course I had to put it on her and surprise of all surprises, it didn't bother her at all!! She kept smiling so I just HAD to take a pic to send to her Grandma and Pop Pop! I can't wait to see her in the WHOLE outfit! I'll be sure to post those pics when I take them!

Another Tooth!

Yup, the little miss now has her 2 bottom teeth coming in! Woohoooo!!! We had no idea the 2nd one had broken through! Miss Jill checked her late yesterday afternoon and there was still just the 1 tooth then this morning, when I dropped her off at daycare I noticed the 2nd one! If she'd let me take a picture of them I would but we'll just have to settle for a couple "regular" pictures of her at daycare. Aunt Sheri gave her the onesie, it says "This is My Little Black Dress" on it! So cute!!

What a difference a day (and antibiotics) makes!

The little miss is so much better this morning! She slept great last night and even slept in until 6:30am when she woke up with big smiles for us!! And her fever is gone! Hooray!! They were so excited to see her at school this morning - Miss Jill couldn't wait to give her big hugs!! They really missed her yesterday!

A Fun Weekend!

Auntie Bubbs, Uncle Brian and Amelia came down to visit for the weekend! It was great seeing the 2 girls playing together - they looked like they were having a great time!

On Saturday, we took everyone, including Riley and Murphy to the dog beach in Huntington Beach - while it was FREEZING and super foggy, everyone had a good time...especially Riley and Murphy. Afterwards we went to Sprinkles in Newport Beach and picked up a few cupcakes (red velvet...yummmm) then off to Islands in Irvine for lunch. A long but fun day!

Sunday, Sarah woke up with a teary and red eye. I took her to the doctor and they said she had an infection...either sand got in her eye at the beach or she rubbed sunscreen in it (yes...she wore sunscreen even though we NEVER saw the sun that day at the beach!). So now we have to put drops in her eyes 4 times a day...yes, 4 times a day into eyes that clamp shut as soon as they see both Chris and me coming at her! Everyone left at around 11 am to fly back home to the Bay Area - we miss them and can't wait to see them again!!

Sarah also mastered using her sippy cup! I sent it with her to daycare on Friday and they showed her how to do it...I gave it to her Saturday morning and she picked it up and starting drinking! (And yes, she's drinking out of Amelia's sippy cup in the first pic!)

Monday, the little miss woke up with a "perfect" eye but with a runny nose - like a faucet! I took her to daycare and at 1pm they called me...she had a fever of 101.3! I brought her home and gave her some tylenol and she took a nice nap...but still had a fever. To make matters worse, now I've got a cold too! So Chris took care of Sarah while I tried to get sleep and "get better" but Miss Sarah just wasn't "right"...she was up most of the night crying and whining - it was so sad!! Chris took her to the doctor Tuesday morning and yes, you guessed it...another ear infection!!! Holy Cow...I swear daycare must pass these out to the kids there!! So now she's on Amoxicilling for the ear infection, Gentimicin for the eye infection, Tylenol for the fever and teething pain - yup, she's also teething!! The poor baby!!!

Let's hope she gets better soon!!

Our Little Gator!

Auntie Bubbs and Daddy are going to love this picture of Sarah!!

Daycare said to dress her in fall colors today. Well, she has about 8 different Halloween costumes/shirts/onesies but otherwise, nothing "Fall"...then Chris found this...what's more "Fall" than Gator football? And...she's even wearing matching socks!!

Crawling Soon?

So last night, after we got home from school, I put Sarah on the floor with her toys. I looked away at something and when I looked back at her she was on all fours, rocking back and forth and trying to reach for a toy (OK, guess that makes her on all threes?). She's been trying to get up to do that for awhile now and has become quite the mover just by scooching and rolling...but I think she might start crawling soon! One of the other moms saw her doing it this morning at school and said that Madyson did that for awhile then one day she crawled and the NEXT day she was walking! Oy...hope Sarah crawls a bit longer than that before breaking into a run!!

She also has her 2 teeth coming in on the bottom! You can see the white through the top of her gums! Our little girl is growing up so fast!!

Here's a pic from her at school this morning. I think she's going to be a redhead!

6 Month Well Baby Checkup

I know she's 6 and a HALF months old but this was the soonest we could get the little miss in for her checkup - especially since she just went off antibiotics for her ear infection on Sunday.

She's up to 15lbs 12oz which is up 1lb 2oz from the 11th when she went in for her ear infection! Woohooo! Which is just a hair shy of the 50th percentile. She's also 26 inches long and her head circumference is 43cm - both put her in the 50th percentile. He's extremely pleased with her growth! Go Sarah!!

She also got her 6 month shots. The poor thing just cried and cried and kept reaching for her "ma ma" the whole time then when she finished and I was holding her she stopped, like someone turned off a light switch. Our next appointment is January 5th! Although, not to be a pessimist or anything but she IS in daycare so I'm SURE we'll be seeing Dr Detereville before then!

Here's a picture of her NOT liking her green beans...

Date Night

Kindercare had a Parents Night Out tonight from 6:30 to 9:30. We decided to take advantage of it and go out, just the 2 of us...it had been a long time since we'd done that! We went to a great restaurant in Corona (we even had a coupon!) then went to Barnes and Noble and took our time walking around looking at books and magazines...we used to do that almost every weekend before Sarah! We got to Kindercare at about 9pm to get Sarah. When we were walking up to the front door we could hear the music and all of the kids laughing inside! We got into the room and Sarah was just sitting on the floor, right in the middle of it all smiling and having a great time! Miss Jill said that at one point she started rubbing her eyes so they gave her a warm bottle and put her in her crib, but then she heard Madyson laugh and that was it...she was up and ready to party again! She's STILL awake and it's almost 10pm!! Next time I'll have to leave them the camera so they can take pics for me!

It's such a great idea...daycare offering nights like this (even just once a month) for parents. I think we ALL had a great time tonight! Thank you Kindercare!

Just a Couple of Pics...

Here's a shot of Sarah and her favorite teacher Miss Jill. Taken at daycare this morning...she loves chewing on those fingers!! Kindercare is also having a Parents Night Out tomorrow night! Chris and I can't wait! We're dropping off Sarah (who will be watched by Miss Jill) and going out to dinner! Our first date night in a LONG time! :-)

Yea! She's Feeling Better!!

We had a great weekend! The antibiotics and tylenol kicked in pretty much right away and the little princess is feeling much better! I have my happy baby back!




She's also back to eating again (finally) so we started her on squash on Saturday (she's had sweet potatoes which she loves and peas which she hates) and she seems to like them! Hooray! Next up is carrots! She's getting more and more difficult to feed though...there are just way too many things going on to actually pay attention to eating! It's like feeding a moving target!





She's also decided she doesn't want to sit anymore and that she really likes standing up. When I put her back in her crib this morning after her bottle, so I could get her school clothes out, she wouldn't bend her knees...she grabbed onto the aquarium (the same aquarium she likes to turn on, over and over again, in the middle of the night by slamming it with her foot) and held herself up...nice, huh? Same thing happened at daycare only Miss Jill wound up holding her for about 5 minutes before she finally decided to sit and play with the toys.







She also started clapping this weekend! Took us totally by surprise! She loves it when I clap and sing the ABC song (on her exersaucer...that song is burned on my memory FOREVER) for her...she starts to clap along with me!

Looks like she's also starting to try to figure out how to crawl...she's been trying to push her hind end up...almost like the downward facing dog yoga position. She's almost there!!

What a weekend!!