Look Guys, I'm 5 Months Old!

Aria loves to hang out in her jumperoo - even though she can't reach the floor yet, she loves to chew on the seat and toys and watch all the flashing lights.

We took a little road trip up to Ventura to visit Natalie, Robeson and Benjamin since we hadn't seen them since a week after Benjamin was born. It was a beautiful sunny day so we took a walk on the beach before meeting up with them for lunch. Ventura sure does have some nice beaches!

Here's the best picture we could get of Aria and Benjamin together. Benjamin was very interested in Aria and wanted to touch her and chew on her bib...Aria was not amused, to say the least, and got a little freaked out. Poor Benjamin just wanted to taste his new friend! He is such a cutie and so active! I love that he is rolling all over the place and so alert and interested in everything. I think Aria is just more mellow. She's taking her sweet time with rolling over and becoming mobile, but we're ok with that!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Here's a pic for y'all with a "secret message" for Benjamin!

Dear Aria,

You are 4 months old today! Daddy and I can hardly believe how fast these 4 months have flown by.
You have more than doubled your weight and have grown close to 5 inches in length since you were born - amazing! You rolled over for the first time last weekend, just one week shy of your 4 month birthday. You are grabbing at and holding your toys and putting anything and everything in your mouth. I'm pretty sure you are beginning to teethe, even though I can't see any pearly whites yet, because you are chewing on everything! We love you more than ever and you brighten our every day with belly laughs and sweet smiles.
Daddy loves to dance with you and tickle you and eat "your neck" - all of which you find hilarious. No one can make you laugh like Daddy can!
I love to sit and talk with you. You are quite the conversationalist already! You will coo and ahh in long ramblings with such a range of faces that I'm sure you're telling quite the story. I can't wait until I can actually understand it all. :o)
You are such a sweet girl and we simply cannot get enough of you!

Some of your current favorites are:
...getting your diaper changed (or just being naked, really)
...kicking and splashing in your bath (I've taken to wearing an apron when I bathe you because you literally soak me every time)
...going for walks outside in the stroller (but only if you're facing forward)
...TV!!! This is a tough one - you are such a TV junkie! We really can't have it on much while you're awake or you will figure out a way to watch it. In fact, this is the reason you first rolled over - so you could see the TV - you are SO your Daddy's child!

Some of your current dislikes are:
...being rocked and/or cuddled (unless you are REALLY tired and almost asleep). You prefer to be put in your bed with your paci and left in peace to drift off on your own.
...being burped in the middle of a bottle, before you're finished eating
...rice cereal, ha ha, I have tried to give you rice cereal three times now, but so far, you are just not having it! I guess you'll let me know when you're ready for it, so for now we're just sticking to milk. You're pretty happy about that.
...losing your paci in the middle of the night. Actually, this is one of Mommy's dislikes too! :o)

Sweet girl, we are so, so blessed by you! God gave us such an amazing gift when He gave you to us.

Love,
Mommy

Visit With Santa

Christmas Time Is Here...

We helped our Lifegroup host a Christmas charity event for Night Light International (an organization that helps women and children in Thailand get out of prostitution) at a cute little shop on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore called Blue Windows. They have some great gifts and unique things including this little elf hat I put on Aria - way too big, but so cute!

Taco Tuesday at our favorite little hole-in-the-wall around the corner - Merced's, with my sweet little snow bunny and her Daddy.

My Dad invited us to join my mom and him for dinner and Enderle Center's annual Christmas tree lighting and caroling event. We had a great time just walking around, window shopping, and listening to all the great carolers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving was very mellow this year. Gabe and I decided to do the cooking and try out some new recipes I found in Parents Magazine. We cooked at my parents' house for about four hours on Wednesday, then came over early Thursday to finish up and enjoy the tasty results. Well, as it turns out, we should have had a double oven or a much smaller turkey in order to get everything cooked appropriately and on time. We ended up using the barbecue to roast the sweet potatoes and cook the stuffing (which didn't work out so well). We also discovered that our dessert was enjoyed by one of the furrier family members sometime in the middle of the night! The food turned out OK, but was nothing to write home about. Next year we will stick to our traditional, yummy, tastes-like-Thanksgiving's-supposed-to-taste, recipes!

...the culprit and her crime, looking guilty as ever.

Grandpa and Aria waiting for dinner to be ready.

Auntie Megan and cousin Tyler relaxing after dessert (don't worry, we had apple and pumpkin pie in addition to the dessert that Nikki ate!)

The Daddies watching Punkin' Chunkin' with their babies.

Two Months Old

Aria is two months old today! Time is going by so fast, and although we are loving watching her grow and change and develop new skills every day, I have to say that I already miss the sweet, tiny, little bundle we brought home from the hospital. Looking back at her newborn pictures makes me realize just how much she has grown and changed in just two short months! Please don't grow up too fast my sweet little girl!

Aria had her two-month check up with the doctor this week. She weighed 10 pounds 8 ounces and measured 22.25 inches long. This means that in two months she has gained almost 4 pounds and grown almost 3 inches! Amazing! She also started her immunizations - three shots and one oral - NOT fun for either of us. Poor baby, she was sad and super clingy for two days and had a fever as a result. I hate to think that we have to do this every two months for the next year or so.


Sleep my love and peace attend thee all through the night...
This is the song her swing plays during her morning naps. As you can see, Aria clearly enjoys her swing and her morning naps in it! She sleeps about 3 hours in her swing every morning.

Aria has started to enjoy sitting in her baby seat. We don't put her in it for very long because she is still working on head control, but she sure feels and looks like a big girl in her seat.

Ha, ha! I love this picture! Aria is so not a crier, but I had to get an "appropriate" picture of her in this onesie before she grew out of it. So, her "bad" mommy let her whine a little longer than usual when she was ready for her nap just so she could snap this picture...I know, I know, I'm gonna hear about this when she's older!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this little girlie and her cheeks! ...and love, love the shirt! - courtesy of Aunt Katie :o)