September

September flew by! So, so busy. Here's the last month in a nutshell . . .

We celebrated our second wedding anniversary on September 12th. We celebrated Jorge's birthday on the 20th. I passed the first part of my licensing exam, so we celebrated that, too. And Jorge was promoted to a supervisor position at work.

September was so busy that Jorge couldn't keep track of which dog needed shots for the dog license renewal. After getting to the vet with the baby and Charlie (and you can imagine how difficult it is to go out with a beagle and a one-year-old), he realized it was Ginger that needed the shots! Ginger is now fully vaccinated, but that took place on an entirely different day . . .

We decided to upgrade to a king-size bed (Cal King) so that we won't be falling off when Elena Rose decides to sleep sideways. We debated for awhile, and then when we realized that our queen mattress was sagging a bit and that we could feel some springs (plus we've been getting back-aches for the past year), we decided to go for it since we were going to have to buy a new mattress regardless. And we are LOVING our new bed! It's big, pretty, and the mattress is soooo comfortable. And even when Elena Rose sleeps sideways, we have room.

Elena Rose's hair is starting to curl in the back.

Elena loves to drink from a straw now. Such a big girl. She also loves to push buttons; she especially loves to turn the cable box on and off.

We were finally able to paint some shelves we've been wanting to put up in her room for a long time.

Putting stuff on the shelves left room on her dresser, so I put out some cute little bookends I got at a consignment sale a couple weeks ago. I love good bargains! And she has a lot of books.

I also got her a little Handy Manny talking toolbox at the consignment sale. She loves this toolbox. She dances to the music and for some reason she likes to carry it behind the couch and leave it there. Now she can work on the house just like Daddy!

And some other cute things Elena did this month: She went up to the different animals on the walls in her playroom, giving them all kisses; she mimics us whenever we cough; when you ask her where her belly-button, nose, mouth, eyes, hands, toes, and some other body parts are, she will point to them; she had her first bubble bath, and she was amused, but not thoroughly impressed.

And (nothing new here), she loves her daddy.

Especially when he's silly with her.

They're two little peas in a pod. And he calls her his little sweetpea.

September 11, 2011

On September 11, 2001, I was a senior in high school. My mom came into my room and woke me, and said that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and she was pointing toward the living room, crying. Nothing made sense to me because I was half asleep at the time. I got up and started watching the news. Before this I had never heard of the Twin Towers. I watched in disbelief, it was surreal. My parents and I sat there, glued to the television and silent. I remember watching the chaos unfold on the news, and when the buildings collapsed I looked at my dad and he just shook his head with a look of defeat, not saying anything. We didn't know what to do . . . go on with our normal day? I went to school, not knowing if other people were going to go or stay home. I only remember my first class that day; we didn't do anything but watch the news.

In the days following the attacks there seemed to be a real solidarity that I had never felt before, and haven't felt since. People felt and understood that our country was in crisis, that the future was unknown, and that we were in this together. It's like I could look at a stranger and we would offer looks of comfort to each other, and we had some common ground. There were candlelight vigils, moments of silence, and endless fundraising efforts. And sadness, a lot of sadness.

We need to remember that we are privileged to live in a country where attacks like this do not happen on a regular basis. There are many people, including children, around the world who live among continuous violence and death.

I hope that all the victims' families and survivors are able to find a sense of peace.

And I hope that the next generation doesn't experience an event like this.

Elena Rose and the Beagles

Ever since Elena Rose saw Jorge doing push-ups she's been laying on the floor on her stomach. She's silly. She's copying what we do more and more now. This morning I handed her a comb to play with and she tried to brush my hair.
Every time I nurse her she points to my belly button. She loves belly buttons.

Last weekend Jorge bathed Ginger and Charlie so they could be inside. Elena loves playing with the dogs, they crack her up. As you can imagine, it's a little chaotic when they're running around and the baby's exploring. In this picture the baby's walking around, Ginger wanted some love, and Charlie has his head under my seat. Don't mind my pajama pants!Charlie was having a blast chasing the baby's ball around. I kept throwing and rolling it for him to get, and Elena Rose was laughing so hard at him. Here he had been rolling the ball on the floor and it hit the back wall underneath the desk. Elena heard it hit and she's looking for it. Here are some sweet moments

Happy Birthday to Me!

We had our first overnight trip away from home with Elena Rose. Since she's been home from the hospital until this weekend, she's spent every night at home. On Saturday, my birthday, we stayed at a hotel in Pismo Beach. When we got to the hotel we took a dip in the pool. It was a little cold for our taste so we ended up in the hot tub.After that we went to Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo. At first Elena Rose didn't like the way the wet sand felt on her feet, but it didn't take long for her to start loving the ocean. She kept wanting to walk straight into the waves. Every time we left the water, she walked us all the way back to it.
That evening we celebrated Dora's 50th birthday at the beach with a bonfire and BBQ. And we got to visit with her daughter Amanda. The last time Amanda saw her Elena Rose was just over a week old. As soon as Elena saw Amanda she reached for her, hugged her, and leaned forward and gave her two kisses. That's the first time she's ever done that!

Amanda and Elena RoseDora, Elena Rose, me, and JorgeThe bonfireWe had such a blast! We were all pooped after, but it was well worth it. Today we visited my family in Santa Maria. We had a really good visit with the kids, they're always so goofy. And I have to say, Mercedes and Savanna look so much alike now! I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture, but I'm going to capture it next time.

Catching up

It feels like we've been super busy, so here are some snippets to catch up.

This is what Elena Rose looks like when Daddy dries her hair after the bath. Poor thing.
Her hair is growing quickly. I don't want to cut it, so usually I'll wet my fingers and wipe it away from her face. We use clips and bows, but lately she's started pulling them out. I hope that doesn't last.
She loves to spit. You can see her tongue sticking out here. And the spray can go pretty far!
My friend Danielle made bibs for her when I was pregnant. This bib is the Bambi one she made. Elena Rose kept wanting to kiss Bambi before she started eating.
She's getting better at getting the bottle to her baby doll's mouth.
She got her first helmet. We had to order it online, since the toddler helmets we found in stores were for 3 years and older. She absolutely loves books. At night I read her at least two, but one night I read seven because she kept asking for another one, and another one.

Summertime

It was so hot today! I took Elena Rose for a walk around 6:15 and it was still burning up. When we got home the sprinklers were on because Jorge was fixing them, so I walked by them to cool off. The baby liked it and wanted to play more in the water, but I didn't want to walk through the middle, so Jorge took Elena "flying" through them. She loved it. Once they were off she enjoyed playing on the wet lawn and in the puddles. We felt pretty cool afterward! And Jorge was soaked.She plays in her tunnel now!And she claps!

First Boo-Boo and First Bike Ride

Every parent dreads seeing their child in pain. Yesterday Elena Rose was walking and she fell and hit her face on the floor. She hit her top lip and it actually wasn't as bad as it could've been. She cried for a while, but after she woke up from her nap most people wouldn't have even noticed that her lip was swollen. She was fine, though.

This morning Elena Rose and I went to church and watched the service from the Cry Room. I love the Cry Room. The sanctuary is a huge auditorium, and the Cry Room is off to the side on the second floor, with a big glass window for you to watch, and also a screen to see the pastors close up. It's nice because I don't have to worry about her getting fussy, wanting to nurse or eat, stand, etc. And today we had a really good time and both enjoyed the service. She sat in my lap, ate her little cookies and puffs, and loved the music.

This is my latest Craigslist purchase. I've bought so much on Craigslist, including Elena's two birthday presents, her wagon and bouncy horse. Now we have a bike trailer so Jorge and I can actually ride our bikes at the same time! We bought our bikes a long time ago, but then I got a big pregnancy belly and couldn't ride. Then we had the baby, so we couldn't go riding at the same time. Now all 3 of use can go out on the paseos and get some fresh air and sun. We took her out for a short ride to see if she liked it, and she did. We have to get a helmet small enough to fit her little head now.