Fun at the Fair

First day of our county fair! Confession: I've never been to the San Diego County Fair in the nearly six years living out here. And you ask, how could I not visit the fair with fried Twinkies, fried Oreo's and fried Klondike bars until now? Well, frankly a lot of people go to the fair and on hot summer days I'm just not up for rubbing elbows with sweaty strangers. But as we all know, having a kid changes life in so many ways and today I was willing to forgo personal space so Elena could see the animals (the grossly discounted ticket was helpful too). We spent time with some funny looking hens and roosters (of course while I was making the correct animal noise, huge pigs, sleeping cows and then the lambs and goats in the petting zoo. Elena was interested in the animals and pointed as I made the animal noises but you could hardly guess from the pictures.

Goats say "baah, baah"

Here is Elena walking on the awesome grass and having fun with friends. Check out her tongue, she loves playing with her tongue since her 4th tooth broke through.

All the kids enjoyed running around on the grass and around Elena. So cute!!

Here's a little video of Elena walking. She looks pretty good on grass today.

On the verge of running

I know what you are thinking...how can Elena be running when she hasn't taken to walking yet? Prior to this weekend Elena was averaging 8 consecutive steps and then she would fall and crawl as her primary mode of movement. All this changed over the weekend as she now prefers to walk.  Today she walked from the kitchen table down the hallway to the guest room and only fell once. So I guess she is officially walking, although she looks like miniature drunken sailor.  It is quite funny to watch!  And even though she is still figure out her balance to walk, today she tried running.  When she figures out how to run, look out world this is going to be one fast toddler!

Relaxing in the Pool

Here's a little summer pick me up....Elena lounging in a friend's pool earlier this week.  

Go Galaxy!

Today we ventured off to the L.A. Galaxy soccer game against Houston Dynamo.  The game started at 5pm but we were in the sun and it was HOT!  Elena was not happy with the heat.  She didn't scream or throw a tantrum but when she is hot she gets ornery and is quite the handful.  Fortunately the second half was better, we were in the shade and Elena seemed to enjoy the game.  Despite being down a few good players due to the World Cup, the Galaxy played a great game and won 4-1. 

So hot...let me chew on the water bottle.

The game is getting exciting!  (And the sun is much less intense, complete shade is near)

Here is Elena cheering on the team!

Ahh, finally full shade.  Elena kicked back and enjoyed the game and time with Daddy.

Elena's shirt was soaked from spilling water down herself during the first half.  As we were leaving the air temp dropped quite a bit so we put on her souvenir shirt.  Coordinating shirts, aren't they cute?

This is our first family shot at an arm's length...good thing Carl has long arms!!

Tooth #4

Just a note in the journal:  Tooth number four finally broke skin today.  Yay!  It seems to take Elena about three weeks to get a tooth through once it starts causing her unbearable pain and frequent night wakings.  Hopefully the next set of teeth will be less painful.

Hot Tubbin'

It's nice and warm today, a great day to be in the water.  Beaches are usually a bit full during holiday weekends so we opted to stay at home.  We lack a pool but that didn't stop Elena from enjoying a hot tub in the cooler.  She enjoyed eating the bubbles!

First Signs

Friday was a great day for Elena. She had a play date without me (I had a therapy appointment) and as usual she was a great little girl. Elena even signed for the first time. I have been working on a few signs for months and she never gave any inclination of imitation. Then as she sits eating O's she signs "more please" (pretend you are holding a coin between your thumb and fingers on both hands then touch the coins together a couple of times). To top that off, she loved walking there too--12 steps at a time, then she'd fall down and get up to do it again. So cute to see her walking. She doesn't walk on command but here is my best attempt so you can see this little drunk sailor walk.

Then this evening, she gave her second sign "milk" (pretend you are milking a cow's utter). Elena, in my opinion, has always been a great communicator and being able to use a combination of sign and words is awesome. And have I mentioned yet that she understands just about everything we say to her?

On a side note, I've revamped the site. Hope you enjoy the new graphics and layout!

Start of Summer!

What a wonderful day, weather was great and Elena has slept the past 3 nights for at least a 6 hour segment. For us sleep deprived parents, 6 hours of consecutive sleep multiple nights in a row will make any day :) Today was especially great as we attended a friend's party. This is not the first time Elena has been in a pool, but the first time she could really enjoy and play in the water.

Elena was so excited by the water. She giggled, blew raspberries, and splashed with her hands!

Look at this face--this is Elena's "I'm up to no good" expression. And it's hard to tell, but she is standing on me trying to push off.

Aww, what a cute family!

Playing goggles with Daddy!

Elena was sitting on the shallow step but trying to scoot back into the water.  Look at the determination on her face!  She never made it off the step but did fall over sideways.

 

Loving the pink floaty toy!

Elena loved watching the big kids swim and play around in the pool.

All done swimming but still checking out the other kids.  She's doing really well playing with other kids and is even sharing.  Such a good little girl!

Our day has come to an end but check out what a crazy day does to Elena's hair--makes it crazy too!  :)  

Padres Game!

It's that time of year again...baseball season! This is Elena's 4th game (not that I'm counting) but the first game she didn't sleep through. She enjoyed the atmosphere--so many people to interact with her and she loved pointing at all the lights. Fortunately, the loud roars didn't frighten her too much.

Gardening with Mommy

Today we replanted the front garden bed with geraniums, which grow and flower year round in our area. The plants should grow in nicely. I have had a hard time growing much in this flower bed--it gets extremely hot as it faces receives the sun out of the south and west. Fingers crossed! Well Elena was out with me and just wanted to help. She loves getting dirty, eating bugs and flowers--you have to keep an eye on this one!!

Such pretty jasmine, and smells so nice...think I might taste it too!

The World Through Elena's Eyes

This entry is dedicated to Elena and the perspective she brings us. As she grows into a little girl, she reminds us to "ook" and enjoy every moment. We are blessed with this little angel. She may put us into a sleep deprived fatigue but the joy she has for life and learning makes this journey very special.

Today is Elena's 13 month birthday; it seems like we were celebrating her birthday just last week. She is up to 6 consecutive steps and can walk assisted holding one hand, though she prefers to hold two hands. With Daddy's help, she loves running down the hallway. Elena loves playing with other children and they are attracted to her--when we visit the playground, they circle around. She enjoys interacting with people of all ages. She smiles, points and waves to those around her. I often hear "she made my day" after Elena smiles or waves at someone. She never really went through "stranger danger" anxiety but she does keep a close tab on me.

Elena has been babbling for months. She definitely says "na-na" to nurse or eat, "da-da" for daddy among many other things, sometimes when she is all done eating she says "da" and if you listen closely "ook" when she points sometimes--telling us to look. She points at many things and despite her lack of verbal language she communicates very well and understands much of what we say. Elena is very inquisitive and tests limits almost daily though her fits when she doesn't get what she wants are minimal so far and usually include a crinkle of the nose with "eh-eh" noises and sometimes a squirm backwards.

Not only is this little girl growing fast (she can already reach door handles) she also has quite the appetite! She loves eating and doesn't really care what she eats. She prefers fruits and veggies over meat and eggs but she eats everything and a lot of it. Last night for dinner she had a handful of steamed spinach, a couple handfuls of steamed green beans, handful of O's, 2 ounces of chicken plus noodles. And when I say a handful, my handful not hers. She eats just about everything we eat (with the exception of nuts and dessert): avocado, carrot, green beans, spinach, banana, applesauce, peaches, mango, strawberries (very few due to acid rash), blueberries, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, noodles, egg yolks, peas, O's, brown rice crispies, yogurt, cottage cheese, hard cheeses (i.e. cheddar), turkey, chicken, and beef. I will be introducing tofu soon. I haven't introduced acidic foods yet because I know she will be sensitive to it as I still have to restrict my diet and watch that I don't eat too much acidic food (we are still nursing a few times a day). So for now no tomatoes, citrus or bell peppers. This is a lot of info but since this is essentially Elena's baby book--I wanted to make sure I have this noted so when I go back to do her book I have some info :)

We hope you have a great weekend! Off to clean some house, plant flowers and tend to the garden! :)

Running With It!

My camera has been slowly and steadily going down hill as it struggles to focus anymore. So for the past few months (oh who am I kidding, it has been the better part of the past year) I have been searching for the perfect replacement (it was my Christmas gift). I know I what I want, and it doesn't exist in my price range yet. The camera needs to have very minimal shutter lag--so I was leaning toward a DSLR but held up by the size. I take a ton of pics, I try to take my camera everywhere--I love small and compact (who doesn't, less to lug around) so when I heard about the new four thirds system, I was excited. It is touted as having the quality of a DSLR in a smaller body with interchangeable lenses. What is not to love? So I bought it. I have to say, aesthetically, I was smitten with the vintage facade of a rangefinder and I really wanted to love this camera. Carl even embraced my enthusiasm and did a photo shoot that reminded me a bit of Zoolander filled with silliness. We had a great time. No doubt the camera captures amazing color compared with my point and shoot. In the end though, for the price I was disappointed with the auto focus lag when indoors so I returned it and still searching for my replacement camera. In the meantime, here are a few of the thousand pictures (not kidding) I shot this week.

Happy Birthday, Carl!

It's that time of year again, birthday, birthday, birthdays! To celebrate Carl's birthday we had dinner at Tom Ham's Lighthouse. Yes, this is the same venue we had our reception dinner. We love the location and the food. Chris and Lorraine called ahead and reserved the best seat in the house--the corner with a double window view of the harbor-just breathtaking! The food was spectacular and the new salad selection was divine! Elena was an angel; so far we are lucky parents and able to take her out in public and restaurants with good behavior. I hope that continues throughout her childhood. Elena loves people watching (which helps entertain her right now) and even flirted with our waiter who later brought her out a bowl of vanilla ice cream while we were enjoying Carl's birthday ice cream cake. Yes, Elena had her first taste of ice cream and of course she loved it, she is my child after all :) We all had a great time!!

Gimme five!!

Strawberry Picking

Ah, the sweet aroma of fresh strawberries! This morning we met some friends at a strawberry field. I was reminded of our little strawberry patch growing up. Although, these strawberries were easier to get to not only because of the raised beds but also because there was no bird netting to uncover. We picked a lot of strawberries and I ate too many! Elena also had her first strawberry today and she loves them. I took a lot of photos but here are a few of my favorites!

Yummy! More please!!