one wild new year's eve

my guitar heroes

nani helped everyone quench their thirst

ice dispensers, watch out!

PEASE!!

by the day after Christmas, nani had really gotten the hang of opening gifts.
when her cousin, Jenna Michelle, came over to open gifts (and nani had opened hers the day before), nani begged with sweet "peases" open jenna's gifts.
jenna was kind enough to let aiyana help remove the ribbons and tear some paper, too.

Merry Christmas!

nani enjoyed her first pancakes on Christmas morning!

the christmas princess was a little more interested in the gift opening than she was last year....(when she was 10 weeks old).

whenever she had uncovered the box, she said and signed PLEASE so that daddy would open it for her.

daddy's scrabble partner. she helps with the big words.

Christmas Eve

abuelos visited from texas

thanks for the toothbrush/paintbrush!

nani's new favorite CD

cindernani at work

even on holiday, aiyana keeps up with her chores

tree trimming

aiyana helps grandma and great grandmother trim the tree


and then she takes a nap. she has another nasty cold. this is how she sleeps best whenever she is congested. she starts out sleeping with her head in mommy's neck and flips her way into this position. seems uncomfortable, but her breathing clears and she sleeps peacefully.

up in the sky!!!

the official numbers are in: 23.0 lbs




aiyana dances along with the jazzy airport music...and then she chases some boys.
Two weeks of walking and already she's chasing boys!


"hang on! i need to know what to do in the event of a water landing!"

(at least someone was paying attention to the safety instructions on the plane)

christmas comes early

the big girl loved pushing her new baby in her new stroller
(almost as much as she loved the "magic" baby bottles!)

mama's new ringtone

sometimes aiyana enjoys the ringtones so much that i just let it ring.
sorry about that.

please call back so we can dance some more.

bird watching and fancy walking

nani found a buddy today.
she was all over gus gus -- when he felt he had received enough love, he escaped to the sofa.

me and my shadow

say "please"

this short video captures many elements of sweetness. notice the head-tilt, the smile, and of course, the drool.

this morning, loading the toaster with my back to nani, i heard a soft, airy, "peas peas".
the girl loves some toast!

this new word caught me by surprise even though it wasn't her first word. maybe it was because she said it on her own without any prompting. there was no, "say please" or "are you all-done"....she was just asking sweetly for some toast.

what other words does she speak??
thank-you, all-done, dada, mom, kitty, potty, bird, buh-bye

nani at work

oh, christmas tree. oh, christmas tree...

nani's friends found this fun stroller in their attic. but now we've started something. rather than crawling, the princess prefers to be strolled around the house.

homemade christmas pictures

nani couldn't wait to put the first ornament on her christmas tree

aiyana signs "LIGHT" when daddy flipped the switch on the tree!

more giggles than gobbles this thanksgiving

aiyana was making faces at our friends during thanksgiving dinner.
she knows exactly how funny we think she is.



turn your volume WAY UP for this one!



too much turkey?

aiyana learned to climb in (and out) of her little red fire truck; she was so proud of herself.
now we're learning the sign for SIT because she also learned to stand in her little red fire truck.

got giggles?

aiyana does!

nani had only a brief nap today, and lack of sleep always gets her a little goofy.

doughnuts and sushi

fun with floss

nani gives daddy some instruction in good dental hygiene. now that she's using toothpaste and a toothbrush, she thinks she's an expert.

my baby can read!

11.17.08

aiyana was reading her family picture book and was fixated on the daddy/baby aiyana pages. she pointed to daddy, signed DADDY, turned the page, again pointed and signed, turned back to the first page, pointed to herself, signed BABY, turned the page and repeated the sign.
it was amazing! then, i grabbed the camera, but of course, the moment had passed.

bubbles in the tub

don't know why we haven't been using bubbles all along, because nani loved them! she probably didn't remember the bubble baths from long ago; she acted as if the suds were a brand new thing. she washes herself with the bubbles, splashes in them, and spreads the suds on momma, too. this scrub in the tub was last week (nov 17), but i didn't want this cuteness to get lost in the old blogs.

one weekend. two pony-rides.

friday 11.21

aiyana FINALLY rode the carousel at the mall! unfortunately, this was the end of a long night, so you can see her sleepy eyes.

saturday 11.22

she signs PLEASE when her buddy, zeke, gets a little too close to the pony she has claimed the party


she skipped her nap for the birthday party, again notice the sleepy stare. she has an obvious tired face even though she remains pleasant until she gets, what her friends call "punchy".