Aa

Beach Babies!

2011-07-05T21:39:00.000-04:00

popular phrases and sleep schedules

2010-02-14T17:40:00.006-05:00

Some random words of wisdom:
"Don't worry, Mommy. I'm going to be ok."
"Don't worry about it."
"Hey Mommy!" You know what?" sometimes followed by: "Santa Clause is coming! He's outside."
"Go get them!" "I want to see them." (whenever she's missing someone and wants to see them)
"Be nice to me." (to her friends)

Miss Manners:
"I sorry. I really sorry."
"I very sorry."
"I so sorry."
"I say Please!"
"Pretty please."
"'Scuse me. I all full."
"Dee-whish-us!" (delicious)
"Thanks for washing my cup, mommy. Oh, tanks!" i've never known a child to be so dramatically appreciative the things we do for her...(like washing her clothes...)
"No tanks." whenever she really means "no-way!"
"My hands are dirty. They have germs. I need to wash them." always after the grocery store, she tells us "I touch the cart. It has germs. They make me sick. I have to go wash my hands."

Kindness and curiosity:
"It's o-tay."
"What-choo doing?"
"What are they talking for?"
"What are they talking about?"

Here are a variety of phrases we wake to each morning:
"Yoo-hoo! Mommy!" "Yoo-hoo! Daddy!"
"Cock-a-doodle doo!"
"The sun waked up!"

Words of persuasion:
"Just one cookie, O'tay?" followed by: "Just one again." (repeat. repeat.)
"Just one freezie pop again. O'tay?"

Games:
"I need to hide!"
"Let's make a tent!"
"I want to dance."
"It's Hannah Ontana!"

and a few I wouldn't mind her forgetting :)
"I need a new one. This one so yucky."
"I need to buy one."
and these declarations are usually followed by: "Please?! I say Please."

and the always-encouraging:
"We need to clean this house. It's too stinky."

sleeping beauty....
Since mid-January, Aiyana has become a phenomenal sleeper! She now takes a regular nap at around 12:30/1pm for 90 minutes EVERY day and wakes up happy and refreshed. Bedtime is around 8pm after she has fallen asleep in her big girl bed with a carefully chosen comfort object under her arm (these have ranged from her "soft blanket", book, new t-shirt, flashlight, or box of pink tissues...etc.). Once, we offered to leave her lamp on, and since then we have had few, if any, bedtime battles! All it took was one little thing. Light. She falls asleep on her own, usually after reading to herself. We love listening to her on the monitor: "best nest. best nest. best nest. (from the book "Best Nest" or "you never what. you never what. something may happen. you never know what." (from the book "A Fish Out of Water" aka "Otto".)

She still gets her cuddles in the rocking chair and a book or 3, but she typically gets into her bed on her own, we pull her pink soft blanket up around her neck, say prayers, kiss goodnight, and say, "Night night sweet girl. Mommy loves you. Daddy loves you. I'll see you when the sun wakes up."

and that's it! When she wakes up at night, she might want a drink, or just to see someone, but she ALWAYS falls right back to sleep. She doesn't cry; she just looks at us, and goes back to sleep. It's really the strangest thing! After our traveling for the holidays, I thought maybe it was just jet lag....but apparently she was just ready.

thanksgiving week in iowa

2009-12-18T17:06:00.003-05:00

aiyana's 1st Famous Dave's experience! Yum!

so excited about her Thanksgiving meal!!

so many sentences!

2009-10-29T20:53:00.003-04:00

it seems that with nani's first birthday came a flood of sentences! it caught me by surprise at first, but i'm beginning to expect it now.

a few weeks ago, walking into church, we were talking about who we were going to see. Nani says, "See Wally church, too?"

here are a few of the things she's saying now:

where's my baby?
baby go night-night. she's sleepy.
i need that.
i want that.
i need more.
where's my knife? i need my knife.
mommy take away
i put this away.
this mine's
read this one.
i want this one.

i'll think of more to post later. she's quite a talker!

pretty smile

2009-10-19T21:18:00.001-04:00

mario started the car, and nani yelled, "oh! oh! my car! my car!" and sprinted toward the car so she wouldn't get left behind.

ok, she was running so fast that these are a little blurry, but i couldn't resist sharing her glowing smile!

storytime with auntie em

2009-10-17T21:07:00.001-04:00

nani loved her visit with grandma and auntie em...she really liked the futon mattress in the middle of the living room floor! it was great for wrestling. poor emmie. i hope her bruises are beginning to heal!
in the days after their visit, nani still asked for her nap on "emily's bed" and, in the car, pointed to the seats, saying, "that emily's seat. that grandma's seat."

kid in a candy store

2009-10-14T23:04:00.002-04:00

nani's auntie shelly had the idea to take nani to the fancy candy store for her birthday....

"where do I begin?"
nani walked in like she owned the place. her first stop was the pile of shopping baskets. she needed not one, but two! she was going to be prepared!

happy birthday!

2009-10-12T22:48:00.001-04:00

she even had to ice her own birthday cake...but she didn't mind. she used A LOT of sprinkles!

nani served her great-grandma joyce a lovely tea party
....she heard someone call grandma by her first name (joyce) and when she was asked to go tell grandma that supper was ready, nani yelled down the stairs: "Joyce! Joyce"

this birthday made an impact on aiyana. she's been singing "happy bert-day" to everyone and everything! we drove up to Indiana to visit our family and just happened to be there on her special day!

aiyana loves....

2009-10-04T22:10:00.000-04:00

painting
sept 23

playing baseball

munching on lollipops...she even took mine for a "taste"!
sept 29

dressing herself...she put her sock on and then fell asleep

sleeping in her big girl bed! the first night was a little rough -- she quickly learned how to open her bedroom door, wander down the hall, and then back to her room. except for a little crying, that was the worst of it! she's only fallen out once, and it just scared her (and got her a free ride back to mommy's bed!)
oct 1

cooking in her new birthday kitchen
oct 2

walking in mommy's shoes
oct 4

loves the park!

2009-09-03T21:07:00.002-04:00

so, i blame facebook for our blog absence....JULY 20? was that really the last time?
we've been to the beach twice, seen our jenna rae and her family, been to indiana to meet baby jaxon, sang and danced in Kindermusik classes....and generally just had a lot of summer fun.

tonight i'm beginning the blog-catch-up game...once again. enjoy! we do!

Big Girl Kindermusik Class

2009-09-01T22:43:00.003-04:00

Aiyana sang, danced, and thoroughly enjoyed her "Our Time" class for 18 mos - 3 year-olds. She wore a wide smile through the entire class! I can't imagine not having Kindermusik for her. Of course, everyday is a Kindermusik day in our house, but it was as if she thought: "hey! this is why I have been practicing all those songs at home and in the car! Sign me up!"
It really clicked for her.

She likes the setting up our classroom, too. She hangs posters on the wall, puts the instruments out on the floor. She's a great help behind the scenes, too. Per request, there's always a Kindermusik CD playing in the car...I believe 4 out of 5 CD's are hers? When did that happen?

a typical afternoon stroll

2009-09-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

we spent a lot of time walking (and adjusting our sunglasses) up and down the street. we always have to say "hi" to the horses across the road.

loves swimming!

2009-08-21T22:05:00.004-04:00

perfect depth for swimming!
but she still wouldn't keep her head out of the water...so after too many gulps, we had to cut our swim date short.

painting and peanut butter sandwiches

2009-08-20T20:46:00.002-04:00

THIS is what Peanut Butter looks like in the hands (and on the face) of a true artist!

she was really into her work, but paused to take bites of her paint-covered sandwich (she never put the snack down!)

turn up your volume! you don't want to miss her "yes".. or the random honking....and watch closely for the many faces of nani. Several appear in this short video!

Topsail Beach in July

2009-07-25T21:18:00.000-04:00

first beach trip of the summer -- we spent 4 days relaxing on the sand, splashing in the ocean, napping under the dock, and eating really good food! it was great.

didn't think she was supposed to make that face till she was 13....awww, DAAAAAAD!

good-bye to beach...good-bye to beach...good-bye to beach....sing good-bye.

the famous elmo jammies

2009-07-20T21:19:00.003-04:00

aiyana is simply fabulous. that says it all, really. she's sweet, yet tough when she needs to be.
outside is her favorite place to be, though she also loves to be home, and tells us this by chanting: "happy home. happy home..."
she's headed to the beach tomorrow for a much deserved vacation. she works hard.
in addition to elmo, she's also discovering "princesses". ...since mommy had to work (at home) extra last week, and daddy was out of town, we had to hire the furry red baby sitter to entertain nani a little more than we would have liked to. she even began saying: "all done elmo"..i thought she'd had enough of the little guy, but we realized she was "all done" at precisely the same point in the movie each time -- when the greedy mean guy lands in grouchland. i can remember jenna not wanting to watch the sea witch in the little mermaid, either. brought back memories.
anyway, i realized we've been absent from the blog for some time now. again. blame it on facebook.

pool party!

2009-06-28T21:29:00.004-04:00

i can't believe i forgot to post these pictures until now! we had such a great time swimming with our church when we went to the pool.
nani caved to the peer pressure and decided to jump right in the pool when she saw the big kids doing it! she's been a little cautious this swim season until this night....she even tried out the water slide and couldn't get enough!

a bit about aiyana

2009-06-26T23:47:00.005-04:00

some things you might not know about nani:

favorite color:
she's beginning to favor the color PINK
when i offered her a bowl of strawberries in a blue bowl, she LOUDLY protested "NO!"
then, she went to her drawer, chose a PINK bowl, and brought it to me.
I said: "Did you want a pink bowl?"
she nodded, smiled, and said, "Pink".
today, she again showed preference for a pink cup at breakfast.

i thought she was leaning toward the color GREEN, since she can identify the green trees in the book. She is also beginning to identify other colors when we ask her to "point to the blue", "point to the red", etc.

favorite celebrity:
elmo!!!
now, this is a little surprising since she doesn't/didn't watch TV. However, her friend, Parker, LOVES "Mo" and has "Mo" toys and a DVD. Aiyana carries the DVD case around and says, "watch elmo. watch elmo".
Well, Nani now has her own "Mo" DVD's which she watches a little bit at a time, mostly when there is housecleaning to be done.
AND, most sweetly, Daddy bought her a cute pair of elmo pajamas which she WILL NOT let go of! She didn't even want to let go of the pants so we could put them on her! (pj picture coming soon)
elmo has influenced nani in one other way. She has developed an attachment to her blankets. We watch "Elmo in Grouchland" in which Elmo loses his beloved blanket and spends the movie singing about and chasing his blanket.
Since watching Elmo with his blanket, Nani is dragging her blanket out her bed with her and around the house. She plays games with her blanket (like "peek-a-boo" and "cover-my-head-and-walk-around-crashing-into-things" -- that game's pretty funny!) Last night, she covered her potty seat with her blanket and sat down on it. That was wierd.

my sunshine

2009-06-22T08:11:00.001-04:00

i think nani looks like sunshine in this swimsuit.

"you are my sunshine" has always been my song for her. even before she was born.
today, we swam at the "waterpark" at the Y with Parker and Metabelle. We'll try to go twice a week, since we're there anyway, and the girls loved it! Nani will need a new suit with sleeves, since we polished off a tube of sunscreen on her bare back (practically)! It was easy last summer to keep her delicate shoulders covered with a swim-T.
So, how did she take to the waterpark? I guess this was her first "waterpark" experience. It's a nice zero-entry pool with fountains and waterfalls. I've gotten use to seeing them. We've been so spoiled in the past with Lifetime and Brier Creek swim club! Nothing like that here. But it was all new to nani! And nani's mommy didn't have to keep both nani and parker (14mos) afloat! That was the best part. All were free to roam (within arm's reach of course!)
nani was cautious at first. She hasn't been in a pool since last summer. Probably doesn't remember the experience at all. So, she lingered poolside for the first hour with her feet in the water and mostly below her knees. Then, she spotted the waterspouts and ran over to them! (We're working on "walking-feet" at the pool, now!) She stuck her arm in the spray, which of course got mama pretty wet and that was pretty funny. repeat repeat repeat. once she got her head wet by mistake, she was all in. This is going to be one wet-n-wild summer!

mountaintop father's day

2009-06-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

so pretty

2009-06-20T22:37:00.000-04:00

thanks, auntie em!

2009-06-20T22:28:00.002-04:00

thank you for sacrificing your white derby glasses. they are truly bringing joy to your niece. and they're still intact! if mommy dares to try to wear them, to say, drive...nani demands/requests them be returned to her.

here, zeke! give these a try!

excuse me? those would be mine. thanks.
isn't she too young for such a 'tude?

chicks are so confusing.

enlarge this pic and take a look at her face!

Brookfield Zoo

2009-06-12T22:11:00.000-04:00

daddy, you have a little something right...there.

daddy. it's still there.

nani knew just what to do at the butterfly exhibit. She sat down, posed for a pic, and smiled!

A day at the zoo always ends with a good bath.
This is the traditional sink bath in Papa's kitchen sink.

Indiana. take 2.

2009-06-12T21:37:00.000-04:00

nani loves her Papa and Great-Grandmother

but, grandma, i NEED to stay and watch this T.V. at gymboree

nani's 1st corn-on-the-cob! she LOVED it! we will definitely be getting some corn handles!

nani loves her cousins! she spent the day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum with Eden, Evie, Grandma, Auntie Brenda, and mommy

and one, and two...

2009-06-01T20:47:00.000-04:00

so THIS is how she gets those "guns"

2009-05-31T19:48:00.002-04:00

she has such a dramatic "stink" face! Papa Walker wanted to pick the prettiest roses for nani.
.....
It's time again for our monthly update. Somehow a month always seems to sneak by between postings, (it's actually June 22, I just edit the date for my "scrapbook"!) so this should be a big one! We have done A LOT! Baby Jaxon's shower was May 30, and then we went back to Indiana the next week just to play.

"Cinder-nani" (named after her auntie, "Cinder-emmie") liked sitting amongst the cinders during most of the festivities of the baby shower.

"hey, nani! you got your tickets?"

"to the gun show?"
......

nani knows baby showers = lots and lots of leftover cake!
nani doesn't eat much cake (or sugar at all)...but she worked VERY hard for auntie shelly's baby shower. she earned a little sweetness. she was climbing on grandma to get a few bites. "mo? mo? mo?" "peas? peas?"

doesn't she look like a pro? (on the bike, not the cake) this was her first ride on a trike. she could almost keep her feet on the pedals. she just needs a little practice.

just needed her "elmo" (not the fuzzy red guy, "elmo" = "helmet")
but sometimes, "elmo" = "elmo", the fuzzy red guy. more on that obsession later.

let's talk about ice cream

2009-05-25T21:46:00.003-04:00

heh-whoa! (or, hello!)

2009-05-24T21:28:00.001-04:00

she was "getting her nose" in the reflection

sit and scoot

2009-05-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

our little mountain climber insisted on doing it herself! miss independent opted to scoot down the side of the rocks (on her bottom) rather than hold the helping hands that were offered to her. mario reminded me that this was just what we had taught her -- "sit and scoot".

don't look down!

mommy's birthday photo shoot

2009-05-20T22:13:00.004-04:00

we tried to be VERY selective, so we didn't choose many of these super cute pictures, but at least we can enjoy them digitally,

we didn't get the "foot in the flower" pot shot, but now i think it's so cute! she loves her feet and still sticks her foot on the table when she's eating. or on mommy's chest. she was trying to dig in the dirt, but it was plastic.

got these 2

and this one below is our favorite!

and this sassy one, of course

birthday blogging

2009-05-19T14:42:00.004-04:00

isn't she the sweetest gift?

happy birthday to me! my gift to myself (and to aiyana's fans) is 1.5 hours of blogging during naptime. now that aiyana is waking up, i wonder if i should have given myself a nap instead.
oh well, enjoy!

we've been busy this past month, so there was a lot to catch up on: much-loved visitors from minnesota, a flower girl performance, visits from grandma and auntie em, camping, and more!

baby's 1st camping trip

2009-05-02T14:17:00.002-04:00

hiking

jumping on the bed/air mattress with rachel

rock climbing

this is what waking up in a tent looks like for nani.
she opened her eyes, pointed up, and said, "tent". she was pretty excited about "sleeping outside on the mountain". we prepped for it by talking about the mountain since we could see it on the drive. we can see the mountains around here, but since we've never pointed them out, she never had noticed. her eyes got REALLY wide when she saw how big the mountain was. i love when she really sees something for the first time.

flower princess

2009-04-25T13:54:00.002-04:00

flower princess practice:

the stink face:
nani was smelling her (fake) flower petals. they must have been stinky.

aiyana was a fantastic flower girl!
"how did we get her down the aisle?", you ask.
daddy: take the basket to mama! (mama seated in the front row)
aiyana: runs down the aisle, clutching her basket of petals, passes it off to mama, and then runs back down the aisle to daddy.

technically, she did just as she was instructed...however, at the wedding, mama scooped her up and ducked out of the front row.

the "after-practice-party":
aiyana enjoyed a few bites of mama's chocolate cake. and then she RAN! and ran and ran and ran around and around the table. with her squeaky shoes.

BFF's from far far away

2009-04-22T14:55:00.001-04:00

meeting sharrilyn at the airport. good thing she brought snacks!

zonked out from their much-anticipated introduction!
(or from the exhausting trip through ikea)

signs "COLD" when describing her applesauce
(this was our 1st "southern lowboil"... or something like that.)

on earth day, we planted houseplants. both girls loved the dirt! aiyana showed off her transfer skills. rocks from one pot to another and back again. dirt from the bag to the pot and then back to the bag. fascinating. whenever she needs "busy-work" we just give her two cups and a ball. she's good for an hour.

david, sharrilyn, and lydia, we love you!

aiyana's 1st ice cream at jason's deli
(though she did have gelato on her birthday!)

Easter pretty

2009-04-12T17:13:00.004-04:00

this is how she looks when she laughs...

head tipped back and mouth open wide.

happy 18 months, baby girl!

egg smashing

2009-04-09T22:35:00.000-04:00

....a little "pre"-easter on April 9th: our friends stopped over to say hello and goodbye (before they left for a few days.) They couldn't miss celebrating Easter with nani!

we introduced nani to one of her daddy's childhood traditions: "cascarones" -- children in Mexico hunt for these confetti filled eggs and then smash them on each others heads. nani thinks this is a tradition we will continue. she LOVES smashing cascarones! unfortunately, when her friends gave her egg-shaped sidewalk chalk...she tried to also smash those eggs on her friends' heads. OUCH!

two new games

2009-04-03T19:34:00.001-04:00

1. orange-stomping

outside abuelos' house, aiyana stomps on tiny oranges. she likes the way they squish beneath her shoes.

2. bowling

juan pablo gives aiyana some pointers during her first bowling game.

el mercado y mas

2009-04-02T22:58:00.002-04:00

on nani's 2nd trip to the market, she was able to do some shopping on her own.

(on her 1st trip, she was 11 weeks old, and was confined to momma's hip.)

1, 2, 3, Jump!
the pose in this picture pretty much sums up aiyana's favorite activity. she has nearly mastered the one step up and down. she usually doesn't even hold on to anything anymore. she just steps off the edge.

aiyana found this table/chairs set all on her own. she probably would have stayed there all day!

nani watched some bigger kids playing basketball
(i just thought the sun shone beautifully on her hair)

we watched the sunset at abuelos' church
(they tell people that their church is "next to the hole"...the hole in the wall is actually a result of digging out the mountain...but it makes a pretty cool landmark)

2009-04-01T12:37:00.002-04:00

nani enjoys walking with abuela.
she says: "side? side?" and certainly someone always takes her out"side".

a touch of the flu?
nani took an abnormally long siesta (3.5hours), but it wasn't solid sleep, and since she'd had long days, we didn't equate it to anything...until she vomited blackberries all over the rental van.
i think she felt better after that. she snuggled in and fell asleep at the church, even though it meant missing the singing.

mission: mexico

2009-03-31T11:48:00.001-04:00

3.30.09
aiyana had a long travel day, but she received lots of compliments for her good behavior! despite leaving the house and 6am and settling in for the night at 10:30pm in san antonio, she traveled very very well. she got plenty of exercise on her 2.5hr layover in atlanta, so she slept during most of the flight time. (definitely a good thing for all onboard!)
aiyana was aware of the planes outside the window and proceeded to make sure everyone knew about them as well. she blabbed on and on to our group (and strangers,too) while pointing enthusiastically at the runway outside.

san antonio "river walk"

3.31.09
ha ha ha ha! these rocks are just so funny!

with her usual concerned look, aiyana points to the horse that's tied outside the neighbor's house. there was a goat, too. and a rooster. she enjoyed the noises all the animals made and practiced her animal sounds. her rooster call is my new favorite. she gets everyone laughing with that one.

the future rock collector explores her new terrain. she also explored her way into her first skinned knee. (it was mostly just dusty, with no real blood)...pants were worn for the rest of her mission field days.

nani found her place. when she saw her tia raquel wiping the benches, she reached for the wet towel and said "PEAS!"
she shadowed her tia and wiped whatever needed wiping!

music is music.
nani found the beat and clapped and danced her heart out.

one spring day

2009-03-19T21:39:00.002-04:00

"two! two!"

translation: "please swing me and say 'one, two, three!'"
since "2" is aiyana's number of choice, she repeats "two...two....two" whenever she's "counting" anything. now she repeats "two" when she wants to swing on the count of three.

oh, my! is that a spider i spy?

spring break!

2009-03-16T20:44:00.003-04:00

jenna missed her mario (but sessie got the 1st hug at the airport!)
maybe that was because mario was waiting in the car...but the 1st hug is the 1st hug! jenna was really excited to see us, too! she just giggles and squeals because she's so happy. i love it!
after a long visit to chick-fil-a, the ride home was full of cuddles. i had almost forgot how snuggly jenna can be. i'm sure we'll miss her even more when this week is through, but for now, we'll just enjoy every minute.

someone has a hard time sharing her daddy.
she climbed up and over jenna to perch on her daddy's shoulder. then, she rubbed her feet on jenna, just to get her point across.

at lunch, our friends prepared jenna a special place complete with "Camp Rock" paraphernalia. jenna was thrilled. i guess our love for jenna is contagious!

aiyana was pretty excited to sit at "the kids table", too. she loves the chance to color on inappropriate objects (like the table).

jenna was so proud that she and aiyana have matching pajamas!
aiyana was not so thrilled about the photo-op. it was past bedtime.

we're having so much fun on our spring break with our grandma and our jenna!

and the winner is...

2009-03-14T21:51:00.001-04:00

the pink and grey sneaker!

nani used the long drive to the airport to practice putting her shoes on her feet.
she's never gotten it so close! oh, and when she gets her socks off, they go immediately onto her hands to play sock puppets. she thinks this is hilarious.

a snow story

2009-03-08T13:45:00.000-04:00

monday, march 2, 2009

once upon a time, there was a snowstorm on a sunday afternoon. school was canceled and towns and towns full of people stayed home (or at least went to work late) for three whole days!
finally, by friday of that same week, it was 80 degrees and sunny once again. the end.

sunday, march 8, 2009

sundays, post-lunch, we clip coupons. how domestic of us.
nani checks things out to see that we have it all in order. she's a little concerned, however, because someone keeps forgetting to put coupons in between two of the plastic dividers and this "diorder" genuinely bothers her.
it's like she's playing that game [insert singalong] -- "one these things is not like the other; one of these things just isn't the same."

our coupon-clipper in training

most times, she gets tired of dealing with us and returns to her special stack of magazines. she prefers "Prevention" or "National Geographic". these are just the right size.

FREE SHOES!

2009-03-02T23:17:00.003-05:00

aiyana won her free shoes! her daddy was the lucky recipient, so he thinks he gets to pick them out. we'll see. she may already have some in mind.

WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR FREE SHOES!

we like these

and these...

and these we like for the fall

but these are cute, too....
how can we decide?

oh, and then there's these...daddy's pick for the spring/summer is between the last two pairs.

princess of the park

2009-02-26T22:14:00.002-05:00

nani loves her outside time. she heads straight for the slide, and isn't a fan of the swing lately. she likes to be free and swings are much too confining!

feeling a little proud of herself

2009-02-19T19:09:00.001-05:00

aiyana's climbing world has expanded to include the kitchen chairs
(and on occasion, the table, too)

focus...focus...

2009-02-19T18:52:00.005-05:00

sometimes a girl just needs a little time by herself

zoom in to see her lower lip....she pooches it out just like her daddy when they are concentrating on their music

magic fingers

2009-02-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

here are the "magic fingers"....we think she was trying to make the kitty disappear

circus act

2009-02-16T22:39:00.003-05:00

so, you know how they say that kids absorb info like little sponges? it appears that our nani really was paying attention at the circus. on the day after, she pulled the changing pad off of the changing table, climbed onto the table, and jumped off onto the "landing" pad. she even added a pillow to the pad for extra safety.

zing, zang, ZOOM!

2009-02-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

daddy gave his girls a trip to the circus for Valentine's Day. we [heart] the circus.

oh, and fyi, no anti-circus comments will be tolerated on this circus-loving blog.

ZING ZANG ZOOM!

those were the magic words at the circus. nani demonstrates her "magic fingers" when they yell the magic words.
days after the circus, we realized how attentive aiyana had been -- she remembered her magic fingers!

where's nani's nose?

2009-02-03T23:00:00.001-05:00

this blog entry brought to you by the ever popular "If You're Happy and You Know It"

(our version includes verses such as: "blink your eyes" , "tap your head", and, thanks to grandma, "shake your legs")

2009-02-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

show me your GRRRRR!!! face

signs are everywhere

2009-02-03T21:25:00.000-05:00

this is the face of a slightly sleepy little girl...
we began the tradition (until the giftcard runs out!) of lunching at the steakhouse after our tuesday kindermusik class. aiyana falls asleep after class and then sleeps in her stroller through mommy and daddy's date. this time she woke early and met the cow on the wall.

nani learned to sign "COW", thanks to the cow's head mounted on the wall at the steakhouse. i kept thinking of that superbowl commercial, and wondered if aiyana was also thinking about the other half of the cow.

i L O V E outside!

2009-02-01T21:18:00.001-05:00

i L O V E this place!

2009-01-31T19:22:00.002-05:00

such a happy girl!
we might just have to MOVE to the park!

not sure how she feels about landing in the mulch

not a fan of the swings today...

she signs and says DOWN

after several days of not so nice weather, 45ish was warm enough to head out to the park! aiyana enjoyed her first trip down the slide.
she even threw her very first "i-don't-want-to-leave-the-park-and-you-can't-make-me!" tantrum. when i tried to carry her to the car, she did her classic dislocated shoulder routine where she turns her body limp, rotates her shoulders, and manages to wiggle to the ground. each time i put her on the ground, she quickly turned around and RAN back to the park.

so, when mommy thinks this hilarious and laughs and laughs and laughs....what kind of reinforcement does the tantrum thrower receive?
(no need to respond)

this is aiyana's "concerned" face (notice the furrowed brow)

blackberries...

2009-01-23T22:58:00.002-05:00

big girl drinks from a big girl cup...can you believe it?

MORE?

our day at the science museum

2009-01-23T22:32:00.001-05:00

nani ponders the wallabies

bounce. bounce. bounce.
sure, her enthusiasm doesn't show here...but she really did like this bouncy seat!

i loved the way the sunlight was shining on her hair

we enjoyed a beautiful 55ish degree day at the children's science museum. the outside walk was definitely our favorite part. the animals were really close. maybe too close!
nani watched monkeys swinging on fences just a few feet away from her. but she probably liked the grocery cart the most! maybe she can help me clip coupons now, too.

let's go again!

my "jon & kate" moment

2009-01-20T18:39:00.002-05:00

one of nani's clearest words is "drink". it's a pretty clear sign, too! sometimes, when i record a sweet moment like this, i catch something that i didn't plan for. i just noticed that she's signing WHERE at the end of the video. daddy keeps repeating, "where did i put your drink? where's your drink?" so, of course, nani signs WHERE.

i missed that moment in real time. i hadn't seen her sign WHERE before, so I wasn't looking for it. i feel like "Jon and Kate" sometimes....they say that when they watch the video footage of their kids, they see all sorts of things that they would have missed otherwise.

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-01-20T10:11:00.002-05:00

what? you call THIS snow?

this is truly what a snow day looks like in north carolina. we heard that Raleigh got 6 inches...but our little triad received only the dusting you see here. nevertheless, school was canceled, and so was kindermusik.

someone did NOT want to come in out of the cold.

in honor of today's presidential inauguration, nani "inaugurated" her little red wagon.
next, she took her "inaugural" rock in her new/mommy's old rocking chair while watching our new president. she first sat in the chair at 5-months, but we've set it aside until now. today it was the perfect fit. nani cozied right in.

2009-01-17T21:56:00.003-05:00

aiyana's random attachment object of the day: the pink stepstool.
she waltzed into the bathroom, gathered it in her arms, and carried it around for most of the day.

aiyana is in a phase of climbing into things. on this day, this basket was just the right size.
enlarge photo to see the poochy duck face she's making!

best dance video, EVER!

2009-01-15T22:38:00.005-05:00

"be like a duck"

aiyana pulled out some special new moves for this dance number.

blocks and lipstick

2009-01-15T22:11:00.003-05:00

this is pretty...but not really my shade. aiyana puts mommy's make-ups on and sometimes smacks her lips for lip gloss.

maybe i'll have to raid auntie em's stash next time we visit...
that's what mommy does...

tallest tower, ever!
in an instant, nani went from knocking towers down to stacking them four blocks high! unfortunately, whenever she reached forward to grab the 5th block, she knocked her building down and was rather displeased.

hide-and-seek

2009-01-15T17:16:00.000-05:00

nani is learning to play games! we say, "nani, go hide!" and she covers her eyes with one hand. daddy couldn't believe it the first time she did this. she's not hiding...she's counting.
aiyana has been playing hide-and-seek with her 5-year-old friend. i hadn't realized that she had grasped the idea of covering her eyes and counting, but she showed us!

happy 15 month birthday, baby!

2009-01-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

no shots today! hooray!

now that she's "15", aiyana thinks it's time she practiced some make-up application.

"mommy needs a little color," she thinks.

peek-a-boo

2009-01-09T22:03:00.001-05:00

indoor swimming

2009-01-04T20:32:00.003-05:00

i love how her lips purse into this face while she's eating her yummy snacks.

look, aunt shelly! it still fits!

one wild new year's eve

2008-12-31T22:55:00.002-05:00

my guitar heroes

2008-12-31T22:52:00.001-05:00

2008-12-29T22:42:00.000-05:00

nani helped everyone quench their thirst

ice dispensers, watch out!

PEASE!!

2008-12-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-12-25T14:32:00.001-05:00

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

2008-12-24T13:00:00.005-05:00

abuelos visited from texas

thanks for the toothbrush/paintbrush!

nani's new favorite CD

cindernani at work

2008-12-23T00:39:00.000-05:00

even on holiday, aiyana keeps up with her chores

tree trimming

2008-12-22T00:32:00.001-05:00

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!!!

2008-12-21T22:14:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-21T22:09:00.001-05:00

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

2008-12-12T22:36:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-12T21:27:00.005-05:00

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"

2008-12-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

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

2008-12-04T21:04:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-27T20:51:00.007-05:00

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?

2008-11-26T22:44:00.004-05:00

aiyana does!

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

doughnuts and sushi

2008-11-24T22:39:00.001-05:00

fun with floss

2008-11-24T22:34:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-23T22:10:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-11-22T22:20:00.005-05:00

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".

are you ready for this?

2008-11-20T21:12:00.003-05:00

what have we been up to?

2008-11-19T22:23:00.007-05:00

here, i'm beginning a brief photo synopsis of the past 13 days....
since we haven't posted lately. ooops.

Nov 3

our favorite book, GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE
she looks for the monkeys and "reads" (signs MONKEY)

one month feet and one year feet....what will we do when we move? anyone know how to relocate drywall?

baby's first Bible...
our church gave this cute board book to the babies when we dedicated them on Nov 9

aiyana loves cruisin' with her school bus... runs into things and says "CAAH" (crash)

a new favorite food -- black beans! she can't get enough! she finishes her portion and signs MORE and PLEASE as she points to the counter

Sunday, Nov 16

surprise visitors are always welcome!

more leaves. and punkins, too.
aiyana adopted the "BALL" sign for pumpkins. she just loves them and always asks to hold them. this seems to be our yard of choice for photo ops. our friends don't mind :) missy even put a plastic bag under aiyana's tushy so she wouldn't get wet from the leaves. what a mom.

Saturday, Nov 15

trying on princess (aka. "flower-girl") dresses for her April performance

...after we were finished, she crawled back onto the platform and cheesed some more for the camera (and her audience)

Friday, Nov 14

doin' a little dance

Thursday Nov 13

nani's new trick -- she climbs in and out of the Bumbo (safely at last).

at first her right knee was always getting stuck under her bum, but now she gets in and gets comfy.

while i wait for the photos to upload....here is what is new in aiyana's signing vocab...she is amazing! i teach this signing stuff, and i have never known a baby to acquire words as rapidly as she has been! it's so much fun to "talk" with her.

music, monkey, tree, hot (says "ha", too), cold, thank-you (vocalizes the pitch), help, baby, down, water, bread, drink, mommy, daddy (which she shows us A LOT!), snack (also popular)

her "old" signs: milk, more, please, all done, up, kitty, puppy, bird

sentences are more common now, too. she puts 2 or 3 words together daily. i'm sure i've forgotten some, and since she is such a wiz-kid, i'm sure she has some signs up her sleeve ready to throw at her unsuspecting parents.

oh, by the way, we're buying a potty-seat this week. more on that to come.

baby's first crunch

2008-11-11T10:46:00.002-05:00

we had enough leaves to go out and stomp around! first, we zipped up and down the driveway on her little car and then we took it off-road. she could push the car through the leaves and didn't fall since the leaves slowed her down.

home at last

2008-11-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

power nap = power hair

'nuf said.

marbles museum

2008-11-08T20:25:00.004-05:00

daddy says that he wants to build aiyana a train table.
she likes cars and trains and things that go crash.

while mommy played at the kindermusik convention, nani and daddy played at the children's museum. another day of firsts.

tea for two...

2008-11-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

aiyana signs "PLEASE" because she sees some colored pencils that she would like to touch

we visited our good friends in Raleigh and aiyana enjoyed her 1st tea party. she was so happy to play with sophie, and i think sophie enjoyed aiyana's company, as well.

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

2008-11-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

nani found the stairs.
we don't have stairs at home, so this was a big deal for her. she saw something new AND she conquered it.
halfway up, she remembers that she dropped her tea cup. she signs "CUP" and tries to put it in reverse to retrieve the cup.

pics at pilot mountatin

2008-11-05T20:29:00.003-05:00

we drove up to pilot mountain on this beautiful day. aiyana enjoyed the window rolled down with the warm wind in her hair. she signs "TREE", but not in this picture.

what's that crunchy stuff under my feet?

little bunny fu-fu, hoppin' thru the forest...
(she's making the bunny fu-fu motions!)

mama's laundry assistant

2008-11-02T22:14:00.006-05:00

aiyana LOVES to empty this hamper. well, any hamper really...but this pink one is soft and she can throw it around (which she does.)
she rips the clothes out and throws them as if she strongly believes that they do not belong there. once, she lost her balance and toppled head first into a wicker basket...she was startled but unharmed.

don't miss it -- she stands up at end...no hands!

what a weekend!

2008-11-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

we are seeing a lot of the silly squinty face. she squints and wants us to squint back at her.
a new version of peek-a-boo, i guess.
notice the big girl carseat?! aiyana rides facing forward now and fits perfectly in jenna's old carseat. she still fits in her Orbit baby seat (since she's under 22lbs) but this seat fits the best when we have 3 (yes, 3) carseats in the mazda on our nanny days.

nani got new snacks at Whole Foods -- she preferred her ol' cheddar duckies. she dug thru the cup for the duckies on the bottom... we see where the new snacks ended up.
(note to self: buy non-sticky snacks)

saturday was a kindermusik day!
we had a birthday party demo at our favorite eco-boutique -- Obaby Organics

princesses took a power-nap after church

a little crawling action (particularly for those who missed "the memo")
listen the for the click-slap-click-slap sound she makes when her bracelet and hands alternate on the wood floor. this must make crawling much more fun.

one day. one new camera. 120 pictures. priceless.

2008-10-31T21:25:00.000-04:00

first ride in a grocery cart! she was REALLY excited about it. see how tight she holds on?

mama! that flashing light makes me so squinty!

the new camera has a red light that flashes and aiyana notices it sometimes.

here, she's just being silly. the flash has her thinking squinty thoughts all day. i love her sense of humor.

tink gets treats, too!
aiyana was loud and giggly during trick-or-treat. we think she was so excited to be out with the big kids. she kept yelling and flapping her arms.

nani signs MORE and then nods, "yes", she would like more candy. and the end of the video, she's signing "SNACK" -- her newest sign. i didn't catch the sign until i watched the video. i've seen her show the sign a few times since.