sitting pretty

look closely...no hands! baby girl is sitting up all by herself...though she's quite wobbly, the cloth diaper does give her a good base to balance on.

ballet slipper pink

mommy loves this dress! not only is it cozy, beautiful (and the most perfect shade of pink)... but it also has magical sleep-inducing powers. aiyana (who has been on a nap-strike this week), decided that today was the day to catch up on her zzz's. i do miss her while she's snoozing the day away, but she's so much happier when she's rested!

look what i can do!

standing is aiyana's recent activity of choice. she grips my fingers, pulls herself up, and wiggles until she's ready to plop back down. she's extremely proud of herself. usually, she doesn't want to sit back down and getting her off her feet takes a little convincing.

she's also modeling her cloth diapers. we've been on that adventure for a week now and there's no turning back. she has a happy heiny.

books...

are for eating.

3 months and still growing

aiyana's growth report (drumroll please) 14.47lbs

no other stats to report since this wasn't a typical well-baby visit. this was actually her first not-so-well visit. we suspected that something was hurting her, so we went in, and it appears that she may have GERD. baby heartburn. so, after a few days of medicine, she appears to be a bit better.

the princess of Bridges

aiyana is quite aware that if our church, Bridges, had a princess, she would wear the crown. our little girl has many loving fans to snuggle her and talk with her every sunday. they did inform us that we are not to take her away for 2 weeks again. it was more than they could handle.

aiyana was alert and "participated" in her nursery class (with mommy as teacher)...so she was a little exhausted. an extended family nap followed.

look what i can do!

aiyana must get this talent from her mommy. apparently, most people can either flip or roll their tongues. i'm sure she'll be able to do both. she's already showing us how advanced she is. go ahead, try this at home.

looks good. tastes good, too.

during her llth week, aiyana began tasting her world. while her fists (and mommy) are still her favorite chewy, she's now pulling everything else into her mouth. if she captures it in her hand, it in goes in her mouth.

Aiyana's Trip Across the Border

aiyana is now an international traveler. she enjoyed her 1st trip to el mercado (the market) in Mexico.

Aiyana's New Years 2008

Aiyana Laughing Away 11 weeks old

aiyana's 1st Christmas Eve


aiyana's 1st Christmas

my daughter laughed at me.

this time it wasn't just a coo, gurgle, or gas. aiyana really laughed!

so, here is one more of many firsts. my daughter laughed at me and i'm sure it won't be the last time.

don't make my baby cry!

i heard a nasty rumor that babies get their shots at their 2 month well-baby visit. sadly, the rumor was true. aiyana has been in great spirits at every doctor's visit, as she was today, until the shots. i had to stand beside her and hold her hands while she looked at me. i think i started crying even before her shots began.

in shock, those big, beautiful eyes grew even bigger, her lower lip pouted, quivered, and then she cried. all in slow motion. it was terrible. we don't see our baby cry very often, and rarely have seen her in pain, so this was too much for mommy to bear. i'm sure i cried longer and harder than aiyana did. she was asleep before we got to the mall.

aiyana's growth report: 12.38 lbs, 24 inches (that's 2 whole feet!)



dr. kouri says...her head is shaping beautifully, and is impressed by her strong neck (aiyana does have beautiful posture)....she will easily be able to begin solids at 4 months since she's so strong already (but we'll probably wait longer unless she's really interested)...she is going to be tall!

SOOOOoooo BIG!


aiyana had her first dose of tylenol before her shots, and then throughout the next 24 hours. she was a little fussy...she would wake up to scream in pain, and then go back to sleep. it was all so sad. she got extra snuggles and all the "eats" she could handle. we kept her quite comfortable.

GOD OF WONDERS.

Through the eyes of my daughter I experience for the first time what I'm sure I've experienced before. The sun in my eyes and the warm breeze on my face. I see her peacefully taking a deep breath as she waits for the next breeze to take her breath away. I contemplate the taste of the wind. Aiyana isn't just satisfied with the feel of the wind. She sticks out her tongue to taste it.



Aiyana is captivated by a single tree. Not just any tree. She is particularly taken aback by one tree in the park. So deep in thought is she that we stop until she has finished.

i knew it was here somewhere...



aiyana was looking for a little pre-nap snack, but decided she was more sleepy than hungry.

aiyana is beginning to make friends with her toys. she makes eye contact, smiles, and sometimes wraps her tiny fingers around them.

sitting pretty



aiyana smiles in her "bumbo" seat. she enjoys being a part of the action. this seat will be a must-have for the gift-opening season.

tubby time!!



aiyana loves her baths! tonight was her second bath in the big tub with mommy. we call it "swimming". she has a great froggy kick already! she tries to drink the water...tonight she started smacking her lips as soon as she heard the water running! i think she knew what was coming. the bubbles were a big hit, too, although she hasn't tried to eat those...yet.

my brown-eyed girl..

Thanksgiving Jammies

Aiyana's First Thanksgiving

For Spanish Speaking Babies only.
This one goes for Aunt Claudia who wants Aiyana to learn Spanish (well we do too)

Happy Birthday Jenna!!!

aiyana's first piano lesson





here is a chance to hear Mario "baby talk"

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Psalms 139

Baby Aiyana comes into this world and into our lives. Every perfect gift comes from above.

Aiyana Lee Calderon
DOB: 10.12.07
TOB: 8:19p.m.
Weight: 8.10 lbs

Thank you for all your prayers!!

40 weeks, 2 days pregnant

although i've been having contractions (i think) for about a week now,

there's "still no baby"...

how many times have i said that or heard someone else say those words in the past few days?

hmmmm....there's one of those pesky contractions right now.

flashback to February 10, 2007....




and now, today...




just 11 days to go! that's according to our timing. we know that aiyana will arrive when she's good and ripe!
if i tire of waiting, i now know that superstores are the quickest way to get labor started! my last 3 trips to target and walmart have ended with my worst "practice" contractions.

labor day weekend....jenna came to raleigh with her family. we took her out for mini-golf. we were so happy to see her. she's still talking to the baby and singing "twinkle twinkle little star". when the baby didn't talk back to her, she said, "I think she's sleeping."

here she is.

our baby girl!