Loving His Baby Sister

January 25, 2010

11 months old

January 20, 2010


Our baby girl is now 11 months old. Mila is standing on her own...her coordination and balance is remarkable; from a standing position she often squats down to pick a toy off of the floor...she is continuing to eat like a champ; chicken and mashed potatoes is one of her favorite meals...her naps seem to be getting shorter, but she doesn't sleep less than 12 hours every evening...her favorite activity is bath time (loves to splash and play)...Mila is taking 5 to 6 steps at a time; we realize that she would walk, but she prefers to "crawl" since she can get to her destination within seconds...we love to hold her hand and walk around the house with her...she still adores her brother (he is her hero)...she weighs 21 pounds, 4 ounces (40th percentile) and 29-1/2 inches (70th percentile)...she is a happy baby, her smile is contagious...still has only 6 teeth...we're beginning to realize that she is a jokster; she loves to get a laugh or reaction for someone...her diapers are disgusting...Mila is wonderful.

Relaxing in the City

January 16, 2010
Believe or not, this was Mila's first time visiting San Francisco. We took her to some of Gannon's favorite spots in the city. The weather was great and the day was perfect.
Gannon loves Ghirardelli ice cream...I mean, who doesn't?! We wanted so badly to give Miss Mila a little taste, but no sugar for her...even if she did try to give us persuasively adorable faces.
Mila did get to enjoy pure water and made some girlfriends while in the dining room.
Nothing beats the ocean.....ahhhhhhhhhh, peace.
Little man writing him name in the sand.
Mrs. giggling throughout the day.
Our little stud.
Gannon and I "wine" tasting.
Gannon and Coco relaxing at the Argonaut.
We had a good time, Gannon was glad to be back and we're pretty certain Mila is looking forward to the next visit. We left our heart in...
you know the rest.

Walking Her Baby

January 11, 2010

Student of the Week

January 4, 2010
Gannon has been waiting for this week since becoming a Dragonfly - this is his week to be THE Student of the Week! Some highlights of his special week include being able to bring to school his favorite book to share (Dinosaur pop-up book), his favorite stuffed animal (his wiener dog), his favorite snack to share with the entire class (edible arrangements fruit bouquet - Scooby Doo style and cheese sticks), being able to bring to class lots of family photos to share, being able to bring to school some of his favorite things (Wolverine toy, waterglobe, harmonica, aligator and totem pole), and being able to spend the week with the class pet - Coco.

Gannon had a great week!




Ice Skating

January 2, 2010








We took Gannon to the midtown ice rink in Sacramento today. After only three uneasy laps around the ice rink holding my hands tightly, he paused before the start of our fourth lap and said, "Mommy, I want to do it by myself now". And he did. He fell twice, but smiled each time I helped him up. He kept going and going and going. He told me that he's almost ready to play hockey now - Rich and I didn't even realize that he knew what hockey was?! What a kid! And our Miss Mila...she hung out with Daddy the entire time Gannon and I skated. She is a patient girl and loves to make eye contact with people. Today, she was especially busy cutting a new tooth (we think) because she drooled excessively.
When Gannon was done skating, he grabbed Mila and said, "did you see me Sisters?!".
We ended the evening with some yummy hot chocolate, a little shopping at one of our favorites (REI), delicious crepes (Crepeville) and a quick stop at our state capitol. Life is good!!!

Welcome 2010

January 1, 2010


Because our little man didn't make it to midnight and was unable to pop the confetti and blow the horns, we had an a small party for him this morning so he could experience the "party". Happy New Years little guy! This is going to be a big year for you. You will turn 5, graduate from pre-school and begin kindergarten, among many other things. You are growing so fast and I am loving every minute of you!!!

The name is Logan


Logan Wolverine!

Goodbye 2009!!!!

December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
We had a good 2009. We're enjoying every minute of our complete family of four. Gannon is our big 4 year old who loves art, playing outdoors, working out with Daddy and loving his sister wholeheartedly. Our baby Mila is such a sweet soul and we adore her. Michele and Richard are busy with jobs, home, volunteer work and raising two gorgeous children. We truly are blessed that God granted us such wonderful children that give meaning to this sometimes crazy world.
New Years Eve began at my parent's home. Great-Grandma and Aunt Nena joined the festivities and together we ate, ate and ate. As usual, my Mom feeds everyone well!

Gannon loves the cream puffs.

Mila's new trick: "hi-ho"
Rich and I left the kids for a bit and attended a New Year's Eve bash with adults. My friend Lisa and Mike hosted the party and I had my first adult drink in two years!!! I felt 21 again. Since I'm pumping and dumping (thanks to the steroids), I was free to have a bit of a sip. Oh la la.

We made it back to my parents home a few minutes before mid-night so we could toast the New Year with our favorite people. We laughed so hard because we assumed that Mila would be sound asleep and our Gannon would be up and ready to party. The opposite was true...

Group kiss - WELCOME 2010!!!!
IT PROMISES TO BE A GREAT YEAR

Happy New Year Gannon and Grandma.

This photo looks staged, but it so wasn't! We were preparing to toast the New Year and Mila grabbed the glass of champagne. Oh no!

So much to look forward to in 2010!!!
Love and blessings to all.

This one's for you Mila...

December 29, 2009
I developed mastitis last week - I felt weak, sick and I was in pain. As a result of the mastitis, I was put on augmentin to relieve the problem. Now mind you, I DO NOT like drugs of any sort. Not even baby aspirin. One could certainly call me a "hippie" when it comes to medicine. I would rather suffer through the pain than to put chemicals in my body. I mean come on...I had two babies completely natural without any pain meds, so I'm pretty sure I can get through a lot with focused breathing. Unfortunately, breathing and other remedies didn't assist my mastitis, so I took the antibiotics so I could continue feeding my baby girl.

WELL - the "help" or antibiotics turned on me today; hence why I prefer not to take medicines. I developed hives so badly that I ballooned up. My lips and eyes were ridiculous, I couldn't make a fist because my hands were so swollen and my tummy and legs were full of giant red welts. Think of the horrible octomom's lips and that was me - I swear! I woke up about 3:45am to a burning face. I looked in the mirror and started to cry because I scared myself!!! So, long story short...I am now on prednisolone (a steroid) for the next five days to help me get back to "normal". Thank goodness I have frozen milk for my little Mila.