Monday, December 27, 2010

Merry Christmas!

A little Dec recap. Beginning with a special dinner...
After which, we decorated the tree

And tried to get Belle to pose

Belle discovered that many ornaments are balls, much to her delight

She learned how to wrap presents

And say, "Angel"

And then it was Christmas Eve, so she learned all about Santa and more importantly, reindeer (who apparently say "neigh")

And then it was Christmas morning! Belle loves pancakes! Her mom loves mimosas.

Presents!

The first thing to do is derail this train

The second thing is take baby to the castle.
Merry Christmas to all!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Silent Night

Not a creature was stirring...

Well, maybe just one.


Good morning, world!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Because sometimes a Penguin...


just needs a bagel.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Come on, It's Lovely Weather...

80 in Dec! I miss the winter-y Christmas, but not the scarf up to my eyes and skidding tires! And look - AZ has seasons! Granted it's leaves not snow, but Belle doesn't mind.



First we rake the leaves...

Then we play in them!

Thanks, Grandpa!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Noseman

Behind this adorable baby is a snowman. Said baby thinks it's a "noseman" (insert attempted snorts).

Friday, December 3, 2010

Santa Baby

Dear Santa,

This is all I want for Christmas

A sleeping baby. Please wrap her up and put her under the tree.
Love,
Mommy

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Dear Santa,

Peek-a-boo, Santa!

All I want for Christmas is "Mee" (Mickey Mouse)


Because I already have my 2 front teeth


Thank You Santa!

Love,
Belle

PS I've been a really good girl.
PPS I'll give you this muffin!


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Wee!

Things that incite a "Wee!" from Belle:

*The ultimate "wee" is the swing at Grandma and Grandpa's
*The laundry basket, quickly becoming any basket (including the picture of the basket in Good Night Moon - which also gets a "mom". I'm not sure why. Does it look like a purse?)
*Cars
*Fish swimming (they also get a whispering "wish, wish" sound)
*The high chair (it's on wheels)
*Trains, even the one at the zoo. People walk faster than that train. ;)



Friday, November 19, 2010

Finally a POST!

Hi blog friends! We've missed you! Belle has done sooo much over the past month and a half - I can't possibly post it all! But I will give you the highlights ;) by relaying her favorite things:

                                                      Beginning with "Balloos"
                                       And moving on to ducks (and grandpa, of course)
                                        And splashing in the "dub" (as in rub a dub dub)
Brushes - she watches me get ready in the morning and squeals when the brush comes out
                                                going along with brushes - bows
Babies! She points to the baby's mouth and says, "yum". Grandma told a funny story; she and Belle were at the yogurt shop when Belle pointed to a little girl and said, "Baby!" to which the indignant little girl replied, "I'm not the baby! She's the baby!" Belle thinks every child under 5 (besides her) is a baby.

The zoo. (and her friend Lyla) The 1st time we went, she called everything a "dog".

That's a horse and a sheep, also known as "neigh" and "ba" She calls her seahorse (the stuffed animal that sings her to sleep) "neigh", get it? ;)

She loves our morning jog, which she is ready for here. But mostly she loves throwing her toys overboard. Pat went for a jog after Belle and I today and he came back with her whale (she had thrown it from her stroller in the park without my noticing).

Loves playing with that baby in the mirror or the oven

Shoes
And last but certainly not least, Daddy!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Perfect Day in the Life of Belle

Belle has her own little personality now (well, she always has, but she can express it now), so I've noticed some things she enjoys. This is what I think her perfect day would consist of:

6am: Mommy is already looking over my crib, ready to feed me and let me sleep on her.

8am: Good Morning! Yogurt snack (preferably Trader Joe's brand strawberry or banana)

8:30am: Off for a jog with Mommy and Daddy

9:15am: Time for breakfast! Rice cereal with chocolate pediasure and cheerios, please. Oh and water from the adult water bottle, thank you. Can we watch Mickey and Minnie too?

10:00am: Play time! AKA crawling all over the house (today I get to go wherever I want bc mommy has cleaned every inch of the floor) I'd also like to stay hello to myself in the full length mirrors and oven (and practice standing with them). Then I'd like to read "My Personal Penguin" and listen to some music.

11:30am: Nap Time (ok, maybe I've inserted some of my preferences in here) ;)

1:00pm: I am awake! Thank goodness Mommy is laying beside me so I can just put my fingers in her mouth to say "hello"

1:30pm: Lunch! Avocado, tofu and bananas!

2:00pm: Visit Grandma and Grandpa (mommy and daddy would stay) - play play play play play! (Oh, and Grandma, please wheel me in my stroller, Grandpa, I would like to see the flowers and pick a leaf. Thank you) "yums" (gerber cheetos) for snack

4:30pm: Fall asleep in the car on the way home

5pm: Wake up! Eat a snack (more yogurt, if it's me perfect day) Play with Mommy, perhaps a swim?

6pm: Dinner (same as lunch - this is my perfect day, right? Oh, and ice cream or a popsicle for dessert) Watch Baby Einstein First Signs during dinner

6:30pm: Listen to "It's A Big World Baby CD during bathtime

7pm: Say goodnight to all the friends in my room - moose, bird, duck, penguins, and bugs (not real ones, clearly) Read "Moo, Baa, La la la" and "Goodnight Moon" (in that order), Fall asleep while eating

Aaah!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Yay Hooray!

So Vegas was a success! SO much fun & I think the little one had even more fun at Grandma & Grandpa's. (By the way, she's trying to say both - I believe grandpa has come out as gaba and bob...lol) Belle is so close to walking! She tried so hard to pull herself up with her walker today & when she finally did it, she said "yay, yay!" over and over (until she had daddy's undivided attention and cheers of "yays" for many minutes from both of us). She even took 2 steps with the walker, to which she said, "hooray!" So cute!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Vegas! ?

Before I begin my Vegas post, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who read/commented on my last post. And in response to Mama Cuz, I was not feeling judged. Actually, I am surrounded by lovely people who have done nothing but praise, encourage and support me in motherhood. I am really lucky. Your question reminded me to say thank you! I love you Holly! I miss you! And speaking of lucky, I have 2 pieces of good fortune coming my way this week. 1 - I am meeting Pat in Vegas! 2 - Grandma & Grandpa are going to take care of Belle! So I am super excited for a night of fun, but getting a little sad and nervous to leave Belle - not for her, for me. Belle is going to have the time of her life at her first sleepover! I, on the other hand, am afraid I will miss the little one! It's only one night. Am I crazy? Did you miss your kid(s) on your first night away?


Belle got to pet 2 dogs today! And I believe "dog" and "bird" are her favorite words, followed by "yum". And her favorite color appears to be "yellow" or at least that's the one Grandma taught her. ;) She is saying so many new words, identifying the world around her and incorporating them into her vocabulary! It's so fun!

Books are her favorite toy. ;) I would love suggestions on finger foods for the little. She loves tofu and avocado, cheerios, all the Gerber "yums", yogurt ( I realize that's not a finger food), banana, and anything off of my plate. But lots of stuff is hit or miss. I am also planning her first Birthday/Halloween extravaganza! So BDay suggestions are welcome too!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Normal

In juxtaposition to my title, I am about to do something that is not actually so normal for my blog...or myself. I've decided to open up and make this blog something interesting. Not that learning all about Belle's progress isn't interesting... for me & Grandma ;) (and who else really reads this anyway?). One of the reasons why I started this is because I love to write. But because I'm a little hesitant to voice my opinions, I don't do much writing on here. So I'm going to talk more about what it's like to be a mom, and what I'm doing to create a world for my baby. SO get the word out, mommies because I'm hoping for a dialogue. I want reactions from people and I want to see how other moms view raising a kid right now.

Katie was over here the other day and we were swimming with our little ones (hers is getting bigger) and yes, drinking a little wine and she brought up something that I've thought a lot about. A friend from Omaha has a blog in which she talked about how she gets to create normal for her child. Katie mentioned that she liked this idea. And I like it too. But also I think it's pretty scarey. After being around children in class, I've seen a lot of different "normals" and it's true that children see the way their life is not only as normal, but as the way all life is. As though every child has what they have, does what they do and not only that but even more specifically, children cannot grasp what may happen when they are not present or that which is outside of them. I digress, but the point is that creating normalcy is really important.

I want Belle's "normal" to be what is actually normal. Which I realize is a very abstract and subjective idea. I'm guessing that lots of people who know me have been surprised or wondered at (but never ventured to ask about) some of my parenting choices. I think everyone does this about others because they are debating how to raise their own children, or their hypothetical children or thinking about the ones they already raised. Anyway, I let Belle watch TV because TV is normal. I let Belle eat fudgepops because that's normal too (and they are delicious). I don't do these things without thought, which is I think why many people oppose the idea. The notion is that parents feed their children junk and fill their brains with junk thoughtlessly and because it's easy. But maybe some people do it because it's fun and they love to see their kids smile. Maybe some parents (like this one) want their children to eat for health and happiness. I hope that someday Belle will sit in her dormroom with a best friend or a new friend, eat a fudgepop, watch something horrendous on TV and laugh. And I also hope that she isn't tempted to do this every day for 24 hours a day, and that is why it is not forbidden in our home.

So that's my incredibly long rant. I feel really weird about posting it, but I think I'm going to give it a try. And speaking of normal....


                                                                        GO IRISH!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Dear Aunt Mary,

This one's for you! Remember when we talked about making baby food together? Well, I did ! And it sort of failed... I think I need your skills. BUT Belle does love tofu and avocado mixed - I thought you'd like that. ;) Also, I will have to send you some vegan desserts to taste test for the cafe!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Yay for Belle!

A running list of words Belle can say now:

mama
dada (workin' on da-dee)
yum! (after eating some fudgepop)
duck (according to Grandma - still trying to make her say it!)
All dah! (all done) bc the little one is not a fan of food -whose child is she?
And my personal favorite... "Yay!" which is how she greeted us this morning. Claps and Yays!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Big Rock Sandy Mountains

Dear Blog,

I have been to so many places and dragged through so many airports since last we met. I ate lots of puffs, played on the airport floor

 on a blanket of course (who do you think my mommy is anyway?) and was touched by a strange little boy on the plane (seriously mom). I also charmed the pants off everyone who met me (except maybe the 22 yr old boy I liked to kick in the seat next to us). I had a premonition of my own Montana wedding to the little boy in this picture


when I witnessed his parents say their vows by the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen (and that's sayin' something)!



Then I took my sunglasses to the beach! And guess who was there? Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa & Aunt Mary!



And it's a good thing too because who else would keep me so warm


while the ocean made me so cold?

I've missed you!
Love,
Belle