Reuben Visited Today!

Visiting Nicolas and Ella

Today, we went to Long Beach to welcome Nicholas (he is almost 10 weeks old) and to visit with Ella again. It has been awhile since I last saw Ella and we had fun together (even though I was in a slightly bad mood).

Ella sang to me while playing the piano. I sat in the Elmo chair while being serenaded.

Ella gave Daddy many kisses...

And, here's Nicholas with his Mommy (above) and with Ella (below)! He is so sweet and slept most of our visit.

Just Peas Please and Maybe Some Milk

"Just Peas", the mama's secret to getting your child to eat A LOT of greens. Even the kids who don't eat greens love these things. Now, I am not one of those kids, so I REALLY love them. If I see them nearby, I want them for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack. Or, tonight, after dinner, I decided I wanted MORE peas after eating A LOT of them today. Now, most parents wouldn't buy 3 LARGE 8 oz containers of them, but I went through a 3 oz container very quickly and they were SO much cheaper on Amazon if you buy them in bulk. The trick is to put them in the freezer so they stay fresh, or at least that is what Mommy heard. Not only do I like eating the peas, I now know how to say "Peas" (my version sounds like "Peace"). When we were at Trader Joe's tonight buying more milk for me, I was reaching to the gallon and said "Milk". So, instead of making me wait to drink it with a sippy cup, Daddy opened up the gallon in the store and I had some out of a regular cup. I just couldn't wait.

Now, I know 12 words:

Mama, Dada, Elmo, Bye Bye, Hi, Baby, Ball, More, Doggie, Up and PEAS and MILK

Now, if I can just add a few verbs, I can start to talk in sentences :)

Just another Thursday....laundry and trips to the park

Today was just another Thursday. I spent the morning singing and dancing with Mommy and rocking in my rocking chair with Elmo....(oh, and yawning a little).

Then, when Nanny G arrived, it was time to do laundry....and of course, I volunteered to help.

Bye, Mommy. She is going to work.

Nanny G took me to the park to spend time with Baby Grace and her nanny. We climbed and walked and played and spent some time swinging (see video below).

Tonight, after Mommy came home from work, we all went to the duck park. Here I am with a huge grin on my face after sliding down the slide. I will sleep well tonight!

And, here are a few videos from tonight (first video) and today (second video)...

BIG MILESTONES!, another new phrase and other big girl things

First, Grandma, these pictures are for you. I can finally wear the shoes you bought me!

Don't I look cute? (okay, this is Mommy talking...I am really not that vain)

(Again, Mommy hijacking my blog while I sleep). So you want to know what are the big milestoneS! They are no binky/no bottle since MONDAY! Three nights, no binky and three days, no paci. And, tonight, Gabrielle took her first big bathtub bath alone (she has bathed in the big bathtub but always with me or Allen).

As I put Gabrielle to sleep tonight, she rolled over and said "Hi, Meme". "Meme" = "Mommy" to Gigi. She is such a sweet kid.

(back to me from my dreams) Thanks again, Cousins Alyse, Peter, Abby and Jacob for my new bath toys....can you see the mirror and the floating toys?

And, thanks, Julie and Steven for the alligator. I almost bit him while in the bath tonight!

Goodnight!

I love my Nanny G...and my baby

Eating with Utensils and More on "Hi, Baby"

Yesterday, I ate with a spoon. Okay, so it was fish salad that was basically stuck to the spoon. And, Mommy put it on the spoon, but I ate from a spoon. Tonight, I ate from a fork. Mommy would put some of her pasta/mushrooms/chicken on a fork and I would come back and give it to her for more. We're getting there.

On "Hi, Baby" ... I realized this morning that I say this to Gabrielle ALL THE TIME. I didn't realize it until I said it twice this morning.

Dress Up Time at Zoe's

Tonight, Mommy, Daddy and I went to our neighbor, Zoe's house. Zoe is 2. Then, Rouslan (sp?) who is 3 came with his Mommy. Daddy smoked a bunch of meats (chicken, salmon and ribs) and we had a delicious meal. After dinner, we dressed up!

The dress I am wearing is Zoe's. It was given to her by a business acquaintance of her Daddy who lived in India and the dress was entitled "Western Dress".

Here I am on Zoe's Learning Tower. It looks like I am going to fall over. Mommy and Daddy are going to get me this (or actually, I think I might use my birthday money from Mema and Pepa). It will be great to be able to help Daddy cook. Tonight, Zoe was helping her Mommy bake an apple pie while in her Learning Tower.

And, here I am struggling to get out.

I was reading and playing with Play-Doh while sitting at Zoe's table.

HEEERE'S Zoe (in the background)

And, here's Zoe, Rouslan and me. No one "forced" Rouslan to put on a dress. He WANTED to :)

Farmers Market and Petting Zoo

This morning, we went to the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica. It is so much more fun to go to the Farmers Market when you can walk. I tasted cheese and fruit....and surprise, there was a PETTING ZOO.

I petted and fed goats...

I had a long conversation with a pony...

I hugged the sheep...

I watched the ducks cuddle...

And, I touched the chicken and played with it while Mommy held it...

I even gave it a hug...

And, then we sat and listened to a band play while we had some breakfast...

And, then I did a bunch of walking to walk breakfast off...

My Friends, Xavi and Ivy

Right before we went to the East Coast, we went to Xavi and Ivy's house to welcome Ivy to the world! Well, she was born in August, but this was our first visit.

This is Xavi....isn't he CUTE?

And, this is Ivy. She is beautiful. And, her Mommy is beautiful, too....and SO happy.

Then, a few days later, we invited Xavi, Ivy and their Mommy and Daddy to our house for breakfast and lots of playing. They brought me some very cool new developmental learning toys that I LOVE to play with. You can see one of the toys (big beads) on the floor in this picture of me and Xavi.

Xavi even liked playing with me and my baby.

It might be love....Xavi is sharing his drink with me!

Quadruple dipping: I love HUMMUS!

Mommy let me break a cardinal Seinfeld rule....no DOUBLE dipping. Not only did I double dip, but I triple and quadruple dipped! As you will see in the pictures below, I love hummus and I kept coming back to Mommy as I wandered around having my cracker and hummus appetizer for MORE hummus...on the same cracker. Hence, quadruple dipping.