Friday, November 29, 2013

Putting up the Christmas Decorations

I used to be very anti Christmas decorations in November but this year in all for it. Bring on the Christmas! Callie loves the lights and decorations and even reading Christmas books before thanksgiving. Well today we conquered our first ever outdoor Christmas lights. It really wasn't too bad, only took us a out 45 minutes. Hopefully next year we will add more but for now Callie likes it. I'm waiting for the after Christmas super clearance to buy some big inflatable decorations. Callie loves to visit the neighbors houses as they have about 25 each! Ill get a photo soon.
Later we were planning to go to Coronado to see the Christmas tree and lights at the hotel del but it was raining. I know raining in San Diego! How dare it 
! So we decided to put up our own Christmas tree. It's fake so we can leave it up as long as we want. Callie actually participated and was into the process this year.
Check her out in action. My favorite part is when she drops the ornament and then says daddy do. Demanding already!


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a fun filled family day of Thanksgiving. Callie was so excited to have so many family members visiting and paying attention to her. She was a real ham getting everyone's attention.
We called and talked to the Gladue side of the family earlier in the day and then spent the whole afternoon at the Chavez house.
I know Callie is thankful for all the love she gets everyday and for each of her amazing family members. She is definitely happy to have a large family :)
Juan and I are most thankful for Callie of course but for our growing family and for all the family we have. I know I am especially thankful for his family embracing me into their family and for making San Diego my home. I am thankful for the Internet and technology which allows Callie and I to both see and talk to our east coast family everyday so they don't seem so far away.
We had a great day and plan on making it a whole long weekend of family fun events. I'm stuffed to the brim tonight but here's some photos from the day.








Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Coleeee coleeee

Natasha, Mariah, and Cole are here visiting for Thanksgiving. Callie is just enthralled with Cole. She loves to play hide and seek and chase with him. Even when he isn't playing with her she just sits with him, climbs on him and wants to be with him. She was so excited today just running around when I got back for work. What a fun pre thanksgiving day.
On the car ride home she was talking up a storm to herself. I actually recorded some of it but I can't figure out how to load it to the blog. Ill see what I can do to get it up here. For now here's the photos.



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Fancy Nancy Christmas

Last Christmas Nicky gave Callie this book called Fancy Nancy's splendiferous Christmas. It was advanced for we last year but this year it's the new favorite book. We read it twice each night for the last 3 days! Thanks Nicky :)
The neighbors started putting up their Christmas decorations already and we walked over to check them out. This year sure is going to be fun now that she really understands. This year we will be putting our decorations up right after thanksgiving and for the first year are putting up decorations outside on our house. Wish us luck! 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Playing with Tio Tutti

Tio Art came back from Hawaii to visit for Thanksgiving. Today he visited Callie and sent me these photos. They must have had a fun day because when Callie got home tonight with Juan she immediately started saying in her sad voice, Tio Tutti bye? Over and over again. Hopefully she will get some more play time before he has to go back to Hawaii.


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Reading with PaPa

Papa was reading the Costco holiday flyer when Callie decided she needed to do the same. Not only did she want to see the flyer and hold it but she wanted to wear the glasses too. We were laughing so hard at her because she was just too serious about it.


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Measuring Tape

Callie loves her tool bench but I think the measuring tapes are her favorites. When my mom was here she was teaching her I measure things. They kept measuring her arm which was 9" apparently Callie thinks that every time you measure something you just say 9. She walks around measuring random things and says 9. If you ask her how long, she says 9. I keep trying to et this on video but Juan and I are usually laughing too hard. Today I got a little bit on video before she got ahold of my soda and I ran out of recording space in my phone. It's still funny. All Callie's numbers are hysterical. Most things she counts 1-2 but then she skips a few and says 5. Today I got her to count to 3. And then she just measures everything at 9. Looks like she might be getting my math skills!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Testing out the wheat allergy

Callie goes back to see the allergist in early December. The last time she didn't test as allergic to wheat, but we will saw that she had a sensitivity. She generally got eczema and seemed fussy. So we kept that on the no no list. Now that we are going back and it's been another 6 months I felt like I needed to test out the theory. So today I made her a grilled cheese sandwich. I thought she would love it. I mean she ate it mostly and liked it but she didn't seem to thrilled. Her wheat issues never just showed up like all her other allergies, it takes time for her skin and eczema to get worse, so now we wait a few aye and keep feeding her some things with wheat to see what we think. It will be interesting to find out either way.
The word of the day was rain, since it was really raining hard. Callie saw lightening and heard thunder for the first time too. It frightened her a little bit at first but she kept talking about the rain and how she couldn't see the moon.
She has been playing with this book that GiJu bought her before she was even born. It's called grandmas purse and its a oats book shaped like a purse with lots of items at come out, food out, move, and are just plain fun. She likes that there is a mail envelope that has a letter and a tea bag. She says tea and GiJu. Smart cookie that baby. She loves the book but she is so rough she ripped the glasses and tore some other parts. I figure she likes it and it can't stay perfect so we might as well let her play with it now.


Thursday, November 21, 2013

19 months

Happy 19 months to Miss Callie. She is growing up so fast.
The current trends for her are:
Waffles and wuffies (French toast)
Blankie and baby going everywhere
Combining words together for phrases
Steps- she can walk out our front door and down the two steps without holding on or any assistance
Language explosion- Callie must have 200-300 words
Pretending to put us to bed
Watching videos on the "pad" especially with Grandma in bed
Asking "what doing??"
Pretending, especially cooking and cleaning, she must get that from Grandma as it can't be me
Talking on the phone- asking to call people by name

Today I was home in the morning and while I took a shower she watched Curious George. How about this set up on the dog bed, with the maternity pillow just lounging.

Can't wait for the weekend. I am finally starting to feel better and feel like I can enjoy my time with her again. Too bad it's going to be raining, I was hoping for a SeaWorld trip.


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hold You Extra Tight

Today was a tough day for me. One of my long time clients passed away this afternoon after a long battle with a terrible chronic condition. While it wasn't a surprise or a sudden passing it doesn't make it any easier to watch a parent lose a child. This girl was very special to me and we have quite some memories together over the past 5 years. She was truly unforgettably. I visited her in the hospital twice over the past two months and knew this was where we were headed. But things are different now. It could be the pregnancy hormones or it could be that I am a parent now. But watching a parent lose a child is excruciating. I can't imagine saying bye to your kid, literally still a child and knowing its the last time you will ever hold them. So today I held Callie extra tight and extra long just to remember and appreciate having my baby. I work with families that endure such hardships and impossible circumstances that it is incredible. This family will have a difficult path to move on yet still remember and cherish their daughter. I have compiled all the photos and videos I had of this girl and am working on a special tribute for this family. While I really can't imagine how hard this is for them, I know it's just impossible. And I take a moment to remember and honor this girl as well as snuggle my little one extra right and long tonight. This little girl would have told me to. She loved hearing about Callie and my adventures as a mom.
So this one is for you J, tonight we had taco salad for dinner and we had to bury the chips under all the meat and veggies just to get Callie to eat more than chips! I know this would make you giggle and I miss your beautiful smile and laugh already.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Elmo hat

Grandpa Enrique brought Callie back the best Elmo hat from his last work trip to Europe. This is a handmade knitted hat but its a perfect replica of Elmo. Usually Callie doesn't like hats but she really likes this one. She wears it and doesn't even want to take it off. Last week she wore it on the ride to grandmas house and then refused to take it off, even for breakfast! So funny this kid. Great pick of gift Grandpa!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Late night party girl

Does this look like a well rested toddler? Nope! Baggy eyes, messy hair, and still carrying her baby and her blankie.
That's because after going to bed 1 hr late she decided at 1:00 am that she didn't want to sleep. I thought she didn't feel well at first and went down to rock her and comfort her. But over 2 hours later she was still wide awake, wiggling, talking, and fighting going to sleep. By then I was exhausted and had enough. I yelled and said I wasn't coming back and it's night time for sleeping. She cried as soon as I yelled and then cried for another half hour before finally going back to sleep. After I yelled she stopped calling me, it was daddy and GiJu and anyone but my mom who might come rescue her. Of course then she slept in because she was exhausted, but mommy and the morning sickness was still up at 6 am eating saltines. Callie got up at 7 still groggy and looking like she had been partying all night!!
Nap time was mommy's sleep time today.
You may have noticed she has this blankie along with her baby all the time now. This is the blankie that was made from her great grandmothers pajamas for her. For a long time I kept it in the drawer because I worried she would ruin it or worse lose it. But eventually I said well great Grandma would want her to have it even if it gets worn, used and tattered, because it was loved. So now it's her new favorite thing to carry around. We try to keep it only at home but sometimes it goes to her grandmas house with her. What a special little blankie. I wonder if she intuitively knows?

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Driving Daddy's Truck

Callie slept amazing last night! A full 11 hours without a peep! Boy was I wrong...
Maybe it was the two baths, steamy bathrooms, and eucalyptus and lavender essential oils diffusing in her room. Either way I was happy.
She still has her cold and a runny, snotty nose that she hates when you wipe but otherwise she is her usual self.
Tonight we went out to dinner with Christian and Jeana and we picked up some new furniture they had bought. While we waited for the furniture to be loaded Callie got to sit in the front seat with daddy. She loves to be anywhere in the car out of her carseat but the drivers seat is the best! Look at how happy she was driving with daddy!


Friday, November 15, 2013

Sick Baby

Callie has a cold :( she almost never gets sick, and seeing her being so congested and uncomfortable is so hard for me. She isn't even very sick but I still hate it. She is having a hard time sleeping and I was up with her a LOT last night so we are both exhausted today. This is callie falling asleep in her highchair while eating her cereal.

I took these photos of Callie last night. Grandpa gave her a flashlight with a magnetic tip for retrieving lost screws that she thought was just so cool. She took it outside to look at the giant moon!
I'm headed to bed now before even 8 pm and hoping Callie sleeps better tonight.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Going grocery shopping

Callie is hysterical about pretending she is an adult. She loves to copy everyone else. Lately she has been carrying her purse and putting her sunglasses on her head and saying bye, just like he grandma and Tia. Today she was too funny she even had the keys and the sticky note shopping list! She was cracking me up. She didn't stand still for me to get a great photo in my phone but I think you can still see the concept. Hilarious!!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Birch Aquarium

IWe took Callie to the Birch Aquarium for the first time today. This was my first trip to the aquarium in San Diego as well. It's a smaller aquarium but Callie didn't know the difference. She loved it just the way it is. When we arrived it was feeding time in the tide pools so we got to see the fish and crabs come to life outside. Callie was saying wow and ooo as the kids near her were excited about the fish eating. I don't know if she was excited about the fish or the kids. She got to put her hands in the water too. She ran around that aquarium climbing up to see some fish and the other kids too. By the end of the fish tanks she was done looking at fish anyways. The seahorses were my favorite part. They were so big compared to the ones I am used to seeing. Plus I think those seahorses have the right idea that the male carries the babies. Can I get that deal?
The second half of the aquarium was full of interactive learning exhibits. Callie liked all of them. We had a fun afternoon chasing around Callie. It's the last day that all the Gladue visitors are here and I know Callie will be missing them a LOT. Luckily it's only a little over a month before we go to their house for 2 weeks!











It's a.........?!?!?!

Well after all that anticipation it's time to tell you what we "think" we are having. A BOY! Yippie! But before you get too excited along with us the ultrasound lady was not as convincing as I would have liked. She at one point said she was 99% sure but then said well she couldn't be sure as the umbilical cord was nearby, the baby didn't uncross the legs and didn't move too much. She did say she was pretty sure as the umbilical cord moved and also seemed seperate from this "appendage" as we should call it. I am pretty darn convinced this is a boy as I saw Callie's ultrasound and it didn't have anything like this and had a clear three line "hamburger" as a tell take sign. So I'm saying 90% boy but I won't say for sure for now. They offered us to come back for another visit in the beginning of December to be sure. So for now I will say boy and we will confirm later. You make your own call....

Sunday, November 10, 2013

S'mores

Callie had a fun and busy day. Juan and PaPa went to the Chargers game for the day. Eddie and Heather came with us to dog beach in the early afternoon. It was a good thing they came because Callie was keeping me busy in the ocean so I couldn't watch the dogs at all. Manny kept wandering off and LTwas just nervous on his leash. The ocean was very cold but Callie didn't care. She went straight in. She even went all the way under! On accident of course and I had to save her, but that kid has no fear. She drank some water didn't even cry and then went right back for more. I was not prepared wearing capris and a tshirt and went home soaked and exhausted from tending to Callie.
In the evening we made a fire in the backyard and made s'mores. Callie can only have the marshmallows but she likes that plenty. What a mess she can make so fast! She was so tired tonight. Hopefully she sleeps in a little bit. She has been so excited about GiJu and PaPa being here she has been up at 5 am yelling their names to come get her.
Tomorrow is the last day they are here and it should be another fun day. Tomorrow is also the big day for the gender determination. I'll have big news for you tomorrow night.


Notice me dragging Callie out of the water in the corner.