Month: September 2010

Ellie’s Rolling Along

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Last night we went over to Grandma Zoe’s for dinner. Before everything was ready, I decided to pull out Ellie’s elephant blanket and put her down for some tummy time. She has been really working hard and can lift her head up and is now pushing her chest up off the floor with her arms. Did I mention that Ellie is very strong? If she’s there long enough and fairly happy she can use her legs to push herself around. Its pretty funny.

As she was pushing herself up and smiling, having a grand old time she suddenly decided to roll over onto her back! She didn’t fall, she put her chest back down on her blanket and rolled over! I couldn’t believe it! Shaun and I were so proud of her. Unfortunately, Grandma Zoe was in the kitchen when it happened and did not get to see it but I am sure Ellie will do it again for her. I tried while we were still there, but she got too fussy and agitated with being on her tummy. I also didnt get a picture or video of her actually rolling, but I do have a picture taken just before. She has a big smile which is unusual for tummy time. She doesnt like it… her sister was the same way.

Tummy Time smiles before the “big roll”.

Abby is trying to get Ellie to play with the toy. I love these matching outfits too! Perfect for summer! Thanks Mom… Grandma Taylor!

Early Birthday Presents

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Abby turns two in less then a week… It’s very hard for me to believe but she does. How is it possible that two years can go so fast? I don’t have the answer to that question and I don’t think there is anyone else out there that does either.

As a present Shaun and I decided that we wanted to get Abby something that encouraged her to run and play but didn’t require ten thousand tiny pieces that will get scattered about the living room for all to step on. So Shaun felt like we could utilize a portion of our deck as a play space for Abby and eventually Ellie.

On Saturday we set out to run some errands and then buy the items we had in mind for the deck. We decided that after the girls went to bed, we would set up everything and have it waiting for Abby in the morning when she woke up. Abby already had a Cozy Coupe that Grandpa and Nana had given her for her 1st Birthday, so we thought that a slide, a picnic table and one of those fabric tubes all on a foam mat would make the perfect start to a play area. What a very lucky little girl. It didn’t take long to get things up and once that was taken care of we were off to bed.

The next morning we took our time getting up and luckily, so did the girls. Once everyone was awake, fed and happy we decided to show Abby her new things before it got too hot. The tempurature was supposed to get over 100 degrees. And let me tell you… it did.

When Abby came outside to check things out, she was very happy and excited to see all of these cool new things to play with. She has her own little park on our patio! She was all over the place, from the slide to the tunnel, around in the cozy coupe then back down the slide. She was enjoying herself and the heat didn’t seem to stop her in the least.

To me the slide seemed a tad steep as we set things up and I was worried that Abby would not go down it, but I was wrong. She was fearless and loved the fact that she would fly down it and land on her backside. Eventually she learned that if she put her feet out instead of curled up, she could land on them and save time between trips down the slide. As always she is a smart cookie!

Mommy loves all of this too! I know the Abby loves going to the park and before Ellie arrived I would take her often. Right now its a bit tough to do so, as I cant keep her wrangled and make sure Ellie is safe and happy to. Its really sad to think that now a days, the thought of taking her to the park and losing my eye on her for one second would make me have so much anxiety.

In a few more months, Ellie will be completely out of her newborn stage and a little more self sufficient which will allow us to head to the park and play more. Until then, Abby has a cool place to play. She has also finally gotten the hang of her cozy coupe and can zoom around the deck on her own. Before hand, she insisted on having the bottom board in and have one of us push her around and thats a tad difficult to do with a little one in my arms. Now she does it on her own and I dont have to worry about the tantrums that would ensue.

Wow… I cant believe Abby is almost 2! I cant wait for this weekend!


Hockey!

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On Thursday, Abby went with Shaun and I to a Kings Pre-season game. This isnt the first time that she has been to a game, its actually the second time but its the first in which the music and horns didn’t send her into tears. Abby had a blast and was very well behaved. She truly loves to watch hockey. Mommy and Daddy are very proud!

Abby was definitely a part of the team spirit. She wore her jersey, which is a little too small for her now but it works for now. I was able to find some cute purple and white clips to put in her hair too! I wish I had been able to take a picture of the smile she had on her face when we put everything on…. priceless.

When we got to our seats, Abby seemed very content to sit in my lap or Shaun’s lap which was the firs good sign. I was worried that all she would want to do is run around. We arrived early enough to watch the warm ups before the game and the minute the players took to the ice, Abby was bouncing up and down, clapping her hands and started shouting “Hockey, Hockey, Hockey!!” at the top of her lungs. If only I had the chance to video that. Oh well.

Like I said before Abby was very well behaved. She kept her focus and her cool until about 5 minutes into the third period. At that point she didn’t want to sit still anymore and focus on the game. Shaun and I completely understood this and knew it was time to head home. The game was a bit slow anyways, and the Kings ended up losing 3-1. Not that it really matters, its just the preseason and a lot of the players on the ice were prospects and Rookies all trying to prove themselves and compete for a spot on the team. We took off but its nice to know that Abby can focus at a hockey game. Now we know we can take her with us for a special outing in the future.

Its nice to see that Abby enjoyed it so much, I knew that night would be a good night. Maybe this little video was an indicator!


Thank You Nancy!

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I want to say a special thanks to Nancy Mason! She is the lovely mother of my dear friend Mackenzie. If you have followed my blog for a while now you probably recognize the name Mackenzie, although we generally call her Auntie Kenzi. She, along with Tommie and Kelli, are honorary Aunties to Abby and Ellie.

After my sister left to head home, Mackenzie came over several days in a row to help me with Abby so that I could have a little more time to recover. On one of those visits, Nancy came along to visit and take some pictures of Ellie. She loves photography and loves to photograph babies and in my oppinion she had an adorable subject to work with. Her pictures were adorable and I wish I could post all of them on here, but that takes time. Time is something I don’t have a lot of. Instead, here are four of my favorites. I will try and post more when I can. Thank you again Nancy!



Melts My Heart

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I am so lucky to be Abby’s mommy. Today has been a less then perfect day, with Abby a little more cranky and needy then usual and I was probably a little less patient then usual. There were some tantrums and some tears and I thought I was about to pull my hair out. But then a moment comes along so precious (to me), that all the issues of the day seem to slip away.

I sat down on the couch to feed Ellie. Abby was distracted with a movie so it was perfect timing. As I sat there I closed my eyes and just relaxed as Ellie ate. It was finally quiet, aside from Elmo in the background rambling on about his blanky. Then it became too quiet so I quickly opened my eyes to figure out what Abby was up to. Instead of getting into something, there in the arm chair by the window sat Abby. In her lap was the baby doll that Grandma and Grandpa Taylor gave to her when Ellie was born. She had her baby wrapped up in one of Ellie’s receiving blankets, very meticulously I might add, and she was feeding her baby just like mommy was feeding Ellie. She had not noticed that I was watching her as she sat there, talking in whispers to her baby doll. She brushed the dolls head with her fingers just like I do as I feed Ellie and talk to her.

It was a moment that left me with joyous tears. Just when I think she isnt watching or listening to me at all (due to her defiance to pick up her toys or come with me to change her diaper), I watch her mimicing something that is so special to me. She melts my heart when she does things like this. I certainly feel lucky to be her mommy.

‘Tis The Season

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And so it begins my friends… Fire Season in Southern California. Luckily this one was out within an hour or so, but that was probably due to the fact that this area burned heavily 2 years ago. I remember it very well as I was home recovering from my C-Section with Abby and Simi Valley was dark with smoke, my Aunt, Uncle and Grandmother had to take a detour to come visit, Grandma Zoe had to evacuate from her house, and Shaun nearly got stuck in Box Canyon because it was so smokey.

Anyway, I digress. This fire was in the hills behind Porter Ranch at the top of Tampa Avenue. We spotted it on our way home from Thousand Oaks off of the 118 on Monday. As I watched, I think my only real concern was that it was close to a Gas Company facility. Now I am generally not a looky-loo, but Abby was having a grand old time watching the fire trucks wiz by. So, we headed over to the park near Grandma Zoe’s house and sure enough, all of the fire department helicopters were landing there to fill up for water drops. Its pretty amazing to watch. One would land, fire fighters would run a hose from a nearby hydrant to it, fill up and it would take off. The cool part is that it only took minutes to do. Abby just loved to watch them. I think should have cared less about what they were doing. All she knew was that they were there and it was pretty neat.



I am beginning to think that those of us living in Southern California are getting a little too used to fires. Within minutes of us parking to watch, the street was swarming with people, with their cameras poised, ready to take pictures. I can say I was one of them, although I did use my cell phone to snap a few photos. After living through so many of them in the last ten to fifteen years, I know I am in awe of them. I am always respectful of the fact that they can cause so much devastation and heartbreak for many. At the same time, its amazing to see what fire can do and how, all too often, we have no control over it. I have a respect for fire and a very healthy fear of it too. I think if everyone was that way, so many of the major brush fires of the last ten years could have been avoided.

California Drivers….

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Is it me or are the drivers here getting worse?! Ever since the handsfree law was passed here in California I have noticed that the driving has become worse then before. Did we all lose IQ points the minute they made us take our cell phones away from our head?! Or is that all the hands-free devices have made us complacent and give us a false sense of safety on the road?

I think I am going to have to go with the latter of the two. Since that law was passed I have had more close calls then ever. I am not saying I am a perfect driver but good grief! In the last week I have seen people make unprotected left hand turns from the far right hand lane across 4 lanes of traffic, U-Turns where it seems as though one wouldn’t even be possible, slamming onto the breaks and stopping in the middle of the road for no reason whatsoever (there is literally nothing there… no animals or children running out into the road, no cars ahead of them… NOTHING), waiting until you are no more then 20 feet away to finally decide to pull out of a driveway of a shopping center onto a busy street as they look directly at you and stopping and parking the car in the middle of the road… the list goes on.

Now that I have the girls I think I notice these things more then I did before, but it still scares the snot out of me. I hate driving places especially here in the valley. I will literally go out of my way to avoid certain areas or even making an unprotected left hand turn on some streets. Gotta love driving in California!

Relaxing the Weekend Away

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This past weekend was busy but relaxing. You might be thinking to yourself, “Is that even possible?” Well it is, at least I think so. The 9th of September was grandpa Patrick’s birthday, so on Saturday we went over to their house for a birthday dinner and some time to hang out. We had a great time! Abby had the chance to play with Uncles James and his girlfriend Sammy, Shaun and I got a break while grandpa snuggled and held Ellie and we all had a great time just talking and watching Abby play. Fiona even has me addicted to the Bubble Burst game on my phone now. Don’t worry everyone, I haven’t touched my phone to play that game since yesterday afternoon. I don’t need an addiction help group yet. Stay tuned on that though! I was finally able to snap a picture of Ellie that didn’t involve her sleeping in her stroller/carrier or her bouncer. Yay!

Beautiful Ellie

Uncle James and Abby, and Grandpa Patrick and Ellie just hanging out in the back yard.

Grandpa Pat’s birthday cake from Porto’s. Yummy!!

Abby couldn’t resist putting her finger in the cake… it was too yummy looking and she couldnt wait for her own piece to taste it!

Abby finally gets a piece of her own… and boy did she love it!

On Sunday we decided just to take a drive and enjoy the day out. It was a beautiful but hot day. Luckily we didn’t have any plans of getting out of our nicely air conditioned car. Ellie definitely had a better time in the car. She didn’t cry much, if at all. We were literally down the street from our house when she started to scream and that was really because it was time to eat. Once she had been fed, life was better again. That is, as long as she is in someones arms.

Ever since the hospital its been impossible to put her down, but I have to. I have Abby and myself to care for as well as things that need to be done around the house. So most of the time she has to cry it out. Lately the crying fits have only lasted a few minutes and then she either falls asleep or calms down for a bit. All of that being held, snuggled and worried over at the hospital (and rightfully so) spoiled her a bit. I also think she hates laying down. I love her and dont want to rush this time along, but I cant wait until she is strong enough to sit in her Bumbo chair and see the world around her. I have a feeling that she will be a happier baby then. At least for now, my fingers are crossed.

A Good Laugh…

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If you like cake decorating, you like laughing when things go wrong and you like both of those combined, then you need to check out Cake Wrecks. Its a hilarious blog dedicated to cake decorating that goes bad. I will say that this blogger also takes the time to give kudos to some really amazing cakes, but for the most part she is creating some great laughs for some pretty great cake wrecks. Check out the blog at http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com . Thanks to Shaun for sending this goody my way! Hope you laugh as hard as I do!

Finally Caught Up

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Up until now I was really starting to dislike blogging, but that’s because I had started soooo many posts and then fell behind. I had started close to ten posts that needed proof reading and pictures but then bigger and far more important things were happening in our lives. So when I returned to blogging, I had a huge task in front of me. So over the last two weeks I sorted through pictures, uploaded them and completed each post. Now I am all caught up and actually looking forward to blogging more and keeping up with things. Look for plenty to come your way!