More Milestones

Walking has always been something Isabel finds interesting. In the past couple of weeks, she has gotten stronger and now is able to hoist herself up into a standing position. She still hates to crawl and belly time is not something she enjoys.

She can pretty much get into the standing position from anything. She's using her toy chest here. She knocks it over because it has wheels and then uses it to stand up. It's totally scary because I don't want her falling but recently she has learned that she can fall onto her butt.

I don't know what to buy to help her with her new found independence. Any suggestions? I started to look for a new toy or jumper or something that can help her with her standing skills.

2 Little Teeth

One day as I was feeding her, I noticed two little white things in her mouth. They were teeth! Ben and I were getting a little concerned when we didn't find Izzy fussing over teeth. All of a sudden, she had them! They are so cute! She's definitely growing up. She knows how to crawl a bit but standing is still her favorite activity. It's so strange to see her grow up so quickly. Back in the day she was this tiny little infant and now she's a busy little girl who wants everything in her sight. In a few weeks Izzy is going to start daycare twice a week and actually I'm really excited for her. She's at the age where people really fascinate her and she'll get to play with babies her age. My work is super close by so it would only take me a couple of minutes to get to her if needed.

Pics of my Little Ones

Izzy and Ozzie had some time before lunch to play around outside on the grass. Izzy is super tired and Ozzie is just trying to get our attention by paying some to his sister.

Having a serious discussion about what to do.

Someone is a little grumpy...

Exploring grass... All the animals are hanging out.

My First Mother's Day

For my first Mother's Day, Ben planned a day at Hakone Gardens for the family. The gift was to reenact some of our wedding photos that were taken 4 years ago on May 8th but this time to include our new little one. The picture above was one spot that we had our wedding photos taken. It was a lovely surprise and a really fun day.

Taking pictures is an arduous process on a wedding day but even more so when you're trying to entertain an 8th month old and get her to look where you want her to. Izzy was pretty cooperative for the most part but she definetely had her moments. Cindy and Ben had some creative ways of getting her to look at the camera. This is one of my most favorite pictures taken and it totally reflects Izzy's personality.

A big thanks to Aunt Cindy who came to play camera woman on our day. Even though it was Mother's Day, Cindy's love for Izzy is totally incredible and we are so grateful to have her help us while she can. Happy Mother's Day to all moms (including loving aunties)!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Happy anniversary to us! It's been 4 years since we've made it official - almost 11 years total of having each other in our lives. Through the past four years we have accomplished a lot, more than we thought we would and with the addition of Isabel and Ozzie, our little family is growing.

I think back to our wedding day and even though friends have come and gone and even lost touch, for just one day, everything was perfect. The day where you didn't think about any negative thoughts, any horrible things or drama. That day, you feel as if the world was in its right place and everything in your life was together.

So for my anniversary, my single wish is to remember all the happy moments and cherish them dearly. Although many events have happened in the last 4 years both good and bad, for a single moment in time nothing could be more joyful.

Big Basin, CA

So Uncle Rory (a friend of our's) moved to Pleasanton not too long ago. Rory is our "outdoorsy" and "active" friend. So before you know it, he dragged (well dragged my butt, Ben wanted to go) to Big Sur to see the Redwoods. It was as close as we could get to redwood trees without driving up north.

Yes, more nature. There was a bit of walking involved but what was worst was the drive. I had forgotten how horrible it was to drive through the mountains, that sucked!

Isabel had so much fun. I am getting a feeling that she is an outdoor girl. Sad me, good for daddy's wallet. Well, Steve Irwin's daughter Bindi does have a line of clothing now.... Maybe she can wear Timberlands with her Juicy Couture!

First Gymboree Class!

My attempts at trying to give Isabel a normal "stay at home mom" schedule prompted me to try a Gymboree class for free. I've always wanted to take her to one and see if she would like it. Since she had so much fun with other babies her age at the Children's Discovery Museum, I figured we would try it.

So my little darling princess LOVED the class! Izzy was smiling and laughing the entire time. Well, there were a few exercises she didn't like and you could totally see it on her face. She loves to stand and jump and any exercises lying down, she hated.

The lesson for the day was tunnels and encouraging babies to crawl through tunnels. Izzy can't crawl yet so we passed balls through the tunnel to show her. She was in love with those plastic balls. Well we signed up so I guess she's going to be a regular!