Cuteness Overload! Isabel Recites the Alphabet

OMG - So our fabulous super duper camera proved its worth by showing off my dear daughter at her best. I had NO idea that she could recite the complete alphabet. I knew she could do segments but to actually have the attention span to sit there and do it was amazing. Well after all, we did just come off of a fun play date at our house where she wolfed down like 4 chocolate chip cookies. The energy was still there at 9pm, way past her bed time. Izzy absolutely adores her daddy and for like 30 minutes, her and Ben are in the kitchen having a conversation. I could watch this video a million times!!! Yes I'm a proud mama!

A New Big Girl Bed!

So based on how many times Izzy has fallen out of her toddler bed, we were finally convinced that maybe the bed was just too small for her after all. She sleeps in such weird positions and flips all over the place at night that eventually she ends up on the floor. We walked through Ikea a few weekends ago and found the perfect bed for her. It's actually a reversible bed that flips over and becomes a bunk bed so when Zoey gets older, they can share a room together.

The bed is actually navy but I had to customize it. I hand sewed the drapes and bought the canopy from Ikea. Isabel LOVES her bed. She plays in it and reads books in it too. I ended up buying her a new duvet set and a new goose down blanket too. She has not fallen out of her bed once since we've gotten it.

Last weekend we spent a day in San Leandro with our cousins and it was actually the first time we took both the girls out for the entire day. We had not planned on staying the entire day but ended up doing so which meant emergency run to the grocery store for formula and diapers!

Zoey makes the strangest faces! She constantly makes odd faces when she's awake. She has grown so much the last 6 weeks. We haven't weighed her yet but she's at least over 10 pounds now.

Bounce On This!

While planning Isabel's birthday party, I found out how much bounce houses cost. It's so much more cost efficient to buy one instead of renting one for the day. Our bounce house finally arrived today and while Zoey was sleeping, I set it up in our back yard. It's amazing! It inflates in less than one minute and deflates just as fast.

Izzy had been really scared of bounce houses the last few times she was in them so I was so happy that she took to it quickly. It seemed to me that she had gotten over her fear. Hopefully when we actually go to someone else's house she will be brave enough to try it.

This was an executive decision made by mommy. It's expensive but I believe to be well worth it. I don't want Izzy couped up inside too much during the summer watching tv so hopefully this will expel some of that toddler energy.

Jessica's Visit

Jessica and I have been talking about her visiting me for quite some time now. Every time we make a date, someone usually ends up being sick or something happens that we end up just postponing. Not today! The weather worried me a bit since it was really cloudy in the morning but thank goodness it cleared up by noon.

We played indoors in the morning and after lunch headed outside. I had been worried that Izzy would be her clingy self but she surprised me and had a great time playing with Lexy and Sonny. She was happy and shared all her toys. I am so glad that she's finally gotten over her cling-t0-mommy-for-dear-life phase. I hope it lasts.

When friends are over, everything you do is a million times more fun. I can't believe how big Sonny has gotten! He's almost 6 months but he's almost as tall as Izzy and they wear the same size diapers! I think they're only 5lbs apart in weight. He's one sturdy little boy and to be Lexy's little brother, I think he can definitely manage!

Here are the girls relaxing. I'm so glad they enjoyed themselves. It was pretty funny to see both Jessica and I trying to manage with 2 kids each. We've come a long way from the Mervyn's days when we first met. Both of us were newly married and kids were far from our minds. Now we're toting 2 each... My have times changed!

Wiggles!

Izzy loves the Wiggles so when they came to San Jose last night, we were so excited! Since the new baby came, we wanted to make sure that both Ben and I took extra care in giving Izzy all the attention while she was with us by herself.

She got a Wiggles tee and a Dorothy hat. She was so excited to put them on!

She fell asleep in the car on the way home but woke up when we tried to put her in her bed. After that she got all her energy back and was showing her grandparents some dance moves. It was a really fun experience for the whole family and we would definitely take her again if they come back to SJ!

Izzy's Pool

This is a strange summer. It's mid July and we haven't seen the scorching temperatures that we're normally used to. I heard that during the week of June 27th (while I was in the hospital giving birth to Zoey), it was over 100 degrees so I guess everyone has experienced it except for me. It was finally warm enough for me to go out and get her a play pool.

Izzy LOVES water play. I don't get it how toddlers can stand the freezing cold temperature of water. They don't care at all when they're outside playing. I guess they just block it out mentally. Fun is more important the being cold!

Izzy relaxing because life is soooo hard for an almost two year old....

Ozzie and Izzy, BFFs. These two have become constant companions. Ozzie is such a tough guy that he pretends he doesn't like her but deep down, he adores her. Ben has told me that there are times when he just goes into her room in the middle of the night and just sits by her bed. We are so grateful that we got Ozzie first because Isabel would be insanely lonely if it weren't for him. Since Zoey arrived, we've noticed her desire to play with little sister. I love that I have a newborn and I cherish the time but I am also looking forward to seeing my girls play together too. Oh and I'm sure Ozzie is thrilled to want to play dress up with them in the future!

The Many Faces of Zoey

Over the course of my stay at the hospital when I had Zoey, I became a paranoid parent. With Isabel, I was more free and relaxed. I knew that I didn't want to be the mom who freaks out over every little thing. For some reason the time, when my recovery went sour, I became less confident of myself as a parent. I don't know what happened because Zoey was perfectly fine. I think it had to a lot to do with me losing control of my own health.

Zoey is absolutely precious and each day, the more time that I spend with her, the more I love her. It makes me sad to think that this tiny little baby is going to grow up so quickly so every minute that I have holding her is so valuable. I see how quickly Isabel is growing and if Zoey is my last baby, I want to treasure every second.

I think babies do laugh and have happy moments. People say that it's their facial muscles just reacting but somehow I think that when Zoey is done eating, she's content and knows it.

All of a sudden, my baby will turn into big girls like Isabel! It's miraculous to think that within the span of 2 years, that little 5lb 13oz infant will turn into a rambunctious toddler! How I adore my little girls!