What can I say? I'm trying to win some stuff...

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

The Husband and I both loved "wearing" Sophia when she was a baby. Each of us had a sling style carrier, and we had it with us at all times. Sophia would instantly calm down and sleep when slung (which is how I got to go to the grocery store, or run the vaccuum). This contest will give me a free entry in the drawing if I put their link on my blog. So there you go. Can you blame me?? Look at those carriers- they are niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Mah Beh Beh is sooooo smart! And a confession, of sorts

Most people who read this blog know that I have a lengthy work history in retail. Part of that time was spent in children's retail. As a result, I've had the opportunity to see how lots of different people act with their kids. I'm no expert, and I've certainly not taken any child development courses at community college or anything, but, having come from a big family and being around alot of kids, I've managed to form some impressions.

And I think my kid is pretty smart.

Now, I know, I know- EVERYONE THINKS THEIR KID IS SMART. Everyone. And it doesn't matter what their kid is or is not doing, their kid is a genius. (insert eye roll here)

But now I have confirmation that mah beh beh is smart. The pediatrician said so! Professional confirmation even! Sophia had her 15 month check up and the dr. asked about her verbal skills. I guess at 15 mos, they only expect kids to say "mama", "dada" and a few other words. The Husband and I explained that Sophia can say about a dozen words, and proceeded to list them (animal sounds did not make this list, although, I feel that they deserve to). Mr. Pediatrician was VERY impressed and said that Sophia was "advanced" verbally. Oh such the proud mommy moment for me. Mah beh beh is soooooooooooooooooooo smart!!! I bragged aloud to myself all weekend.

One other big thing has been brewing in our little family. My belly. I've told lots of people personally, but it hasn't made the blog yet. "Neveu baby" is about to become "Neveu babies." Sophia is going to be a big sister this November. We find out what we're having next month. Part of me is still in shock that The Husband and I are about to be blessed with another child. Considering the exhaustion and aches and pains I've been experiencing, I should be in full blown acceptance by now. But we're both very excited. Sophia still doesn't "know" yet....and I'm not sure when to tell her. I suppose she'll be told when I think she'll understand. But not yet.

The difference a year makes

There has been lots going on in our house. Sophia has gotten all four of her molars in the last 6 weeks or so. The last one cropped in just 2 days ago. Overall, it was uncomfortable, but she didn't seem too distressed.

Sophia is fully mobile now. She runs (not walks, runs) forwards, can walk backwards, sideways and spins in circles. She will not do much of this on command.

If degrees were given in the art of saying "No", my child would be a candidate for a masters degree by now. She says no, and says it clearly and in the correct context. She does not, ever, say yes. Sometimes, she will shake her head, but I think that is unintentional right now.

Sophia's verbal skills are definitely progressing. She can pick out certain objects in her books (the dog, cat, bear, lamb, horse) and can tell you what sound they make. Her favorite animal right now is the doggie, which, so you know, goes "oof, oof." She can say "please" (if you make her say it) and we're working on "thank you."

I've been a little reflective lately on how much Sophia has changed in the past year, how far she has come. So, for your viewing enjoyment, I bring you where we were last June:





Sophie now has about 10 lbs on Chloe. The swing had to be put away awhile ago, because Sophie was too big and heavy for it. I miss the swing sometimes.

The baby food had to be given away, and the last can of formula was purchased three months ago. Sophia will eat whatever table food that she is allowed and/or she can get her hands on (as you've probably guessed, these are sometimes two different things). She drinks out of a sippy cup and a straw like a big girl. She loves fresh berries, bread, pasta and green beans. She's still the happiest, most pleasant child ever (when she's not screaming in indignant frustration at the cruelty and unfairness that surround her).

Then and now:






My baby is getting so big! But she will always, always be my baby.

Help Mommy Get her Drink On

So.....Sophia is going thru this stage (which I sort of hate) where she pulls all the books off the shelves. This may not sound like a terrible thing, but I have several bookshelves, all stocked with books I LIKE. And you know what Sophia likes? Ripping pages out of said books. So this really isn't a good thing.

But, trying to encourage my child's curiosity about books, I'm trying to "compromise" and let her pull out certain books. Mostly, she gets to tear apart old Zagat guides. Personally, I find it funny that Sophia has "her own" Zagat guide. My kid, the future restaurant critic.

But she pulled a different book down the other day, and it made me laugh and laugh. So this is for Deana....this is SO MAH child.


OH Sophie, you got a new book?

That's right, my kid pulled down the bartending guide. Just remember that Mommy likes three olives in her martini.

Easter 2008

yes, yes, I'm very tardy. But I'm working on it, I swear. This week, I'm really going to work on it. There's alot to report...so I better.

I should mention that there is a joke in here for my brothers. I hope they get it/remember.

The latests stats

Sophia had her 1 year pediatrician visit last Friday. She is 29 and1/4 inches tall, 21 lbs. That puts her smack dab in the middle- not too big, not too small.

During the visit, Sophia impressed everyone by walking into the exam room herself- everyone smiled at her. Being wary of strangers and not quite sure of what was going on, Sophia did not return any of the smiles.

Sadly, Sophia got 2 shots. One in the leg and one in her arm. That was awful. You know its bad when the nurse tells you to hold your child tight and restrain her arms and legs- this one's going to hurt. (um, the medical field NEVER admits that something's going to hurt...I thought that was the rule...) So, Sophie cried and cried, but then it was over. She cried again when I took the band-aids off that night.

Then, the real fun began- vaccine fevers! Whoo hoo! I'm sure people thought The Husband and I were crazy- touching Sophie's head, her arms, her neck...putting our lips on her head to see how hot she was. We couldn't leave that poor kid alone. It took a looong time (and a call to the afterhours dr. service) to get the fever down. Plus, I think it made Sophie a little funky- she really didn't want to eat all weekend and she didn't sleep well. The Husband and I are sort of zombies today. Coffee is my friend.....hmmmmmm delicious coffeeeeeeeee.....

But other than that, Sophia is good. I will post pictures from Easter in the next few days. Mah beh-beh had the cutest little easter dress on...and then she had the most fun ever later that day. Wait till you see.

Big steps, little steps

Sophia is walking more and more on her own. It just feels like it happened overnight. I feel like it was yesterday that I was wondering if she was EVER going to roll over on her back or on to her tummy. Now, I'm waiting for her to walk out of the house on her own.

Pictures from Sophia's Birthday Party

Happy First Birthday

yes, I'm 9 days late, but I just took all the pictures off of my camera.

Last Monday was Sophia's first birthday. To tell the truth, we didn't do anything that day to celebrate (other than dress her in a "birthday princess" shirt). Why? Well, it was Monday, and she's one and didn't care.

But last Saturday, we threw Baby's First Birthday Bash with the PRETTIEST invitations you ever saw and coordinating plates and napkins and all that girly stuff. (True story: I couldn't find pink forks. Pink spoons and knives- yes. But no forks. The Husband says: Do you really need pink forks? Me: OF. COURSE.)

I will post more pictures tonight, a collage of all the party fun. But here's an indication of how much fun Sophia had:

Oh yeah, good times.
She eventually cheered up and enjoyed her paaaar-tay.

You stay classy, San Diego.

While I do not feel that it has been that long since I updated the blog, many people have teased me that they are waiting for Sophia updates. So here it goes.

Sophia has been VERY busy. She is now cruising around the house like a champ. On a good day, she only needs to hold one finger on one of your hands to balance herself and she can walk around the whole house. She's able to get herself from sitting to standing unassisted now. This means that she is into EVERYTHING. We're going to be on lock down soon, as it's only a matter of time before she can reach the doorknobs and let herself out into the world.

Let's see...what else is Sophia into... well, there's classic TV shows


Exploring the kitchen to try new foods:


She's practicing her future "tough biker chick" face


In addition to raising her eyebrow just like daddy, she's now imitating the dirty looks mommy gives people:


Sophia is even starting to develop her own interests and opinions. Just the other day, she had some GREAT ideas about re-organizing the kitchen...


She even has an opinion on what kind of wine we should be drinking with dinner..


She's even starting to care about her looks! Sophia experiments with a classic hairstyles such as pigtails:


Or a nod to 80's punk with a mohawk (move over Maddox Jolie Pitt- your hair is sooo last year)


Inspired by Christian on Project Runway, Sophia even rocks a Flock of Seagulls 'do. She explains how to style her hair JUST SO. (did you know that baby food makes a powerful styling product? it does! )


(please insert your best John Travolta "why do you always got to mess with my hair?" from Saturday Night Fever here)

But in all honesty, the most exciting development of the week was Sophia taking her first real steps. I'm talking getting up from a sitting position and taking a step towards me. It was really great to see. Oh, and what was I doing to encourage my child to walk? Um, yeah. I was sitting on the floor of the kitchen with a tablespoon and an open carton of Hagen Daaz Vanilla Bean- offering to share my treat. We're real classy here, sitting on the floor, eating out of containers and sharing utensils. Yeeeahh. Nice parenting on my part if I say so myself- and kudos to the kid for being motivated by ice cream...it's not like she's the first girl to get off her butt for good food.

Sophia's first steps

Taken at home on January 3, 2008, walking with the assistance of the gift received from her godmother, Deana

The pony, snow, and leaving Chicago

This post should sum up the end of the trip and 2007.

Not surprisingly, my mom bought Sophia a TON of presents. She was definitely the person most excited about Sophia's first Christmas. She bought Sophia so much stuff- --that I only bought mah child 2 presents. I figured- the kid doesn't need anything else.

But there one was present that my mother was besides herself with excitment over. Months before Christmas, my mother came across a pony at a store. It's a rocking pony that sort of looks like a shetland. It "neighs" and has a real looking saddle and shakes its tail and everything. My mother was so entertained when she found it, she called me up to tell me about it- but she was laughing so hard that I couldn't understand a word she was saying. She was so excited about giving Sophia this pony, she started asking on the 23rd- can we give her the pony now? How about now? Can we show her the pony yet? Now? Howaboutnow?

OK! Let's give her the pony!

Sophia's reaction was pretty funny. At first, she didn't want much to do with this thing. But she warmed up to it pretty quick.

Sophia is not really enthused about the pony.


Forget this pony business, where's my singing snowman?

Hey! I like this thing !


As most people who read this blog know- Christmas in Chicago usually means freezing cold temperatures and snow. In preparation for this, I found Sophia the cutest pink snowsuit and I was completely excited at the thought of her wearing it. Growing up in the midwest means pictures of babies eating snow....pictures of babies next to snowmen...pictures of babies trying to make snow angles....the thoughts of all the adorable pictures I was going to take of mah beh-beh in the worlds cutest pink snowsuit was just making me drunk with anticipation.

Right about a week before we're all set to go to Chicago, it gets dumped on with snow. It's so bad that my mom is all worried the snow will continue and somehow ruin my trip. Fortunately...that was not the case. Unfortunately, it REALLY wasn't the case.

After getting over a foot of snow, Chicago experienced a slow, but steady warm up that melted nearly all the snow. Mind you, I said "nearly"- not all. This is what was left in my mother's front yard.


How completely lame. It was so warm, The Husband and I were outside taking these pictures and we had no coats or hats on. I think it was 45 degrees or something. But I was getting my pictures with my baby in that snowsuit, and I didn't care how lame the snow was ( I did, however, tell the husband that day to "hurry up before snow melts." How sad.)

Ironies of ironies, our trip ended with it snowing in Chicago. The flight was fine, early- but fine. Sophia did really well on the plane again. The Husband and I were exhaused by the time we got back to San Diego.


Snow outside the window

Sophia is not concerned at all about the snow


New Year's Eve was spent at home with just me, The Husband and Sophia. I think it was the first time since high school that I didn't go out and celebrate. But the celebration with just The Husband seemed a fitting way to close out 2007. It was a big year for us, and that's saying alot when you consider how many years we've known each other. But there was no one else in the world I wanted to say "happy new year" to when I crawled into bed (at 11pm- how completely lame!)

I look forward to all 2008 holds for us.

Christmas Eve and Christmas

This is taking me a very long time. Sorry about that.

Christmas eve and Christmas day were spent at my mom's house. Christmas Eve was pretty nutty- lots of people dropping in during the day, and a whooooole bunch of people coming for a party that night. Sophia received LOTS of presents. The party was Sophia's first big introduction to my side of the family, as most of my aunts, uncles and cousins had not met Sophia yet. Although there were lots of new people, mostly strangers, Sophia did really well. She was a little clingy, but eventually let me put her down, hand her off, or just let her play.

One of the best things The Husband and I did was keep Sophia on "California Time". So when it's 8pm here in San Diego, it's 10pm in Chicago. That means Sophia stayed up partying until 10 pm Chicago time with noooooo problem. She even had a costume change around 9pm (my baby diva in the making)


Sophia in her "my first christmas" pajamas.


Christmas morning was just with my immediate family. Sophia received so many presents, when it was her "turn", we had to open 2 or 3 presents for every 1 present the rest of us opened. Sophia received everything from toys, to jewelry, to clothes. But what were her favorites? The $3 stacking cups and the "yours for $15 with the purchase of 3 cards" animated toy from the Hallmark store. She Loooooves this thing. Its a snowman, dog and penguin on a sled, and when you sqeeze the snowman's hand, all three of them dance and the snowman sings "It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you." (I have no idea if that's the name of the song or not, but you know the one I mean." She's played with that thing so much, we had to replace the batteries already.

Sophia and her stacking cups


The favorite toy from the hallmark store


Overall, Chirstmas was great. I've selected some of my favorite pics from Christmas Eve and Christmas to share. I hope Santa was good to you, too.

Sophia's Big Trip, part 2: Sophia Meets Lots of People

For the reasons stated below, this post is dedicated to my friends who continually open their homes and hearts to me, sharing their experiences and opinions and who always, always make me laugh.

As this was our first trip to Chicago since Sophia was born, there were so many people who had not yet met Sophia and wanted to while we were there. Both family and friends had to be squeezed in around Christmas and Christmas Eve for introductions to be made. Overall, I think we did pretty well, but the holidays are always hard and there are always a few people with whom we can't connect with over Christmas. I think this means I'll just have to plan another trip in the Spring or Summer so Sophia can meet all my friends.

Our first full day in Chicago was spent meeting a big group of my friends. One person was kind enough to open her home for the afternoon and we had a potluck style lunch. Husbands and babies attended as well. I love seeing my friends and their families, and I'm always amazed at how much we have all changed and stayed the same. This year, the children finally outnumbered the adults, which was sort of a culture shock for me.

It makes me reflect sentimentally on how long we've all known each other (15+ years). It feels like yesterday that girls night out merely required a phone call and 2 or 3 days notice, and was exactly that: a girls only night out. No husbands, fiancees or the like to worry about. And we all carried really tiny purses*, danced on bars and stayed out all night. But we've all graduated and have careers and own homes. We traded tiny purses for diaper bags, paying a cover for paying a mortgage, 4 am bars for 4 am feedings and nursing hangovers to nursing sick babies. But most importantly, we really haven't changed that much- we still look fabulous and enjoy each other's company immensely.

In order to orchestrate this afternoon potluck, planning began in July (that's right, I said July). The food and company were excellent. There was even a group diaper change! (I suppose we had to exchange the "boob shot" for something else, eventually)




This was also my opportunity to meet Deana's new baby, Stephanie, who is 6 mos younger than Sophia. Deana and I are determined to make our daughters BFF's, just like we are. Of course, Stephanie is adorable and has a truly incredible head of hair (Sophia was jealous!). I also met Kristen's newest addition, Barrett. Barrett is 3 mos younger than Sophia, and a very big boy! Sophia thought he was pretty cute, and kissed him**!!!

The Ya-Ya's and our petite ya-ya's

Barrett tries in vain to get everyone to look at the camera.


Everyone also gracioulsy agreed to wrangle their children for a group shot. We're a long way from where we started, but the view is nice from where we are, don't you agree??

Before:


After:


The Husband and I also journeyed to Wilmette to see my friend Andy and his brood. Andy and I have been friends since our first day of college and he has one of the most beautiful families- ever. His five year old daughter, Tigi, was very happy to hang out with us and show us how smart she is. Tigi goes to Greek school, and knows all of her colors in English and Greek. Naturally, we were very impressed. While Andy's sons were not as interested to hang with the grown ups and the baby (boys will be boys), his oldest, George, agreed to pose for a picture. The other boy lives across the street and is George's BFF. Andy's other son, Socrates, asked not to be photoed.

Tigi's shows Sophia the ropes

George, Tigi and Sophia

Neighbor kid, George, Tigi and Sophia


I would feature a "beforfe and after" series for Andy and I as well....but strangely, I don't have that many pictures of him and I together. We were friends before there were digital cameras and picture phones. It's probably best that we don't have many of our antics caught on film. What happens in Greektown, stays in Greektown.

I miss all of my friends every day. Thank you to those who found the time in the always hectic holiday season to squeeze my family and me into your schedules. It was truly a highlight of the trip for me.



*What exactly happens to you in your 30's that makes it impossible to carry a small purse? It's like we all have luggage now to tote our wallets and makeup....
**While Kristen and I both counseled our childred that "boys/girls are dirty" we also agreed that if necessary, a pre nuptial agreement would be circulated