An Itty Bitty Baby Glimpse

I work in downtown DC and today, and as I was waiting in the lobby for a meeting, I noticed the beginning of a motorcade driving by. I dashed outside to catch a glimpse of our new presidente. I caught the back of Obama's head and his ears just as he was driving by. Not much, but still exciting! Hopefully, next time I'll catch a better view.

Gabriela's 6 Month Stats

Gabriela is 15 lbs, 6 oz and a whopping 28.5 inches long! That's like 95th percentile for her height but only 10th for her weight. So she's super skinny and super tall, but with us for parents, would you expect anything different?!?

Gabriela showed off her medicine avoiding skills to the nurse when she was tried to administer the oral vaccine. This time, Gabriela pulled out all the stops, kicking, spitting, and putting her arms in front of her mouth, turning her head. Wow. This girl was determined. She didn't want her medicine and she let us know!!

I think the shots get worse every time. It's really upsetting to see Gabriela so shocked and in terrible pain without warning. By the time I got her dressed again she was totally over it. We went home and cuddled, napped and then her mommy felt better too.

The Avocado Baby

This fancy hair-do is supposed to keep the avocado out of my hair. 
It doesn't work.
Can I have guacamole next time? 

A Surprise for Gabriela!

Hmm, which tag should I play with next?? 

Gabriela must have been a good girl because she got a surprise present in the mail from Malia & Andrew in Hawaii today.  Remember how much she loves tags and ribbons?!?!   Well, Malia and Andrew sure did!!  And our little sweetpea is in heaven.  Thanks, guys!!  

Uh-Oh

Gabriela looks like she's plotting her next mischievous move.  What could we possibly be in for next?!?  

Gabriela's Shout Out to Claire & Natalie

My cool shirt fits me now!  I am so excited to see you and play with you in March.  It seems like a long time away, but my mom says it will be here before I know it.  I love you, Claire & Natalie. 

Big hugs from your baby cousin, Gabriela.

XOXO

I Just Got Dumped!

That's right, folks. The darling pre-school graduate pictured here just dumped me over the phone today. Jackson is my cousin's son. Jen & her family used to live in Fredericksburg, VA and we'd hang out all the time. We missed them so much when they moved to Ohio in summer of 2007. Today I was talking to Jackson on the phone about 2nd grade and multiplication and stuff, and right before he got off the phone with me, he did the deed. He said in a very hurried manner, "Sorry I can't be in love with you anymore, I have another one". Just like that. And he quickly handed the phone back to his mom before I could even respond. Ouch, Jackson!

That's okay. I still love you, kid!

What a Little Stinker

Gabriela has been taking amoxicillin for the past few days and, while giving her the medicine was never easy, it just got much harder. Apparently, she has decided that she hates it. As soon as she SEES us holding the medicine dropper she purses her lips and immediately starts spitting!!! As we get closer, she starts turning her head back and forth and putting her arms up by her face to push our hands away. Yes, OUR hands. This is a two person operation!

Yet Another Trick Up Her Sleeve

I promise you, I put Gabriela's jammies on her correctly last night. She somehow managed to get them this way during the night in her sleep.

That Baby Look Fake!!

I cannot tell you how awkward it is to have someone tell you this about your child. Is it supposed to be a compliment?!? How the heck are you supposed to respond to this? "excuse me?" "why, thank you!","Oh no, you didn't!!" I think I mostly just smiled kind of strangely when people would say this to me - yes, I have been told this on numerous occasions. What I felt like saying was, "oh, you caught me! Yes, I'm the crazy adult woman who bought a BabyBjorn so I could carry my life-size doll around town during the day. I also tote around this bag full of useless supplies for my pretend child. you know, just in case."

But, then Gabriela fell asleep on the couch the other night and we couldn't help but snap some photos because she looked like such a little angel doll baby.

Pretty Little Six Month Old :)

Congratulations, Mr. President!

WOW. That's all I can say. It's so exciting to see so many people inspired, reinvigorated, and finally optimistic about where our country is going. We watched it all from home, just in awe of how many hundreds of thousands of people congregated at the National Mall to witness our new president being sworn into office.

It was surreal to think it was all just a few miles away, to see streets and landmarks that we regularly see and walk by look so incredibly different today.

Even Gabriela timed her nap so she woke up right before Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president. And she paid attention to part of it:

We're lucky we got to stay home and watch it all. But the whole rest of the country had to go to work?!? What's that all about?? If this country wants us to value and participate in its government, Inauguration Day should be a holiday. Come on, it's only once every four years. Get rid of Columbus Day and give everyone Inauguration Day, Barack. I know you're reading this.

Six Months Old!

This picture cracks me up. Lane is reading her Richard Scarry stories, but come on Gabriela, they aren't THAT scary!


Time is going by so quickly! I can't believe we have a six month old baby! Gabriela is so much fun these days. She is so much more vocal. She's got her little army crawl down, and is starting to inspect her surroundings. Just today, she was fascinated with a laundry basket in the living room! I think she's starting to understand the sign for up because when she's fussy, she'll immediately smile when I say UP and show her the sign. She loves shiny stuff and ribbons and tags and while she doesn't have any teeth yet, she's still a champion drooler and we can feel little bumps in her mouth. She still loves singing and is our little giggle bug.

The Weekend

What a treat it has been to have an extra long weekend filled with lots of Gabriela time and friends time as well! Friday night we went out with Bill & Julie to Jaleo for a dinner of delicious Spanish tapas. Gabriela was very lucky to receive a Care Bears board book from Bill & Julie which kept her very busy all throughout dinner. She was so good, she just played and smiled the whole time.

Lane had to work on Saturday, since he's not able to work on Tuesday. Gabriela and I went to the grocery store and I cleaned up while she napped. That night we went to Sean & Jessica's for cake and ice cream since Sean turned 30 over the weekend! His big b-day celebration is after inauguration madness ends.

Sunday night we were brave souls and ventured into the city on the metro with Gabriela to attend our friend's Party Like a Barack Star party. Laura & John always amaze me with their party themes. They had beers from Chicago and Hawaii, and other themed drinks. I had a hawaiian Mai Tai, but before I read the warning - Careful - they're "my 401K just dropped 40% strength"! Gabriela enjoyed the party. She is such a social butterfly - always on her best behavior for parties, smiling and staying up late, and sleeping in later the next day and always in a happy mood. We are so lucky!
This was the cake at the party. The metro was so crowded on the way home. I can't even fathom what it will be like on Tuesday.

Today we got tons done. We took Gabriela to the dermatologist to check out her belly button, picked up her prescription, Lane did tons of dishes and cleaned the kitchen while I did laundry. We watched the entire Martin Luther King Jr. I Have a Dream speech, and then Lane watched Gabriela while I took a nap - heavenly! After we had a carne con chile breakfast with eggs and rice (yum!) I got all crazy in my newly cleaned kitchen. I made chicken stock, then made pesto sauce, just to put in the freezer for another day and then I made a stir fry for dinner.

Happy to have tomorrow off as well. We will enjoy the inauguration of our new president in our warm and cozy apartment with Sean & Jess and lots of delicious foods to eat. mmmm.

Gabriela Sings for You!

Here is Gabriela singing a song just for you. She didn't want you to lose interest so she incorporated some raspberry blowing and dancing also.




Gabriela loves to play with her feet, babble, and experiment with her voice these days.

Teddy Bear Fun

Gabriela got this sweet, colorful, crinkly teddy bear for Christmas. Just look at all those different colors and textures and patterns and different parts for Gabriela to chew on. It's perfect. You may be wondering, though, what her favorite part of this teddy might be...
um, it's the tag. Clearly, that's the most interesting and exciting part.
And, apparently, the tastiest.
Maybe Gabriela can read already and she likes the tag so much because her cousins put a little love note on it for her.
Phew, that was hard work!

More Gabriela Skillz

We start with Bubble Blowing - just look at the concentration!! Advanced Bubble Blowing

Extreme Thumb Sucking

And accomplishing all of these feats with newly pierced ears. She's got talent.

Woo-Hoo!!!!

Remember how much fun we had last year when the Santa Barbara Grovers came to visit?!?!? If you don't, check out the recap of our adventures here.

Well, we are totally and incredibly, fantastically excited to report that they are coming AGAIN!! We can't wait to see everyone. There will be even more fun this time since the girls can have cousin time and Gabriela will be able to spend lots of time with Auntie Adie and Uncle Ian. And I won't be super pregnant (or pregnant at all), so I will be much more mobile and have more energy.

We can't wait until the end of March!!! Love you guys!

Staying home for the inauguration

Yep, it's true. We are 5 miles away, just across a bridge, and we are going to stay home for this momentous occasion. I would love to go, but not as much as I love cozy warmth, non-smelly private potties with running water, being able to sit whenever I'd like and not being crowded and pushed around.

I might have considered going if the weather weren't so freezing! Today it was 11 degrees when we woke up, felt like -4. Oh, and the whole baby thing makes it a little harder.

I am seriously worried for the Metro system and Metro riders. As much as I adore our public transportation system, I just don't think it's tough enough to handle all the people who are supposed to be in town. All week Metro has been having delays and train malfunctions. Just this morning, the train was SO crowded because of an earlier delay. If Metro struggles with a busy commute day, I dont' know how the system will survive ALL those people. They are actually asking anyone within a 2 mile radius to just walk. Good luck folks, as you brave the crowds on the train and on the Mall.

So, we're staying home. That's right, the buildings where we work are shut and locked down until Wednesday. We're looking forward to some extra Gabriela time as well as being able to watch this historic moment from the comfort of our cozy warm apartment.

Congrats, Barack. Cos, you know, we're on a first-name basis, he and I.

A day at the doctors' offices

Monday night and Tuesday night Gabriela was awake. Lucky for us, she never cries at night but she was coughing the whole time. I was debating whether or not to take her to the doctor . . . would they just tell me she has a virus, and stick it out? I'd rather they tell me that I was overreacting than not go and find out I should have (and, consequently, feel like a bad mama). So off we went. It turns out Gabriela has a sinus infection. Poor baby. AND it's spreading to her ear. Fabulous. Her little lungs are extra susceptible to flare ups since she's still getting over her virus so Gabriela gets to take her inhaler again (her favorite) and another antibiotic prescription. sigh.

Thursday was a rough day. Gabriela's schedule got all out of whack. Everytime she fell asleep, we had to go somewhere and she ended up waking up.

Nevertheless, she was an angel. We got to the pediatrician at 12:30. By the time we waited our turn, were seen, paid, and left, it was 2. By 3 we were out the door again to the metro headed to my doctor appointment. The midwives were running late. I had to get blood drawn after my appointment. The bus couldn't take its normal route because of inauguration street closures. We talked to crazy people on the bus. We didn't get home until 7. Gabriela finally took a long nap and slept very well that night. phew.

In other news, I have been deemed entirely too skinny. I knew they would tell me this. I am supposed to start drinking protein shakes inbetween meals. I found some hippy organic hemp protein powder, but I'm going to scope out Trader Joes first. Anyone else lose too much weight after baby? Any tips on getting back on track in a healthy manner? I don't want to eat junk just to pork out.

Gabriela on the Go-Go

Trying to crawl is very tricky. I have to take breaks to think about it, plan my next move, suck my thumb, and give a shout out to my faithful readers :)

Two days later, I really improved my game. Check it out for yourselves!! Now I can really get in trouble!! My poor mommy and daddy!

My Mommy's Sweater

Nana, it was so sweet of you to send me the sweater you crocheted for my mommy when she was a baby. I think it's very pretty, and I don't know a whole lot about crocheting, but it looks like you worked really hard on this! How special that I get to wear it too!

Love, Gabriela

Phew! That was a close one!!

We have a very cute Grover ornament that has been on our tree for the past two years. Here it is for your viewing pleasure. Cute, right?!?

I don't know how we made it throught having this ornament for TWO years without noticing the very important warning on the bottom. I am sharing it with you all to prevent any possible incidents.






Get ready for it.

Seriously. Thanks for the tip, Grover.

She did it!

For the past few days Gabriela has been putting together the pieces of how to move around. She lifts her whole upper body up and supports herself on her hands. And, but not at the same time, she puts her little bum up in the air with her knees under her, or pushes off the floor with her feet. And even though she rolls over from front to back and from back to front, she hasn't quite realized that if she keeps doing it in the same direction, she'll make it across the room and her whole world will expand.

Well, last night during some tummy time, Gabriela put both hands forward on the floor, pulled her whole body forward and proceeded to do the same until she had her object of choice.

We just watched her in disbelief and uttered, "oh, no!" a few times at the thought of her racing all over the apartment exploring everything. We are going to have to baby proof the place EXTREMELY soon!!

What a big girl we have!

January Babies

January 7: Happy Birthday, Auntie Theresa!!

January 2: Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

We love and miss you both.

Uncle David Came to Visit!

Fun with Uncle David!! This weekend was full of all the things we have when David visits: Lots of laughs, beer, fun times, beer, tons of Kabob Palace deliciousness, beer, we cooked a bunch, beer, and Uncle David and Gabriela spent a whole day together (no beer), just the two of them. Here they are having some fun times:

Uncle David also discovered that Gabriela is already a very talented gymnast. Just take a look for yourself!

Gabriela Knows How to Ring in the New Year

Gabriela knew there must have been something good in that bottle if her Daddy was drinking it! She wanted in on that action!! Look at her concentration!

Don't worry, Gabriela didn't enjoy her first beer on New Years. The only thing she had from a bottle that night was breastmilk.

Happy New Year!

What a year 2008 has been. Yesterday, I was reading back on our blog. At this time last year, we had barely spilled the beans about Gabriela. We had so much excitement with her in the first part of last year. Wondering if she was a boy or a girl, feeling her move for the first time, endless entertainment watching my belly move, going on dates because we thought we'd never get out again or get any sleep after she was born. Gabriela has turned out to be quite the happy little angel. We can take her anywhere, and she's all smiles and quiet. She rarely cries at all. Only a little once in a while to tell us she's hungry or her diaper is wet. She wakes up in the morning and immediately gives us her biggest smiles. We just love her to pieces.

Last year was filled with so many wonderful memories. One huge highlight was the Santa Barbara Grovers coming out to see us in DC. We had so much fun with the girls and Ian and Adrienne and the cherry blossoms. We hope they can come again soon. A few days after they left, Lane and all his brothers and Ann met up for some Grover reunion madness in Las Vegas. I'm glad they had a chance to spend some time together. Our baby shower was the best! We were so lucky to be able to share this special celebration with so many family members. My mom, Theresa, Cynthia, and David really know how to throw a good party. I will never forget our totally awesome surprise shower attendees - Adie, Meliss, Mary Jane and Grandma Chaney were all so sneaky. Thanks guys, for making the special effort to be here for us! In May we took a well deserved relaxing trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina - our last pre-baby excursion. We had so many visits with David last year. Thanks, bro, for coming to see us so often. We always have a blast.

The second half of the year was full of wonderful Gabriela-ness :) I am proud of Lane and me for making it through a very long labor. Lane was the most kind and patient and loving husband anyone could ask for. Top that off with a beautiful, happy and healthy baby girl, and what more can you ask for? Even though labor ended up being much longer than I had anticipated, and I ended up not having the natural birth I had hoped for, I am so pleased with our experience. While I'm still going to go for the midwife and natural birth experience next time, I would totally do it all over again, even if it meant having the exact same kind of birth experience. Although I wouldn't mind cutting out the post-partum hemorrhage business.

My mom was Super Mom. I seriously don't know what we would have done without her that first week with Gabriela. She took such good care of our whole family, especially the baby and me. It was really hard to see her leave.

We made the most of my very long maternity leave. I'm so grateful I got to take 17 weeks off from work. Some people have to go back after only 6. I feel like I really got the hang of being a mom during that time and enjoyed every moment with little Gabriela. We also had some fun traveling by taking a trip to California in September. We got to introduce Gabriela to *almost* all her family, and even a few friends. We got Gabriela a passport so she could take a trip to Peru almost two weeks later for David's wedding. It was amazing to spend so much time with my family. It was especially fun being with my brother and sister who are parents also.

Gabriela has grown so much. We went from not even being able to feel her move around in my belly, to having a beautiful baby girl who can sit up and put everything in her mouth, try scooting around, laugh and talk to us, and squeal with delight. What a joy.

We had so many great times with our fabulous friends that we've made on the east coast. And also, special visits from our other friends. We got to see Malia and Andrew from Hawaii, and got an extra special dose of Malia while she was working a four month stint in Baltimore. yay!! and Morgan and Andro visited a couple of times from Berkeley, thanks to Andro's family living like 5 miles away from us. We are hoping Andrew decides to run the Marine Corps Marathon next October in Crystal City.

2008 also had some stinky parts, like having to leave Gabriela in day care and not being able to get rid of our CA house due to the total nose dive the economy took. But we are healthy, happy, have good jobs and a fabulous daughter, and our life is full of great friends.

Happy New Year, everyone!! Here's to 2009!!!

XOXO