First Steps

It started a few weeks ago with just a couple of steps here and there. Then it went to a few steps before she decided to stop, drop and crawl. Now, it is several steps but, of course, whenever the camera is close by, it is hard to get it on video...

In this first one she is not so much walking but, I love her little voice and her smile when she sees me...

Cheers to Dr. and Mrs. Rishwain

Mark and I traveled out to LA last weekend for Mark's best friend, Darron's, wedding. It was our first mini-vacation since Ellia was born and boy did we enjoy ourselves. It started out in the airport where we were actually able to have dinner together with adult conversation. Since we flew Virgin America (love that airline) I was able to relax and catch up on some TV shows the whole way there. Once we arrived, we went and spent the night with the Afsharis, got caught up and enjoyed some delicious pizza. The next morning I attended a cardio barre class (yes, I was very sore after!). and then went out for coffee. Ok, I won't bore you with the rest of the details but, all of you moms out there know what I am talking about. It's just so wonderful to enjoy all of the small things that I took for granted before kids.

The rehearsal dinner was held at Nic's Beverly Hills which is a restaurant and Martini lounge with a walk-in/drink-in exhibition vodka freezer. So yummy and fun! Even I enjoyed some of the chocolate and toffee-flavored vodkas.

Darron and his mother

The happy couple

Mark and I in the VODBOX

The wedding was one of the most beautiful I have ever attended. Mark did a fabulous job as one of Darron's two best men and gave a funny yet, touching toast in front of nearly 400 people. I was impressed! Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries as soon as the reception started (knew I should have charge it before I left the hotel) but, here are a few from the cocktail hour.

Mark's parents drove up for the day for the wedding.

Mark and Randy Char

Cheers to Darron and Pam!!!

Sharing Sisters

Sharing goldfish crackers...yes, on the kitchen floor but, hey, this is our reality. Let's just hope Daddy misses this post!

Bianca's Signature Move...

I like to call it the "donkey kick" but, it seems to be her signature move while rocking out to her Disney Princess disc player...

Singing in the Rain...Almost

Here in South Florida in the late afternoon, it is very common for the skies to open up and water to come pouring down. Yesterday was no exception. Bianca grabbed her Hello Kitty umbrella that the Easter Bunny brought for her and asked to go outside. Of course, we said yes! However, once we were outside, Bianca seemed to change her mind about going all out in the rain and instead stayed pretty close to the front porch. Maybe she will change her mind once she has new rain boots and a rain jacket...

And our little Miss America stayed dry with Daddy...

Who Needs Toys?

Who needs toys when the hottest ticket in the house is the kitchen cabinet full of sippy cups, bowls, aprons and placemats?

Here Comes Trouble...9 Months

Bianca can often be heard saying, "Here comes trouble". And by "trouble" she means her little dough-ball of a baby sister who follows her around the house, into her room, to the potty, into the playroom, etc. That baby sister who laughs all the while she is crawling after her sister and whose grin, I'm pretty sure, could light up the world. That's our baby girl, Ellia.

Over the past month Ellia has become much more independent from Mommy in the sense that she is happy to crawl around and play while I take care of things around the house. Finally, I can put her down and let her go! At the same time she is still quite the Momma's girl. She is happy to have anyone else take care of her as long as she can't see me. Once I return home and she sees me, she cries until she is back in my arms.

She is still crawling all over the place and stands up for long periods of time by herself. She does not seem to have any interest in walking yet and that is just fine with me. Ellia has become very vocal with her "ma ma ma", "da da da","ba ba ba" and a bunch of other baby babble. Some of her other new "tricks" are giving kisses (open-mouth), starting to wave a little, and smacking her lips. She still only has two lonely teeth on the bottom of her mouth. We affectionately refer to her as a "garbage disposal" because this little girl can put some food away. There really isn't very much she will turn away.

I hope that this phase that she is going through lasts for a long, long time.

9 Month Stats:

Weight: 18 lbs. 5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height: 28.75 inches (90th percentile)
Peanut Head: 10th Percentile

Here is Ellia's idea of helping Mommy in the kitchen...

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