One step forward and two steps back

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

So the regression has started. Isabella has shown some signs of jealousy and regression. At first it started out with the sad, puzzled look she'd give me when I had Ethan in my arms.



Then she cried when I would feed Ethan. When I brought Ethan into her daycare for her birthday she became sad and cried. Two weeks ago she started asking to sit on our laps. And last week she asked to drink her milk in our laps. When she got up on our laps she wanted to be cradled like a baby. And tonight, I found her hiding behind the microwave sucking on Ethan's pacifier.

I know this is only the beginning. Wait until Ethan becomes more demanding and needs more attention. Oh boy.

Gan-ma home

Isabella yells "Gan-ma home". And before I was about to say "yes, grandma is at home" I turn around and see that Isabella has a shopping bag that grandma brought over on one of her visits.

Right now, she's yelling at me saying "hey mommy. hey mommy. hey mommy! what doing mommy?

Her daycare says she's the smartest toddler at her daycare. I think she's pretty bright myself.

As I type, I have my iPhoto open and Isabella is asking to see "more pictures." She sees the pics from this weekend and says "Look it, ganma. Etan sleeping. Bella cup."

She cracks me up.

Birthday Exchange

On Sunday we went to auntie Merah and cousin Jack's house for Jack and Isabella's belated birthday exchange. Isabella received an baby stroller that she loved in an instant.

This picture just cracks me up. We ran out of regular diapers so we put Isabella in training diapers. The back must not be as high as regular diapers so we got a little show.




We meant to go there for dinner but it turned into an overnight trip. I locked my only set of car keys in the back of my car - which I didn't realize until we were leaving at 9:30pm, well past Isabella's bedtime. We called Range Rover road-side assistance and AAA to come unlock it but to no avail. One of the tow truck drivers called for underground backup and he couldn't break into our car. How hard can it be? I'm thinking Gone in Sixty Seconds, but apparently these cars are impossible to break into. After all that trouble, the car had to be towed the next day to a dealer so they could take apart the trunk to get the keys. We were stuck stranded at Merah's all day Monday. Poor Isabella went to bed very late and had a hard time sleeping.

To my honey

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Tuesday was our eight year wedding anniversary. It has been a busy year for us. It made me think about the early years when our life was simple - pre-babies, double mortgages and etc. And then I realized our life has never been simple. In our eight years we have accomplished so much. Life has never been and never will be dull.

So here are a few moments that we captured.

I only wish we had captured more of it. So for the rest of our journey together, I will make more of an effort to catch them with the camera.

Love you lots.

'Hello Mommy'

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Lately, Isabella loves to say "hello mommy" and "hello daddy."

Her daycare says she's very talkative at school. Here she is being herself. It cracks me up every time I watch this video. Can you tell she learned a few things at school? "Gooood morning."

Happy Birthday Isabella

Isabella turned 2 on Friday, September 12. We decided not to have a party for Isabella this year. We kind of had no choice. No house to throw a party in and she's still young enough to not really understand. Instead I brought cupcakes to Isabella's daycare and we took her out to lunch. Ethan and I showed up and Isabella was cranky in a sad way. I think she was upset that Ethan and I were there encroaching on her private space. The time we arrived the kids were just put down for their nap. I had no idea that on Fridays they go down an hour earlier! So Ethan and I had cupcakes, hats, plates and napkins and no guest to share them with. It was all so sad.






This is Isabella's daycare buddy, Sacha. She talks about him from time to time.




At home, Isabella arranged her babies around Ethan.




Here she is feeding both babies.



She wasn't in the mood to eat her cupcake at daycare, but when we got home she thoroughly enjoyed it.



On Saturday, we took Isabella to the LA Zoo. It was so crowded and hot! It was just starting to cool down too. We'll have to make it up to her next year!

Ethan's three weeks old

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

I took Ethan for his three-week doctor's appointment yesterday. I was so surprised by the transformation in the three short weeks since his birth. Here is his progress:





His first doctors appointment was when he was four days old. He had lost a lot a weight. He went down to 6 lbs 12 oz. So in the two weeks he gained two pounds! Isn't that insane? He's also much taller...which the nurse says the birth height is often incorrect because babies squirm around so much it's hard to get an accurate measurement.

He's getting pretty chubby in the face. He's got the biggest cheeks ever; which makes them so stinkin' kissable.

Here are some photos from this weekend.

Isabella loves giving kisses to Ethan. For now, she enjoys taking care of him. She'll give him a pacifier to try to soothe him even though he doesn't like pacifiers...yet. She'll cover him with a blanket...literally cover him entirely with the blanket head and all. It's all very sweet.






Since our kitchen is still not complete we went our for breakfast at our local favorite, Cafe 101. We always see an actor or two there. Several weeks ago we saw Lisa Edelstein who plays Dr. Cuddy on House - one of my new favorite shows. This time we saw two actors, but I don't know there names and can't recall what show they are from.






Isabella became fascinated with the wall at the cafe. You can see she had a bit too much juice.

Later we took Isabella to a park near our house. It was fun. We met several other toddlers and their parents at the playground. I always thought Isabella was pretty tall. She's been in the 80-90th percentile for height most of her life. At the park there were four two-year olds that were much taller than Isabella they all claim to be in the 100th percentile. Crazy.

More Pics

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Poor Isabella was so sick this weekend. Ill with a stomach virus of some sort it was the first time I ever saw Isabella vomit. She was so lethargic it made Ed and me feel awful for her. Thankfully it only lasted one day and now she's back to her old self again.








Here are some more pictures of Ethan.